What: The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin Boost
Physical: a thick, clear gel in a small (fairly luxe, but unfortunately heavy) porcelain-type pump bottle. It’s cyclomethicone based, which I know some people will not like, but I’m totally fine with! It’s a tiny bit thicker than I’d like, but it’s still what I’ve been using and recommending over the past year. I actually quite like the light citrus scent, from the grapefruit and orange oils rather than synthetic fragrances.
Awesome stuff: Unlike some of the things you pick up at Sephora (like Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer, or the Korres primer I reviewed last week) this gives an incredibly smooth, velvety finish to the skin — both in the way it finishes visibly and the way it feels. As added bonuses, the Vitamin C helps fight free radicals, The Body Shop actively participates in fair/community trade, and this wasn’t tested on animals!
Less awesome stuff: It does contain both –cones and parabens, and isn’t great for travel – the packaging is quite small, but it’s also quite heavy for its size. (I love heavy packaging at home, though, as the weight more often than not gives a gorgeous high-end feel to the product.)
The Verdict? I adore this primer. It unfortunately isn’t free of parabens or –cones, but as long as you’re alright with that, I highly recommend this! It’s a mid-range primer, as they certainly get more expensive, but I think the $26/1.01oz is quite reasonable (especially as you use just a tiny bit, and the price is the same in Canada!) This is my Holy Grail primer — the luxe bottle, great scent, and smooth finish bring me back again and again.
