The Body Shop Mango Beautifying Oil

RRP: £9/100ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Beautifying Oil is pure beauty in a bottle. Made with a lightweight blend of nut oils including Community Fair Trade marula oil, it gives instant hydration and a shimmering finish. This one has an exotic mango scent."

--Packaging--
The flip top plastic lid is sadly inconvenient, as it's difficult to control the flow of oil from the bottle, inevitably resulting in wastage. A pump-action bottle would be better. However, I love the see-through bottle, as the golden colour of the oil is complemented beautifully by the bronzed colour of the lid, as well as by the mango motif. Plus, a see-through bottle means you can always see how much remains.

--Application--
Rub between your hands to warm slightly. Use to remove makeup (just wipe off the oil using a cotton pad), to hydrate your face and body, to give shine to hair, or as a massage oil. There's nothing difficult about any of this, as any excess can be rubbed into any exposed skin on your body (arms, legs, feet...).

--Appearance--
While the oil has a golden sheen in the bottle, it's not at all shimmery and so slicks on invisibly when it comes to most uses. However, I found that when used as a facial hydrator it did 'sit' on the skin for a bit longer than I would have liked it to, so don't use it right before going out unless you particularly like looking shiny.

--Scent--
Smells gorgeously of mango. Definitely delivers on its promise there!

--Texture and consistency--
Not at all sticky, and sinks in quickly when used to nourish body skin. However, I wasn't brave enough to try it on my hair thanks to my perennially greasy roots, and when I tried using it as a facial hydrator, I found that it took a bit too long to sink in, really, even though I was careful to use it sparingly on my face.

--Effects on the skin--
I'd class this as an effective body hydrator and will probably continue to use the product in this way, as well as using it as a makeup remover (this effectively removes most makeup, apart from a few stubborn types of mascara). However, my acneic facial skin never did take well to this - skin felt greasier and I had more spots, which is a shame, as I've had more success with other facial oils in the past.

--Value for money--
I was kindly sent this by The Body Shop's PR, so didn't pay on this occasion. However, its cost of £9 is probably fair. It's made with high-quality ingredients, a multi-use product is always appreciated (remember that I did find two good uses for it, so other people are likely to find this and more besides), and even though the bottle looks small you need very little each time (meaning that the bottle is likely to last ages). I would therefore recommend this to others - and for those who aren't mango fans, the oil is also available in other variants (including sweet lemon, moringa, and brazil nut). 

perfect partners
Mango Body Butter, £13 
Mango Hand Cleanse Gel, £2.50
Mango Lip Butter, £4
Mango Whip Body Lotion, from £3
Mango Body Scrub, £12.50
Mango Bath Shower Gel Cream, from £2
Mango Soap, £2