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.

Feel Good Friday: Radox Active Two in One

 Here's a feel good product for your weekend, Radox's new two-in-one shower gel and shampoo. The lemongrass and sea salt scent is so refreshing and makes a really great lather, you don't need a lot. The great thing is being able to use it as a shower gel and shampoo, which saves you taking two bottles with you if you're going away somewhere, plus that makes it super good for the environment!

Pick up a bottle today from your local Boots store for just £1.99

Bath Time With Mannequin

This week I tried some new products that have been released by Soap and Glory, one of my favourite beauty brands. Soap and Glory have that retro-chic theme going on in their packaging, something that sings glamour and femininity from the shelf. Three products I tried from their 'new arrivals' were Foam Call, Pulp Friction and Butter Yourself, along with a gorgeous scrub from Good Things. 

Foam Call is the latest body wash by Soap & Glory. Scented with their new Fruitigo™ fragrance, it has peppermint essential oils, grapeseed, fruitliquid fig and orange waterjuice™. It's such a strange formula, it squeezes out like a foam, but instantly transforms into a gel that creates so many bubbles, all you need is 2-3 squirts for your entire body to be squeaky clean. You also get a whopping 500ml for £6 which will last ages.

Pulp Friction is the greatest scrub of them all. It's also scented with the Fruitigo™ fragrance which is very refreshing. The best thing about this scrub is that it's got big beads as well as micro ones for exfoliating, you simply squeeze out a small amount and move it around in circular motions. It works best on areas like heels, elbows and feet to remove dry and dead skin and it's £8 for 250ml. 

This gorgeous pot of Butter Yourself from Soap & Glory is another product scented with their Fruitigo™ fragrance. If used with the other two products, you can still smell it hours after your bath!
It's a super rich formula that sinks in well and doesn't leave you feeling syrupy or sticking to your dressing gown! You get loads in the tub too, 300ml for £10!

 Good Things Ultra Rich Creamy Body Scrub is a gorgeous scented scrub with natural superfruit extracts. The Superfruit Beauty Boosters include pomegranate, red grape and cranberry seeds. 'Dry skin needs exfoliating with care. Our dreamy-creamy scrub with its rich fragrance of pomegranate and juicy red grape will do the job brilliantly, keeping your skin soft at the same time. Smooth micro-beads and cranberry seeds work to lift away dead skin cells while the gentle formula helps to keep skin smooth and silky soft.' The genius' behind Good Things also recommend applying the formula to dry skin, then getting in the shower to wash it off to give a deeper exfoliation! £4.99 available at Boots stores nationwide, see the rest of their range here.