dimestore luxe: body shop’s nutmeg and vanilla body scrub
Believe me when I say that it’s been a pony-punching kind of week. Today I woke before dawn and sat in bed, calculating all the emails I needed to write, all the strategy decks I needed to revise and review, and all the catch-up meetings I needed to have. I felt my breath escape from me, and the more I tried to force myself into slumber, the more my body resisted. And then the heart suddenly quivers, thumbs and quakes. So I grumbled my way through my day in a sort of trance-like state, shoveled arugula, and evoked old adages such as a woman needs to turn lemons into lemonade. Possibly I might have stomped my little foot for emphasis.
Clearly I was a woman in dire straits, and only a scrub would right everything. Tonight I fixed a homemade dinner, responded to the requisite urgent emails, blared Berlioz, and reached for a tub of luxurious cream. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than sloughing off skin (we have our strange satisfactions, don’t we?), raking the body of the dead and feeling raw and renewed.
There’s something nostalgic about The Body Shop. As a teenager I remember riding the subway to Astor Place and inhaling the evocative elixirs, potions, and creams contained in austere, environmentally-conscious packaging. Back then I was determined to stop elephant poaching; I abandoned veal on principle (the slaughter videos haunt me still) and the Schoolhouse Rock-esque vibe of the Greenpeace movement was intoxicating. Funny how our idealism is fleeting.
During those years I saved up for a tube of lipstick, a lotion that resembled skin, and body butter that left my skin nibble-me delicious. So it’s with fondness and eye toward affordability that I return to The Body Shop, notably it’s sweet Nutmeg and Body Scrub ($14). The cream is luscious, whipped to perfection, and is fragrant with the comforting aromas that harken to baked deliciousness unearthed from hot ovens. The Community Trade honey will leave your skin succulent and smooth. However, I’ll be candid and say the residue isn’t inviting. I prefer scrubs on my body, not lodged in my shower drain.
Perhaps after a long day where your only refuge are the four walls of your bathroom, indulge yourself in a few moments of sweet, affordable luxury.
Full Disclosure: The folks at The Body Shop were kind enough to provide a sample for potential review.
