The Body Shop Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask: Review

I wish I had a passion for cooking. I am a creative person; I love scrapbooking, writing, decorating and even doodling (does that count?), but when it comes to cooking...well, I just find it soooo boring! You place your ingredients in a pan, waiting for it to boil or whatever, and then you have nothing to do but to stare mindlessly into space...tedious. Absolutely tedious. Don't get me wrong- my cooking skills DO extend beyond baked beans and scrambled eggs, and I DO look real cute in an apron and over-sized oven gloves. I DO know the ABC of cooking (a certain somebody I know once tried washing rice with washing up liquid- seriously), and people DO enjoy eating whatever I make- I just didn't inherit the cooking gene from my mother, who was able to cook scrumptious meals, delicious snacks and mouth-watering desserts...and actually enjoyed it! I think I inherited my dad's lack of patience gene instead. And cooking requires bundles of patience.

However, I do enjoy creating fresh, home made face masks with whatever ingredients I have lying around in my kitchen, pampering myself once a week. Common household food items such as honey, turmeric powder, milk, yoghurt, lemon and even tea can be combined and converted into nourishing face masks. Cheap and cheerful. But for the lazy days when I can't be bothered to make anything, I bought a tub of 'Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask' from The Body Shop.

The main ingredients in this product are: 
Organic honey- this soothes and moisturises the skin
Oatmeal- gently exfoliates
Kaolin clay- draws out impurities

This 3-in-1 scrub mask is described as a cleanser, polisher and moisturiser in one, however I don't find this product coarse enough to be a scrub and although it is very moisturising, I do still need to use a moisturiser after washing. Nevertheless, it is a BRILLIANT face mask! I find this mask gives the same results as a home made face mask, and works best on normal/combination/dry skin. If you have oily skin, this product is probably not for you.

The texture of this mask is thick and creamy, with grains of oatmeal which are soft and gentle on the skin. It instructs you to leave the mask on for 10 minutes, however I prefer to leave it on for longer as it feels so good on my face! On first application, my skin stung a little, but this turned into a tingling sensation and did not become uncomfortable or aggravate my skin. What I like about this mask is that it does not dry and become stiff on your face, making it easier to wash off. I suggest using a cloth to wipe off the mask before washing the face, as it can be a little messy to clean off. I love how my skin looks and feels after this mask- it's as though I've had a facial done at a spa. The end results are glowing and radiant skin! My face feels refreshed, deeply-cleansed and baby-soft!

The only concern I initially had with this product was that I found its smell extremely overpowering. It has a strong smell off porridge and honey, but I've become used to it now and I'm actually starting to like the smell! I also wished the packaging was a little different, for hygiene purposes- a squeezy tube would have been more ideal.

I recommend this face mask to anybody with normal-dry skin, as it is very moisturising on the skin. If you are sensitive to smell, then you may have to give this product a miss, however if you can overcome this, it is most definitely worth it! I do not recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin, as the tingling and slight stinging sensation may aggravate the skin. This product costs £9 from The Body Shop, but a little does go a long away and this tub will last a while- I get greedy with this and apply a thick layer all over my face; I've used this mask several times and still have lots left of it. I will be repurchasing this product once I have run out of it.

All this oats and honey talk has made me hungry now. I think I'll go and cook some porridge...



RATING: 8/10

The Body Shop: Japanese Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower Gel Review

What a BEAUTIFUL day today! Bright, hot and breezy- just perfect! It's been like this all week luckily, and if you're not from the UK, I'm sure you know how excited we Brits get when the sun comes out! I love it! People are happy and cheerful, and its out with the maxi dresses, flip-flops and lots of ice-cream! Everyone's rocking sunglasses, sunbathing on the beach or even the local park, and splurging on sun-creams...and of course, praying the weather doesn't decide to have a change of heart and suddenly start pouring down or something (which wouldn't be surprising, really).

Anyway, so with the sun out and all, you want to smell lovey and fresh when you go out. I had run out of body wash so picked up this Japanese Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower gel from The Body Shop.

This is a soap-free bath and shower gel, costing £8 for a 250ml bottle (I bought it for £6 on a special offer), containing real cherry blossom extract.

So, what had drawn me towards this product? Firstly, I was looking for a soap-free shower gel that wasn't going to dry out my skin, and one that would smell lovely in the shower after a work out at the gym. And secondly, well, it was pink and had cherry blossom extract. I'm drawn to anything and everything that is pink! And I love blooming cherry blossoms, especially in the Spring season, when the ground below becomes a blanket of pink, creating an aura of magic and sheer pink delight! I love watching the pink petals being blown away in the wind, floating and mingling around in the air in such harmony- I feel like I'm in a fairy tale land of some sort!

Yupp, that's right, I even have cherry blossom lights in my bedroom. But enough about my obsession with the colour pink and cherry blossoms. Moving on to my review of this shower gel from The Body Shop.

What I like about this product is that it lathers up very well, so only a small amount of this gel is required thus the bottle would last for a long time, making it good value for money. It is also non-drying, leaving my skin feeling soft and moisturised. If you do not have dry skin, you may not have to moisturise afterwards, but I religiously moisturise with a body oil after showering or bathing. I also like that it washes off easily, leaving behind no sticky or greasy residue, making the skin feel well cleansed and refreshed.

However, I found the smell a little disappointing. It does has a subtle sweet and floral scent to it, but the smell doesn't last very long after the shower, which is probably a plus point for someone who prefers light, non-overpowering scents. But I was looking for a shower gel which has a scent with a lot more oomph! I wanted  the fragrance to stay on my skin longer, enough that a perfume wouldn't be required after a shower. I do like that the scent is very feminine but the lasting power is too weak for my liking.

I also hate the design of the cap! My cap broke the very first time I used it as I struggled to open it, almost breaking my nails along with the cap! Grrrrr...

Overall, I think this is a very average shower gel (I haven't used it as a bath gel yet, but I don't expect the results to be any different) and does what a shower gel is meant to do, but nothing more and nothing less. It is moisturing but the scent is very blahhh! It is good value for money as a little of this product goes a long way, but there are shower gels out there that are cheaper and have the same, or even better qualities. I would not repurchase this again.

RATING: 5/10

The Body Shop ColourGlide Lipstick Review and Swatches: Pink Ginger

I was rummaging through my ever-growing collection of lipsticks the other day, and I realised that I have a countless number of red lipsticks, an umpteen amount of nude lipsticks and even some brown lipsticks, but very few pink shades. I suppose this is because although pink is undoubtedly my favourite colour, I seem to shy away from pink-coloured makeup as I feel it doesn't suit my skin tone very well. Nevertheless, I was passing The Body Shop the next day, and decided to go in and have a little snoop around. Well, I didn't just snoop around of course! I ended up spending just over £40 (I'm a sucker for marketing and sales people who seem to know what they're talking about).

Anway, today I'll be reviewing The Body Shop ColourGlide lipstick in Pink Ginger, which caught my eye as it seemed the perfect pink shade for my lips. The sales lady informed me that this colour is very popular, and it appeared to be so as there was only one left on the shelf. It was priced at £9.00 but I received a 10% discount with my The Body Shop card.

14 PINK GINGER

On first application, it felt very smooth and glided on quite easily. There was no overpowering fragrance or taste. The colour comes on rather sheer, but it can be built up easily to a desired shade which is why I believe this lip colour would suit most skin tones. The texture is neither matte nor glossy, but somewhere in between, so it isn't too drying on the lips and neither is it overly shiny or sticky.  I had it on for four-five hours without the colour fading, so this lipstick has good lasting power. What I really like about this lipstick is that it is extremely moisturising, making my lips feel super-soft, and it suited my skin tone very well.

I think this is a great lipstick, and would definitely repurchase. I would also like to try this in different colours. 

RATING: 8/10