The Body Shop BBloggers event!

I was invited once more by the lovely Dimitra Kaldi, along with other fellow beauty bloggers, to a Body Shop event, this time at Nea Smyrni. I call these events infotainment evenings, because we learn a lot of interesting new things while we're having fun socializing!

Here's my experience from the previous event.

I won't talk again about the values of TBS because I regard them as common knowledge but I will share with you what happened that evening.

We were informed of the new products in three separate presentations:

• Skincare
• Fragrance
• Makeup

So, skincare was our first stop where a very helpful sales assistant (that also answered patiently all our questions) explained to us the benefits of the new products, in particular:

• Drops of Youth by the Nutriganics line. This product is focusing on dealing with the first signs of ageing by making the skin look fresher, healthier and smoother.
• Tea Tree Pore minimizer by the Tea Tree line. It minimizes the appearance of pores, matifies and smoothes the skin and also acts perfectly as a face primer.
• Aloe Soothing Cream by the Aloe line. Well, aloe is pretty much self explanatory but I've never thought to use it as an after sun product although it makes perfect sense, due to the calming and soothing properties.
• Vitamin C Face Mist by the Vitamin C line. I love to spritz it on my face in the morning, its scent wakes me up instantly, lol! I also spritz it on my face when I return home after work because I feel it brings back life to it.

Next stop, fragrance. Here, a lovely and very stylish SA informed us of the Scents of the World eaux de toilette and the various accompying products. There are five scents:

• Amazonian Wild Lily: if you like "green" scents you will love this!
• Madagascar Island Vanilla: vanilla with an oriental twist
• Indian Night Jasmine: jasmine with woody base
• Atlas Mountain Rose: rose with musky and oriental elements
• Japanese Cherry Blossom: my favorite by far, floral but not boring or overpowering, with some woody base, really pretty and easy to wear, even for work.

For each of the five fragrances there are accompying products (shower gel, body lotion, body mist, perfume oil) and I think that I will treat myself of a Japanese Cherry Blossom set! Also, I find that the perfume oil offers the best longevity of scent, although the body mists and eaux de toilette can be easily combined, even with different scents, thus creating your own fragrance!

Last stop, makeup!

The new BB cream was the item we were all very excited about and its application is very impressive because it changes color from white to pink and then to skintone!

It offers hydration, an even and undetectable finish with light to medium coverage and it feels very nice. I did find one flaw though and that is the color range: although it is supposed to match your skin tone, the lightest shade 01 was dark for me, the only time I could probably wear it is when I'm tanned. So, fair skinned ladies, that's bad news for us!

We also received a bag of goodies and we were super excited because it included:

• the Tea Tree Pore Minimizer,
• the LE Peach body butter that smells totally yummy,
• the BB cream
• the Japanese Cherry Blossom perfum oil
• a sample of the Nutriganics Drops of Youth and
• the Foundation lip butter. The profit from the sale of this item goes to one cause of three selected ones and you get to chose the cause your money will go to. How cool is that! I also purchased one as a gift.

All in all it was a fun evening, we got a chance to chat, talk about the products, see each other, we couldn't ask for anything more!

Thank you TBS!

Δημοσιεύτηκε με το Blogsy

June favorites!

Almost mid July but here are my June favorites!

Coconut was the fragrance of the month and in particular:

• Coconut shower gel TBS
• Coconut shimmering (ooohhh!) body butter TBS
  
• Sweet Milk cologne by Jo Malone (sooo unhappy that it was a limited edition!)

The Annemarrie Borlind self tanning lotion is not a June favorite because I got it on the first of July, so let's say it's a July favorites preview!

It has become a favorite item because it gives me a natural tan, check here for more info.

For the face, I religiously used:

• La Roche Posay Anthelios 50spf sunblock (not pictured here because I'm sure you've seen it a million times by now!
• Mac Fix+ (surprise!), I'm sure you're sick to death to see it every month, so no pic today!
• Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, I really like this one because it's lightweight and evens out any discolorations. I would say it offers medium coverage but it can be used lightly or in layers.
• Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer because it is full coverage and it takes just a tiny tiny bit.
• Mac Lush-Light Bronze powder (from last year's Surf Baby collection). I use this lightly all over my face and neck because the foundation is in my winter shade and the bronzer gives me a lightly sun kissed look.
• Elf blush brush. I rediscovered this brush in my stash and I use it with a little powder to set under eye concealer and a little bit on the T-zone. It's perfect because I can deposit powder exactly where I want it.

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, Mac Lush-Light Bronze

For the eyes, I did some naked eye but usually I didn't stray from my favorite teal/brown combos, with a little peach in between:

• Mac Expensive Pink, Steamy, Club, Carbonized
• Inglot pearl in # 393 and #413

Inglot #413 and Mac Steamy look similar but Steamy leans green and #413 is more blue.

As for lips, although I haven't been unfaithful to my beloved YSL Glossy Stains, I took advantage of a promo in my local Inglot store and while purchasing a few things for presents, I got two lipglosses for free!

• Inglot Sleeks Cream #107 - a vibrant coral/pink, it's perfect to spice up a minimal face look
  
• Inglot Sleeks VLC #73, my first nude lip product, pink/beige with a little shimmer, I used it mostly when I wanted to keep the focus on the eyes.

Last but not least, nails!

• Mac Play Day, I can't have enough of this color!
• Korres Vert Amande, lovely light green/aqua

These were my June favorites, I wish you're all well and thriving!

Δημοσιεύτηκε με το Blogsy

Monthly Favorites: May

Many products (skincare, haircare, foundation etc) are staple to me so I won't bother you again (you can always read about them here ) so, here are some items that I really enjoyed using this month.

In my shower, strawberry is the scent! One thing I don't get about TBS shower gels is why they don't come with a pump (or why they don't sell one separately) so, I removed the pump from a backup body lotion I have and placed it on the shower gel bottle. Perrrrrfect!

As for perfume, I am head over heels in love with the Jo Malone Sweet Lemon cologne I got at the Estée Lauder bazaar. It's fresh, it's sweet but with an edge, it's there but not in your face, I just love it (and got many compliments wearing it!)

I also used quite a bit of the Vitamin E Face Mist by TBS. It was in the goodies bag that we were given at the TBS bloggers' event (you can read all about it here ). When I return home from work I don't take off my makeup right away, so one spritz of the Face Mist on top gives my skin freshness and hydration. I still love my Mac Fix + but I use this one in the morning, after completing my makeup (and I keep a mini bottle in my purse at all times).

As for makeup, I've been mostly sporting coral/peach cheeks with lips in accordance and minimal eyeshadow. I was up since 6:30 in the morning everyday for work (I'm currently working at another location of my company - well, not MY company but you get the point, lol! - that's on the other side of Athens and I won't return to my basis for another week...) so, I didn't feel like doing much eyeshadow work.

I mostly used the Clarins Coral Tonic and the Tarte Blissful blushes, apart from being really pretty they also survive 11+ hours on my cheeks.

My YSL Glossy Stains have become everyday staples since I got them but this month I mostly used #7 and #12 because they fit into my coral/peach scheme. I also used Morange by Mac, a tiny bit with a lip brush over well moisturizer lips.

Morange, YSL #7 and #12

For eyes, my staple was Nubile paintpot by Mac because it is darker than my skintone so it defines my eyes in a natural, barely there way.

When I felt like putting a little extra on top, I used Pearl #390 by Inglot or Stilife paint by Mac or the champaign color from TBS Moonstone eyeshadow. Just a wash of color, nothing dramatic or complicated.

The rest of my favorites are miscellaneous:

• Garnier roll on concealer. I have this for some time but now that i'm a tiny bit darker, it suits my skintone better. I really like its thin consistency and the way it feels under my eyes.
• Bourjois eye brow pencil #4. Although I loved the Fling mechanical eyebrow pencil by Mac, it run out very quickly, so I decided to buy again this old time favorite.
• Prunella kohl eye pencil by Mac. I use this one everyday on my upper waterline, it's such an intricate color because it's not black, neither brown, nor plum, I really can't describe it.
• When I felt really adventurous, I used Undercurrent on my lower lash line, a tiny bit of this with Nubile on the lid gives an interesting twist to a nude look.
• Saunter lip pencil by Mac is the only nude lip color I have and I'm really liking it!
• Shore Leave is another lip pencil by Mac, this one is pinky-coral and used it quite a bit.

Here are some swatches

That's it for May favorites, June had better be warm because I have some aqua and teals to sport!

 

The Body Shop Bloggers' Event

Last Wednesday TBS invited me and other fellow beauty bloggers to the revamped Pulse store in Kolonaki. Before I go into details, allow me to tell you a little story about me and TBS!

As a young teen, I was intimidated to go into the big and crowded cosmetics stores: too many brands, too many products, too many decisions.

So, when I decided that it was time to start pampering myself, I entered my local TBS store in Kallithea and it was love at first sight! I was awed by the colors, the fragrances, the nifty little things, the helpful SA, it seemed the right place to start my fun journey towards looking like a polished young woman. Can you guess what was my first purchase? Strawberry shower gel and body lotion!

I had also in mind that the things I got not only made me look good but made me feel good as well. Not only because no animals were hurt in the making process but also because the brand provided work and prosperity to people all over the globe through the Community Fair Trade program.

Making a long story short, choosing this brand was something that made me feel good inside out and we journeyed together for a few years. Then, as I grew older, the sirens' calling became loud and distracting and other brands gained my attention. But there was always a soft spot in my heart for my little local TBS shop.

So, when I was invited to the relaunching and entered the Kolonaki Pulse store, even if it was a different one, I almost felt like the first time! The colors, the fragrances, the warmth of the people, it was like a shinier, more colorful déjà vu.

There, we were informed of the new approach, Beauty With Heart, that is perfectly illustrated through the moto Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good.

• Look Good is about using nature's high quality ingredients in an effective way
• Feel Good is about being pampered with products that are made with respect to the planet
• Do Good is about helping people all over the globe to gain their income in a respectable way

In compliance to the above mentioned values, TBS also reduced their electricity consumption in store (and elsewhere), uses wood that is approved by the FCS, recycles and also plant trees to balance the ones that are used for bags etc. Also, in store, there is a community and values wall that houses announcements and information about worldwide and local campaigns and actions.

The store itself is very well lit and although it's not big, it feels spacious and clutter free. The colorful packages, bottles etc line the walls and in the middle there are two long tables that house the newest products.

The revamp didn't stop there but also affected my favorite product, the body butters, that come in a new packaging with a QR code that can be scanned via a smartphone and show the ingredients and other information.

I also had a chance to see in action the new limited edition makeup line named after the brand advocate, Lily Cole and was mostly impressed by the Lip and Cheek Dome because it gives a nice, fresh flush to the cheeks. I would buy in a heartbeat especially because it is limited edition if I didn't already have more blushes that I will use in a lifetime, lol!

The product I was mostly curious about was the new Beautifying Oils and I had the chance to enjoy a really luxurious and pampering hand massage by a lovely SA, and I was sold on the spot! It feels soothing and moisturizing and smells lovely (it comes in ten scents) and more importantly it is a multitasker since it can be used on face, hair and body! I think this one will be my staple product in my beach/vacation bag.

I also heard that they'll be launching limited edition body mists in all our favorite scents, so, that's something to wait for!

As for the social aspect of the event, although I was up from 5:30 in the morning and didn't feel (or look, lol!) very posh, it was a very refreshing and invigorating experience, not only because of the very warm welcome of the TBS people but also because I had a chance to meet for the first time with fellow lovely beauty bloggers and a little wine and more than little chat and laughter, it was an upbeat ending to a very stressful day.

To make it even better, we were given a TBS goodies bag with:

• the Chocomania body butter (mine is almost empty so it's good to have a refill!),
• Moringa Shower Gel,
• Vitamin E Face Mist (I can never have too many face mists, I love them!) and...
• Satsuma Beautigying Oil! It goes without saying that I've used it already (I gave my hands, nails and cuticles a moisturizing massage) and this one smells amazing! Very citrusy, invigorating and fresh!
  

 

I also did a little shopping and got myself:

• Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil, it smells drop dead gorgeous and leaves a slightly tinted, lightly shimmery finish. It can be used alone or mixed with a body moisturizer for a more subtle result. If I wasn't sick I would already be sporting this on my legs!
• Moonstone baked eyeshadow (I saw it in a blogpost by Evi and loved it!)
• Out of pure curiosity I got a Facial Flannel, it is a sort of rubbery like fabric that is used instead of cotton balls etc, in order to remove the makeup in conjunction with a makeup remover/cleanser. I've tried it once so far and I like it because it feels very soft and smooth.

Here's a wet swatch of the Moonstone, I love the taupe/cool champaign color combo!

 

All in all, it was a great evening, and most importantly, it was good to see that TBS still follows and enhances the values that Anita Roddick set, in the present timeframe, without loosing the perspective.

Well done TBS, keep up the good work!

The body shop Chocomania!

It's been quite a while since I entered a Body Shop store (I dont't know why, LOL!) and the launch of the limited edition Chocomania collection was the call of the Siren, because it is a fact that I' m a sucker for everything related to chocolate, so I couldn't resist the temptation to smell like a chocolate from neck to toes!

So, I got the following:

Chocomania body butter €15
Chocomania Shower cream €7
Chocomania lip butter €6

With no further ado, the punch line: Does it actually smell like chocolate?
Well, no. To be more precise, it's somewhat like it, but not dead on the spot, there's something artificial, in a prominent way.

Does it smell good?
It smells good enough to eat, nevertheless. I will happily use it, it's just not as chocolatey as I would like.

The body butter is very dense and it will last forever because it takes a really small portion to cover the entire body. When I tried it in the store the smell took a few minutes to come through, at first it was too intense and bitter. When I used it at home, after shower, the bitterness evaporated instantly (it makes sense because after the shower the body is warm) and what it leaves behind is a kind of sweet, edible (LOL) and a bit chocolatey aura.

The shower cream is thick and luxurious and smells yummie as well.
As for the lip butter, although I rarely prefer them in a pot I made an exception for this one. The flavor here is more subtle and discreet.

Of course all the above products excell in moisturizing the skin, lips etc.

While I was there I purchased the Papaya shower gel as well because it is discontinued and it was on sale, only €1! It smells quite citrusy and refreshing, it will be perfect in the summer.

Last thing I got is a Vanilla body mist (€10 for 100ml) because I run out of it. It is something that I always have in a drawer and I use when I want to tone down a too edgy perfume. Just a bit of dear old vanilla makes everything more mellow.

While I was there I was also tempted to get a shimmery cubes set, there was a teal/green that was screaming my name, I swatched it (now I get why Evi aka Cbsg5861 is raving about them!) but I managed to resist it, (at least for now).

That's all about it, I hope you're all well and thriving!