Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Review of The Body Shop - Tea Tree Skin Care Products

Hi everyone! Thank you and Welcome to my blog! This is my first post, so bear with me. :)

I have had skin problems (acne and excess oil) since I was in high school. Now that I'm in my thirties (ugh, I hate saying that!), I thought I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, but I was wrong! I have spent the past several years of my life trying to find acne/oily skin products and makeup that will work for me. I had some simple goals: reduce blemishes so I didn't have to use a ton of concealer and full coverage foundation, and also to reduce oiliness in my skin so my foundation didn't slide off of my face an hour after applying it. Sounds simple enough right? WRONG. I had used Clinique's Acne Solutions system for several years and it worked well, seemed to control my blemishes pretty well. But, it didn't really do anything to control the massive amount of oil production. Also, after entering a new decade of life a couple (few?) years ago, I started thinking about using anti-aging products. This led me to the Murad line of Anti-Aging Acne products. This was more expensive than the Clinique system, but I was still super excited to try it due to all the great reviews. I thought it was just ok. The moisturizer that came with the anti-aging acne trial kit was too heavy and oily for my skin, so I had to stop using it. Even after stopping that product, my face seemed much more oily than it even used to be and my breakouts were lasting much longer than normal. My skin is SO oily, I've even had strangers comment on it! OK...not strangerS...just one. My friend, Mandy, and I had makeovers at Ulta a few weeks ago and the Urban Decay makeup artist commented several times on what an "oily girl" I am. That is when I knew I needed a change. 

Ok....so you're probably bored with reading about my complexion problems, so...onto the review!



Let's talk about the products available and price points first.

I purchased The Body Shop's Tea Tree Blemish Kit (the box on the right in the above pic) for $29 from Ulta.com. This included a single use packet of the Tea Tree Face Mask and full sized products of the Skin Clearing Facial Wash, Skin Clearing Toner, Skin Clearing Lotion, and Tea Tree Oil. If purchased separately, those products together would have cost $48, so for $29 it was a steal! I also received as a free gift from Ulta for buying the kit, the Mango Lip Butter, which is AMAZING. Ulta also had the rest of the Tea Tree line on sale for Buy 1, Get one 1/2 off. I purchased the Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion for $18.50 and the Tea Tree Face Mask half off for $7.75 (originally $15.50). Overall, I think the prices are great, especially considering that either The Body Shop (online or in store) or Ulta usually have these products on sale or coupons that you can use towards them. 

So, as far as pricing goes, I was already liking The Body Shop Tea Tree products better than Clinique or Murad. :)

Next, let's talk product performance! A little disclaimer before we go any further. You will be seeing pictures of me without makeup. Proceed with caution and at your own risk. I very rarely go anywhere sans makeup, and to go as far to take pictures and put on the internet was a real feat! All in the interest of honest and fair reviews, I guess...to help my fellow seekers of the perfect skin care products!

The box claims that the products inside will help produce clearer skin in 3 days. I took a picture after taking off my makeup and before using any of the Tea Tree products. I don't have the guts to share that picture yet, but here is one after I put the mask on...it has a nice tingly feeling while on the face. 




It is not intended to dry completely while on for the 5-10 minute recommended time. I left mine on for the full 10 minutes, because I figure, if 5 minutes is good, then 10 is better right?! I noticed after I rinsed it off that my face was much less red than it normally is after using any kind of skin care. I was happy with that. Following removal of the mask, I used the Skin Clearing Toner and Blemish Fade Night Lotion all over my face and the Tea Tree Oil right on my blemishes. By morning, my major blemishes were already half the size (the same blemishes that had been around for 3 weeks while using the Murad system)! I was very impressed with this.

After Day 3, the 3 big blemishes that had been around for weeks are gone and the skin is smooth in those areas. There is one little area of discoloration left from one of them, but I have high hopes that it will be gone in a few days. I still have some blemishes, and some discoloration and redness in other areas, but overall my skin looks much better. Even better, my skin is much less oily during the day than it has ever been. I only blotted my face once today...ONCE. Not once an hour like normal, JUST ONCE. I'm not sure if you can tell much of a difference in the before and after pictures, but here they are:




                               Before                                                                        After


I guess I need to work on my picture taking skills - the lighting isn't very conducive to comparing before and after pics. But trust me, my skin is much better just 3 days after starting the Tea Tree products. 

There is one thing about these products that I should mention as a slight con: the smell. It's not awful, but it is strong. I can't quite place it, but it kind of smells like a cleaning product (Pine-Sol? maybe). It doesn't linger very long, and to me it wasn't enough of a downside to stop using the product, but it may be for some of you. Like I said, it's not a bad smell, just strong - clean and strong. 

Bottom line: Do I like this product and recommend it for acne prone, oily skin?

ABSOLUTELY I do!

 I don't think you'll be disappointed if you try it! And for the price that you can get the kit for at Ulta, it's worth a try! PS - if you've never used ebates, you need to sign up for it before you do anymore online shopping!  Try it here! They give you cash back for shopping at hundreds of stores, including Ulta, Sephora, The Body Shop, and many other online stores. 

Thanks for reading this long post! Check back soon for a post and pics of my new makeup room! Ciao and have a wonderful day!



4 comments:

  1. Good luck in your new venture! This first post had plenty of useful information. Looking forward to.visiting again!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by to visit, Aunt Linda!

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  2. Tea Tree is an AMAZING essential oil! There are so many wonderful Tea Tree products out there! I make my own at home with pure Essential Oils. Love the stuff and it is what goes on cuts directly for better disinfection than anything else in the world. Swear by it. I liked hearing about your complexion problems as it gives us a baseline for how good this worked for you!

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  3. Great review! I've always eyeballed then, maybe I should finally pull the trigger and buy the kit.

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