This week the girls on the Fashion and Beauty Her Campus Team were lucky enough to test drive a few of the Body Shop’s newest makeup products! We couldn’t wait to get testing and report on our results. We hope this inspires you and gives you a few ideas for presents this Christmas… or even, better your own Wish List!
The Lipstick
Lipstick isn’t necessarily an item on most girls’ essential makeup list, but if you’re feeling like doing something a bit different and more daring… then wearing a bold lipstick colour is an easy way of mixing things up. I find that lipstick can really make an outfit complete, particularly as I prefer simple eye makeup which can look a little too understated with bare lips. So, as you can imagine, I was more than a little excited to test out one of the new colours in The Body Shop’s lipstick line!
Body Shop have introduced four new wintery colours to their Colourglide lipstick range. I was given a bright, festive red to experiment with. All the lipsticks have a metallic shimmer finish and are made with Fair Trade marula oil and Community Fair Trade beeswax. Application was incredibly easy and the result felt more like nourishing lip balm than anything else. Some lipsticks can feel hard and dry on your lips so it’s refreshing for a lipstick to feel so healthy and light. However, from a purely personal perspective, I prefer the matte finish lipsticks; this one looks more like a lip gloss when it’s on and the effect is perhaps a little less striking than I’d prefer. However, it is the ultimate lipstick for girls that love a glossy finish!
The lipstick is suitably festive and perfect for all girls who like a bit of sparkle when it comes to makeup. As it’s slightly more subtle than other red lipsticks I’ve tried, you can afford to wear heavier eye makeup if you so wish. However, I would still recommend teaming it with discreet eye makeup – perhaps a liquid eyeliner flick with some black massacre. Bronzer at this time of year is essential so top it off with a couple of strokes of colour; the slightly sun kissed look will perfectly compliment the red lips. Or alternatively if you are very pale skinned then red lips and flawless cheeks is equally effective. Red lipstick is the perfect addition to your makeup bag and The Body Shop’s new colours will not let you down, whatever Christmas party look you are hoping to channel. The new lipsticks are only £10 each and well worth the investment!
The Shimmer Powder
After having had great success with The Sparkler in 2010 and 2011, we’re soo excited that the Body Shop have brought it back for 2012. This year though it comes in two wonderful Christmas shades; the classic ‘Enchanting Gold’ and the new ‘Copper’. I road-tested the Enchanting Gold at the HCX Christmas Dinner; and I loved it! This is definitely an investment piece for the party season.
You can use The Sparkler on your face, body and even hair! On the face, use a little bit to highlight your cheekbones, or on the inside corners of your eyes for added glamour. Use it to enhance your assets (great for the SSB; when we all need a bit of help); or if you’re feeling daring, use it in your hair to make you feel like an old Hollywood seductress!
This product also has the added bonus of a wonderful scent. It has a sweet, floral scent to it, so spray a bit in your hair and go easy on the perfume. The scent lasts for quite a long time surprisingly, much like the product itself. If I’m honest I was sceptical about the product at first, but to my surprise it looked great and lasted all night… and I still sparkled after walking home in the rain for 20 minutes!!
This would definitely be my top beauty must for the holiday season; you get a lot of sparkle from just one spray, so it will see you through until Valentines Day (and maybe those summer festivals). Did I mention the fantastically vintage-inspired glass bottle it comes in? This is a permanent fixture on my make up table (even when it’s run out).
The Sparkler is available now from The body Shop for £14. Please ladies, form an orderly queue.
The Bronzer
Her Campus Fashion and Beauty team hold Bronzer as a makeup staple, and at this time of year when tans have faded and cold weather makes skin seem a little dull and lacklustre, many girls swear by a good bronzer to keep their skin looking glowing and fresh. Luckily for us, Body Shop’s new Special Edition Dazzling Rocks are perfect for adding colour to and illuminating our cheeks in these wintery months.
The Giant, shimmery powder beads are a mix of festive coppers and gold’s; perfect for the upcoming party season but also flattering for all skin tones, lightly bronzing and highlighting the face. The so-called ‘metallic shimmer’ powder beads are not as sparkly and garish as they might sound; in fact, the shimmer is subtle and tasteful, becoming more noticeable when your cheek catches the sunlight. In the sun, the shimmer beads highlight the contours of your cheek giving you a natural looking, glowing skin tone.
To apply, create the shape of a number three from the temples to the cheekbones to the jaw line, using a circular motion to contour the cheek bones. For a night out, add more of the powder to your brush for extra dazzle and definition and team with long lashes and liquid eyeliner for added glamour. I’ve found that using less powder and trying to use more of the gold colours rather than the dark copper tones gives a subtle glow for a day time look, lightly uplifting tired winter skin. The Dazzling Rocks are adaptable for both going out and a more casual day look which makes them incredibly versatile and great value for money. At only £16, they are a godsend for a student on a budget and for those who are particularly strapped for cash, put them on your Christmas list!
The Eye Shadow
I am constantly attempting to create the perfect smoky eye look, but there are few palettes which I have come across that enable you to create this effortless, sultry look to perfection; The Body Shop’s New 4-step Smoky Eyes Palette happens to be one of them! I tested out the ‘Smoky Moonstone’ product, although it also comes in ‘Smoky Copper’. This is a fabulous palette of four beautiful eye shadows, all different tones of brown. Not only are each of the four shades great to use individually, when combined they create the perfect smoky eye with minimal effort. What makes this product stand out more than others is its ability to be used either as a day time or night time look. The beautiful brown shades mean that the look isn’t too ‘metallic black’ and heavy to be worn during the day. The shades create a subtle smoky look that make your eyes pop without looking like you’ve caked on too much makeup. That being said, each colour has a shimmer to it, so when applied more heavily this will shine through and create a more sparkly wintery, evening look – perfect for all those Christmas dinners! The palette comes with two beautifully soft eye shadow brushes which make the art of creating the smoky look, all the more easy! (They even include a simple step by step guide on applying the shades to perfection – after a couple of practises it becomes second nature!)
I would most certainly recommend this product to any girl that loves to experiment and play around with eye shadows. They are beautiful shades, and create a fantastic end result! It’s taken me a long time to find the perfect day time smoky eye product… and I shan’t be turning back!
4 – Step Smoky eyes is available at the very reasonable price of £14.00 – it’s a must have girls, so pop it on your Christmas list!
So there we have it girls… Body Shop’s guide to the Makeup trends forWinter 2012. Beautifully flawless skin with a dash of bold lippy or smouldering eyes. And remember, having a bit of shimmer is a definite MUST over Christmas, so have fun with it and enjoy sparkling over the festive season!