The Body Shop Is Back!

The day I have been waiting for has finally arrived! September saw the long awaited takeover of The Body Shop by Brazillian cosmetics giant Natura, a company who has a completely cruelty free stance. The corporation reportedly paid 1 billion euros for the chain which currently operates in 66 countries.    Cruelty free bloggers were delighted when the news broke in June this year, with the completion taking place in the first few weeks of September. The company was previously parented by L'Oreal, who have always been at the centre of controversy as one of the world's largest animal testers. The Body Shop always retained their cruelty free stance however, but I chose not to buy from them as I did not want to see any of my money going to L'Oreal. This is an ongoing discussion in the cruelty free blog world, so feel free to comment below with your opinions.   In light of the news I took a trip to my local store today to see what I'd been missing since I boycotted the store at the beginning of my cruelty free switch. I can happily say I was pleasantly surprised! The brand has retained it's core values in terms of product and packaging, it was nice to see some old favourites (the bar soaps and body butters!) and some new additions (the cosmetics line has grown massively) for me to try out too.   

  I got chatting to the lovely girls behind the counter about the takeover and they seemed delighted at the news. They were really pleased that I was returning to the store and encouraged me to tell all of my friends too, so here I am!    Natura have vowed to keep the companys founder, the late Anita Roddick's vision alive with their path for The Body Shop. They have insisted that they will be focusing on activism once again, dealing with sustainability issues and community trade.    I'm so excited to be able to say that I am a Body Shop customer once again. I'm even more excited to let you know about their current SPEND £50 GET £25 OFF deal currently on the website. I have taken full advantage of this already so I'll be posting what I think of the products when they arrive! Use code 19806 at checkout. Includes free delivery.

Why I've gone cruelty free...

So about 6 months ago, my friend and I decided that we were going to change one major thing in our lives by going entirely cruelty free with our cosmetics. It started with seeing an unfortunate set of images circulating on Facebook, of a test lab in China for the manufacturers of Mac cosmetics with some of the worst animal cruelty I've ever seen. I won't be posting them here, but a quick Google search will bring up all the horrors we saw, along with an upsetting amount more.  After this I decided to delve a bit deeper and do some research of my own into the subject. As far as I was aware animal testing in the EU had been illegal for some years now so I wrongfully assumed that everything I was buying wasn't subject to these testing methods. I was correct in thinking that the EU does not allow the sale of animal tested products, as stated here on the Cruelty Free International site: 'From 11 March 2009, the EU banned the testing, within the EU, of cosmetic ingredients – irrespective of whether there were non-animal alternatives. It had already banned the testing in the EU of cosmetic products. The bans are known as ‘the testing bans’.
From 11 March 2013, the EU completed the ban on the sale of cosmetics animal-tested after that date anywhere in the world. The ban applies to both cosmetics products and ingredients, again irrespective of whether there are alternatives. It is known as the ‘marketing ban’.'

Obviously this is a huge victory in the animal rights sector, however there are ways and means of brands getting around these laws - and boy they do. The main way I've come across so far are brands who word their 'cruelty free' policies carefully - hoping that people don't notice or care that the testing is happening overseas. The main culprit of this is China. China requires animal testing by law, something that has been and continues to be debated internationally as technology has advanced so far that these testing methods should now be redundant. Unfortunately this is still the case however some consumer brands admit to be working with the Chinese government to end these tests.
 Another issue I've had to research into is parent company testing. As you're probably aware, most brands are owned by a parent company, for example Mac is owned by Estee Lauder, The Body Shop is owned by L'Oreal etc. I'll continue to use The Body Shop as an example as it's known on the British High Street for being widely known as a cruelty free brand. Well - technically it isn't, depending on what your personal definition of cruelty free is. You can be sure that The Body Shop's ingredients or finished products have not been tested on animals, and if you're happy knowing that then fair enough, however much of their profit is paid to their parent company (L'Oreal) who are one of the biggest animal testers in the world. So effectively you are funding animal testing in this sense by purchasing their products. This is why I have decided to go a bit further and not purchase products by brands whose parent companies test on animals. Here's a link to the Daily Mail's article on the subject for more information.

I was soon introduced to the massive market for cruelty free cosmetics as an alternative online. Blog's such as Cruelty Free Kitty have been a huge help, shedding light on who's who in the cruelty free world. It took a good few weeks of heavy Googling to find out the worst offenders and I've compiled a handy little list on the Notes app on my phone for when I'm out and about (I will share this with you.) It does make shopping a little more difficult I'll admit, but if it takes me an extra 10 minutes to find a shampoo that hasn't harmed a little bunny somewhere then that's fine with me.  Anyway, you'll notice that I haven't posted on Mannequin for a long while, no excuses here I've just had more important things that took my mind away from blogging for a while. But now that I'm back you'll see the posts changing to cruelty free cosmetics only. I appreciate that not everyone feels this way about their beauty products and many people would agree that they'd prefer just not to think about where they come from and how they've been tested. That's understandable as I was never particularly thoughful about it either, but if you decide that you'd like to join me in this venture then Mannequin will be here to help you as usual. I will be focusing on promoting brands available in the UK as I've noticed this information is slightly limited as most blogs focus on the US, however I'm open to hearing about all brands. If you or someone you know has a cruelty free brand to tell us about please leave a comment or contact us on the menu above, I can't wait to hear from you!

No.7 Spring Beauty Buys

Payday means one important thing for me, a trip to Boots to get my hands on whatever hair, face, bath and body treats I fancy. Old favourites and new, exciting product launches are what ends up in my basket usually, this time it was No.7. I decided to take advantage of the Free Pink Blossom gift box that you get free when you buy 2 or more No.7 products this Spring, I mean who wouldn't?

So here's what I treated myself to this month...
 

No.7 BB Lips and No.7 Pop & Glow Creme Blush

Firstly, the blush. A creme blusher in a stick that twists up for easy application. The shade I took a shine too is Mango Sorbet, as I don't currently own a coral coloured blush. Needless to say the formula is beautifully lightweight and silky, it blends easily but I would recommend applying to dewy skin for an even easier blend. 

 As pictured above, I applied a decent sized stripe up from the apples of my cheeks, along the cheekbone and smaller towards the hairline. Blend in with fingers for a more professional finish. Available in 3 colours, Pop & Glow creme blush sticks are only £9.95 each.

The next item on the menu was BB Lips, a relatively new product from No.7. Although slightly milking the BB/CC/EE cow, these nourishing glosses are perfect for spring, with added SPF15. There are 6 shades to choose from and at £9.00 each they're nothing less than the perfect handbag staple.

Shop the No.7 Beauty range at Boots.com now.

  

Sk:n Clinics Laser Hair Removal

Sk:n was recently brought to my attention when I found a very enticing email titled 'Laser Hair Removal.' Now for someone who has naturally dark hair, and a lot of it I might add, this ultimately got me excited. When I found out about the treatments they offered, I was really impressed by the variety of ways that they promise to make you feel good about yourself. Sk:n don't just focus on laser hair treatment, they have a plethora of treatments just ready to be performed by one of their many dedicated medical staff. Just some of which include:

• Acne scar removal
• Birthmark removal
• Dermatology
• Laser Tattoo removal
• Mole Removal 
• Skin tightening procedures
  I have to say I'm currently still a cosmetic treatment virgin, and although I'm all up for having one of these procedures done, I'm still yet to actually follow through with it! I've seen some of the results on the website and they are mindblowing! The best thing is, they won't cost you an arm and a leg. Laser hair removal, for example, starts at just £39. I think if I were to go ahead with something like this, I would definitely choose something like permanent laser hair removal. It would make my life so much easier!
  That's not all, the clinic can even provide you with their touch on your beloved skincare with their own range here.
  If you've ever considered undergoing such a procedure, make sure you check out sk:n first, fill in a simple form on their website and book a consultation at one of their many clinics nationwide.

 This was a sponsored post from Sk:n clincs.  https://www.sknclinics.co.uk/  

Clarins HydraQuench Lotion

I've always been a huge fan of Clarins' skincare. Their products are perfectly formulated to work with my annoying combination skin. This means that my T-Zone gets rather oily whereas other parts of my face can become quite dry, a nightmare for moisturiser shopping. What I finally decided on doing was to apply a light moisturiser to my oily zones and a much more thirst quenching product for my dry patches. This is when I turn to brands like Clarins to offer me all that I need.

The HydraQuench lotion is perfect for my dry skin. I apply this after I have cleansed and toned my skin and the formula soaks right in and feels like it's soothing away my face right away. It's a nice, relatively thick moisturiser but it doesn't stay settled on your skin and gives you a velvety soft complexion. This particular lotion comes with a handy SPF 20 to keep you safe in the sun.

I'm a huge fan of this and the big bottle means I won't be buying another one any time soon! Yay for money well spent! You can buy Clarins HydraQuench lotion for £34 from Clarins.

Benefit: Creaseless Cream Shadow

The words 'cream eyeshadow' create a vision of terror in most female's minds, the thought of heavily creased lids and patches missing isn't exactly an ideal image... Until now! Benefit have created the perfect 'creaseless' cream eyeshadow that promises a clean, just applied look all day long!

In Benefit's usual quirky and beautiful packaging, the shadow comes in it's own little pot with a relatively generous amount of product. It's nice and wide so you can get your finger in there for application.

The colours I tried were R.S.V.P and Bikini-Tini, two pale but super-shimmery colours that are great for summer. I blended the two together in the picture above. I did wear both colours all day long last week and me being me, forgot to take a before and after photo, although I can inform you that I was crease-free in the evening, phew.

In ten beautiful, shimmering shades Creaseless Cream Shadow is £15.50 from Benefit.

Decléor Presents First BB Cream

 Decléor is one of those super luxury brands that you'd expect to find in an expensive hotel bathroom. So for them to bring out a BB Cream, a staple of anybody's make up bag, the brand becomes much more accessible. With a modest price tag of £29, you're paying for quality with Decéor, let me tell you.

The formula is really silky and left my skin with a velvety soft texture. It's got a SPF 15 in there too, so you know that your skin is well protected from the sun.

BB Creams are the perfect way to start off your make up routine. I like to use it after applying a moisturiser, follow with your BB cream and then your foundation base. You can however, go for a lighter option and simply apply the BB cream all by itself. It's got a good enough coverage to hide your flaws but also not be heavy on your skin.

The Hydra Floral Multi-Protection BB Cream 24hr Moisture Activator (wow, what a mouthful!) is scented with Decléor's Hydra Floral fragrance, which speaks for itself... floral!
To add a touch of elegance to your cosmetic collection with Decléor!

Bargain Find: Jane Packer Body Cream

I got a real bargain at TK Maxx the other day, I had to share it with you. I managed to pick up a tub of the most amazing scented body cream by none other than the late Jane Packer. When I saw the £2.99 sticker I knew I had a bargain, but little did I know this stuff retails at £25. I shall apply sparingly.

Jane was a celebrated British florist who expanded into fragrance and beauty products as well as an impeccable selection of giftware. You can visit her online shop here.

Benefit: Sugarlicious Kit

It's no surprise that I'm featuring yet more Benefit products on Mannequin this week. The girls just keep on giving me reasons to love them! 

The Sugarlicious kit might not be big, but boy is it mighty! There's enough gorgeous in this box to keep a smile on your perfectly primed cheeks. 

So, what do you get?

• 1 Bottle of Benetint
• 1 Bottle of High Beam
• Sugarbomb Blush & Bronzer
• Blush Brush
• Sugarbomb Lipgloss

Not enough for you? Well good, because there's a handy Tips 'n' Tricks guide and a very useful mirror inside too. I had a lot of fun on my play-date with Sugarlicious. Some of my favourite Benefit products are in there and I'd never tried the Sugarlicious lip gloss before, which by the way smells absolutely delicious! Even if you were to just use this kit alone with no other make up, you could still create a really subtle, natural look for spring. Get yours now from Boots!

Laura Mercier: Flawless Skin Collection

 How lucky was I this week when a perfectly wrapped parcel from Laura Mercier arrived on my doorstep! I knew what awaited me inside was a dream in skincare, so I headed straight to the bathroom basin and began my Flawless Skin adventure...

 Starting first with the Face Polish, I gave myself a good exfoliate. Using just a pea sized amount, massage the polish into your skin with your fingers, or use a facial exfoliating brush. This takes out all the rubbish your skin collects on a daily basis and removes dead skin cells so that your face will feel softer than a baby's bum.

Next I applied the Laura Mercier Repair Serum, a one way ticket to improving sun damaged, scarred and uneven skin. This serum has a clever way of enhancing the skin's natural elasticity. It has a real silky formula, so you can feel the luxurious ingredients really soaking into your skin.

 Step three would be to apply the Repair Eye Serum and Repair Eye Créme. The serum and cream combine to reveal healthier, brighter looking skin. The rich textured potion works by targeting dark circles, lines and wrinkles and smoothing them out to create a much more even and youthful skin tone.

 Last but not least is any skincare junkie's dream; Laura Mercier's Repair Créme. More hydrating and nourishing than any other facial cream I've ever used, this is sure to work wonders on any skin type.
As it's a very thick and rich formula, I tend to put quite a lot on, push it into my skin and leave it overnight for a really healthy looking complexion when I wake. After that I use my Laura Mercier Facial Primer as a smoothing base for my make up. Et voila! The perfect skincare regime!