The Body Shop Haul & Review: Fall 2017

I’ve been on the quest for the perfect skincare routine for a long time.  Months actually.  Mostly ever since I went on a skincare-focus-kick (addiction) in May of 2016–but even before that.  I was hoping to find a miracle product along the way, and actually have found a few.  But I was never able to fully establish THE routine, which combined the miracle products, and still left my face flawless.  I haven’t achieved “flawless” yet, but I have discovered some amazing products that have gotten my skin in some of the best condition it’s ever been in.

Enter: The Body Shop.

I had heard about The Body Shop long before I actually purchased one of their products.  It was always positive reviews.  So one day when I ran out of my go-to toner (actually I was rotating between two), I decided to try a new one altogether.  I bought the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner at my local Post Exchange, since I had had success with tea tree oil in my blemish treatments previously.  GAME CHANGER.  More than a game changer actually–skin changer.  I was shocked at how cleansing this one was.  Even after throughly removing my makeup at night and washing my face, this tea tree toner was able to give me the deepest cleansing that any toner had provided (without that awful menthol-stinging feel that harsh toners give).

Months passed and repurchases of the same toner happened.  But I always wondered what other products, ones other than the “Tea Tree” line, from The Body Shop could do for my skin.  Unfortunately, I ran out of my beloved Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask at the same time that my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion was running low.  I looked into doing a Clinique haul to replenish my supply.  But then I decided to take a rebellious leap and order substitute products from The Body Shop instead!  So, without further adieu, here is the low-down on what I bought:

“Tea Tree” Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner

I basically already reviewed this above.  But since I have the space and time to keep going, I think I will.  🙂  This is THE best (hands-down) toner I have ever used.  I can’t say that there is absolutely no tingling sensation when it is used, but I CAN say that it has a very natural and pure finish that contradicts the burning sensation that many harsh toners give.  I can also say that it doesn’t strip my pores of their natural oils.  It DOES clean them, and well.  I even use this twice a day.  And I know if I washed my face twice a day, I would have dry and blemished skin within a week.  With this product, that just doesn’t happen.  It deeply cleanses my pores, leaving them feeling refreshed and ready to absorb the lotion I am about to apply.  Can’t say enough good things about it!

“Tea Tree” Mattifying Lotion

I got this to replace my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (basically my daytime moisturizer).  I wanted something that would give follow-up treatment to my pores, because I was experiencing clogged pores from my makeup.  What I needed was a lotion that sealed out the clogginess (not a word?) of my makeup, but still moisturized my skin well.  This product accomplishes both!  While it is definitely a lotion, it has a sheer quality about it that reminds me of a gel-cream.  It wears well under my makeup, and most importantly, over my pores.  It dries very fast, which kind of took me by surprise and made me wonder if it truly moisturized my skin enough.  But then again, mattifying is all about a smooth and flawless finish, and goopy lotion prevents that from happening.  I really like this product!

“Vitamin E” Intense Moisture Serum

I know this is a serum, not a moisturizer.  But I have SO many random, sample-sized tubes of moisturizer (thanks to my ipsy subscription…YAY!) that I didn’t want to purchase a new nighttime moisturizer.  I just wanted to turn those random moisturizers into nighttime ones.  So I got this serum (because of the intensity level) to go beneath my nighttime moisturizer, no matter what brand it might be.  I know a serum can’t magically transform a day lotion into a night cream, but it can certainly help.  It can intensify the moisturizing properties of my nighttime facial routine.  And the added vitamin E can go a long way in the fine-line prevention and skin-cell repairing methods that I like to employ in my nighttime routine.  This serum has a pleasant smell and makes my skin very happy.  I’m enjoying it and so far have loved the results!

“Oils of Life” Sleeping Cream

I only paid $1 for this teeny sample.  But I wanted to give it a try because I haven’t used anything from their “Oils of Life” line yet.  I know this is not an eye cream, although they have an Oils of Life eye cream, but I still wanted to try it for my eye area.  If I like it, I will try the actual eye cream next!   While I don’t think anything will ever be able to replace my ride-or-die Clinique All About Eyes eye cream, I still am interested in finding a runner-up product.  I take my eye cream game pretty seriously, and don’t want to run the risk of being completely out of a product.

“Drops of Youth” Youth Concentrate

This one is obviously a sample too (but it was free!)  I got it as an alternative to the Vitamin E Intense Moisture Serum that I planned to use at night.  I hadn’t tried anything from their “Drops of Youth” line, and so thought this would be a good place to start.  Plus who turns down a free sample?

Hand Cream Winding Key

I have wanted something like this for years….like since I was 8 years old.  (Well, back then I wanted a crank kind).  But this little tool totally fit the bill for what I was looking for, and I think I’ll get a LOT of use out of it.  Or at least, a lot of lotion out of it.  ha!  It was super on sale (like $1.50).  So I decided to do a mini-bitty-splurge and buy this.  I’m really glad that I did!

And that pretty much sums up my The Body Shop haul and review!  Have you tried any of these products?  I’m curious what you thought of them.   And if you are a regular The Body Shop customer, what do you like and recommend?  Please share below!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back soon!

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