Diamonds 'n' Pearls: The Body Shop Drops Of Youth & Wonderblur : Beauty Review

So I have to be totally honest, The Body Shop was a place I mainly frequented in my teens to pick up their latest fruity lip balm to slather on and snog my Dean Cain pencil tin with. I've picked up the odd moisturiser or body butter from them from time to time but nothing that has made me think 'wow', until I got to try Wonderblur.

Even though I'm now in my 30's *SHOCK/HORROR/GASP* I've never really worried too much about aging skin but I suppose the struggle is now real and it's something that I definitely need to consider within my daily skin routine. I've got no problem with growing old gracefully but if you can give your skin a helping hand during the process then why not aye? And that's exactly what The Body Shop's Drops Of Youth range claims to do.

Their Wonderblur is intended to be used after your daily moisturiser to help even out fine lines and pores and to assist your skin in looking 'flawless'. It is an excellent primer and for me it has been utterly perfect for using as a good base for my foundation. If you prefer you could use it to protect, hydrate and smooth out bare skin if you like to go sans foundation and more 'au naturel' for your daily look.

The product itself is a really light almost gel like paste, lightly scented that does squirt out of the tube a bit 'blobby' but once dabbed onto the face and smoothed over the skin it's non-greasy formula settles and blends nicely. It instantly takes away all of the oily shine that mosturisers tend to leave behind but without making the skin feel dried out or 'patchy' which I've found some primer formulas have done for me.

I'm not one to regularly brave a day without foundation so I was interested to see how the primer helped my daily makeup perform. I applied my Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation as normal over my face with a foundation sponge and although the Wonderblur did make me feel like I was dragging the foundation across my face a little bit once it had finally been applied my foundation seemed to sit on my skin better then it ever has. I was worried about it all feeling too heavy and 'cakey' but if you prefer a more matte look with your foundation the Wonderblur definitely assists in achieving this look. I personally find the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation a bit 'dewy' and sometimes leaves me feeling a bit shiny or oily but the Wonderblur seems to soak this up without drying out the foundation. I am very impressed!

The pictures you will see below show you as best as I can the difference Wonderblur makes to skin, I am noticeably 'shinier' in the picture on the left compared to the picture on the right, the only things on my skin are my Nivea Creme Moisturiser (blue pot) on the left and on the right with the Wonderblur added over the top...

I've found since using the Wonderblur underneath my daily foundation my makeup lasts longer without the need for topping up throughout the day. I usually apply my face for work at around 6.30am and don't usually get home until 6pm. On a normal day by the time I'm home I'm usually frustrated by how my makeup has gone patchy and blotchy but since applying the Wonderblur before my foundation I'm yet to experience this! An added bonus to it's hydrating and smoothing qualities!

At £16 for 30ml of product it is slightly more expensive then your budget 'drug store' primers but a very reasonable price for a primer which I feel rivals much higher end products out there. For instance, Benefit's 'Pore Perfection' retails for around £20 for a 22ml tube and in my opinion the Wonderblur completely outshines it. If you have combination skin like mine which is prone to oily patches which can sometimes contribute to makeup sliding off your skin I urge you to give the Wonderblur a go. I will definitely be re-purchasing it as soon as this little stash runs out!