Celebrity 'steppers' go crazy during Fairtrade Fortnight

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Viral video by ebuzzing

It can be hard at times to truly stick to the Fairtrade philosophy all the time; no matter how smug you feel when you buy something off People Tree, there's always going to be that time when you can't resist that bargain lipstick from Maybelline. Celebrities are going to even greater lengths this Fairtrade Fortnight (27 February to 11 March 2012) to raise awareness, with luminaries including Louisa Lytton, Alistair McGowan and Simon Webb all starring in Youtube videos to encourage others to take steps to go Fairtrade.

Through the ‘Take A Step for Fairtrade’ campaign, the Fairtrade Foundation wants to see more individuals and businesses buying and selling Fairtrade products in the UK, The public are being asked to think about what they can do every day, every week or every month throughout 2012 and take a step to make a difference to the lives of farmers in the developing world who produce the products they buy.

With Fairtrade every step counts. In celebration of International Women's Day (March 8th), for example, L'Occitane have released a fund-raising, Fairtrade soap as part of a development partnership with a factory in Burkina Faso. The factory has been run entirely by women since 2010 and supports their emancipation - and for just $8 (or £5, or €4.50, depending on where you live!) the shea butter soap can help you feel good, smell good, and help others at the same time.

The more people that support Fairtrade, the more farmers and workers will be able to improve their lives through the better terms of trade it offers. And there's really no excuse on the beauty front: you can buy Fairtrade makeup from sites such as Big Green Smile, Fairtrade clothes from high street retailers such as Oxfam, and Fairtrade jewellery and accessories from sites such as Traidcraft. We all talk the talk, but how many of us actually walk the walk? I know I don't always.

The Fairtrade Foundation encourages everyone to start their journey at www.fairtrade.org.uk/step, and to check out the rest of the mini-series on the Fairtrade YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/Fairtradefoundation. You won't regret it!

Dead Sea Source Invigorating Coffee Body Scrub

RRP: £8.99/575g
retails at Boots

--What does the promo say?--
"The waters of the Dead Sea are rich with minerals and help benefit almost every skin ailment, from spots to psoriasis. The Dead Sea Source™ Invigorating Coffee Body Scrub contains marine extracts combined with Fairtrade coffee and lemongrass, basil and black pepper. The scrub leaves your skin soft to the touch and revived."

--Packaging--
Comes in an attractive kiln jar (it's kind of heavy, though, so is probably not suitable for travelling) with a warming brown and gold label that proves extraordinarily resistant to shower water (even though the jar itself isn't 100% watertight, with small amounts of water being let in - possibly from steam). Is easy to open and close, and the opening to the jar is quite big, so you can easily get your hand in there and scoop out as much as you like.

--Application--
While in the shower, scrub on to wet skin. Use on shoulders, bust, stomach, thighs and bottom. Rinse off. This is relatively easy, though if any water gets into the jar you also get a second product in the form of a sort of shower oil, which can also be rubbed onto the skin but doesn't rinse off as easily as the scrub.

--Scent--
Overwhelmingly of coffee. Basil, lemongrass, black pepper - you would never guess that all that stuff was in there. If anything, there's more of a chocolate undertone once you've got past the coffee. Yum. Definitely not for people who don't like coffee though.

--Texture/consistency--
Pleasantly scrubby; not abrasive. Don't use on your face, though.

--Appearance--
Dark, chocolatey, coffee brown; granules are quite large and visible.

--Effects on the skin--
Skin appears smoother and less cellulitey; however, around the chest area I can't say that I saw any improvement in my acne as a result. Shame.

--Value for money--
At nearly £10 this might seem initially a bit steep; however, the pot is huge and will last you literally for months. While the therapeutic value of the product is perhaps disputable, as a luxury it is simply delightful. Would definitely buy this or any other Dead Sea Source product again.

perfect partners
Invigorating Coffee Body Butter, £6.99/350ml
Invigorating Coffee Body Wash, £5.49/300ml