Product Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum

Hi folks! After a week of blessedly balmy spring-like weather, we're getting hit with some chilly, depressing winds today. But this cold snap DID remind me that I wanted to talk about my new skin-saviour, The Body Shop's Vitamin E Serum. (See? I told you there was a reason I kept harping on about Body Shop sales!)

Normally I'm not much for serums. I mean, I love them and all their luxe goodness, but I don't tend to see them as a necessary part of a skincare routine. Well that all changed when my skin started flipping out for no reason last month. Red splotches, irritation, dryness... and don't even get me started on how difficult it was to put on SPF in the morning (yeeowtch!). I was baffled... I hadn't changed anything, wasn't trying new makeup, my makeup brushes were clean... and yet there I was. I even started breaking out a bit (which rarely happens anymore). I switched up my moisturizers... stopped using silica powder... I even bought a new "sensitive-skin" night cream, but nothing worked.

Then I remembered that I had tried TBS' Vit. E serum a while back (when my skin was normal), and how soft and supple it made my face. So I dashed out in a hurry to buy another bottle, and God, it's like a cool drink of water. Within days (like, overnight, really), it soothed the red splotches and irritation, and started to take care of the dry flakes. I still need to use moisturizer over it (the new one I bought from Nivea seems to be working well), but now I can bear to wear sunscreen again. Plus, my skin's stopped breaking out, which is a big relief.

For $20 CAD, this baby's a bargain. (Of course, it's even better when there's a sale!) The airless pump is sanitary, and a tube lasts about 2 months for me with daily and nightly use. It sinks in fast, with a light, clean, slightly floral scent that I like. This isn't your fancy-ass, peptide-collagen-transfolipid-speed-of-light kind of serum. But for adding a soothing boost of moisture to your skin, you can't ask for much more!

Quickie PSA: Body Shop 1/2 off and a good cause

Okay, I know it sounds like I'm just constantly telling you about Body Shop sales. Like I'm getting daily PR emails from them or something. But truly, I happened to stumble upon this great deal today (plus, I don't even have a contact at TBS!).

Buy a paper bag for $5, and get 50% off on everything you purchase that can fit in the bag (sets excluded)! What a deal. I stocked up on some skincare items and a Nut butter (because, obvs). Plus, $2 from every bag sold goes towards helping stop sex trafficking of children and youths.

Incidentally, they have a skin care promo on right now, where if you buy 2 items, you get the 3rd free. Not sure if the 2 promos can be combined -- I did buy 2 skin care items, but I didn't see the deal until after I got home, and the sales person didn't mention anything at the till. But it's worth asking!

Hop to it! This deal is only good for TODAY, March 13th!

PSA: 3 for $30 at The Body Shop Canada!! Today only!!

Sorry for the exclaimation marks, dudes!!

But seriously, I flipped my lid when I saw this deal at a recent trip to the US, and now they are hosting the sale in Canada too! Today only (Friday Nov 27), you can get ANY 3 items for $30 (excluding gift sets). Amazing! And if you happen to spend over $100, you might as well get their Love Your Body savings card. It costs $10, but since you save 10% off your purchase when you buy the card, it's free if you spend over $100 in a single purchase. And then you get a yummy 10% savings on any Body Shop purchase for the following year, plus a sweet birthday gift.

I swear they're not paying me to say this, but get yer butts down to a Body Shop! Surely you can pick out a few Body Butters and Shower Gels to use as stocking stuffers if nothing else. Me, I went with 4 Body Butters (Olive, Nut, Strawberry, and Africa Spa Hand & Foot Balm), plus a Vitamin C serum (double duties as a primer!) and a bottle of their new-ish Moroccan Rose perfume (which I may need a backup of, I love so much). And now, though I've got papers and abstracts to write, and credit card bills to pay, I'm itching to go shopping AGAIN.

[EDIT: Oh yeah, get the Kabuki brush people! It is such a luxe thing, and an incredible steal at what works out to be just $10.]

Hurray, the sweet-ass American deals are finally spreading up north! But don't sit here reading, dash quickly to your nearest (Canadian) Body Shop, this deal is good for in-store purchases only, and will be gone, gone, GONE come tomorrow!


PS: Bonus PSA - all Old Navy jeans are just $20 tomorrow only. Diva-fit skinny legs will be MINE!

Product Review: Body Shop Mineral Makeup

Hello guys and dolls! Welcome to 2009, I hope it's off to a great start for you! With a New Year comes all sorts of resolutions and promises. Some of them are ambitious and noble ("Will volunteer at homeless shelter once a week!"), and some are perhaps less lofty, but no less important ("Will use hand cream daily!" -- hey, scaly dry hands are no joke).


Typically though, our resolutions fall somewhere in between, and often have to do with improving our bodies. Whether it be to eat better or exercise more, getting healthier is high on many priority lists. As for me? You can count me in for both. Not because I'm keen on resolutions (I'm not), but because a) it's always a good idea to eat more veggies, and b) I'm going to Cuba in 6 weeks, have bought a white bikini, and dammit, I want to look decent in it!

But this is not a diet and exercise blog, worthy and interesting though those topics may be. This is a makeup blog, and if you're like me (unfit, vain, and yet motivated), you might too be wrestling with an all-important question: How do I look pretty post-workout?

Okay, okay. Obviously I'm not advocating a face full of products while you're working out. But what about after the fact? That fresh-faced glow (neon, in my case) from your cardio session might be good enough for some, but for me (see again: unfit and vain), I have to at least put foundation and concealer on before I head out into the real world.

Since I pretty much exclusively use mineral foundation, this is problematic. Those sifter jars can be a messy affair, and dumping powder all over the gym change-room is not my idea of a good start to the day. But with the Body Shop's ingenious new Nature's Minerals makeup, my worries are over!




You can't see it in the photo, but one of the best aspects of this new line of mineral makeup is the packaging. Instead of the usual "salt & pepper" type sifters that let powder out whenever the jar is jostled, these babies come with a mesh sifter that only releases powder when you tap it. This means there won't be a pile of powder waiting for you when you open your jar, threatening to spill everywhere. Rather, you just tap out the amount you need -- no fuss, no mess!

This travel-friendly packaging makes Nature's Minerals an ideal product to take to the gym (or on any trip, really). The foundation offers sheer, natural looking matte coverage, which is just enough to get me home after a workout. Shade 03 is just about right for my warm skin tone. The coverage can be built up a bit, but if you're looking for a medium or higher coverage, it might not be enough.

The line also offers blushes and eye shadows. The blush shade I got, Golden Terracotta, is a warm bronzey pink. It is very pigmented -- so much so that it's too dark for my medium-light skin in the wintertime. With a light hand, it would be great for a summer glow. I received the shadow in Pink Opal. It is described as a pale pink, but on me it shows up more as a medium pink. It's a nice, neutral pink with subtle shimmer... no chalkiness or overly cool tones. I can't wait for the line to launch in Canada so that I can check out the other colours!

Look, dragging yourself to the gym is not the easiest thing, whether it be at 6am or after a long day at work. And if you've got the willpower to do it, why not have flawless skin afterward, to go along with that exercise-induced endorphin rush?

Product Review: The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Scrub & Africa Spa Body Balm

Hey guys and dolls! Not to be harping on a Body Shop theme or anything, but talking about that Q&A yesterday reminded me that I wanted to review their Brazil Nut Body Scrub. Apparently, in some parts of the world, Spring has been sprung for weeks, and you lovely ladies out there have been frolicking in the sunshine and whatnot. But for those of us in Canada (ok, non-BC Canada) and the Eastern parts of the US, the sun has only recently been peeking out from grey skies, and those chilly winds have just begun to calm down.

And so, all of a sudden, I must deal with the dilemma of scaley elbows paired with short-sleeved shirts. My skirts are a-begging to be worn, but my legs are all "Hell no lady, not 'til you get some heavy-duty moisture on us!" What to do when faced with such dermatological unpleasantries and... um, limbs that yell at you?

Scrub and Moisturize!



Let me be the first to say that I hated the Body Shop scrubs of yore. The ones that were in the scent of the Body Butters? They were greasy and oily and sloppy and leaky and just plain not good. But things have changed, my friends! The Brazil Nut Body Scrub, once a sugary hot mess, is now full of creamy, scrubby goodness.

Replacing the sugar granules with crushed walnut shells gives you greater exfoliating power, while the luscious creamy base feels silky and soft. A thin layer of moisture is left on the skin after you rinse off, helping you achieve that healthy, supple glow. And the scent! It's not exactly the same as the Brazil Nut Butter itself, but it is very close, and it's leaps and bounds better than the old one, which had this burnt-sugar and plasticky scent.




To really indulge, I like to slather on some Africa Spa Rich Body Balm after I hop out of the shower. It's fairly light for such a moisturizing product, so it's good for use in the summer (although it does feel a wee bit sticky sometimes). I love this soothing scent (always have), and the $25 price tag doesn't seem so bad now that the regular butters are $22 a pop. (Not that I'm bitter or anything.)








If you have super dry skin and don't mind splurging even more, the thicker Hand and Foot Honey Butter is amazing as an all-over moisturizer. Cute-Helpful-Salesgirl also suggested the Africa Spa Salt Scrub, but I was already sold on the Brazil Nut Butter Scrub. Next time and next paycheque, Salesgirl!


Diligently using these products will banish that scaley, itchy, leftover-Winter skin, leaving you and your gorgeous epidermis to burst forth like... um, some terribly cute animal into some terribly cute springtime scene. And if you've been turned off by some of TBS' products in the past, hop on over there and take another look. Some great classics are still lovely as ever, and some former-losers have been transformed into all-around winners!