The New Body Shop Oils of Life Skincare Collection is Going to Be Huge!

I've been a fan of The Body Shop since the mid '90's when I was in high school. I used to go in there for the bath oil beads and those oil burners that made my room smell awesome. Not to mention my friends and I used to argue over whether the Dewberry or White Musk perfume was better (I was White Musk all the way!). They've come a long way since then...I've been addicted to their Coconut Body Oil for years (and I swear it's the one thing that prevented stretch marks while I was pregnant) but their new collection, Oils of Life, takes it up another notch with ultra luxe new packaging and formulas and a simple, three-step skincare routine.

I heard about this new collection from an email that the Body Shop sent me last week, so yesterday I went to my local store to see it in person. It wasn't out on the shelves yet, and the salesperson told me that they're actually launching it today (8/30), but she could sell it to me from the stockroom if I wanted. As it turns out, the employees had already all purchased it for themselves and I ended up getting the very last facial oil they had in stock (and it hadn't even launched yet!). The girl that works there told me that this new launch is "going to be big...maybe their best skincare launch ever!" I have to admit, the packaging is just too gorgeous, so if that's any indication of what's inside the bottles, she may just be right. So without further ado, let's take a closer look at the products: 

Oils of Life is a collection of four skincare products that help to bring life back to tired, lifeless looking skin. The secret lies in three precious natural seed oils that are known for their supreme revitalizing and repairing properties on skin:

• Black Cumin Seed Oil from Egypt- known for its concentration in antioxidants
• Rosehip Seed Oil from Chile- rich in repairing omega 3 and 6
• Camellia Seed Oil from China- naturally rich in nutritive oleic acid

These formulas are made for all skin types, even sensitive skin, and provides anti-aging benefits.

It's a three-step skincare routine featuring an essence to prep the skin after cleansing, an oil, and either a gel cream or cream moisturizer. Here's a closer look at the products: 

Intensely Revitalizing Essence Lotion $22- There's a lot of buzz around essences lately, which have been part of the Korean skincare routine for many years. They're just gaining popularity here in the US and more and more brands are starting to release them. This particular formula is a bi-phase (oil + water) formula that prepares and activates your skin to receive the rest of the products. You would use this in place of a toner, after cleansing.

Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil ($39)- Infused with three precious seed oils and a blend of seven essential oils, this lightweight and quickly absorbing texture leaves a non-sticky finish, melting onto the skin, leaving it silky and soft. Instantly, skin appears smoother, more radiant, revived, revitalized and nourished. After 4 weeks, the signs of aging appear reduced, wrinkles appear minimized, and skin feels more elastic and firm. 

Intensely Revitalizing Cream ($34)- a silky moisturizing cream that helps to nourish the skin without leaving a greasy feel. Water loss is reduced by 21% within one hour, and firmness is improved after 1 hour. The nourishing texture and non-greasy feel leave skin feeling smoother and intensely nourished with a matte finish.

Intensely Revitalizing Gel Cream ($34)-  a lightweight moisturizer that nourishes the skin with a non-greasy feel. Essential oils leave skin feeling softer, hydrated, and radiant, while illuminating micro pearls create a radiant finish. 

In talking with the salesperson at The Body Shop, she recommended using the Essence first after cleansing, then the oil along with any other serums you might use (she gave me samples of their Drops of Youth Concentrate serum and told me it's like "Botox in a bottle"), then you have to choose a cream based on your skin type. I was thinking that the gel cream would be best for oily skin since it claims to be lightweight, but she told me that they're actually both non-greasy and that the gel cream  has illuminating ingredients in it to brighten up dry skin and give it a glowy finish, while the cream actually leaves the skin with a matte finish, which those with oily skin would likely prefer. I was really glad she told me that because I would have thought it was the other way around! 

Price-wise, the line is pretty affordable...similar to Olay ProX. It's definitely more affordable than the skincare lines at Sephora or department stores, so I was excited to try it. I ended up purchasing the Essence and the Facial Oil since those were the most interesting to me. I'll use my regular moisturizer for now and if I love the two products I bought, I'll go back and get the Gel Cream. If you want to try just one product, I would recommend getting the Essence since it'll prep your skin and help the skincare you're already using perform better. Or if you're already using an essence, the facial oil seems to be the product the Body Shop employees were most excited about (it's the most concentrated). 

You can find the new Oils of Life range at your local Body Shop store or at thebodyshop.com.