Body Shop Offers Self-defence For Your Face (The Body Shop Face Protector)

Member Name: Hishyeness

Product:	The Body Shop Face Protector
Date:	18/06/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soothes and moisturises after the trauma of shaving.

Disadvantages: Hard to get hold of since being discontinued.

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INTRODUCTION
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Ever since a vampish woman from California spotted me adding some salon hair goo to my head (it wasn't mine), and cooed "Oooh I do like a man who uses product!" I have been terrified to use any "man" products, with the notable exception of stuff for my unruly hair, which requires regular taming with extra strength polymers to avoid causing passers-by critical injury.

Although I had developed a chronic disdain for all fancy creams, lotions and other such greasy accoutrements, my preconceptions were severely challenged when I was gifted a Body Shop toiletries bag which contained, amongst other things, a 100ml tube of "Face Protector" (subtitled "Self-defence for your face"). It is part of their "Skin Mechanics for Men" range and provided in "man" colours to differentiate it from all the other girly frou frou stuff Body Shop seem to specialise in.

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LABELLING
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The packaging is purely functional and, I think, in a nod to how ad-men think men shop, terminally boring. It's two thirds grey with the top third a dark blue. It has a "does what it says on the tin" look about it. They have even included the bar code on the FRONT which makes it look vaguely industrial.

The labelling exudes testosterone, with manly man words like "mechanics" conjuring up images of unshaven blokes with greasy hands and John Deere baseball caps worn the wrong way round. Even the blurb on the back is blunt and to the point - "Face facts!" it demands, "Sun, wind and cold damage your skin" it warns, before valiantly attempting a typical male response to problems - it offers a solution - "So soothe and moisturise with cocoa butter, primrose oil and a sunscreen to filter out harmful UV rays."

Hmm. They lost me after cocoa butter. Primrose Oil? Sounds a bit, you know... girly. They would have been better off telling me to "slap a bit of fancy grease on your face and you'll be sorted." There. Much better. I should have gone into marketing.

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USE
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This stuff is primarily for soothing and protecting the face after cleansing and shaving. If by cleansing they mean "splash a bit of water about your face" that's good, because I do that fairly often. However, I have my suspicions that I am supposed to pre-treat mon visage with some of the other "product" that shared the same toiletries bag this stuff arrived in. Cleansers, exfoliants and such. So, absenting the application of said products to my face, let's concentrate on the shaving aspect shall we?

I shave everyday. It's something most men are afflicted with. I think most of us would prefer not to, but then the women in our lives - wives, daughters and girlfriends (not all belonging to same bloke obviously) and such like, would much prefer that we scraped the spiky stuff off every morning. We do - because we love them (or because its less hassle than the alternative), so those of us with sensitive skin, like me, need a bit of something to soothe angry skin.

This is where this stuff comes into its own. I've never understood the point of after shave, because "after a shave" is precisely the wrong time to use it on account of the eye-watering burn the alcohol causes. "Wake me up by setting my face on fire"? Yes. After a shave? No thanks. I am not into self-inflicted agony if I can avoid it.

The predominant smell is of cocoa butter - something I am quite familiar with (and partial to) given I spread copious amounts of the yummy smelling stuff onto my wife's belly. Stop sniggering at the back, she's pregnant - its for the stretch marks.

Actually, they've added a bit of "parfum" according to the label, so it's a more masculine smell than the Body Shop Body Butter which my wife uses, and its really quite pleasant. I use a pea-sized amount of it each morning after savaging my face - a little bit goes a very long way - and it rubs in and absorbs quite nicely, leaving no greasy residue. It does a great job of moisturising and soothing my skin, and the best part is that the fragrance is quite light - more "a hint of" cocoa butter than a full on smell.

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PRICE & AVAILABILITY
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On checking the Body Shop web-site I have since found out that this product has been re-packaged, re-branded and split into two separate products for different skin types. However, I tend to operate on the principle of "if it ain't broke, why fix it" and have found a plentiful and reliable supply on eBay from reputable surplus suppliers, at prices between £2.00 and £5.00 (plus delivery). Who said useful "product" had to be expensive?

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VERDICT
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This is a genuinely useful product and is great as an alternative, or in addition to after shave. It's a shame that Body Shop have discontinued it, but as long as there is a secondary market for it, I am happy to continue using it.

Recommended.

© Hishyeness 2009.

Summary: Does what it says on the tin!