Review: The Body Shop Moringa Beautifying Oil

After rediscovering my love for body lotions last month this month I promptly used up my two go-to lotions and now I've headed back to my moisturisation roots and body oils are on the agenda. When it comes to moisturising body oils are my usual port of call - they are the cure-all when it comes to dry or lacklustre skin and I also find that they often to wonders when it comes to toning up skin (which is exactly what it is order when it comes to baring a little bit more flesh in the warmer months).

I've never tried The Body Shop Beautifying Oils before and I was surprised by the extent of scents available. With some very summery smells on the menu (think Mango, Grapefruit and Lemon) to some more year-round options (Cocoa and Olive) I went down the floral route and picked up the Moringa Beautifying Oil. It honestly smells like the definition of "floral" and I find that it is never overpowering but it does last pretty well on my skin and I get whiffs of the scent into the afternoon. Although it is advertised for 'body, face and skin' I immediately ruled out using it on my face due to the fragrance (I just knew my skin wouldn't like it) and when I tried it on my hair it caused a pretty greasy situation... But, on the skin it is pretty darn lovely. It absorbs relatively quickly (not instantly but in under five minutes) and the results were long lasting meaning that I didn't need to apply it every morning. 

It's a good product but if you buy this at its full RRP you'll be paying out £9 which to my mind is a little bit steep. I snagged this bad boy at 50% off and to my mind this is the price I would be happy to pay because it is definitely a good product (and the scent is pretty dreamy) but at £9 for 100ml I'd rather invest in something better. I do have my eye on the Satsuma scent - the Satsuma range from the Body Shop has me drooling - but Moringa is a safe bet if you're not usually into heavily scented products. You can find it in the Body Shop stores or online here.

Do you like using body oils?

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Review: The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum and Vitamin E Moisture Serum

Serums have been a relatively recent introduction into my skincare regime (although this post is quite a bit overdue!) but since I started using them I've noticed that my skin is smoother, more hydrated and generally feels and looks better. Like many people venturing into a new skincare are, I didn't really know where to start. I've read about some of hyped products (*ahem* Hydraluron, I'm looking at you) and although I have fallen for the hype and indulged in some rather expensive serum I tried out two far more affordable serums before doing so. This is where The Body Shop's Aloe Protective Serum and Vitamin E Moisture Serum come into the spotlight. Each come in at an affordable £11 (made much more affordable during The Body Shop's many sales and offers, I picked mine up for £5.50 each) and last for ages. Of the two I definitely favoured the Aloe Protective Serum and as a result I'm closer to finishing it, than the Vitamin E Moisture Serum, but even so it has lasted six weeks of use in both the morning and evening and I probably have two - three weeks of product left. And, if I lay all my cards down on the table, I've probably been a little bit generous in my use of these- but hey ho, I was new to the world of serums! 

On to the nitty gritty stuff. Both of these serums were suitable for use on my sensitive skin and neither aggravated my oily t-zone. The texture of the Aloe Protective Serum is different from theVitamin E Moisture Serum; both have a gel texture but the Aloe Protective Serum is slightly thicker and slightly creamier whilst the Vitamin E Moisture Serum is closer to being a liquid. Both absorb very quickly into the skin, however, I feel as though the Aloe Protective Serum gives more of an instant result- to the touch, it leaves skin smoother. However, in terms of noticing improvement over long term use (I used the Aloe Protective Serum for six weeks and the Vitamin E Moisture Serum for three weeks), both serums worked well at improving the hydration levels of my skin and I think played a part in improving my oily skin whilst I was using them. I would definitely recommend either of these as I think they're both very good products, especially for the price. However, if I were to recommend one over the other it would have to be the Aloe Protective serum. The feel of the product as well the the ingredients (it has fewer ingredients and, unlike the Vitamin E Moisture Serum, doesn't contain any parabens, fragrance or  added preservatives) makes it seem as though you're using a really luxurious product. 

Although I am currently trialing Hydraluron I do intend to revert to using the Aloe Protective Serum in the future as it is really good quality and, in my opinion, great value for money. If you're looking for a purse friendly serum that not only works but works very well then these two products are definitely worth your attention. You can find them for £11 in The Body Shop stores or online here and here.

Do you use a serum? 

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My "No Spend" Haul

Last Friday I celebrated my final return to London for the summer with a bit of shopping - only this time there was a twist, I wasn't allowed to spend a penny on the day. If you're as "into" make-up and beauty as I am then you'll probably already know ways to get your hands on goodies but you never know what you might be missing out on so, just for the record, here are the schemes that I took advantage of to get my hands on some new bits to try.

First up, the infamous 'Back to Mac' lipsticks- exchange six old pieces of Mac packaging (finished/unloved products) and receive a free lipstick. It is a scheme I never thought I'd get around to taking advantage of but with some very sneaky blog sale purchases I eventually found myself with enough empties to trade in for two new lipsticks. I bobbed along to the Mac counter in Selfridges on Oxford Street and chose the shades Lovelorn and Syrup, both lustre formulas which I've found are the easiest to wear and both of these are very 'everyday' shades. I've now accumulated a reasonable Mac lipstick collection so if you're keen to see photos, swatches and reviews do let me know!

The second stop on my list was Boots where I had just over £27 of points accumulated on my rewards card. After much deliberation between Stila and Benefit I finally decided to pick up Benefit's Dallas Blush. I initially wanted to pick up Hoola (their Bronzer) but I think Dallas will be a lot more flattering on pale skin and although it comes in at an expensive £22.50 I know it will be much loved. I've gotten through two of Benefit's boxed blushes before (two lots of their 10 boxed duo) and the quality is really worth it- plus they last a long, long time making them a great thing to invest in (especially for "free").

The next shop I hit up was Lush where I traded in five of their black pots (in my case they were all face mask pots but you can trade in any products that come in the black plastic packaging). What you get out of this trade-in is a choice of any of the face masks - I went for Brazened Honey, an exfoliating option that I haven't tried before. I've already slathered it on since I got it and my first impressions were pretty good! I'm yet to be disappointed by any Lush face masks.

Last up, and this was a product that made its way into my life purely by circumstance and good luck, is a Body Shop lip balm. By chance I happened to notice someone mention on twitter that you could get your hands on a voucher online (sadly it has now expired) which entitled you to a free lip balm in your choice of scent/shade. It really made me realise that I should sign up to more voucher websites because there is probably always a whole host of items that I could pick up for free if only I kept my eyes peeled!

Anyway, that concluded my "No Spend" haul. I know that in order to get these things for free that I had to spend money but it was nice to go out shopping and to come home with some really lovely products without spending a penny on the day. From now on I'm definitely going to try and take advantage of my rewards cards and voucher codes more often. 

Have you taken advantage of any good deals or reward/recycling schemes lately?



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Review: NYC Expert Last Lip Colour Lipstick in Creamy Caramel

I have to admit that recently I've been obsessing over Mac lipsticks. They're a very recent addition into my collection (all through the medium of blog sales for a fraction of their normal price) and although they more than deserve to be raved about I do feel that drugstore make-up (especially brands at the very affordable end of the scale) can sometimes end up a little bit ignored. So, I thought I'd spread a little love and share a thoroughly lovely lipstick with you. I mentioned this briefly in my Budget Lipsticks under £2 post but I didn't give it a full review, and boy does this need one.

NYC is not a brand I've ever purchased from but I'll try most things once and this lipstick was completely impulsed purchased based on the colour, and perhaps the name; Creamy Caramel - potentially suggestive of a dark nude but ever so tempting. My local Superdrug didn't have any testers for these lipsticks so it was down to good luck that I liked the colour as much as I do and that the formula ended up being highly agreeable to me. It's a lightweight creamy consistency that lasts very well for a £2 lipstick, I got about three-four hours out of it (it lasted through frequent sips at diet coke). The colour swatches a dark, brown toned nude (and there's just a touch of pink to it that stops it being too drab) but because it isn't too thick, and is therefore not completely opaque, it lets a little of my natural lip colour through. The end result is that this is thoroughly wearable. It might not be to everyone's tastes but I think this looks blooming lovely teamed with minimal eye make up and a wash of bright blush across the cheek. It's a lovely, unassuming colour that I find really easy to wear- you can see my swatches below.

It pays to keep an open mind. I wouldn't normally have steered anywhere near the NYC counter but I'm really glad I did. It isn't often I find something that I really like this much that is so neglected on the bloggersphere. The packaging is better than Boots' Natural Collection Lipsticks, which are talked about a lot more, and they come in at the same price- I also find the formula a lot less drying! Basically, if you have £1.99 free and you want a pleasantly surprising beauty bargain then head over to a NYC counter and check out some of these lipsticks. There are a few stacked full of glitter which I wouldn't touch but there are a good few, all along the colour spectrum, that aren't glittery and will be thoroughly worth your while. 

I'll leave you with a FOTD that I took wearing this lipstick, do please let me know what you think of it! Have you ever tried any NYC products?

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