Ever heard of a Red-Shanked Douc? Me neither, but as it turns out it’s an endangered monkey that lives in the Khe Nuoc forrest in Vietnam, an area that’s also at threat thanks to illegal logging and hunting. A potentially sad story for sure, but all’s not lost. One Red-Shanked Douc in particular, Reggie, has stolen The Body Shop’s heart with his undeniable adorable-ness and now they’re working hard to protect his forest by building bio-bridges (a restored wildlife corridor) that’ll preserve the area while connecting Reggie to his friends. In short, they’re helping Reggie find love.

Over the next few months, The Body Shop will be making a contribution for your every purchase towards the mission so now you can feel even better if you choose to snap up your Christmas presents from their store. Better yet, their Christmas collection is also ready for your red hot lovin’ and while the berry and apple scents you loved from 2015 are back with a twist, vanilla fans will be thrilled to meet Vanilla Chai.

But let’s begin with the berries… The Frosted Berries line, made with antioxidant-rich cranberry oil from North America is juicy and sweet-smelling in a way that makes me think of a red lollipop. The Spiced Apple line, made with cold-pressed apple seed oil from the alps (another antioxidant gem), features a fragrance that’s reminiscent of freshly baked apple pie spiked with cinnamon. It’s warm, cosy and definitely my favourite of the three. Lastly, we’ve got the Vanilla Chai line made with handpicked vanilla from Madagascar. This scent is also a warm, sweet gourmand that’s all about creamy milk and vanilla spiced with cinnamon and cardamom in a way that makes me think of creme brulee.

While each line includes a body butter which is sure to sell out as we creep into Christmas, you can also expect to find a host of yummy-smelling products that include foam bath, lip balm, body mists, body scrubs, hand creams and more in each of the three limited edition Christmas variants.

I was given a Frosted Berries body mist (R200) and body scrub (R190) and love that the mist’s got a pretty sparkle to it. Simply shake up the bottle and it turns into a rather mooi-looking snow globe!

As for the scrub, this one’s a winner as the sugar granules are plentiful so it does a good job of blitzing away dead skin and old self-tan. I use it on my body while it’s dry for extra scrubbiness before rinsing it off in the shower and like that, while it contains hydrating oils, it doesn’t leave you feeling like an oil slick when you’re done.

If you see anything you like when you step into store or shop online, be it from the new Christmas collection or anything else, remember that your purchase isn’t just bring happiness to yourself or those you plan to gift – it’s also going to #findreggielove. Talk about spreading the joy!

Love, love

Leigh