Body Shop Haul II

Once again I went a bit crazy online shopping whilst looking on The Body Shop, my go-to place for anything skincare. I've tried out everything and here's some sort of 'mini-reviews' of my purchases...

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil (£10)
This was the only product I intended to buy, but I love and want to try out everything from TBS, which is why I bought everything else. I tried out the other cleanser from this range, which is a cleansing butter. I loved the cleansing butter & it worked really well for removing make-up and making my face feel fresh. So, I thought I'd try out the oil, as it's cheaper and you get more for your money size-wise. Also it has the Caroline Hirons stamp of approval so it made me want it even more. The cleanser works so well! I love it, it only takes a couple of minutes to massage into the skin and then remove with a hot cloth and it has a lovely subtle scent. It is great at removing make-up, even waterproof.

Vitamin E Face Mist (£8)
I have been using this as a toner pre-moisturiser in the evenings. It has a really subtle scent, kind of like baby lotion and it feels lovely on my skin, giving it moisture and making it feel fresh.

Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz (£9)
I have been using this in the mornings before moisturiser. It is aimed at dull skin and has quite a strong orange scent, which definitely wakes me up in the morning and makes me feel fresh and ready to go.

Vitamin E Eye Cream (£10)
This eye cream moisturises the eye area really well and feels really gentle on this skin. It glides on really nicely without dragging and doesn't sting the sensitive eye area. Since using it I've noticed a slight reduction in my dark circles and you only need a tiny amount so 15ml should last for ages.

Blackhead Remover (£4)
I've had one of these before (but it broke after 4 years) and it's fabulous at removing blackheads without spending 10 minutes squeezing your face. It's are best used after a hot bath/shower when your pores are more open and it does leave some temporary red marks/dents on your face, but if it get the job done, who's complaining?

Bath Gloves (£4)
As all fake tan lovers know exfoliation is a key part in getting a smooth, patch-free tan. I have a spray tan every 10-14 days to prevent me looking ghostly pale and these gloves are great, they are a little bit rougher and thicker than cheaper exfoliating gloves and they have a handy little loop on then so you can hang them to dry.

Let me know your favourite products from The Body Shop in the comments below.
Thanks,

P.S. TBS currently have free delivery, 35% off and a free gift when you spend over £5 with the promotion code 'mystery'!

Review: L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection Range

A couple of weeks ago, whilst browsing around Superdrug I noticed a new skincare range by L'Oréal Paris, called 'Skin Perfection'. The range included a cleansing milk, toner, two facial washes, exfoliator, micellar solution, cleansing oil and two types of facial wipes. All of the packaging was similar, and looked very nice on the shelf. All products were reasonably priced between £3.99 and £7.99.  I decided to get the blue facial wash, toner and cleansing milk.

The L'Oréal Cleansing & Perfecting Milk retails at £3.99, the cleanser claims to remove the impurities on your face and even waterproof makeup, and in turn giving you a better skin texture which feels more hydrated and smooth. You get 200ml of product in the bottle, which is alcohol free, hypo-allergenic, suitable for people with sensitive skin and use on both the face and eyes. The product is meant to be used morning and night with a cotton pad (However, I use a face wash in the mornings as I've got combination skin and I find that using a cream cleanser twice a day makes my skin too oily.) The cleansing milk has a thin creamy consistency with a really nice fresh scent. The cleanser does take off waterproof makeup to some extent but I found that I had to double, and sometimes triple cleanse to make sure my face was fully clean, and even then there was a chance I'd wake up with panda eyes... This product doesn't perform well on mascara, I found that I had to put in a lot of elbow grease to take mascara off and it left my eyes feeling rather sore. The packaging also says that the cleanser will leave your skin smooth and hydrated, however I don't feel it was any more hydrating or smoothing than any other cream cleanser. Overall, a slight disappointment (I used it for a few days and got fed up with having to triple-cleanse, so I returned to my much loved Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser.)

The L'Oréal Purifying Gel Wash retails at £4.49, it is designed for normal-combination skin types (there is a pink face wash, for people with sensitive and dry skin.) The packaging claims that the face wash removes impurities and unblocks pores to reveal clean and fresh skin. The Gel Wash comes in a 150ml tube, with a soap free formula that creates a light lather when rubbed into the face. It is meant to be used morning and night, by massaging it into a damp face and rinsed well with water. I have been using this face wash for a couple of weeks in the mornings and I LOVE IT! I find that it has a lovely fresh scent, cleans my face well leaving it feeling fresh, with no tightness. I have also noticed that after a couple of weeks the pores on my forehead have diminished and blackheads are less frequent, YAY! I think I'd definitely buy this face wash again, as I find it difficult to find a cleanser which helps control an oily T-Zone without drying out other areas of my face.

Finally, The L'Oréal Velvety-Soft Toner retails at £3.99, the packaging describes it as a toner with a texture which soothes skin, removing makeup and impurities to reveal better skin texture. You get 200ml of product in the bottle, which is hypo-allergenic and suitable for sensitive skin. You are meant to use the toner after cleansing both morning and night. Firstly, I really like the consistency of this toner, its a bit thicker than a normal liquid toner (which I always accidentally pour far too much out...) and it is more like a very thin gel. The toner is also very effective at removing any makeup or dirt that your cleanser has missed, and the toner doesn't dry out your skin or make it feel tight like many other toners do. The only problem I have with this product is the packaging... then you pour some of the toner out onto a cotton pad I find that it usually drips down the bottle a little bit, it's not really a problem, just a bit annoying. Overall though, I'd say this is a good toner.

If you have any questions, or you have tried out these products, or any others in the range, let me know how you've got on with them in the comments below!
Thanks,
  Cameron :)