"...that smells absolutely DIVINE doesn't it? Sweet, sumptuous, yet subtle. You should treat yourself :)" 27 Random Things About Working at The Body Shop.

            

1.       That Greggs makes a mean Tuna Crunch baguette. And Boots’ Ploughman sandwich is THE BOMB. With MAX Paprika crisps and Orange Juice. It's a brill balance of sweet, and savoury and salty.*burp*

2.       How to give a professional Hand-and- Arm ‘Scrub down, Moisturise, and Massage’ routine.

3.       Wearing makeup in no way is a shallow thing. In fact, it can add to your confidence. I applied eye make-up on a Woman once, and she was in tears, because for the first time in 5 years, she'd covered up the vitiligo on her eyelids. *Vitiligo is a skin condition where the pigment is lost, and there are patches of colour.

4.       How to ignore a racist incident, because it’s all about context and things are NOT always ‘Black and White.’

5.       My extroverted personality was beneficial because I liked talking to customers and connecting with them on a personal level. EVERYONE has treaded a different path in life, and yet here they are! All united by The Body Shop!  

6.       I just LIKED the fact that my need for cleanliness and lovely smells REALLY matched the culture of the store. 

7.       How to light a lighter without flinching.

8.       That Coconut and Olive Body Butter can be massaged into your scalp to make a nourishing hair oil.

9.       That it’s all about humble beginnings and experience. I started as an inexperienced Christmas temp, got made permanent, and landed a full-time Management position. And SO satisfying when you keep on top of your team and then you get to boast about their hard work on conference calls. :)

10.   “Satchel man.”

11.   How to march toward and challenge a 6ft tall shop-lifter, even though you feel like a dwarf in front of them.

12.   I was ZE first Skincare Expert at Clocktower! So not only was I the owner of a completely new job role, I was learning on the job, whilst coaching and managing my team about this new job role simultaneously. Confusing and daunting!

13.   It’s always about teamwork. You need the talent of Every. Single. Person. Everyone matters. Play to everyone’s strengths. Empower other people.

14.   That I CAN catch a train at 6am for a Business Conference in Leeds! And make it back home in one piece. Do things that scare the absolute shit out of you. It will only make you stronger and more confident.

15.   That I can make it onto the wrong platform 100 miles from home , re-read times, run across the platform like a lunatic, and make it onto the right train. Wasn't the first thing I told Mother when I reached home. I just smiled at her, all chill and casual like. You got home, so you’re both happy.  All that matters to her is THAT YOU’RE HOME. (If you mention this drama, she will never let you travel again in the near and distant future.) But I told her... like 3 months later.

16.   How to give someone a full coverage of makeup properly.

17.   I applied for two reasons: Against Animal Testing, Teenage Cancer Trust, plus it always smells soooooooooooooo delicious in there :P

18.   Perks of the job; free samples and products every time a new range is launched. ;)

19.   It is NOT about “looking pretty” and ‘selling lipstick’. The Body Shop works you SO hard. Like, REALLY really hard. It looks so easy. It isn’t. The training is rigorous. And THAT is why Body Shop Staff are picture, product and personality perfect ;)  

20.   How to give someone a proper Skincare Consultation, identifying their Skin-type, recommend products and give them a professional facial massage.  

21.   How to explain the benefits of Body Butter in Urdu, with an English accent. “Yeh Body Butter hai. Yeh cream jesa hai. aur skin ko soft kar deti hai! Aur iski khushboo aam jesa hai :) Lekin iske pehle yeh Body Scrub use karo. BOHOT accha skin lagta hai!” 

 (This is a Body Butter. It’s like a cream. It makes your skin all soft. And the smell is lovely. It’s the smell of Mangoes. But before that, use the Body Scrub, your skin feels SO good!” 

22.   I THINK I understand stem-cell technology to the level I need to.

23.   You will know the product ingredients like the back of your hand.

24.   All the ‘alcohol’ containing products in the perfumes are Halal. “It’s natural alcohol, sourced from sugarcane in Equador. It isn’t the artificial alcohol you’ll find in Beer or Wine.” And I think a lot of the more ‘conservative’ Muslims found it (easier?) to believe when it came from me, ‘that girl in the headscarf.’

25.   Story:  Creepy Man at Valentine’s. I suggested he buy a Sensual Massage Oil because he wanted some “special” time. Being the goody-two shoes-textbook Body Shop Girl, encourage him to buy a wooden massage tool. Only the one we had left looked rather suggestive. So he laughed rasp-ily and said “...my hands are moreee than enough...” JUST PAY ME AND GO ALREADY!! *shudder*

26.   I know ALOT of The Body Shop staff in Birmingham, Nuneaton, Leeds, Coventry, and Nottingham. They’re all really gorgeous ladies, and know their stuff really well.  So: I look up to them as reputable business women.

27.   Hemp is the female equivalent to Cannabis.



Remember to Love Your Body!!