The Body Shop: Home Spa

Who doesn't love a spa day?  Anyone?  I thought not.
Okay - who doesn't love forking out what feels like a mortgage repayment for a spa day? Precisely.
So let's convert our own bathrooms and bedrooms to a make-shift spa and save on some pennies.  Grab your dressing-gown, some candles, a glass (or bottle) of wine and some music.  It's time to pamper pamper pamper.

Blue Corn 3in1 Deep Cleansing Mask

For some reason, face-masks have become iconic to a girl's beauty regime.  We've all seen pictures of girls casually wearing them (they're almost fashionable) and they have understated benefits for your skin.  What first attracted me to the Body Shop's Blue Corn mask was its smell.  It smells like a spa in a tub and  is the best mask I've ever used.  It doesn't feel like I've given my face a chemical peel, nor did it require a brillo-pad to remove it if I had left it on for too long.  My face felt clean and moisturised afterwards.  Although my disgusting little spots were still there the next day, they had stopped throwing a tantrum on my skin and had cleaned up a bit, without over-drying.  Buy this mask and be beautiful.

Peppermint Soothing Foot Scrub

Without a doubt, my favourite day of the year is when I officially pack away my boots and socks and bring back out my pumps.  But then I take one look at my feet and instead of saying "how nice to see you!", I'm shocked at the terrible condition they're in!  It's easy to neglect your feet during winter, but the Body Shop's Peppermint Foot Scrub has been my constant companion during those first few weeks of seeing my toes again.  Not only will someone be able to smell the peppermint a mile away, the (get this) granules of volcanic rock will scrub away at any horrible dry skin.  The result?  Feet which feel as fresh as a daisy, as soft as a baby's bottom and which smell like your Gran's Peppermint Creams. 

Monoi Miracle Oil

If you're going to skimp on your spa day and just buy one product, then this is the one for you.  The Monoi Miracle Oil is so versatile it can be used absolutely anywhere.  (Okay, don't put it in your mouth.)  Bathe in it, wash your hair with it, shave your legs with it or soak your feet in it.  Dry or irritated skin and straw-like hair will be transformed into something wonderful.  It smells like a bunch of flowers and won't cake you in grease.  (Although as an aside, make sure you rinse your bath/shower properly, or you'll be slipping around like a drunk seal.)

Absinthe Hand Cream

The Body Shop has just brought their Absinthe range, which has been specially designed for hands that do hard work.  A squirt of absinthe will leave your hands feeling like they've just been attacked with anti-bac (in a good way.)  The hand cream is perfect for slathering (soaking and lathering) hands that are around food, children with grotty noses, chlorine and farm animals.  Germs and snot will be whisked away and replaced with the lovely smell of pure cleanliness.  And for all you germphobes out there, there's a hand gel in the absinthe range, too.  A good handshake no longer relies on a firm grip and a fist-full of eye contact; it 100% depends on how soft the shaker's hands are and whether or not they feel clean.  NO-ONE LIKES MINGIN' HANDS!!! Buy it. 

Any seasoned spa-visitor will tell you that you can't have a jolly time if the therapist just uses her hands.  There are ticks of the trade here, girl!  Use a foot file to buff away the hard skin on your cracked heels, a bath lily for getting all soapy and a round body brush to buff away your dry skin everywhere else and kick-start your circulation.  And to prevent lovely whisps of newly-cleansed hair from getting in your face and hanging out with your face-mask, buy a head band. (All of these products are available at the Body Shop. Obvs.)