The Body Shop (‘TBS’) Facial
Spurred on by the fact that I have now dropped down to
part-time office work and have more time for me and starting up my own
business, called You Little Beauty, last week I became a Body Shop at Home Consultant
and was very excited to receive my new starter kit. I instantly gave myself a facial to test them
all out.
Camomile Waterproof
Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover 160ml, £10
If you have read my blogs before, you'll know that I have stuck
to one eye make-up remover for the last 25 years due to the fact that I react to everything else so I was a bit nervous about using TBS!
However, all was good: no lids swelling, no stinging and it smelt rather
nice too. I doused a damp cotton wool
pad with the remover, held it against my eye for a few seconds (so the product lifted up the make-up) and then wiped off. Another benefit was that it didn’t leave an
oily residue, as with a lot of these bi-phased products. Good to know that there’s no alcohol, no
added fragrance or colourings in this (it does contains natural camomile though).
Vitamin E Cream
Cleanser 250ml, £7.50
TBS’s Vitamin E range has been around since
1977. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that
protects and repairs the skin, helping to neutralise free radicals (sun,
pollution, stress, smoking etc) that causes cell damage which leads to
premature ageing.
Now, I am a water baby with an oily skin and I’ve been using
foaming facial washes ever since I can remember but I’m getting older (and skin becoming less oily), my
skin is responding better to cream cleansers (which are less dehydrating) so I
was happy to give this a go.
It’s presented in a lovely dusky pink bottle with a lift-up cap
top and I used a one pence sized blob onto my wet hands and massaged it into
skin. The white cream feels like a
silky, pliable cushion. I do like a good
massage morning and night so my cleansing routine probably takes a bit longer
than normal. Once it had lifted all the
make-up, grime and whatever else I have taken from the day, I then used a warm damp
TBS Muslin Cloth (£2.50) which not only removed everything but is a great way
to gently exfoliate the skin. You
can wash the cleanser off with warm water too (or if you’re lazy like me on
some occasions then use a WaterWipe!). My
face felt very comfortable, silky smooth and clean.
Vitamin E Hydrating
Toner, 250ml, £7.50
As you know, I LOVE a toner and this one didn’t disappoint. Again, like nearly all the products I have tried and tested, there’s a sponginess
feel to it, like its protecting you before you start, if that makes sense. I squirted a few drops onto damp cotton wool
pads (by dampening the pads, you use less product) and swept it away from the
centre of my face outwards (basically towards your lymph nodes to eliminate
toxin build-up). Now my face is
completely clean and the pH balance restored, ready to accept the next product.
Now if you were to use an exfoliator (scrub, peel etc), now would be
the time to use it, before the mask (so that the mask penetrates a little deeper
into the skin and you reap it's benefits) but seeing as I’ve used the Muslin Cloth, I don’t need to
exfoliate.
Mineral & Ginger
Warming Massage Clay Mask 100ml, £11
Oooo, now this little beauty is fab. I feel the cold terribly so any excuse for a
bit of heat is heavenly. I wet my face
and squeezed a generous amount in my hands and then applied it to my skin and
instantly I felt warmth. The mask also
contains Ginger, a powerful antioxidant and inhaling the scent was great too. I left it on for ten minutes and then jumped in
the shower to wash it off.
Due to the mineral clay content, impurities are drawn out
and pores refined, leaving the skin revitalised. I really liked this product, as did my skin and my HUGE pores.
When I had finished in the shower, I toned my skin again
with the Toner, just to make sure my skin was clean of mask.
Drops of Youth Concentrate 30ml, £26
Its boast is that it contains stem cells from three
resilient plants known for their regenerating properties: Edelweiss, Criste
Marine and Sea Holly. Used daily, to counteract the first signs of ageing
(too late for me then!), it’s said to activate healthy, plumped, hydrated, luminous
skin and not to mention refining those pores (which is a big thing for me as
mine are HUGE and I hate them). From personal experience, when looking for a product range, you know when you've found the right one because you end up using less product (and in turn, save money in the long term) as they can change the surface of your skin for the better. Due to its concentrated oils and extracts, this little beauty is said to do just that.
It comes in a lovely green bottle with a dropper, so I
used one drop of concentrate all over my skin – a little goes an awful long
way. It’s instantly absorbed into the
skin (as with all these serums, concentrates and oils) and you’re ready for
your moisturiser.
Vitamin
E Moisture Cream 50ml, £13
To complement the cleanser and toner, this cream contains Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid and wheatgerm oil. I thought it might be too heavy for
me, what with the wheatgerm oil in it (good for dryness) but it’s extremely
lightweight and I rather like it and love the smell. Apparently, its TBS’s best-selling product.
The Moisture Cream doesn’t contain sun protection so
make sure your foundation has SPF or use TBS’s fabulous Skin Defence Multi Protection
Essence SPF 50 on top of your moisturiser.
I am so going to buy myself this Skin Defence and I will write a blog on it - all you need to know for now is that its a fabulous necessity.
Vitamin
C Energising Face Mist 100ml, £12
The final stage of my TBS facial was the Face
Mist. Now, I am a true believer in
Vitamin C - it is a powerful
antioxidant that revitalises and strengthens the skin to protect against UVA/UVB and
improves hydration, amongst a host of other things.
However, I am not a face mist kinda gal.
I once came out in small red spots from spritzing myself with a facial mist
back in the 90’s when I worked on one of the skincare beauty counters (and the
brand I spritzed wasn’t the one I was working for thankfully but I wasn’t a great
advert for great skincare that day!).
This one contains aloe vera, which has a soothing effect on the skin and I
haven’t broken out yet! I am sat here an hour on and my skin feels very comfortable, soft and springy.
I don’t like to smell of fruit but I have to say,
the orange scent quickly evaporated and I was left with a rather classy
non-fruity fragrance. Great to have in your bag if you're out and about for a good old pick-me-up (less dehydrating than wine, Sal!) and you're knackered and your skin is tired.
I have been using two more Body Shop products in the evening,
which I can honestly say has changed the condition of my skin in a very short space of time and I will be
buying full sizes of these but I will have to leave you in suspense with
regards to these two… until next time!
For further information on anything I have written about or want to host a party/purchase products, please get in touch. You can email me on youlittlebeauty2017@yahoo.com
www.thebodyshop.com
