A mini facial with a mini price at The Body Shop

For those of you who want to treat yourself to something nice, but don't have the time or money to spend an afternoon at the spa, The Body Shop at Athlone Towncentre has come up with the perfect solution - the newly introduced mini facial. Taking just 15 minutes of your time and costing only €15, you can enjoy a mini facial and consultation on your skin. And even more enticing is the fact that you get a €15 Body Shop voucher to spend on products in store. Of course, an added bonus is the fact that The Body Shop uses Community Trade ingredients in its products, so you can feel like you're doing something good while pampering yourself! Arriving at The Body Shop, I met Siobhán Lillis, who talked to me briefly about my skincare routine before selecting the Vitamin E range of products for my mini facial. Siobhán explained that the main ingredient in the range is wheatgerm, which is an anti-oxidant, making the range ideal for people seeking anti-ageing products. The range will tackle fine lines and wrinkles and includes an eyecream that is ideal for getting rid of dark circles. Siobhán firstly used the cleanser and toner in the range to ensure my skin was thoroughly cleaned and she then used a Honey & Oat face mask, which she explained doubled as a moisturiser. Siobhán applied the face mask with a make-up brush and then left it to work its magic. As the mask was absorbed into my skin, Siobhán explained that the oats in the mask worked as an exfoliator, taking away all your dead skin, while the honey moisturised your skin. She added that when removing the mask you should massage it in to let the exfoliator work. She used Body Shop organic cotton pads to remove the mask and explained that they are less severe on your skin than regular cotton pads. Siobhán advised that you should use a face mask at home about once a week and said a good tip is to rotate what face masks you use. So now that my face was thoroughly cleaned and feeling fabulously smooth, it was time to have my make-up done with Elaine Brennan. Elaine explained that as I was wearing pink, she would choose some colours from the new 'Baked to Last' range. First though she sprayed some face spritz from the Vitamin C range onto my face to ensure it was fully hydrated and then let it absorb into my skin. Elaine explained that the spritz is ideal for people who spend their day in offices or in front of a computer, which can dry out your skin, and it is a great way to quickly rehydrate your face. Once the spritz had dried in Elaine applied mineral make-up using the foundation brush and explained that when using mineral make-up you should slowly build it up on your skin so that it looks natural and you don't get that caked on look. She also advised that the mineral make-up can be used on the neck so that you don't have any make-up lines and reminded me that it's also important to apply it behind the ears when you have your hair tied up, something I know I certainly never think of! Elaine advised that mineral make-up is ideal for people who are wearing make-up all day as it allows your skin to breathe and said The Body Shop mineral make-up ensures that your pores won't clog. The mineral make-up also includes SPF25, making sure your skin is protected from the sun. As I mentioned Elaine used the 'Baked to Last' range of eyeshadow, blusher and bronzer on my skin. She explained that the products are handmade and stone-baked in terracotta dishes in stoves in Italy for 24 hours. This ensures that when applied to your skin it won't crack and also Elaine explained that if you dip the make-up brush in water before using the make-up it can create a metallic look. She chose a quartz eyeshadow for me to bring out the colours in my top and used a smudge brush to create a smudge look with the eyeshadow. This was followed by some brown eyeliner, which Elaine said is a great alternative to black, particularly in the day time, and mascara. Elaine also used a white eyeliner on my eyes, which apparently opens up the eyes and is an excellent tool in hiding tiredness! She then applied bronzer from the 'Baked to Last' range, which comes in two different, shades and completed the look with some blusher, lipstick and lipgloss. Elaine mixed three different shades of lipstick together to get the right shade and applied it with a lip brush, before finishing it off with a gloss. She explained that The Body Shop lipsticks all create marula oil, which ensure the lips remain moisturised and also takes away that cracked lip look. So with my skin feeling great and my make-up done I was ready for a night on the town. Pity then, that I had to head back to the office!