The Body Shop sale shopping

I popped into The Body Shop during their January sale on two separate occasions to stock up on body butters and try the body sorbet. I didn't like the body butters that they had, mostly the nutty varieties which is not my thing, so I opted for a bunch of body sorbets. 

Then I spotted the limited edition Christmas body lotions that were marked down to R50 from R110, so I grabbed two of those. Set for the next 6 months!

L-R: Frosted Cranberry Shimmer Lotion, Satsuma Body Sorbet, Moringa Body Sorbet, Strawberry Body Sorbet, Vanilla Brulee Shimmer Lotion

The sorbets are interesting. It's main claim to fame is a cooling effect on application. It is a thickish gel formula that is cooling on the skin and loaded with the iconic Body Shop scents that lingers very subtly throughout the day, which is awesome for on-the-go women who could do with multi-tasking products. I don't have very dry skin, so I could get away with moderate moisturisation, which these sorbets provide. It absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn't leave any traces of product or a sticky or greasy feeling like the body butters or some lotions do. 

The Satsuma scent is the strongest of the three, which I don't have a problem with because it's uplifting and refreshing. And it holds a special place in my heart because it's the scent that traveled to Paris with me in the form of the body butter.

It's a good summer body moisturiser that I would repurchase next Summer. I prefer the body butters in Winter because it's thicker and more nourishing and so necessary for the colder months.

I was baffled as to why I couldn't get good photos of the body lotions. It always had a type of flash back, as if it had a reflective quality. Then the light bulb went off... I read the label... SHIMMER LOTION! I'm not into shimmer lotion for every day. I'd only wear it at night, going out, and on strategic places. I'm not a Barbie Girl! But I'd bought it, so might as well use it. 

I don't like the shimmer!

The residue that sits on your hands after rubbing the lotion into your skin. It actually left a foiled look on my hands. The photo doesn't pick that up.

 

I can't properly capture the glitter on my arm from this lotion. Because of the sparkle this will definitely be a Winter product for me when all that is exposed is my face. Despite the shine, the lotion is beautiful. It's richer than the sorbet, but absorbs completely and leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturised.

I'd heard good things about the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil and because it was on sale so I thought I'd give that a go.

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil normally R150, I think I paid R80 on sale.

I've seen YouTube reviews, blog posts and magazine articles saying this cleansing oil is up there with the best. I don't often were makeup, but on the day that it came home with me I tried it as a pre-cleanse. 

I used just one pump, rubbed it between my hands and massaged it onto my face and neck before I got into the shower. It has a mild camomile scent that I didn't find offensive. Once in the shower I continued to massage it in, letting the steam add some moisture before rinsing it off. Before I continued with my cleansing routine I noticed that my eyes weren't irritated, my skin felt supple and there wasn't a trace of oil left behind. If you're pressed for time this could probably be all you need as a cleanser. On makeup it worked quite well, effortlessly removing even waterproof mascara. But I'd only use this if I knew that I was going to take a shower because my brain won't accept that cleansing with an oil is cleansing sufficiently. I could use a micellar water on its own, but not a cleansing oil.

I used it for a week every time before a shower as a pre-cleanse, but after 5 days I started getting a breakout all over my face that was starting to resemble a rash. On day 6 the I noticed more spots. On day 7 I didn't include it in my cleansing routine and from day 8 onwards the breakout started to clear. I'm not sure if this over-cleansing is what caused the breakout, if my skin was purging because of the extra cleansing step or if the product itself caused the reaction and I'm too vain to try it out like that again to see if the breakout clears on its own, so it's now reserved for makeup removal only. It's not an exceptional product and I doubt I'll repurchase when I eventually finish it because there are so many other cleansing oils out there that I'm eager to try now.

And lastly, what trip out of the house will be complete without a lippie purchase? I was swatching a couple of lipsticks while the staff were trying to get my LYB number when a lipstick that I would normally steer clear of caught my eye. 

I'd run a mile from a lipstick with glitter but this one is beautiful because it's not silver crafting glitter as it appears in the tube. It's more of a blue/purple fine shimmer in a rich creamy raspberry lipstick.

 

The shimmer doesn't even show up on the lips as it does in the tube. It gives a dimension to the lips that's slightly shimmery, but not gaudy. Does that make sense? I have trouble describing it. The colour, by the way, is from the Colour Crush range and is number 120 Raspberry in Love.

I kept looking at it and going back to it, swatching on different parts of my hand and arm. As we were finalising the transaction the impulse to buy it overcame me and I couldn't bear to walk out of the shop without it in my bag. But I had to use a different card to pay for it so that I didn't have to be interrogated should an audit be conducted on purchases. I also had to rough it up a bit and keep it in the bottom of my bag, like it had been living there for ages. Oh, the guilt!!! 

That purchase marked the end of my Body Shop sale expedition. Except for the extreme foil/shimmer of the shimmering lotion (dof, read labels next time!) I'm quite satisfied with my purchases. Until June/July sales...

What items do you stock up on at The Body Shop sales?