The Body Shop 'Return Recycle Repeat' Event - AD Gifted

*I was invited to The Body Shop for a Blogger Event and was gifted a product afterwards. All views are my own though

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you will probably be aware that I’m a big fan of The Body Shop. I’ve used their products since my pre-teens (does anyone else remember the bath pearls?! I used to absolutely love popping those!) and continue to enjoy their beauty items today. So when I saw that The Body Shop in Festival Place Basingstoke were having a blogger event a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t resist going along to check out their new products. 

It was one of the hottest days of the year so far when my Mum and I made our way over to Basingstoke to see the team, and unfortunately it turned out that the air conditioning in the store had broken, so we were all rather sweaty! But it didn’t stop us from having a lovely evening hearing all about what The Body Shop are doing at the moment. My evening started with a relaxing hand and arm massage to test the moisture levels of my skin after using either Body Butter or Body Yogurt (spoiler – both did an amazing job and there really wasn’t much between them when it came to improving my skin’s moisture levels). Although I like both products, I feel like I sway more towards ‘Team Yogurt’ in the summer, simply because it is so cooling and absorbs really quickly. I could quite happily have sat there enjoying a massage all evening, but there were other products to check out and projects to hear about.

The staff were really excited, as they had just received a delivery of a brand new product, which even they hadn’t had a chance to try out yet! So I got to have a sneak peek at what it was and how it works, and let me tell you – it looks like it’s going to be good fun to use! I don’t want to give too much away, as I know there are some spoilers going up on Instagram over the next couple of weeks. So I thought I would just share a few pictures with you, and let you guess what you think it might be!

Moving on to the main reason for the event – we were there to hear all about The Body Shop’s brand new ‘Return Recycle Repeat’ scheme. They have realised that plastic pollution is a global crisis and have come up with a project to protect our planet and empower people to do the same. So, in a large selection of Body Shop stores, you will now find a box like the one in the picture, in which you can put ANY plastic beauty packaging from ANY brand to be recycled (there are a few things that cannot be recycled, such as products that may contain flammable liquids e.g. perfume bottles). It doesn’t have to be products you’ve bought in The Body Shop, which is amazing because so many beauty products cannot be recycled in our kerbside recycling bins. However, if you are a member of the Love Your Body Club (it’s easy to join here) and you bring back five empty Body Shop products to recycle, you will receive a £5 voucher! 

The Body Shop have teamed up with a company called Terracycle®, who will be helping them to make this scheme a success. They are global market leaders within the recycling industry and are present in 21 markets, looking to enhance brands through finding sustainable solutions to 21^st century issues with waste and packaging. They focus on the triple bottom line:

·     Planet – The Terracycle® primary objective is to recycle waste that is typically considered “non-recyclable”, diverting billions of pieces of waste from landfill and incineration since 2006

·     People –To date, Terracycle® has paid more than $10 million to schools and non-profit organisations in return for the waste collected through the programme

·     Profit –Terracycle® is structured as a for-profit social business, however maintains a small profit margin so that the rest can be reinvested to enhance the scheme and pursue further sustainability projects

If there is any packaging that cannot be recycled by Terracycle®, it is then made into post consumer goods such as benches and watering cans. One of my local schools even won a competition with Terracycle® recently, which will see the installation of a new playground made from recycled products! The Body Shop aims to collect 25% more packaging than they sell, and by 2030 they aim to have no single use products or packaging. 

As well as the Return Recycle Repeat scheme, The Body Shop are also committed to tackling the plastic crisis in a slightly different way. As well as plastic affecting marine and ocean life, it also affects people. In India, almost a third of waste is uncollected, which has given rise to 1.5 million people known as ‘waste pickers’ who collect this waste in the informal sector. The Body Shop have partnered up with an organisation in Bengaluru, India, who call themselves ‘Green Force.’ They work with ‘waste pickers’ who work tirelessly to clean up their city’s streets. 

These ‘waste pickers’ are mostly made up of what are known as ‘dalits,’ (formally known as ‘untouchables’) – the lowest social group in India’s caste system. This makes them extremely vulnerable to discrimination and poor working conditions. By working with Green Force, The Body Shop can help to provide access to more sanitary working conditions, a fair price and the respect and recognition they deserve. 

Not using plastic isn’t the only answer to dealing with the plastic crisis. If used responsibly, plastic can be sustainable, so The Body Shop are encouraging people to show love for the plastic we do use. This is why they have started using Community Trade recycled plastic from Bengaluru, India. It not only helps to tackle the existing problem, but it will also help to empower the ‘waste pickers’ that they support. Their Community Trade Partner, Plastics For Change, are a for-profit organisation that partners with local NGOs Hasiru Dala and Hasiru Dala Innovation (HDI) to provide Bengaluru’s waste pickers with a stable income and better opportunities, including boosting their skills and providing training for other areas such as urban gardening. 

So far, The Body Shop have started using their Community Trade recycled plastic in their 250ml Shampoo and Conditioner bottles. In the future, they want to buy even more Community Trade recycled plastics from their partners, so they can use it in more of their product packaging and strive to be even more sustainable, which definitely sounds like a step in the right direction.

After we’d heard all about what The Body Shop are doing to address the plastic crisis, we had a look at a few other new products that are currently out. They have a couple of new scents out for the summer, including Banana and Ginger. Both ranges are made from ‘Wonky Fruit and Veg,’ which is basically bananas and ginger that supermarkets won’t sell because they don’t look ‘perfect.’ So it’s great that these items aren’t going to waste and are instead making yummy smelling beauty products! The new products in the Banana range are also all now suitable for Vegans (and smell delicious – kind of like those foam banana sweets you can get!) I thought the Ginger range might smell a bit Christmassy, but it’s got citrus elements in it, which really gives it a summery vibe. 

They also have a few new biodegradable sheet masks for us to try out including Seaweed (for oily/combination skin), Vitamin C (for brightening sensitive skin), Aloe (for calming sensitive skin) and Vitamin E (for all skin types). At only £3.50 each and packed full of moisturising ingredients, these are perfect for some serious pampering. 

Also in the ‘Wonky Veg’ range are the Carrot Wash Energizing Face Cleanser and Carrot Cream Nature Rich Daily Moisturiser. Both are Vegan and made from 100% recyclable packaging, as well as being enriched with organic carrots and Community Trade organic Aloe Vera from Mexico. I’d never really thought of having carrot scented beauty products, but these are definitely worth a try!

The last thing I had a look at was some of the new make-up, as I always seem to forget about The Body Shop selling make-up! What really caught my eye were a couple of beautiful eyeshadow palettes – Paint in Colour and Own Your Naturals. The colours are perfect for the summer months, with a mixture of matte and shimmery shades. I particularly liked the range of colours in the Paint in Colour Palette, especially the glittery pink and gold! The other new make-up item that jumped out at me was the Happy Go Lash Mascara. It thickens and defines your lashes, and lasts all day without flaking, which is always a good thing! I particularly liked the pink packaging with green palm leaves on it – very summery!

Overall, we had a lovely time chatting to the staff from The Body Shop in Basingstoke, and I’m so pleased to hear the brand are making steps to start tackling the problems we have with plastic. I know I have watched and read a lot about the harm plastic is doing to our world and I do want to start making changes. But sometimes it feels so overwhelming when options to recycle, reuse and find more sustainable options are so hard to come by. So having a high street store offering this option to recycle plastic products and also supporting those who try to make plastic more sustainable is a brilliant thing to have. 

Are you a fan of The Body Shop? What do you think about their new schemes to help with the plastic crisis?

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube

Sunday Snippets - 19th March 2017

It’s been a relatively quiet week in the scheme of things, although I have had a couple of appointments. I wasn’t able to go into Uni much this week, but that meant I was able to rest a bit and also get on with some work. I’ve also been trying to enjoy the sunshine when it has made a brief appearance! It is really starting to feel like spring now though, and I’ve even been out of the house without a coat on a couple of times!

I got up late after a nice lie-in last Sunday. I spent ages trying to sort out my computer storage because it kept saying it was completely full, which was frustrating. I was hoping to upload a video but couldn’t clear enough storage, so that wasn’t ideal. I chatted to my Dad about it though, and we found a solution that means I can continue with my blog and YouTube work with loads of storage. I did manage to write and upload a blog post though. I was pretty tired after all that, so I watched a film on Netflix with Bekkah while I drank my Fortisip. I then watched the last two episodes of Death in Paradise and did some Law reading. I was feeling so tired and had a bit of a headache, so had a rest on the sofa. We all went out to the Beefeater for Bekkah’s birthday, but unfortunately she wasn’t well so couldn’t come with us. We’ve said to her that we’ll go out again when she’s feeling better. The food was really nice, but because of my Gastroparesis I felt so sick. I was also really struggling with Mast Cell itching in the evening. I literally wanted to rip my skin off!

I wasn’t able to go into Uni on Monday because they had no one to support me. So I spent my morning doing some tidying and sorting in my bedroom. I actually made a noticeable difference for once! It wore me out though, so I had my Fortisip and rested for a while. My Dad then drove me over to the assessment centre in Reading for my ESA appointment. They were running nearly an hour late, which was frustrating because I’d forgotten to bring a book. The lady I saw was really nice though and only did a bit of the assessment before saying she had more than enough information and didn’t want to put me through any more. We dropped into my Grandma’s on the way home for a cup of tea. She had these beautiful spring flowers outside the front of her house, which made me smile.

I didn’t go into Uni again on Tuesday, as they were just doing tutorials and I had one the week before. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do in the morning, so in the end I spent some time sorting through old photos and categorising them in Lightroom. After lunch I went down to Waitrose with my Mum and bought myself some pretty tulips. When I got back I watched a bit of Family Guy and wrote some penpal letters. I can’t believe my baby sister Bekkah is finally 18! She hasn’t changed much has she?! In the evening all the family came over and we did her cake and presents.

How pretty was Bekkah’s 18^th birthday cake! Made by the fabulous Mel from The Cake Revolution - our regular cake genie!

I started my Wednesday with a counseling session, and it was good to talk to someone. When I got home I rested for a little while, then put some make-up on and filmed a Primark haul for my YouTube channel. I also managed to do a bit of tidying and sorted through some paperwork. After lunch I filmed myself opening a bit of post, as I’ve decided to bring back my ‘What the Postman brought’ videos. I did a bit of Uni work, and then had a nap, as I was absolutely exhausted. The weather was really nice and our garden is looking so pretty with all these spring flowers.

I really love my Pink Parcel monthly subscription. Getting supplies I would have to buy anyway, with a few treats to make things a little less crappy – it means I can convince myself that it’s not an unnecessary expense!

The counseling practice I go to is linked with our church and at the moment, while the new building is being sorted, my sessions take place in the church. When I came out I had to go through the churchyard, and I saw this beautiful magnolia tree. It’s one of the most beautiful churchyards I’ve seen and I can’t wait for the blossom and bluebells to come out.

Happy Everything! Another enamel pin to add to my collection thanks to this month’s Pink Parcel.

I had to be up pretty early on Thursday morning and my Dad took me over to Frimley Park Hospital. I saw my jaw physio and she did some more acupuncture, which seems to be helping a bit (although I did bleed again when she took the needles out!) When we got home I had planned to maybe do some work or tidying, but I was exhausted so curled up on the sofa. I spent what felt like ages filling out some forms for my upcoming psychotherapy assessment. After lunch, my Mum and I went over to my friend Katy’s. I caught up on some blog emails while my Mum had her nails done, and then I had my eyebrows waxed followed by a full body massage. When we got home I did a bit of Uni work – I really need to get a wiggle on with it all, as I’ve got so much to do and not a lot of time left! In the evening I decided to have a bit of a pamper, so popped this Lush ladybird in the bath and washed my hair with these Garnier Ultimate Blends, which smell really scrummy.

Week One of the Crown and Glory March photo challenge is ‘Unboxing’. Oh my goodness, this mermaid themed box is something else! Just look at that pink headband and the little fork slides!

I decided to go into Uni on Friday, as my friends said they would be happy to help me get around etc. as the Uni couldn’t find me any support until the afternoon. We had a short lecture in the morning with a member of library staff, who talked us through some helpful things for our dissertation work. We finished earlier than usual, which meant we had two hours for lunch – yay! So us girls went to Caffe Nero for lunch (I had a very yummy strawberry soya hot chocolate) and a good old chat. In the afternoon in our Law lecture we went through some exam things, as our exam is in three weeks time – eek! We also went through some case studies that might be useful to us. I had to leave early, so my Dad picked me up and brought me home, then my Mum took me down to see my GP. It wasn’t a massively productive appointment unfortunately, as there wasn’t much she could help with this time. I’ve been feeling quite hopeless recently if I’m honest and am really struggling to cope mentally.

This month’s Birchbox has lots more exciting beauty bits to try out. I’m particularly excited to try the new Benefit They’re Real Double the Lip.

I had a super long lie-in on Saturday morning and woke up feeling pretty rubbish. Everything seemed to hurt and I had a really sore mouth. My Mum asked if I wanted to go with her to a couple of shops, so I decided to go for it to try and cheer myself up a bit. We went to The Range first – I’d never really been before and enjoyed looking round at everything. I picked up a copper/rose gold clock for my room, something I’m going to send as part of a swap and some sparkly eggs for our Easter tree. We then popped next door to Dunelm for a look around. My Mum asked if I wanted to have lunch out, but I started feeling really sick halfway round The Range, so we decided to head home. I probably should have done some Uni work in the afternoon, but I try and have one day a week, which is just for me. So I rested for a while, watched TV and wrote a few penpal letters.

You can check out my YouTube channel here, where I have recently uploaded a few new videos (and hope to continue doing!)

I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.

If you don’t already, please give me a follow on Bloglovin here - I would love to reach 800 followers and we’re so nearly there! I do have a little giveaway planned for when I get there!

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube