The Body Shop Mango Body Butter

Price: $8 for 1.7oz, $20 for 6.9oz

What they say:
"Best if you want to: Pamper your skin with a rich, deliciously mango-scented cream that softens and moisturizes for up to 24 hours.

Best for: very dry skin
How it works:

• Mango seed oil moisturizes the skin.
• Community Trade cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature, leaving skin soft and smooth.
• Sweet almond oil provides essential fatty acids that help to repair skin’s moisture barrier, helping to restore smoothness and suppleness."

What I say:
This is a very nice body butter, but I wouldn't say it is the most moisturizing.  Maybe it's because my skin is not absorbing it all, but I think some of my other lotions/butters that I use are more moisturizing.

Speaking of absorbing, this stuff takes a long time to absorb into my skin.  It doesn't matter how long I rub, or don't rub, this stuff just takes a while.  This is okay at night, when I don't care anyway, but during the day this is a no-go for me.  Secondly, the normal idea of having your skin be slightly moist when you are putting this on does not work.  Any liquid that you have on your skin is just going to make this butter kinda filmy (you know, that white cast that happens), and make it take even longer to absorb into your skin.

The scent, in the tub, is really nice.  I would say mango, like they claim, but not really fresh mango smelling, more like mango candy.  On my skin, it doesn't quite smell the same, but since this is a body chemistry thing, I can't really fault the product.  For me, it starts to smell more herby?  Less like fruit, more like something else, and I can't quite place it.  Not unpleasant, but I really wish the smell in the tub would have carried over.

I put the price for both sizes in the price section, but would really suggest getting a small unless you really know you are going to use this butter up.  A little does go a long way with this product, and since the scent can be altered by body chemistry, the scent that you thought you would like might not be that good anymore.

The packaging for this is a plastic tub that screws shut.  The tubs themselves are colored to match idea of the lotion inside (I wouldn't say match entirely, since for instance the butter for mango is much lighter than the tub), which makes it easy to locate the one that you want to use.  Since the cap screws shut, the tub does well in travel, and can take a decent beating.  Not throw against a wall type of beating, but it shouldn't crack with a regular handbag toss.

Overall a decent product, and would suggest it for those who can absorb body butters.  Decent price for the amount that you get, and the smaller tubs are the perfect travel size.

4/5

The Body Shop Tea Tree Gel

Price: $9.00 for .08 fl oz

What they say:
"How it works:
    * Lemon tea tree and Community Trade tea tree oil from Kenya contain properties that help fight blemishes and prevent new ones from forming.
    * Tamanu oil from Madagascar has a soothing effect and helps to calm irritation and redness.
    * Community Trade organic honey to soothe the skin."


What I say:
This is a good blemish fighter, but it isn't the strongest.

I got this because of a sale that The Body Shop was having, and since I needed a new blemish stick, I thought I would give this one a try.  The ingredients, while not being the most natural, are more natural than most, so that was a bonus.

Tea tree oil, an antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral ingredient, is the star of this particular gel.  Because it kills bacteria, which is often the cause of acne, it makes sense that this ingredient would be used for as long as it has.

The gel is completely clear, and is similar in consistency to a really light lipgloss, but without any stickiness.  It dries quickly, and I have not had any problems putting makeup on top of it.  Since this blemish gel is mild, you can use it multiple times a day, but it's not going to just get rid of the blemish overnight.  It does help with reducing the redness and inflamation, but, again, it is not a miracle worker.

The tube, as you can see, has a doe foot applicator at the end.  While normally I would say that this is not the most hygenic, since the key ingredients would kill anything that you put in there, and you are normally using this right after washing your face, it doesn't actually seem that bad.  Also, since you are not touching the product with your hands, it might actually be a little cleaner than normal.  The applicator itself does a good job of placing the gel where you want, and it doesn't get too much on the end of it, so you don't need to worry about waste.

The gel does not have a really strong tea tree oil scent, which is good for those of you who are sensitive to that smell.  Personally, it makes me think that it has very little of the key ingredient, but they might have just figured out a way to diminish the smell.

Overall, I think this is a nice product.  I wish it was a little stronger, but given what it is, and the fact that it is using more natural ingredients to do it, it works well.

3.5/5 (seems a little low, but 4/5 seemed too high)