Hello, hello everyone! So as you can see by my featured image photo, I’m going nude, au natural, bare faced – in other words makeup free to discuss my without fail facial! I worked as the assistant manager at The Body Shop for over half a year, and it taught me a lot about skin care and products. Now that my older sister is working there as my prodigy, it’s so fun to instill in her some Body Shop knowledge – and still get some awesome discounts on their products! Holla! Thanks to my vast knowledge on skin care, skin types, and everything in between, I’ve been known to give a mean facial at home to my sister and my mom. This past weekend I decided to treat myself (and my sissy!) to one of my fabulous facials to freshen up my skin and go bare faced for the world. If there’s one thing that I get complimented on a lot, it’s my creamy complexion. It’s very important to me to maintain my healthy pale glow, so constant skin care is a must. Here’s another pic of me going au natural, and then we’ll discuss some facial fun with a plethora of Body Shop products!

^^^ My face is bare and I don’t care….too much anyways 😉 So I lined up all of my Body Shop products in the order that I use them for a Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial, take a look and then I’ll discuss each item! Please don’t mind my dirty bath tub!

Step 1) Dampen skin with warm water and apply the Warming Mineral Clay Mask and let it sit for five minutes. I absolutely adore this product. The mask is made with ginger and a bunch of other good stuff and begins to warm as soon as it touches the skin. The warming sensation from the clay literally attacks your pores for a deep cleanse. After five minutes of having the mask on, almost all of the blackheads that live around my nostril piercings disappeared. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper about that! After your mask is done sitting, wet a cloth with warm water and gently wipe off your skin.

Step 2) It’s time to wash your face! You can use whatever cleanser you please, but I recommend that it’s a cream base rather than a gel to avoid drying out your skin. I used the Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash to give my skin a nice, gentle cleansing after my pores were stripped from the mask. Wash your face well so you remove any remaining clay and grime, and don’t pat yourself dry quite yet!

Step 3) This step will be different for everyone depending on their skin type. If you have “normal” skin, like myself you should be fine with using a facial scrub like the Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub straight from the container. However, scrubs can be a bit harsh on acne prone skin, so if you do have acne I recommend mixing up the scrub with the Vitamin E Hydrating Toner just like how you would mix it with water before using on the skin. Using a moisturizing toner mixed with a somewhat harsh scrub should eliminate any unpleasant burning or stinging. If you have normal skin, apply the toner after you’re done with your scrub. Tea Tree products are specifically used for acne, but even if you don’t suffer from it, the scrub will leave your skin feeling exhilarated and your pores will be squeaky clean just as the name of the product says!

Step 4)  Apply a treatment. Now is a good time to apply topical acne cream if you use it. If not, I like to put on an eye cream as my treatment, like the Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream. The skin around the eyes is so sensitive and can dry out very easily, so it’s so important to keep the windows to your soul hydrated! There’s plenty of great eye creams at The Body Shop to choose from – I’m also particularly fond of the eye cream in the Vitamin E line as well!

Step 5) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!! Like the eye creams, The Body Shop has an abundance of excellent moisturizers to choose from. During my most recent facial I used their new Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturizer but any kind will do! Each line from Aloe to Vitamin E to Pomegranate has their own moisturizer – so it’s up to you to pick the best one for your skin type. I’m all about my skin having a radiant glow to it, so I’m simply thrilled that the Vitamin C line finally has a moisturizer!

Step 6) This step is optional, but I’m including it because it’s part of my skin care regime. To end a facial or my daily skin care routine I always apply the Vitamin C Skin Boost to tie everything together. This fantastic product gives an instant glow to your skin and leaves a lovely matte finish, which is the perfect way to complete a fresh face facial. Having smooth, matte skin is also a bonus if you plan on applying makeup afterwards, but I don’t recommend it – let your skin breathe!!

Next time you or your girlfriends need a night of pampering, make sure to follow my guide for the Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial! All of the products that I mentioned above can be purchased in stores or online at http://www.thebodyshop.com. Have a fabulous night and please make sure to check out my most recent article “Monday Update: Online Shopping, Lil Red Style” for some amazing pieces up for grabs! What’s your favorite product from The Body Shop? Do you have any questions about the products or steps? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah