Go Bananas for The Body Shop!

Now that Summer has officially arrived, it's time to get TROPICAL with this 100% Vegan Special Edition Banana Bath & Body Collection by The Body Shop

Not so long ago I posted about the launch of The Body Shop's new range of 100% vegan body yogurts. Well, now they've gone bananas (apologies in advance, the banana wordplay in this post is going to be plentiful) and released a complete fruity Banana collection that is entirely free from animal ingredients. My customers have also fallen in love with this range, and I just had to share my thoughts with you as soon as my delivery arrived...

So, what is it?

- Banana Shower Cream

- Banana Body Butter

-Banana Body Yogurt

- PLUS a range of cute banana gift sets, complete with their own banana washbag

What's in it? 

As part of their Community Trade initiative, The Body Shop sources its organic banana puree from local growers in Ecuador. These farmers are paid a fair price for their harvest, which helps to sustain communities, and provide opportunities and valuable income for local workers. The Body Shop's partner farms are also committed to providing opportunities for more women in the region. Girl Power!!

What appeals to me even more is that The Body Shop always request the 'wonky' bananas, that aren't pretty enough to be shipped out to supermarkets, making this partnership a zero-waste win into the bargain! As well as these gorgeous organic bananas, these products have also been formulated with coconut oils, for even greater hydration and long-lasting moisturisation. 

Is it any good?

Abso-flippin-lutely!!! 

I'm a lifelong fan of The Body Shop Body Butters, and I was so excited when the Body Yogurts were released, as I now have loads more vegan product options to choose from. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Body Yogurts are a very worthy successor for the Body Butters, with a much lighter glide-on formula that absorbs in just 15 seconds and leaves zero residue on the skin. Amazing for anyone in a hurry! With almond milk and hyaluronic acid, the yogurts absorb moisture into the skin like a sponge, and lock it in for up to 48hrs.

I also mentioned further up the post, the Body Butter and Shower Cream in this new collection are also completely vegan-friendly, which is amazing news, as the vegan body butter options in The Body Shop's other core ranges are few - Fuji Green Tea and British Rose. That's about it. The culprit is usually bee byproducts such as honey and beeswax, but there's no trace of either in this new range, with no compromise to the quality and effectiveness of the formula. I've had the Body Butter on my arms all day and I feel super smooth and hydrated and I smell DE-LISH!

If you want more information on this, or any other product range from The Body Shop (vegan or otherwise) UK readers are very welcome to join my Body Shop at Home Group on Facebook. I regularly post exclusive promotions, giveaways and discounts on many of The Body Shop's best-loved ranges and can ship anywhere in the UK. There are a whole host of new product lines just launched for high summer, so there's plenty more to discover! 

Of course you don't have to order through me at all. You can also browse all of the latest product releases over at www.thebodyshop.com

Will you be going bananas for this new collection? What are your favourite vegan and cruelty-free products for smooth summer skin?

Skincare Saturday: My Top 3 Body Butters

Oh HAI! Sorry it's been a slow blog week this week compared to the last fortnight, folks. I've had a presentation to prepare for University so my time has been well and truly taken up until now. Now that it's all finished, however, I've been taking advantage of the sunshine. I thought I'd follow my trend from last week and do a Skincare Saturday post for you all featuring my Top 3 Body Butter products...

The Body Shop Passionfruit Body Butter (£13) -  thebodyshop.co.uk

Oh come on now, who doesn't love The Body Shop's body butters?? I'll be honest now and admit that their Passionfruit butter isn't currently available It is, however, my all time favourite of all the varieties they do and I was excited to spot it in their January Sale. It smells heavenly! I'm sure it will be back again as a special edition in the future though. In general though, I speak for all of the range of butters that they have, and they have so many to choose from. Their Hemp butter has been another favourite of mine. The formula is really rich and luxurious and leaves my skin so smooth and smelling AMAZING! Sadly for me, these butters contain beeswax (which is not a vegan friendly ingredient, I bought this tub while I was still somewhere in between vegetarian and vegan) so I will not be repurchasing them again unless I can find a variant without. I'll just have to savour this one while it lasts. I'm definitely not going to let it go to waste. 

Superdrug Cherry & Macadamia Body Butter (£1.98) - superdrug.com

I thought I'd add a little budget beauty into the mix for good measure. I picked this up as an emergency purchase over Christmas whilst away at my parents in Derbyshire and have since repurchased it. There are several varieties in the range but I picked this one because I love a fruity fragrance when it comes to body creams and BOY is this one fruity! Considering this butter costs up to a £11 less than either of the others in this post it really does hold its own. It's not quite as heavy as the other two which is great if you don't always need an intensive product. This has become my 'everyday' product. 

Nip+Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter 

Major grumble time now... Nip+Fab have DISCONTINUED this product!! You might recognise it from my Stars of 2013 Skincare edition post back in January but, upon investigation today, it appears that it is no more. Also discontinued is their Coconut Latte version. I'm still going to feature it as I really enjoy their body butters in general (as with The Body Shop) and it's the formula that counts over the scent at the end of the day. I find this butter to be really quick to absorb and not at all greasy on the skin. The range contains Aquaxyl which provides up to 24hrs moisturisation. They do a wonderful Mango Smoothie version and I'm hoping that this sad news will mean that there will be new varieties being released for 2014. I'll let you know if I make any discoveries!

As you can see, I haven't dared dig into my Passionfruit butter yet. That one will be reserved just for special occasions. I like to switch up scents when it comes to body products so I dip in and out of all the butters I have depending on my mood. I also have The Body Shop's new Chocomania body butter on the go from the sale which is also gorgeous. I'd recommend any of these brands for moisturisation, application and wonderful scents. Variety is the spice of life after all! 

What are your favourite body products?? Do you favour a particular brand?? Do you prefer fruity fragrances??

Sweet Treat from Nip+Fab

Evening girlies!!

I've finally made a dent in the MAHOOSIVE Goody bag i brought home from the LIVEBloggers event i attended the other week. I've just about come to the end of my Dove Spa body cream so i decided to give this yummy Pistachio Sundae body butter by Nip+Fab a test drive. 

This is a butter which aims to tackle dry skin and contains avocado oil, honey and Aquaxyl (for 24hr moisturisation) amongst other ingredients. My skin, on the whole, is pretty normal but i do suffer from rough patches on my arms and legs. Especially so when the weather starts getting colder. 

The first thing that struck me about this product was the scent. It smells like CAKE! I think, for anyone who is not a fan of strong, sweet scents, this product may not be your cup of tea. I'm not the biggest fan of sickly sweet smells myself but, i have to say, this smells YUMMY!! 

The best thing, for me, about this product so far is that it isn't greasy at all. The consistency is very thick and it glides on easily, but it sinks in really quickly and i don't feel sticky like i do after using some body butters (particularly cocoa butter for some reason). You can still feel that you've used it and you'll smell like a bakery but it leaves very little residue on the skin.

Nip+Fab is from the same family behind Rodial skincare and was created to bring the price down on products that offer real results including eye-brightening and skin plumping. I have browsed their full range online and am VERY keen to try their Upper Arm Fix. I cannot believe i'd never heard of them before! Eating humble (pistachio flavoured) pie now! I can see them becoming an addiction.

These body butters retail for £9.95, which is roughly the same as you'd pay for a Body Shop butter (even a little bit cheaper) and are available from nipandfab.com/shop/