Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: thebodyshop

  • The Demise Of The Body Shop

    I’ve had lots of discussions over the last few months about the high street store The Body Shop. Going into administration, stores closing, job loses, all of it seems incredibly sad but not surprising. I’ve purchased different products from The Body Shop as a teen and then later on as an adult. But why don’t I buy from them anymore? And are these the same reasons other people don’t purchase from them as well?

    Products from The Body Shop
    Prices

    The majority of products The Body Shop sells is expensive, let’s be honest! There’s too many brands out there that sell similar products cheaper. Currently, a 200g body butter costs £19.00 with the smaller 50g version priced at £7.00. You could pick up different branded body butters for more ml and at a lower price point. Soap & Glory’s Call of Fruit Body Butter costs £7.49 (a third off currently) for 300ml. No7 Beautiful Skin Intensive Body Butter is £11.96 (on offer) for 270ml. Garnier Body Superfood Cocoa & Ceramide normal rrp £9.99 currently £4.99 for 380ml. These are just a few on the high street but highlights the price differences clearly.

    The Body Shop’s Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub
    Holy grail products or lack of

    Brands have products that customers rave and shout about from the roof tops if the product is good. The Body Shop don’t really have this. The only product that seems to be a favourite is the Camomile Sumptuous Makeup Cleansing Butter. And I agree it’s a fabulous product, I’ve used it, reviewed it and loved it! But what other stand out products have there been?

    Lacks a buzz

    Stores are nicely laid out and products are packaged well. But I walk past the stores and I don’t want to go in, they don’t excite me. Products look and sound nice but they don’t always appeal to me. It lacks an energy and although shouldn’t need to compete with more modern brands, it comes across dated in all areas.

    The Body Shop’s Berry Bath Blend

    On the whole I don’t think The Body Shop adapted. High prices, lack of iconic products and not making the public feel it’s the brand for them didn’t help. Some stores have already closed, the rest looks like they will follow but the brand is still trading online. I’m sad to see it’s struggles. My teenage years included using their perfumed oils. Memories of dowsing myself in vanilla, dewberry and white musk scents, will stay with me forever and they were good times. I’ve even enjoyed using some of their products over the last few years. But my cost of living budget can’t afford them and I won’t buy something that I can get somewhere else, just as good if not better, for cheaper! Sorry The Body Shop.

  • The Body Shop’s Seaweed Balance Sheet Mask

    Sometimes I love a sheet mask, sometimes I forget they even exist. As a skincare product they can be handy to provide a bit of a pamper and a moment of selfcare. Other times they just seem a hassle and a faff to apply onto the face, leave it on and keep adjusting its position because it’s falling into your eyes! But when the call of a sheet mask is made you have to answer it. The latest one I’ve used is The Body Shop’s Seaweed Balance Sheet Mask. This retails for £5.00.

    The Body Shop’s Seaweed Balance Sheet Mask
    Why did I use this?

    Have you ever thought that your face hates you? Mine does as it’s decided to create a cluster of spots on my chin making me look like an extra from Hocus Pocus 2! I went through my sheet mask collection and found this one, hoping it would be ideal to neutralise the madness on my face and balance my skin out.

    What is this supposed to do?

    This sheet mask is designed to make the skin on the face feel refreshed, soothed and help to control excess oil on the skin. Skin should feel hydrated for up to 24 hours and suitable for oily/combination skin.

    The Sheet Mask

    Looks and behaves like the majority of sheet masks on the market e.g comes in sachet, mask shaped with holes for eyes, mouth and nose. I didn’t find the mask too thin or too thick, just the right thickness. White in colour.

    It was very moist thanks to the solution it was soaked in. This is fragranced. Not too strong but I would’ve preferred this to have been fragrance free or more natural, marine like in scent. This sheet mask smelt like a synthetic floral. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t what I was expecting considering this sheet mask contain aloe vera and cucumber extract.

    On the face

    Since this was very moist there was an initial cooling feeling to this mask once put on. But all I could think about was the fragrance! As I’ve mentioned it’s not strong or awful, but I did find it quite distracting. On the skin the mask was reasonably secure with a bit of adjusting. The eye holes could have been a bit bigger but overall, it felt ok.

    Taking it off my skin there was some residue solution left on it which I patted in. That felt nice and took very little time to be absorbed.

    No irritation to the skin, and I didn’t feel the need to add any other skincare product on top as this was quite hydrating.

    The Morning After The Night Before

    I used this mask before bed. So of course, I had to check my skin the following morning. It did feel and look quite refreshed. It wasn’t dry, my cluster of spots were still thriving but at least I looked reasonably fresh.

    Recommended?

    I thought this mask was ok but not amazing. I don’t suffer from oily/combination skin in general but right now it’s closer to normal/combination so not totally for me. Although I never expect a massive change after using a product like this, I don’t think my skin would have looked or felt massively different without it. I’ve used lots of masks before that I’ve loved but I felt this was fine, nothing special. It does suggest on the packaging you will see results after 4 weeks using this twice a week, but who is going to do that? That would cost the grand total of £40.00. You could buy a potted or tubed skincare mask that would last 3 months, be more effective in results and cost less than 8 of these masks!

    So, this isn’t a mask I would buy again for myself. There are more affordable masks on the market that perform better (for me) or priced the same that would give a better result. The fragrance should have been different, but overall I didn’t particularly fall in love with this sheet mask from beginning to end of using it.

    Would I recommend this? There’s no harm in trying it but buy this when not full price, use on oily/combination skin and use it as a bit of fun not serious skincare. But between you and I, you could do better so maybe buy better.

  • Not A Face Wash! The Body Shop’s Camomile Cleansing Oil

    When it comes to cleansing, do most people think of grabbing a face wash? If I’m honest years ago that’s the first type of cleansing product that would come to my mind. But there are so many different types of cleansers out there to suit different budgets and skin types. As part of my current cleansing routine, I’ve been using The Body Shop’s Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I bought this when it was on a special offer through a rep last year (can’t remember the price).

    The Body Shop’s Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil
    Why did I purchase this?

    I’ve used The Body Shop’s Camomile Cleansing Balm in the past and absolutely adored it! I wanted to try the oil version to see if I got the same results and enjoy it just as much as the balm. I’m not afraid of textures such as oils. I enjoy using them and hoped this would slot nicely into my skincare routine.

    What is this supposed to do?

    This cleansing oil is designed to gently remove make-up, grime and dirt from the skin. Suitable for sensitive skin.

    Packaging

    200ml of this cleansing oil lives happily in a plastic pump action bottle. I like how practical this is because you can’t overuse this oil unless by choice and with the bottle being clear I can see how much oil is left before I need to worry about replacing it!

    Consistency

    Liquid, oil like. Originally this was a golden colour when I started to use it but my current bottle looks a touch cloudy.

    Fragrance

    There is a very light and subtle white floral scent to this. Pleasant, non-offensive and not strong at all.

    How do I use this

    I use this once a day at night time as part of a 2 step cleansing routine. I don’t wear make-up but I do use sun cream everyday. So I start off with this and then finish off with a facial wash. This is to ensure sun cream AND dirt has been removed from my face every evening.

    In Use

    I find I don’t need to use too much of this cleansing oil, 2 pumps will do. Used over dry skin, this glides over the face easily and I really enjoy massaging this into my skin. I even take this over my eyes and under them, and I have’t experienced any stinging.

    Very easy to wash off with warm water. And once I’ve done this I will pat my skin with a damp cloth ready for cleanser number two in my routine. At this stage my skin feels clean, soft and comfortable. But I do feel my skin prefers this with a facial wash because without it, I feel a slight coating is left behind on my face.

    I wouldn’t use this in the morning because my skin doesn’t need it, and doesn’t need 2 types of cleansers.

    Is this better than the Cleansing Balm?

    I thought I would love this in the same way but I don’t! There’s something very special about the balm and although the oil is a nice cleanser it doesn’t quite give me the same experience as it’s balm sister.

    The Body Shop’s Camomile Cleansing Butter
    Recommended?

    This is a nice and effective cleansing oil. It cleans the skin well, doesn’t irritate or dry it out and is a pleasure to use. Great for those who wear make-up regularly or/and suffer from dry skin (this won’t strip it). This is a good product and if you like textures you should like this. So yes, recommended…BUT I think this has either been discontinued or reformulated. It’s not on the website, but Camomile Dissolve The Day Make-Up Cleansing Oil is. This is a similar product but not identical to what I have. Still worth a go, but what I do find with The Body Shop is prices sometimes aren’t very budget friendly. 160ml of Dissolve The Day is £12.00. This isn’t expensive but not cheap either. So if interested, keep an eye for special promotions, sales or discount codes to get the best price possible to purchase.

  • A Wash Out? The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser

    Having clean skin is the first step to any decent skincare routine. No matter how simple or complicated a skincare routine is, this is number one. Before anything can be applied to the face, it needs to be put onto a clean surface. So you can understand why it’s an essential step. I’ve been using The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser on and off this year. This was a gift from a friend, but normally costs £8.50 for 100ml.

    The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser
    Why have I been using this?

    Honestly? I ran out of other face washes and needed to slip something into my routine while I decided what I was going to buy and use next. This was on hand so I used it and thought it would tide me over for the short term.

    Who is this for?

    It’s not clear on the packaging but on the website it says it’s for ‘dehydrated skin’.

    Packaging

    This skin wash comes in a tube with a screw top lid on it’s bottom. Colouring is easy on the eyes with hits of orange and soft green. Looks quite earthy but in a different way compared to other similarly styled products, so it stands out. But how this appears I feel is geared towards a younger market, but still presented well.

    Fragrance

    Not nice. There is a hint of carrot in this but what I mainly get is something quite earthy, plant like, which I don’t personally like. This fragrance is probably the least appealing I’ve smelt from a skincare product in a long time. Thank god it’s not too strong!

    Texture, Consistency & Look

    Gel wash like in texture but a bit thicker compared to others I’ve used before. Smooth and orange in colour. Not going to lie, it threw me when I first saw it. Not very appealing to my eyes.

    On my skin

    I thought it would lather up more. It lathered but despite using water it didn’t feel like a proper, thorough facial wash. That feeling you get when you move a facial wash around the skin, which normally is quite effortless, wasn’t with this. No matter how much or little I used of this I felt I used too much, and what I had didn’t mix fully with the water.

    The fragrance doesn’t get any better when using this product on the skin. I’m sort of used to it now but it gives me no pleasure or joy getting a whiff of ‘carrot’. I’m literally using this wash to clean my skin without actually liking it.

    When I first used this, my skin afterwards had signs of dry patches on my face. But a few months ago I think my skin behaved like this with lots of products to be honest. Now I’ve noticed my skin doesn’t look or feel dry. Clean in look and feel, but my face never really feels fresh and revitalised after using this.

    Would I buy this myself?

    No. For many reasons. Not keen on the colour, the fragrance isn’t nice and I think there are better face wash cleansers on the market. I just don’t enjoy using this! I love skincare. Even if I’m in a rush and spend only a few minutes getting my skin ready, I want to like the products I use and I just don’t like this. Not only do I not like this, I don’t think it leaves my skin feeling ‘wow’ after use, so I’m literally just using this for using sake.

    The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash & Carrot Cream
    Recommended?

    I think this will appeal only to a small number of people. Maybe those who like their skincare more natural in regards to ingredients and scents. But for the majority of people I think this is a bit left field. And for what skin type is this aimed at? Absolutely no idea! Packaging says it’s suitable for sensitive skin and all skin tones (tones?) and website says dehydrated skin. Teenagers possibly? No idea but not for me.

    If for some reason this sounds like something for you, this is down from £8.50 to £5.95 currently on the website here which is a good saving. But I still wouldn’t buy it.