Subha Aluth Avuruddak Wewa!

Hope all of you are enjoying the New Year festivities. I hope you're eating all the kevili you can muster. I myself am loving the mun kevum. This year I might actually attempt to make milk toffee to bring to the office folks on Thursday. So do keep your fingers crossed for me.

Sweet treats aside, I wanted to come back with a new post because it's been a while since I last wrote a piece for the blog. Besides, this review has been lying in my drafts folder for a while now. So let's get to it.



Last year, I was generously gifted the Body Yogurt collection by The Body Shop. As you know, their body butters, specifically their coconut body butter is among my favourite moisturisers. In fact, I got it for my dad but ended up keeping it because I absolutely loved the tropical smell, and the velvety feel of it. With the body butters, the process of moisturising looked like this: I would get home from work, have a shower, and douse myself in the body butter, and by morning I would have properly moisturised skin. It stays that way for the entire day until I repeat the cycle.
This was working for me just fine, until things got super busy and I was tackling multiple things at once. Gotta keep up with those multiple strokes "/" next to our names, right? I would get home from work, and do some more work, take a shower, and get back to reading and creative plans afterwards. I honestly fumbled through my skin care routine, and managed to experience firsthand what the absence of proper skin care would do.



This is precisely why you need it in your life. It is the perfect formula for those of us, who are constantly on the go!

I guess I pretty much summed up my thoughts on these, but there's more details below for those of you who are interested in knowing more about these.

Amount of Product: 200ml (6.98Oz)

Price: Rs. 2,600

Claims:

NEW lightweight, fast-absorbing gel-cream formula
100% vegan
48hr moisture

Stats listed on the website:
87% agree the formula absorbs instantly*
86% like that the formula works on damp skin*
3 in 4 agree they can put their jeans on straight after application*
95% agree skin feels moisturized*
81% agree skin appears radiant*

*User trial on 104 women & men.


How to Use:

Massage into skin whenever you need a hit of hydration. You can even apply it straight onto damp skin after showering.

Packaging:

The product comes packaged in a pot with a screw open lid. The lid bears the respective flavour and the pot bears the name of the brand and product, along with directions for application and ingredients on a sticker. Overall, the packaging is not just utilitarian, but also aesthetically pleasing especially laid out on the top of the dresser.






The banana one is a special edition, so the lid on the pot is a little different and has a lot of very yellow, illustrations of bananas on a pink backdrop with lettering suggesting to 'go bananas'.

Results:



Let's talk about how fresh the scent of each of these body yogurts are. As soon as I open each pot I'm greeted with a pleasant, and dare I say accurate scent (talking about the banana body yogurt here). It lingers on the skin for a while too. The almond has a beautiful, subtle scent that I am all about. While I'm usually not one for fruity scents I really liked the balance of the strawberry one. It wasn't nose tingling sharp (#Winning). The British rose smells fresh and not like one of those powdery rose-scents. The same goes for the Moringa one which is mellow but distinct. You already know how I feel about the banana scent; I suppose that requires an "acquired taste".

Hope you've all been well. As you probably saw from my Instagram stories, I was very generously gifted a skin-care Hamper from The Body Shop which included some products from their Vitamin E range, as well as the Tea Tree range. As you already know my love for their tea tree products go as far back as 2016, as evidenced by this post: The Blemish Battling duo: Anti-Imperfection Daily Solution and 3-in-1 Wash Scrub and Mask. Since then I've tried out the tea tree oil itself, which maybe tiny but is really effective in drying out nasty spots, and also the mattifying toner which pretty much completes a thorough cleansing ritual. 

Naturally, I end up sharing my enthusiasm about this range with everyone I meet (sorry not sorry). So earlier this year my cousin sister ended up buying this facial wash and needless to say she was very happy with the purchase. Since I had already had their Vitamin E cleanser, I didn't think it was necessary to get a face wash as well. 

Can I just say how glad I am that I got this facial wash, because I absolutely love this! You can read the review to find out exactly why.

Amount of Product: 250ml (8.4Oz)

Price: Rs. 2,200

Claims:

Our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash, infused with Community Trade Tea Tree Oil, cleanses blemished skin. A refreshing lather removes impurities and excess oil, leaving skin feeling purified. Use daily for less shiny, mattified, visibly clearer results.

Enriched with Community Trade Tea Tree Oil from the foothills of Mount Kenya
Deeply cleanses blemished skin
Refreshing on skin
Suitable for blemished skin

Packaging:

The product comes in their classic dark green colour packaging they use for the tea tree range. The lid can be flipped open to squeeze some product on to the palm of your hand. Overall, it possesses a very sturdy packaging that will make sure it won't leak all over even if you travel with it. The ingredients are listed on a sticker on the bottle. It also carries a good amount of product, so you don't have to run to the store every two weeks to repurchase. 

Results:

What's immediately noticeable when opening the bottle is that fresh and sharp tea tree scent. In terms of the product itself, it carries a light green tinge and is of a moderate consistency- not too thick nor too runny. 

I used this product on the daily as recommended. First squeezing a small amount (size of a two rupee coin) on to my palm, I then diluted it with a little amount of water and applied on my face while gently massaging in circular motions. After rinsing with water, what I immediately noticed was how fresh my face felt. Perhaps it's that tea tree scent that elevates the whole experience. 

I have to admit I skipped on the toner on most days because in all honesty I didn't think I needed it as this product was very effective in removing all the dirt and impurities from my face. 

The best part is how well it took care of the oiliness on my face. Anyone with oily/ combination skin can attest to how annoying it is to come home at the end of the day, and touch the face only to realise how oily it has become. In my experience this product did a marvelous job in removing that excess oil without completely stripping off my skin. 100 points for this matter! 

You may be wondering why I am writing this review so soon in comparison to how long I've taken to write others. Well, the reason is that I noticed the difference in my skin when I didn't use this facial wash. I woke up with an extremely oily and *cover your eyes if needed* sticky face. So I have gotten into a habit of using this product as soon as I get home from work because I particularly liked having a clear face in the morning. 



All in all, I think the product 

met its claims of removing impurities and excess oil,  and leaving skin feeling purified. 

I am one of those people who buy travel size products to test them out, before committing to their respective full-size versions. Based on the Instagram poll I ran, it seemed that most of you felt the same. When I saw this travel kit by NUXE I immediately had to purchase this, a) because it is a French brand and anything to make me feel more Parisienne I have to have, and b) because I wanted to try the dry oil because many YouTubers were talking about using dry oils in the holiday season. 

This kit includes:

Rêve de Miel Face Cleansing and Make-up Removing  Gel (15ml)

Crème Prodigieuse Anti-Fatigue Moisturing Cream (15ml)

Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil (10ml)

Rêve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream (15ml)

Prodigieux Precious Scented Shower Oil (30ml)

Price:  

GBP 14.00 on  CultBeauty (Roughly around Rs. 2,945.00)

I will not be delving into the packaging of these products, as these are only travel sizes, and I didn't find any fundamental flaws with the packaging. Even the dry oil has a spray in the full-size version.

Rêve de Miel Face Cleansing and Makeup-Removing Gel 

This honey coloured cleansing gel contains sunflower seed oil and honey, and has a floral fragrance.  In terms of consistency, it's viscous and you only need a small amount to gain a good lather. While I do not have dry skin, I really liked how gentle this cleanser was. I did not experience any irritation with this product. 

Crème Prodigieuse Anti-Fatigue Moisturising Cream

Claims:

For normal to combination skin

Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil 

Contains 98.1% natural origin ingredients, including 7 precious botanical oils: highly nourishing and anti-aging Tsubaki oil, softening sweet Almond oil, moisturizing Camellia oil, anti-wrinkle Borage oil, soothing Hazelnut oil, nourishing Macadamia oil and repairing Argan oil. 

My Experience: 



This is one product that needs no introduction and judging from the multiple blog posts I've included this in, I feel as though I don't really have to repeat myself in saying how wonderful this is. Starting with the scent, it is absolutely mesmerizing, with floral notes of Gardenia. I managed to find that they have released a perfume with this fragrance which is all I need in my life right now. 
Back to the oil itself, it is multi-purpose, and I have used it on my body and hair to moisturise and add shine respectively. It doesn't make me feel like I'm drenched in oil, because it is fast-absorbing. It leaves my skin with a glow that is a marker of healthy skin. While I do not want to sound like a TV advert, I can definitely say that this oil nourishes and softens my skin.

Rêve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream 

My Experience: 



Another product formulated with the classic NUXE scent is the hand and nail cream, which has a consistency in between being too light and drippy, and too thick and difficult to spread. In other words, the best consistency for a hand cream. It is however more lightweight than my favourite Spa Ceylon Hand Cream. This absorbs really well, and doesn't leave any sticky/ greasy residue which is amazing. We've all had those moments of dropping pens, and *cringe* forks and spoons whilst dining *cringe* *cringe* after applying greasy hand cream. This is a good hand cream to keep around in the handbag, for reapplication as the moisture is not locked in all day long.
In terms of the claims that it strengthens nails, I can't quite tell if this meets that since I've always had strong nails. What I can attest to is how smooth my hands feel after application.

Prodigieux Precious Scented Shower Oil

Cleanses, leaves a satin finish with delicate fragnance- with golden shimmer. 

Legendary fragrance of Huile Prodigieuse®

With Cleansing base free of sulfate-containing surfactants

Formula free of sulfate-containing surfactants

Paraben-free

My Experience: 

This is one product that makes good use out of the NUXE scent which is why I think this is titled 'precious-scented'.  This shower not-oil-but-gel has an iridescent consistency with gold shimmers that adds to a luxurious bath experience. It feels indulgent, and we all need a little TLC every now and then. As I said earlier, if you were expecting an oil this is far from it. It actually has a gel consistency, from which you only need a tiny amount for an effective cleanse. This does leave my skin with a satin finish, and provides a good base to add a layer of the dry oil.
And, no the shimmers do not stay on the body post-shower. 

Shop This Post:

The Essentials Travel Kit by NUXE on CultBeauty

If you've tried any of these products, leave a comment down below and let us know your experience.

Thank you so much for reading this lengthy review. Hope you enjoyed it!

Much Love,