In February The Body Shop launched Smoky Poppy a new range of makeup and body products. A selection of body lotions and shower products, the Smoky Poppy Collection is infused with real, hand-picked poppy flowers from the Ankara region of Turkey – pretty cool right?

As part of the collection, The Body shop launched new Lip & Cheek Velvet sticks as well as a poppy-inspired blush brush (shown above).

The body shop velvet sticks can be used either on your cheeks to give you a naturally flushed glow, or on your lips for a quick pop of color. The formula is velvety and soft and gives a nice matte finish. There are five five regular shades (nude, pink, bronze, coral and red) and a limited edition 6th shade (universal shade) that adapts to the pH of your skin and turns into your very own unique poppy shade.

I have two velvet sticks to show you. The red (40) and the universal shade (50).

Red, 40 (on the nails NOPI coca cola red)

You can turn the red mechanism (black below) when you need to get more product.

Universal Shade, 50

I have to say, I absolutely love the Body Shop velvet sticks. They’re so versatile, really easy to use for a quick touch up, and perfect to throw into your bag.

Natural Light

Alternative light source

You can see that despite the grey/black look of the universal shade, it transforms into a soft pink on me (remember the colour changes depending on your own body’s pH). The red is more intense and is much darker when I use it on my lips. You can certainly see from the swatches that the finish is definitely matte. Both velvet sticks look great on the cheeks. To avoid an even distribution of pigment, make sure you apply on your cheeks in a circular motion and rub in instantly.

The Smoky Poppy blush brush is a cute limited edition brush that the Body Shop has added to the collection. The bristles are super soft to allow a seamless application of colour, The black handle allows the brush to stand up so that you don’t get powder on your work surface. I use this as my brush “on the go” and it lives in my makeup bag in my purse. It’s the perfect size. Isn’t the poppy brush so cute?