New Season #brownbeauty Buys! Part 1: Body Feat. The Body Shop , Crabtree & Evelyn and Aveda
October is upon us and no one can be in any doubt that the seasons have changed and that Autumn is well and truly here. There has been a lot of this…
…and the evenings are getting longer, but just because summer has passed and one’s skin will be hidden from view for a few months doesn’t mean that the body care routine should go out of the window too!
Give your skin the loving TLC that it deserves during the winter with some of these fabulous products*!
The Body Shop Spa of the World Collection
This beautiful collection launched in the summer and is inspired by ancient beauty rituals that have been passed down through the millennia using ingredients indigenous to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.
The range consists of eleven products all designed to create a spa sensation in the comfort of your home and are grouped into one of three categories of rituals: the ‘relaxing’ ritual, the ‘revitalising’ ritual and the ‘blissful’ ritual. I was sent the Polynesian Monoï Radiance Oil (blissful), the Moroccan Rhassoul Body Clay (revitalising) and the Japanese Camellia Cream (relaxing) to test.
Upon receiving the products and opening each item, I was blown away by the sensuous fragrances. The oil and the cream have a particularly long lasting fragrance when layered. At £16 and £23 respectively, these are some of the most expensive body care products I have tried from the Body Shop, and it looks like they are positioning these items to challenge their premium counterparts – buy I have to sat that they are well worth the money! The Monoï oil – which contains an infusion of coconut oil and the extract of fragrant tiare flowers, is mixed with a sweet almond oil base. The original oil has been used by the women of the Pacific Islands for over 2,000 years for luscious, glowing skin and hair. The coconut oil is the fourth ingredient on the ingredient list in TBS variant- so one hope that a good proportion of the product is in fact made up of the concoction, however, I was very taken with the fragrance. I love body oils and I have been using this straight out the shower. A little goes a long way and the dropper dispenser ensures that the amount used each time can be measured – but it does drip a little, so do wipe the bottle down after use! The body cream comes in a huge 350 ml jar and is a rich blend of Shea butter and the signature ingredients. It has a whipped texture that is silky smooth and absorbs easily. Again, the fragrance is beautiful, the texture is indulgent and easily absorbed and there is no mineral oil in the formulation! The body clay was fun to use – perfect for a treatment day – face mask, hair mask and body mask! The product claims to tighten, firm and contour the skin. I did experience a tightening sensation upon application and during the drying process but I wouldn’t bet too much on seeing a true firming result from the product – it is just a nice addition to one’s cleansing routine. Despite this, this is a delightful range and items from the collection would also make a perfect gift. Aveda Stress Fix Collection One of the latest additions to Aveda’s body care collection is the Stress Fix range, which contains certified organic lavender. I tested the stress-fix creme cleansing oil and the stress-fix composition oil With lavender as a key ingredient for this range, it is ideal for the evening after a hard day’s work. The cleansing oil has more of a gel-cream consistency, which foams very little. I massaged it into my skin whilst in the shower like a lotion. Post rinse, my skin was smooth and supple and not dry at all – the contains sunflower and babassu oils that hydrate and moisturise. 
The composition oil contains lavandin and clary sage from the French Alps as well as the sunflower and babassu oils and can be used on the body hair and scalp. It is 99% natural, so if that is your thing this oil would be suitable for you! Again, I used it straight out of the shower and it did help to seal in the moisture but I had to use a lotion or cream on top to keep the ‘ash’ at bay.
I have been using the @avedauk Stress Fix oil after my shower! I love the dropper!! All oils need a dispenser like this or a pump! I love using oils..but hate the mess that bottles with no such dispensers leave! Top marks Aveda! #brownbeauty #beautychat #bbloggers #skincare #oils #body #lavender A photo posted by Nats (@beautypulselondon) on
Crabtree and Eveyln – Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed range
This brand is a British classic that has been around for 40 years, but evokes a sense of a bygone era with its quintessential packaging design. I have brought the famous Garderner’s Hand Recovery cream as a gift in the past so I was keen to test items from the range.
I was sent the shower gel, body scrub, body butter, hand cream and the new body mist from the Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed range. I love pomegranate in beauty products! The fragrance is warming and is just right for this time of year. The formulations also contain orange, fresh fig leaves, ginger, cardamom and black pepper – a rich combination of disincentive scents.
The body mist is the newest product to join the range, and boast many functions – it can be sprayed on the body, hair and even clothes to keep them airy and lightly scented. Unfortunately, I was not taken by this product, I felt that the fragrance was compromised by the denatured alcohol that makes up the bulk of the spray, thus I will be using it as a air freshener!
I really liked the shower gel, which lathered beautifully and is free from mineral oil. So to is the body cream. Shea butter has been blended with almond oil and pistachio butter and I found it to be extremely moisturising.
Look out for my round up of my latest #brownbeauty hair and beauty buys!
