What I Bought: The Body Shop Haul

Hello, my name is Lola and I’m a Body Shop Addict. I browse the website at least two to three times a week and if I’m ever near a store I just have to go in.

After heading to The Body Shop Press Day I’m now more obsessed – if that’s even possible! – so bought myself a few things recently. Typically I only went in for a body butter, and came out with this lot.

Mists – Amazonian Lily, Vanilla and Moringa - £7.50/100ml

I always try these in store but have never picked one up and I’m not really sure why. They’re really lovely light fragrances – perfect for my handbag.

Hand Cleanse Gel – Pink Grapefruit & Coconut - £2.50/60ml

As much as I love the Renouve Anti-Ageing Hand Sanitizer these hand gels smell amazing and anything Pink Grapefruit by TBS gets my vote!

Vitamin C Microdermabrasion - £13/75ml

This is a backup since I already have one on the go. If you love scrubs but want something a little more intensive then this is perfect. It’s lightened my acne scars and blemishes and makes my skin feel really smooth.

The Sparkler – Dazzling Copper - £14/10g

We received the other shade, Enchanting Gold, at the press day and I really wanted to try the darker shade. It’s a gorgeous bronzey-copper that I think will really compliment my skin tone.

All-In-One BB Cream Shade 03 - £12/25ml

I’m new to the BB cream game but TBS blemish balm has an amazing formula of pigment bubbles that burst when you use it. It’s slightly too light but it’s not chalky so will blends nicely.

Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel For Face - £12/30ml

Another item I tried at the press day and fell in love with. I’ve already reviewed the Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil and this is another fantastic item from the Honey Bronze weight.

Mango Body Butter - £13/200ml

My mum used to use this on me when I was younger as it’s incredibly moisturising, but for some reason I hated it. But now I can’t get enough of it. It’s quite honestly one of the best things I’ve ever smelt.

Coconut Beautifying Oil - £9/100ml

This actually for my boyfriend, as he loves to use it in his hair. I reviewed the Cocoa Butter Beautifying Oil and I loved it – so the BF is going to have to share!

Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder Shade 03 Medium Matte - £13

Another product used on me at the press day. Although it’s a bronzing powder it too light and too matte to do much bronzing on me, but it makes the perfect finishing powder. I apply it once my makeup is done and it helps set it without giving me a chalky, powdery finish.

All In One Blusher - Cookie - £8

This product was used on Victoria at the press day and it was such a gorgeous colour. It’s extremely pigmented and the powder is so fine that it gives the perfect wash of colour. I already have Flushed but now want the rest of the line too! Eek!

As you can see attending the press day was an awful decision - definitely a fully pledged Body Shop Addict now. 
Have you tried any of these products? 
Do you have any recommendations of things I should try out?

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Review: Vanilla Bliss Body Butter - The Body Shop Christmas Collection

During the summer I tend to use body oils, but when the colder weather approaches butters and balms are my go-to products as I need the extra hydration.

The Body Shop are without a doubt one of my favourite brands for body butters and with a huge selection of scents that are suitable for normal skin, dry skin and very dry skin, you’re bound to find something to suit you.

The Vanilla Bliss Body Butter* has been my saviour lately as the bitter cold at work has been torturing my skin. With Beeswax, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Brazil Nut Oil (all Community Fair Trade items, might I add!) this butter has left my skin feeling gorgeously nourished and smooth.

This particular butter is for all skin types, so it’s perhaps not as hydrating as others in the Body Butter range, however it has worked it’s magic on my scaly legs so it’s adequate enough very dry skin types. It really annoys me when products are labelled as ‘all skin types’ but are useless on my dry skin – so thumbs up for Body Shop!

As well is being nicely hydrating it smells amazing. It makes me want to bake a cake and smother it all over. It’s beautifully vanilla-y, without being sickly or overbearing, and leaves a lovely, long-lasting, subtle fragrance on the skin.

It’s not an issue for me, but it does contain silicones so if you’re someone that tries to avoid them then you may want to give this a miss.

Bottom line: I love it. But I’m hugely disappointed that it’s a Christmas Limited Edition item so I’m going to have to stock up over the festive season!

The Body Shop Vanilla Bliss Body Butter is available from The Body Shop, instore and online, priced at £13/200ml. Other Limited Edition Christmas scents include Ginger Sparkle and Cranberry Joy.

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#LiveBloggers Review: Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter

Back again with another LiveBloggers review, this time it’s the Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter*.

As someone with dry skin I absolutely love body butters, body oils and dense moisturisers, so when I saw this I thought that I’d fall in love with it. Body Shop body butters are definitely favourites of mine so I assumed they’d be similar.

Consistency wise, Pistachio Sundae is gorgeously thick. The green colour did put me off somewhat, I mean, it doesn’t look tempting does it?

If the colour wasn’t bad enough, the smell is; I really don’t find it pleasant. I didn’t think that pistachios really had a scent so I’m guessing it’s artificial (?!). I personally think it smells like biscuits and nuts – in a bad way. I tested it (against my better judgement!) and after 10 minutes I had to jump back in the shower, as the smell just seemed to intensify. In any other scent I’d love that – Mango Smoothie, Cherry Tarte, Coconut Latte? Yes please. Pistachio Sundae? No, ta.

Aside from the scent the body butter itself is pretty darn good. It contains mineral oil, which I’m really not a fan of, so for that reason I probably wouldn’t buy any of the other scents. But that’s mainly because I tend to avoid mineral oil as I don’t think it has any skin benefits and I prefer rich, natural oils on my skin.

Whilst this is a pretty negative review, don’t be put off by it. If you’re not so fussed about the ingredients then definitely give the range a whiff as they smell gorgeous.

Bottom line: It’s just not by cup of tea. I wouldn’t repurchase, but I don’t take my opinion as gospel as it all boils down to personal preference.  

Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter is available from Boots and Feel Unique, priced at £8.49/200ml. Other scents in the range include Mango Smoothie, Cherry Tarte and Coconut Latte.

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Review: Korres Quince Body Butter

I actually bought this in a blog sale, but this has quickly become one of my favourite moisturisers. Korres Quince Body Butter smells good enough to eat and applies like a moisturiser but with the same benefits as a body oil.

Please excuse the blurry pictures!

Unlike the Jason Hemp Hydrating Body Lotion, I’d say that this is definitely suitable for extremely dry skin. It sinks in and hydrates very quickly, although it doe leave behind a bit of a residue, so I wouldn’t recommend using this as a hand cream unless you’re doing an overnight treatment – or if it’s a particularly bitter winter!

The best thing about it is probably the ingredients, no parabens, mineral oil or silicones, and lots of oils – including almond, sunflower and avocado.

Bottom line: It’s a bit on the expensive side, but it’s definitely worth it if you’ve got really dry skin. In fact, it’s probably worth it just for the smell alone! Don't be fooled by the whole 'body butter in a tube' thing, it packs a punch!

Korres Body Butter is available in five different scents, including Rose, Fig & Guava. You can buy them all from FeelUnique.com, priced at £12.50/125ml.

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June Empties ..

I love reading people’s empties posts, and I’m always just a little bit jealous as I don’t really go through products that quickly. Simply because I have too many! Anyway, I’ve been saving these up for a while now so they’re not really June empties, more recent-ish empties.

Tesco Clear Skin Wipes

I bought these ages ago because Tesco had run out of Simple wipes. They’re awful to say the least. They don’t remove makeup properly and leave bits of lint over your face. To finish them up I used them to clean the side in the bathroom where I apply my makeup.

meTime Nose Pore Strips

I love these. The stuff that comes off – well I won’t go into that, but I love using products that I can actually see working and these do just that. My boyfriend also really likes them. These were only 99p but I think I’ll be trying the Biore Nose Strips next.

Simple Oil Balancing Wipes

I don’t tend to use wipes to remove my makeup anymore; I double cleanse to make sure everything’s gone. But if I were to pick my favourite wipes then it would be a toss up between these and the No7 wipes. Definite bathroom staple.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Oil Gel

Blogged here, this is one of my favourite products; life just isn’t the same without it! As you can see I’ve been through quite a few of late – I’m pretty much addicted.

Balance Me Super Moisturising Body Wash

I usually quite like balanceMe products, but I just didn’t get on with this. The smell was too ‘herby’ and the product itself was way too runny.

Soap & Glory The Daily Smooth Body Butter

This is what I use on the rare occasion that I run out of the Vaseline Oil Gel. It smells great – as do all S&G products – and is very moisturising. I got this in a set for Christmas, but I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself.


Dr Bronner Tea Tree Pure-Castile Soap
I found this way to drying to use everyday. The tea tree was refreshing, and smelt very 'fresh' when I got out of the shower but my skin was really dry. Love the fact that it's multi use though.

St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

LOVE. Bought the full size after I finished this sample. Feels great on my oily/combination skin.

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

The sample was so small that I can’t really review it. It was great at breaking down the glue from my horrible experience at OMG Beauty though.

Sasy n Savy Hand & Nail Repair Cream

Really not anything to rave about. The full-size is completely overpriced. No different to a hand cream that’s a fraction of the price.

Caudalie Vinosourse SOS Thirst Quenching Serum

This is the product that made me fall in love with Caudalie. It’s amazing. Absorbs really quickly and means I only need a small amount of moisturiser. The full size is expensive, but a definite must-have.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Styling Treatment Oil

I absolutely loved this. The smell, the texture, and the way it made my hair feel. Top marks.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP

I hate perfume samples, but loved this. It has a spray pump which made it great for chucking in my handbag. Smells amazing. Will definitely buy the full size at some point.

L’Oreal Visible Radiance Renewing Gel Toner

I’ve been using this for years but only because it was the easiest thing to reach for in the supermarket as I’d been using it so long. Probably won’t be buying this again as I don’t think it’s suitable for my skin.

bareMinerals Blush in I’m Amused Rouge

My favourite blush, ever. Probably because it was my first. I used to be content enough with foundation and a slick of eyeliner, until I went to the bareMinerals counter in Selfridges. It lasted me more than 18 months so it was a great investment.

EOS Lip Balm – Mint

One of the most overhyped products on the planet. It’s perfect if you reapply every 10 minutes, but aside from that it’s really not that great. Yes it’s cute, but I’d rather hideous packaging and a great product, than vice versa.

White Glo Whitening Toothpaste & Mouthwash

Since switching to these I’m unable to use anything else. I’ve noticed such a difference in the whiteness of my teeth since using them.

What have you been using recently?