Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream

"A daily moisturizing cream with light diffusing particles that helps to protect the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth with a luminous, healthy-looking glow."

Warning: Long post  ahead

I first heard about how great vitamin e cream is for the skin on America's Next Top Model Cycle 16. Kasia,  was one of the oldest models in the competition but looked like one of the youngest. On the show she described her skin care routine, and one of the things she used was vitamin e cream. I googled the benefits of Vitamin E creams/oil, and I was surprised by how many they were. (There are too many to list, but you can read about them here or watch it here.)

I went to The Body Shop and saw they had different varieties of Vitamin E creams, and this one of them. One of the Youtube Beauty guru's mentioned The Body Shop Vitamin E Illuminating Cream in one of her favorites. I was curious about it, but when I sampled it at the store, I thought it was a little too glowy for someone who has oily skin like me. I bought the day and night creams instead which I loved, and repurchased a couple of times last year.

As I was I on a quest to find the perfect eye liner, my friend Aroosa was busy obsessing about making her skin glow. It took her months of research, and she finally decided that this cream was 'the one'! I played the role of fairy god mother this time, and bought the Illuminating Vitamin E Cream for both Aroosa and myself. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream

The first couple of times I used it with a heavy hand and I didn't like the result at all. The cream has pink/lilac undertones which show if you apply it heavily. My face did not look oily, it just looked glowy in an unflattering way.

When applied with a light hand it lights up the face beautifully. I use a pea size amount and I love the way it illuminates my face. It looks so natural, like you're glowing from within. After letting it sink in, I apply my sun block*. My skin does not get, or look oily after having applied sunblock (small note at the end of the post on what I mix the sunblock with). It's lasting power is worth mentioning as well (for me it could be because of the sunblock combination I use). I've noticed it's luminous effect late in to the night as well, after having it on for an entire day.

Honestly, the glow lasts all day! This cream lights up the face in all the right place without looking oily or over done. Aroosa told me that she uses it under her mineral foundation and her skin looks 'fresh'. She notices the glow only if she applies a powder or foundation over it.

I applied a lot so that it can show on camera. The cream is on the left hand

• Illuminates beautifully, 
• You need only half a pea-sized amount, at most, to illuminate and moisturize.
• Great for dry-skinned people - you'll need only a tiny amount to moisturize your skin in seconds.
• Blends fast, so blend it quickly and well (always blend upwards) to get results.
• Looks great under foundation
• You can skip the highlighter when using this
• does not make the skin oily
• It is on the price side. I bought it for RS1550
• You only need to use a tiniest amount to get the desired result, so this will last a long time. It is 50ml

I have oily skin and it works great for me, especially on the days when I've had little sleep the night before or when my skin looks dull.
The Vitamin E range from The Body Shop is my favorite line. I've tried all the creams in this range and this along with the moisture sink in mask are my favorites. This is better than their normal day cream because it not only does the work of the day cream but it gives the skin a little extra boost as well. 

The only con in my opinion is the price. It is a little expensive for a cream. You only need to use a tiny amount to it's going to last a long time. It is well worth the investment. I've had this for about a month now, and you can see there is a lot left in the jar.

People either hate this or love it. Be sure to test it out before purchasing it. Have you tried this or any of the Vitamin E creams from The Body Shop?

Price:Rs1550

Side note: Please not that I mix my Neutrogena sunblock with Tibet cream. The Tibet Snow cream mattifies the sunblock and the sunblock cancels out the whiteness Tibet Snow. The illuminating cream might work differently with another sunblock.

Review: Benefit Watts Up!

I admit Benefit lures me in with their gimmicky products, but that does not mean that the products themselves aren't great. I always find myself reaching for Benefit products the most when I'm getting ready. Every time I use Bella Bamba, I get asked what I have on my cheeks. Watts Up has quickly become another favourite. 

I used to reach for NARS Albatross the most for highlighting. I'm someone who doesn't do a lot of make-up. With that in mind I start getting ready minutes before I'm about to leave, and that always results in me doing my make-up in a rush. You would think I'd learn from my mistakes, but I obviously haven't. I have to leave for a friends dance practice in a bit, and I'm sitting here writing a blog post. So yeah, I used to reach for Albatross the most because it did not require much effort. With Benefit High Beam I had to work a little to blend it to perfection.

Watts Up, has now become my favourite highlighter (that didn't take long). It's a shimmery champaign beige that looks a little scary at first, but when blended it transforms into a mega-watt glow. I just swipe it on to the desired places and blend a little. I don't have to work hard or use a brush.I recommend using your fingers, rather than the sponge tip that it comes with. I used the sponge tip the first time I tried Watts Up, and it smeared my make-up a little. 

It lasts pretty for almost the entire day. I've really had time to test it out because I've been on the go with one friend or the other this entire month, and I'd come home with Watts Up still lighting up my cheeks. 

I asked my friend Anum (aka- Fairy godmother) if she'd like to model Watts Up for me.

Even though it's expensive at 30$, it's well worth the investment. 

(Yesterday, when I tried Watts Up on Anum it looked so good she now wants to use it on her Mayon (a pre-wedding celebration).)

Review: The Body Shop Radiant Highlighter

I've been obsessed with Jennifer Lopez's glowy face for years. A couple of years ago, I started using bronzer because of her but I still couldn't get the famous J.Lo glow. I recently discovered her secret (yes, it took me a while. Haha!), and its a highlighter.