The Body Shop: So disappointed

I was going to do the rest of The Body Shop products one-by-one, but I’ve since become so disappointed that I won’t even bother writing out a long review. Here’s a list of what I’ve bought in the last month, and why most of them will be going back.

Buy 3 Get 3 Free haul:

Buriti Baby Body Butter:
I really like this so far, and it glides on really smooth.

Cocoa Butter Body Scrub:
Like it so far, but would not re-purchase. I would like to try other body scrubs.

Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion, SPF 15:
Like it so far. Face doesn’t feel greasy. I’m assuming it works as a decent sunblock. I use it on weekends when I’m not wearing makeup (which has SPF). Indecisive about re-purchasing. 

Vitamin E Face Mist (will be returning):
Mediocre. I was going to keep it to avoid having to return it. Until I saw the ingredient list:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alchohol Denat., Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Methylparaben, Lecithin, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Water, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben.

For something as simple as a Vitamin E mist, why the heck is there so much paraben and alcohol in it??? Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate) is the 6th ingredient…

Blue Corn Scrub Mask (will be returning):
Hate this. Feels like toothpaste on my face, and I don’t see any difference.

Buy 1 Get 1 Free haul (returning all of these):

Chocomania Lip Butter:

This buttery balm melts onto the lips for instant hydration. It contains real cocoa butter and has a delicious chocolate flavor.
– Instant hydration
– Buttery texture
– Leaves lips feeling softer and smoother
– Chocolate flavor

Um, I don’t know, maybe I got a bad one or something because it tastes absolutely disgusting. Yes, yes, it smells like that fake chocolate flavor/scent, but it tastes super bitter. I accidentally got some in my mouth because about 30 minutes after I put it on, I got to work, and we had free donuts; as I took a bite, I got some of the lip butter on my donut and promptly spit out my donut bite. I licked my lips, and realized my lip butter tasted nasty, so I wiped it off so I could resume eating my delicious donut. I tried it one more time, straight out of the container (maybe something got on my lips while driving?), and it was still bitter and gross.

I have this wonderful chocolate scented (albeit tasteless) chapstick, $6.50, and this minty chocolate one (also tasteless), $4. Tasteless > nasty tasting. They seem more expensive than the Chocomania (on sale), but I invite you to compare the ingredients list between Chocomania and the two chapsticks I have–I’ll keep the ones I have, thanks.

Rainforest Moisture Conditioner:
OK, I get that this is “a moisturizing conditioner without silicones, sulphates, parabens or colorants,” but I wish it didn’t suck. I don’t have tangly hair at all, but I had to use a lot of conditioner to get my fingers through my hair and it didn’t feel like it was moisturizing my hair at all :(

To be honest, I haven’t tried “natural” shampoos and conditioners, but I will try another brand. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I think I was still mad from my great Chocomania disappointment >.<

 

I also bought the Rainforest shampoo, and the Olive body butter, but I am too annoyed to give them a try. I already know I can find better products for similar prices.

The Body Shop: Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask

(Image from The Body Shop product page)

I wanted the Honey & Oat one instead, but it was sold out. (On second thought, I could just make that, now couldn’t I? Expect a post with a DIY experiment soon-ish!)

I have some white/blackheads on my nose area, and white heads on my chin area, so I was really excited to get this mask/scrub! Sigh… I hate when I’m really eager to receive a product, and I am disappointed…

It feels like I am smearing toothpaste all over my face. Yes, I would know how that feels (sort of) because a few times I’ve woken up with a HUGE zit, and so I put some toothpaste on it in hopes that it would diminish/dry out. :( It’s kind of thick and a little dry/pasty and makes you “tingle” — see why I think of toothpaste?

Does it work? Hm.. well it’s a scrub, so of course my face is going to feel smoother. But aside from that, I don’t feel like I can see a noticeable difference in the clearing of my white/blackheads or anything. I used it once a week for two weeks. I know that isn’t a long time, but I’m not exactly thrilled to put toothpaste all over my face and leave it for 15 minutes if I can’t even see a difference :(

I’m going to try to return this product in store. I wonder how that will work since I did the Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale online…

The Body Shop: Body Scrub (Cocoa Butter)

(Image from The Body Shop product page)

My second favorite item from my last purchase is this body scrub. Here is the product description:

Best if you want to: Embrace your softer side with a creamy, chocolate-scented scrub that has exfoliating ground rice and almond shell powder.

Best for: very dry skin

How it works:
Community Trade cocoa butter, an excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature, is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

Community Trade organic soy oil is very rich in essential fatty acids that help to repair skin’s moisture barrier, so skin is smooth and supple.

In the summer, I have normal to dry skin. However, I looked for a creamier scrub because I wanted to be moisturized while I was sloughing off dead skin. I really wanted the shea butter one, but they’d sold out online. I was deciding between cocoa butter and olive, but I didn’t know what the olive one smelled like. It was the last day of the online sale and I didn’t have time to go to a store for a smell test. I’ve smelled cocoa butter before, and it was fine to me, so I stuck with that.

Because this has almond and rice in it, it doesn’t smell as chocolatey as other cocoa butter products. It still smells nice, though.

After I put conditioner in my hair, I put it up in a bun, then turn off the showerhead, and start scrubbing! The dryer your skin, the more exfoliating it will feel, so I start with the areas where I want less scrubbing action, then simply rinse off. You’ll feel super silky smooth, partially because your body is exfoliated, and partially because your hands were exfoliated. (You’ll notice your hair feels smoother too… because your hands are softer!)

So far I’ve been using this once a week, followed by a TBS Body Butter. However, this last week, I applied a body oil (By Valenti Organics: Lavender & Lime Body Oil), and I like it so much better for post-exfoliation moisturizing!!!