The Body Shop has long been a staple on the high street for bodycare heroes thanks to its inimitable range of everything from body butters to hydrating deep conditioners.
From my 4c hair arsenal through the fragranced body scrubs that scrub away dry skin right all the way down to my toes, it would be hard to miss the presence of The Body Shop in my bathroom
So, as a wholehearted The Body Shop fan, when I heard about the brand's recent expansion of their makeup offerings including some vibrant multi-tasking crayons and 'your skin but better' tint, I knew I had to give them a try and present you, the lovely Who What Wear readers, with a very honest review of the range.
My initial thoughts? To put it frankly with their B-corp certification and their grassroots projects such as the current partnership with the #votesat16 campaign, combined with a (spoiler alert) very impressive new makeup range, The Body Shop are essentially a one-stop-shop for looking and doing good.
Scroll down to read my honest, first-person review of some of the newest additions to the brands makeup range, including the blush-y pigment of dreams.
Day 1:The Zoom Proof Look
Typically on Monday or generally any day that I am fully working from home, I steer towards a fresh-faced, big earrings look for when I want to feel that bit more 'put together' without too much effort. So for my first day using the new makeup range, I tried out the new Skin Tint in Deep 1N (£18) along with the Freestyle multitasking crayon in Parade (£12). Both were creamy in texture and easy to blend, which allowed for an instant natural glow that I loved. I was sold on the combination so much that it formed the base of my everyday look for the week.
Day 2-4: The Busy Mid-Week Look
With my base consisting of the second skin tint and a Freestyle colour pigment, I felt as though I should lean further into the free element and adapt my placement of the product. To call it a blush that you can also use as an eyeshadow would both do discredit to the product and also minimised a fact I learned the hard way with this product: A little goes a long way. And by a little, I should stress that in order to build without swaying into clown territory you need to almost quarter the amount you have earmarked to use in you head. Trust me.
I also used the Freestyle multitasker crayon in the shades Play (a bright orange) and Real (an equally vibrant red) and loved the former the most.
Day 6: The Weekend Look
Come the weekend, I knew I wanted to expand my use of the range but also wanted to keep to my usual go-to makeup look in order to see how well The Body Shop's makeup worked within my current routine and her products.
I started with their Fresh Nude Foundation, a medium coverage wear in the shade deep 3C (£20) before going in for a light sculpting of my cheekbones with Coconut Bronze Matte Bronzing Powder in Dark (£15). For my eyes, I opted for their new Freestyle crayon in boost (£12), which is a slightly shimmery, red copper, across my whole lid before going in to darken the corners with the shade Challenge. I finished my weekend-ready look off with a generous coat of the Turn It Up mascara (£15).
In the spirit of keeping with their flexible range and with the brand's sustainable ethos top of mind, in place of my usual lip liner and gloss combo I opted to use the luscious Peptalk Lipstick Bullet (£14), in the shade think big to line my lips for a day into a night out. And did I mention this lippie is refillable? So minimum waste.
After 10+ hour of wearing The Body Shop Makeup
My Final Thoughts:
Overall, I felt like The Body Shop's makeup under-promised and over-delivered. Yes, you read that right! I found that the range had both a lightweight makeup option, which for many is what The Body Shop is most known for alongside some standouts like the highlight pigmented matte colour multitasker, which has now become a front contender for when next I am asked 'what one product would you want on a desert island?'.
I also loved the Freestyle crayon, however as it’s formulated with nourishing oils and shea butter that allow for its oh so creamy consistency, when applied to my lash line it did smug over the course of the day, but nothing a quick tissue swipe couldn’t fix.
The range encouraged playfulness so I am excited to integrate some of my hero product into my rotations, in order to step a little more out of my makeup comfort zone. Props to The Body Shop!
Shop My Favourite The Body Shop Makeup Products:
The tint to rival all moisturised mixed with bronzer. It's light, yet has reasonable coverage and is the perfect makeup bag addition for anyone who isn't quite ready to make the switch from fingers to brushes.
Opt for the shade Make It Count in the lipstick if you want a nude base for any gloss.
Not quite my desert island pick but a close second thanks to the cream blendability of these sticks. I think I might just see where else these colours pop... The cheek, lips, possibly even as a highlighter.
In the midst of all the makeup, it would be easy to miss the brilliance that is The Body Shop's brush that became my partner in eyeshadow crime. The double-ended nature of this one made for smoother applications with about a 1/4 of the clean-up.
A lovely medium-coverage foundation for a really reasonable price.
For a little pre-summer glow...
I was really impressed with this volumising mascara.
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