A guide to getting the most bang for your buck
By Lauren Kelly, Editor-in-Chief
The best thing you can buy at The Body Shop is membership in their Love Your Body Program. It’s a points card that costs you $10, which could seem like a lot when you can sign up for Sephora’s rewards program for free. However, the Body Shop’s card is worth it. Membership lasts for one year, and gives you 10 per cent off every purchase. This means that once you’ve spent $90, you’ve made your money back. After that, it’s all reward.
Like Sephora, The Body Shop gives out a birthday gift to its members during their birth month—in this case, a $10 credit, which you can use towards any purchase. Additionally, every $25 spent nets you 1 point in their rewards program. You have to be careful here, though—$25 for one purchase will get you a point, and $50 or more on one purchase will get you 2 points, but that is the maximum you can get for one purchase. This means that if you’re spending over $75 in one go, you need to split up your purchases to maximize your points.
Now that we’ve talked about how to get points, here’s how to use them. Once you reach 4 points, or $100 spent, you get a $10 credit to your account. After you reach 8, you receive a $25 credit and a free membership renewal and your points start back at zero. This means that in a calendar year you’ll get $45 in credit, as well as 10 per cent off everything and a free membership renewal if you reach eight points. In return for $200 spent at Sephora, you’ll be able to get two 100-point rewards, worth probably $5–10 each. However, the one big point in Sephora’s favour is the point-per-dollar system allows you to not worry about strategic purchasing.
Speaking of strategic purchasing: Be strategic. The Body Shop often has BOGO sales, usually Buy 2 Get 1 or Buy 3 Get 3. This lets you buy any individual products, and receive other full-sized ones for free. Since the products aren’t super cheap, you want to capitalize on these. If you get 3 $20 products, and 10 per cent off each from your card, you’ll be hitting the 2 point sweet-spot at $54, and you get 3 more products for free. This is a great way to get gift shopping taken care of as well, since they have products for everyone. Their wide range of products includes skin care, make up, brushes, and other accessories. They also have many lines of skin products, so no matter what problems you may (or may not!) have, you should be set. As I can get oily, I love their seaweed line, especially the Seaweed Clay Mask.
One last recommendation to save money is to invest in their pedicure and manicure products. Although I used to treat myself to the odd pedicure, now I do them at home with the Body Shop line of peppermint foot products. There is a soak, a scrub, and various lotions, and the peppermint and menthol in the products help to leave your feet fresh. The winter can be especially drying, so this a nice way to take care of yourself without breaking the bank, since the whole set should cost about as much as one pedicure if you watch for deals, and it will last for many. The same goes for their hand products—pick one of their hand butters and their almond cuticle and nail oil, and give your hands a treat in this dry weather. If your nails are brittle, the latter will be especially helpful.
Do some research on their website and arrive armed with the knowledge of what works best for you. Many customers take advantage of the review system, so you can find tons of information on nearly every product. Shop smart and you will have some very nice skin this season!
