During one of The Body Shop’s online offer periods last year, I purchased a set of skincare miniatures from the Vitamin E range. I hadn’t had a lot of experience with this range, or Body Shop skincare, before so was pleased to try it.
The Vitamin E range is designed for dryer and more mature skin. I’m only in my mid 20s and have combination skin, but I hoped this set would provide effective protection during the winter when I get occasional dry patches of skin. The range is packaged in plain but smart and distinctive pink packaging.
The set contained a miniature cleanser, toner, moisture cream and night cream. I used the set together, though I only used the cleanser and toner at night preferring a face wash in the morning (Lush’s Buche de Noel, in case anyone is interested). This review will discuss my experience with the night cream.
***Price and Packaging***
A 50ml tub of this night cream costs £10. This is pricey but less so than many high end brands. I know some people dislike tubs as they see them as unhygienic, but I like them as they mean you can get every scrap of product out. Also, thick creams like this don’t really transfer well to bottles.
The tub is pink to fit in with the rest of the range. It is plain but smart-looking.
***Product Ingredients and Claims***
As the name suggests, the product contains Vitamin E. This is an antioxidant and helps to prevent the development of free radicals on the skin. It also contains wheatgerm oil, which is moisturising and contains most of the Vitamin E, and Community Fair Trade cocoa butter. This comes from cocoa beans harvested by the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative in Ghana. With over 50,000 small-scale farmers, it is one of the biggest fair trade co-operatives in the world. The Body Shop’s trade has helped to fund education and medicine for members and their families. For more information, you can visit the store’s Community Fair Trade section on their website.
The night cream is designed to replenish moisture levels while you sleep. It intensively hydrates, leaving skin soft and smooth while skin is at its most receptive during sleeping hours.
***Use of the Product***
I’ve never used a night cream before, simply using the same moisturiser morning and evening. My understanding is that they are designed to provide a more intensive moisturising experience overnight.
The night cream is pale pink in colour, with the same light floral smell as the other products in the Vitamin E range. It is quite thick in texture. To use, I cleanse and tone my skin then scoop some of the cream out, dab and blend into my skin. It blends pretty easily. It does leave my skin looking quite shiny, but then again it’s a night cream so I don’t mind so much about my skin looking matte. My skin certainly does look healthy.
It is claimed that the product intensively hydrates the skin leaving it soft and smooth, and it certainly does that. My skin feels extremely moisturised, smooth and silky-soft from first application until the next morning. I have been using this cream at night and the matching Moisture Cream during the day and have never had such soft skin in my life.
I have combination skin, which can be shiny and/or greasy but I also get dry patches sometimes, particularly in the cold weather. Despite the cold weather we’ve been having in the last few weeks, I haven’t experienced a single dry patch on my skin, which has remained soft, smooth and moisturised even when it’s been snowing. My skin also looks very healthy. I’ve experienced the odd spot, so I reckon both creams together are a bit heavy for me, but there’s no other cream I’ve tried that would prevent dry skin so effectively.
Only a very small amount of the cream is needed at any one time, so it doesn’t get used up too quickly. I tend to use a dab about the size of a finger. Of course, if your skin is very dry you may need more.
***Conclusion***
Like the other products from the Vitamin E range, I’ve been very impressed with this night cream. It is very effective at moisturising the skin and keeping it soft and smooth even in wintery conditions. I am slightly concerned that I’ve had a couple of spots since using this alongside the Moisture Cream. I don’t think I’d use both together again as they are a bit much for my skin. However I would consider repurchasing this Night Cream for use during the colder months, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to those with dry skin. I will be recommending the Vitamin E range to my mam, as she has dryer, more mature skin and I think it would suit her.
Like other Body Shop products, the cream is a bit expensive, but I’ve seen much worse when it comes to skincare. Also, The Body Shop always has some sort of offer or discount code available so there’s no need to ever pay full price.
Nourishing and luxurious night cream 
