Tea tree oil. I recently discovered The Body Shop's tea tree line, and as I read the "suitable for blemished skin" on the label, I knew I had to try it. As there isn't a store where I live, I some of the products I was able to find.
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| My personal Tea Tree Oil stock |
I have to start by saying that I love most of The Body Shop products, I love their natural ingredients, and although it might not be totally organic, I trust my skin in the efficacy of these products. I have combination, acne-prone skin and it has been hard to find products that can deal with all problems at once. so here's what I have to say:
Facial wash and toner
Let's start with the basics, facial wash and toner. Like every other beauty regimen, it's important to start by cleaning your face properly as well as toning it. Both the wash and the toner have a tingling effect on the skin. You feel it right after you apply either. Its refreshing and cooling effect, makes your skin feel super clean and ready for moisturizing. The downside? Well I checked the ingredients and it contains denatured alcohol, which probably gives the refreshing sensation after applying them. Also, alcohol might leave the skin too dry, after prolonged use. I use them for more than a week straight, day and night, after having a breakout in my forehead and partially on my cheeks. They helped a lot with the breakout at the cost of drying out some parts of my face that are usually hydrated and luminous. What I did to solve this problem was combine them with a much richer hydrating lotion, to balance things out.
Moisturizers
The Body Shop offers a day moisturizer, the "Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion". Actually now that I think about it, it doesn't specifically say that it's for daytime use, I guess you can use it at night as well or anytime of the day. This moisturizer leaves a matte finish that I love, because it's not dull, and it leaves the skin with a healthy look, especially for us girls with combination or oily skin. This effect is also long lasting, however, in my opinion has a problem. I like day moisturizers to contain SPF, so that I can save one step in my morning routine, and besides, I think putting a lot of products can have a detrimental effect on how you look and how your makeup is going to stay during the day. This moisturizer does not contain SPF and therefore, you should either mix it up with some, or apply it after, which may ruin the whole matte effect I was talking about. In my opinion, the best to apply both separately, and with caution, using the minimal amount.
The "Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion" meets its promise of helping out with blemishes. They don't disappear overnight, but it definitely helps. Although the texture is creamy, it keeps skin fresh and matte, consistent with the whole product line, and I love the matte effect....During the day. When I go to bed I expect something richer as, at least in my case, my skin dehydrates at night and whenever I don't drink enough water or I don't use a rich creamy moisturizer, I wake up from my beauty sleep feeling my skin dry and dull. If you have a very oily skin, this moisturizer might do wonders for your skin. However, in my case, I should use it only partially, on top of other moisturizer. This is not the first acne-treating lotion with which I have this problem, as I guess they're designed to treat excess oil.
The complements
As a complement of the day routine, I also wear the "Tea Tree Pore Minimiser". Its a very light-weight gel, that works great as well as primer, before applying your makeup. After moisturizing and applying sunscreen, you can try the pore minimiser. I have considerably large pores around my nose, and some days, on my forehead too, and this gel really helps.
The "Tea Tree Oil" is also a great complement for specific zones, treating blemishes and helping with the swelling. I use it overnight, mostly because I'm afraid it might leave a mark with sun exposure. I didn't even know what it was for, until I saw it in one of my favorite beauty blogs (http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru). It stings a little, but I think it works very well.
I love blotting tissues, they're necessary to keep your makeup in place or if you're not wearing makeup, to keep your face matte. The Tea Tree Blotting Tissues are not the most oil-absorbing I've tried, and I usually have to use more than one to leave my skin matte. To be honest, they're not my favorites, but every now and then, when my skin is not as oily, they work (when I've used the products of the same line, who are probably doing all the heavy lifting). 
Face Mask
I'm a huge fan of face masks, especially clay masks, again to treat my combination skin. I can't go one week without them. The "Tea Tree Face Mask", although is not a clay mask, it's fantastic. As it says on the label, it doesn't dry out, like most face clay masks. However, it fulfills its promise, leaving skin matte, yet hydrated and clean.
I decided to write this really long post, because I believe that several products, including these ones, are meant to be used as an ensemble. And trust me, I usually don't follow these rules, but I think sometimes it pays off, and products can be appreciated better. This is the case, and I totally recommend using them together, at least the basics, wash, toner and moisturizer.
I hope you enjoyed this post and leave all your comments and suggestions below.
Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best for the new year to come.
XOXOXO,
Aphrodite
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