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?

5 Reasons to Try... Facial Oils

Women have been using natural facial oils to maintain healthy skin and a youthful complexion for thousands of years. Here's why you should consider adding one to your 21st century skincare regime...

Over the years I've seen the beauty world go crazy for body oils and hair oils... yet so many are still reluctant to add oils into their daily facial skincare routine. I kind of get it - we were told from a young age that an oily face was the devil and excess oil leads to spotty skin and a shiny nose, and it just seems inherently wrong to voluntarily apply an oil to the face - but it turns out oils have many benefits for all kinds of skin types

Natural face oils were used in Ancient Eqypt to help women keep their skin protected and nourished. To this day, many facial oils are still made from similar ingredients, extracted from seeds, flowers, nuts and other plants. Modern favourites include coconut, argan, and rose, and are some of the most pure and natural skincare products available. 

Facial oils are an instant fix for plumping the skin with moisture, without - contrary to popular belief - leaving your face feeling greasy or oily. 

Here's 5 Reasons to try one...

1) Intense hydration and nourishment

Facial oils are lipophilic (ie. they're drawn to fat) and are able to pass through the fatty layer of the skin's surface much faster and more effectively than a regular moisturiser. This not only provides an instant hit of moisture to thirsty skin, but also helps your skin retain that moisture more effectively throughout the day/night.

2) Help Minimise Pores

The best thing to shift oil and grease from pretty much anything is to... yep... apply more oil. Science can't be wrong! Facial oils effectively pull grime, dirt and fats out of pores, helping to minimise their appearance.

3) Anti Inflammatory

As well as being a soothing and hydrating treatment on sore or irritated skin, the natural ingredients in facial oils - such as rose or seed oils - can actually calm the skin and help bring down redness and irritation, while re-plumping it with moisture. Great for sufferers of eczema, rosacea, and other uncomfortable skin conditions.

4) They make a great primer

Because facial oils absorb into the skin so quickly, they make the perfect base for makeup and promote a smoother complexion.

5) Younger Looking Skin

By helping the skin retain moisture, facial oils make the skin appear more youthful and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

How to use facial oils

- Apply to damp skin to really lock in moisture

- Introduce them into your routine gradually, by adding a couple of drops to your regular moisturiser

- For a more intensive treatment, massage a couple of drops into your face after toning, before applying your moisturiser

- Massage the oil into your face in circular motions, paying attention to the direction of your jawline and cheekbones - this promotes circulation and absorption and helps contour the skin.

If you're unsure about using a pure oil straight away, why not start by trying one of the many fantastic oil-based cleansers that are now available? Personal favourites of mine are The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil and Superdrug Vitamin E Dual-Phase Cleansing Oil. These grab all of the dirt, grease, and makeup from your skin before emulsifying into a milk which is then rinsed away completely, leaving skin feeling wonderfully soft and ready for toner and moisturiser. 

3 Facial Oils for your Wishlist...

The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil - £30 for 30ml

Enriched with 3 precious Community Trade seed oils - Camellia Seed, Rosehip Seed, and Black Cumin Seed. High in omega 3 and 6, as well as antioxidants, and naturally rich in oleic acid. Full review on this coming soon!

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil - £9 for 30ml

Rich in linoleic (omega 6) and linolenic (omega 3) acids, alongside pro-vitamin A, the oil targets signs of photo-ageing and boosts the skin’s overall health for a radiant result.

Elemis Superfood Facial Oil - £45 for 15ml

This natural blend of highly concentrated plant-based superfoods deeply nourishes and hydrates. Anti-oxidant and omega-rich Broccoli, Flax Seed and Daikon Radish feed the skin for a healthy, radiant glow.

Do you use facial oils? If not... what's stopping you?

First Impressions - The Body Shop Fast-Absorbing Body Yogurts

What's new in Vegan Beauty? Everything you need to know about The Body Shop's Fast-Absorbing Body Yogurts

On 1st May, 2018, The Body Shop launched its much-anticipated new range of vegan body moisturisers. Being a recent recruit to The Body Shop at Home* team (and a vegan), I've been looking forward to the release of The Body Shop's Body Yogurts since I first heard about it in the new year, and didn't hesitate to snap some up for my kit (and my bathroom shelf) immediately. 

About: The Body Shop Fast-Absorbing Body Yogurt

- Lightweight, non-sticky, non-greasy texture

- Can be used on wet or dry skin

- Absorbs in 15 seconds

- 100% Vegan

- with hyaluronic acid, which acts like a sponge to seal moisture into the skin

- 48hr hydration

- Made with Community Trade Almond Milk

- Leaves no residue on the skin

Who is going to love it?

This product has already received so much buzz in the media! As well as being The Body Shop's first 100% vegan body moisturiser, this new range will be fantastic for busy mums, holiday-goers, active people, gym bunnies... basically anyone who wants unbeatable moisturisation without a heavy, cloying texture. This product is absorbed into the skin in 15 SECONDS, making it ideal for anyone in a hurry. You can apply it straight from the shower and dress IMMEDIATELY - it even passes the skinny jeans test with no yanking or stickiness!

So, is it any good?

Short answer... HELL YES! 

Long answer... As a vegan, this product makes me extremely happy. While The Body Shop does have a couple of vegan options in their iconic Body Butter range (Fuji Green Tea and British Rose, in case you were wondering), it's amazing to finally be able to have a wider choice in fragrances. 

Regarding the formula, it absolutely does what it says on the tub. This product is a lovely, light formula, that applies quickly and easily onto the skin, and sinks in in a flash. I recently returned from my first holiday in 9 years (more on that in another post), and am very keen to preserve my Gran Canaria glow, so have been using these daily in the morning. I've been really impressed with it overall. Any of you who know me from old, you'll know that I'm usually reluctant to buy into hype, and prefer to wait for results before I rave about something, but it's well deserved in this case. 

I'll definitely be continuing to use these daily. I've found I like to use them in the morning when I'm half asleep and in a hurry, then following with Green Tea Body Butter or a Spa cream in the evening.

If I had to pick a favourite, surprisingly, I'd choose Almond Milk. While the Mango Yogurt smells just like my favourite fruit smoothie (I call it summer in a tub), there's something very comforting about the Almond Milk. which is also suitable for sensitive skin types. It's like Baby Lotion for grown-ups. 

Also available in: Coconut, Strawberry, Moringa, and British Rose.

RRP £8.50 for 6.98oz

I wish Instagram had smell-o-vision right now! This #Mango Body Yogurt smells just like a fruit smoothie 💚 . #thebodyshop #thebodyshopathome #tbsah #bodyyogurt #vegan #veganbeauty #skincare #bodycare #new #hydration #smoothie #donoteat

A post shared by TBSAH by Lisa Clare (@tbsah_bylisa) on May 2, 2018 at 10:06am PDT

*DISCLAIMER!

As I mentioned up top, I joined The Body Shop at Home in December - as an extra hobby-job to earn a bit of extra gin money, but also because I've been so excited about The Body Shop's new collaboration with Natura and I want to support a business with great ethics that is moving in a more vegan direction. While I now work with the Body Shop, I am very strict about only offering praise for a product when it is deserved. If it's not worth your time or money, I will always say so. I don't love it because I sell it, I sell it because I love it!

I don't expect any of my readers to purchase products from me - I mainly want to spread the word about amazing, cruelty-free and VEGAN products - but if you'd like to keep up to date with new products and news from The Body Shop, or get advice from a plant-based consultant, any UK readers are welcome to join my Facebook Group. I'd be happy to have you, and I'm running some really exciting competitions in May!

What are your favourite cruelty-free body care products? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

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??