Review: The Body Shop | Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream |

The Body Shop - Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream - £8 - 40ml

The Tea Tree BB Cream is the first make up product I've bought from the Body Shop in years. The first BB cream that they bought out just wasn't right for my skin type so it was great when they bought a version out suitable for oily and blemish prone skin, and I decided to give it a go seeing as it was under a tenner.

A lot of high street BB creams are much more like tinted moisturisers and I tend to be a satin finish, medium to high coverage kind of girl. The texture of the product is a lot thicker but not stiff in anyway and blends out to be quite sheer and skin like while still evening out skin tone very well in addition to being buildable. I tend to use my fingers, a buffing or a stippling brush to blend this in depending on how heavy I want the coverage to be. You will need a concealer for extra coverage on blemishes and under eyes.

The shade range is pretty poor with only 3 colours - I picked up the lightest which I was afraid would be a little too pale but once it's blended out it adapts to your skintone, so even when I was more tanned in the summer this still suited me just about! Not only is the coverage impressive for a BB cream, I love that it is really long wearing too and also quite good at oil control without being drying. A lot of BB creams either oxidise or slip and wear unevenly throughout the day but I've never had any problems like that with this product.

I normally tend to mix all my bases with a liquid highlight, purely so my face isn't flat or dull. For the purpose of this picture I didn't do that so you could see the true effect of how it looks on the skin, but you can see this post here where I'm wearing it mixed with Seventeen Skin Wow.

I've used the Tea Tree BB Cream practically every day since the beginning of the year on both weekends and long work days in the office (think bright lights, air con etc) and it's been a really reliable base without being heavy or detrimental to my skin. If anything, the inclusion of tea tree oil has helped keep my skin as blemish free as possible.

It is one of the best BB creams and bases that I have used from the drugstore and I would recommend it to anyone who has the same skin type as me.

What kind of base to you like best - foundation or BB cream? xxx

My 'Summer Face'

Today I thought I would try a different post as I have been doing a lot of reviews lately and thought it would be nice for you to read something a bit different. Even though the weather this Summer has been quite temperamental, I've shyed away from heavy and time consuming make up and updated my make up regime to easy, quick and lighter make up suitable for warmer weather. The above picture are the products I have been using on a daily basis as a standard summer face. I sometimes switch up my eyes or lipsticks depending on my outfit and mood but overall this is my staple make up at the moment. Sorry in advance about the quality of the picture, the natural lighting isn't great due to gloomy weather and some of my products are a bit battered from traveling and everyday use!

So to begin with, I mix my 17 BB cream in 'Light' mixed with a pump or two of Soap and Glory's Hocus Focus to brighten up my dull complexion and blend all over my face with my fingers to melt it into my skin. The BB cream has relatively good coverage but I cover up my under eye circles and any blemishes with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I then dust 17 Miracle Matte pressed powder over my face lightly as I am on the oily side with a large powder brush and then blend Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer all over my face with a MAC blending brush. This powder is great as it gives my face a bit of warmth without dulling down my complexion with a light, silky texture. I dot some extra Hocus Focus on my brow bone and top of cheek bones for a highlighter, a product which I have really grown to love as it is multi purpose and gives a lovely natural glow. I then give a light dusting of Benefit's Thrrrob powder on my cheekbones with a stippling brush to give a flush of colour.

For my eyes I fill in my brows with Bobbi Brown Mahogany eyeshadow (not pictured) then using my finger blend a thin layer of Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' over my lid, which is a great natural colour for blue eyes that is easily buildable into a stronger colour if you so wish. To finish my eyes I put a few layers of my favourite mascara of the moment, Masterpiece Max by Maxfactor.

Finally, a few coats of a Revlon Lip Butter in shade Creme Brulee and I am good to go!

I have done a few reviews of the products mentioned which I have included links for. What do you think of my 'Summer Face'? Do you include any of these products in your every day routine? xxx

July Favourites

This is my first ever favourites post! I love reading other people's posts and watching YT videos like this as it makes me confident at trying products I've been thinking about sampling and also gives me some new suggestions to have a look at. This post features a mixture of skin care and make up :)

Skincare

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: Ever since purchasing this last month I have loved it! From the packaging to the product it hasn't let me down and I understand now why there were so many rave reviews. I may be late on the bandwagon, but now I've got this brand on my radar I'm looking forward to trying some of their other products and will be keeping this as a staple in my skincare routine. I'm not going to go into too much detail as I have an upcoming post dedicated to this lovely product. (Edit: see review here!)

Neutrogena Grapefruit Facial Wash: Again, there is an upcoming review of this on my blog and is a new item in my facial skincare regime. I'm really enjoying using it in the mornings as the scent and formula wakes me up and refreshes my face nicely. 

Make Up

Revlon Lip Butters: I've just done a post on these so you can see how much I love them and why here! An update since then though is that I have recently purchased my third in the shade 'Creme Brulee' and I love it just as much as the others! I've been getting into my nude lips recently and this is a wonderful addition - it is a lovely soft nude, which is sheer enough to let some of my natural lip show through while still giving shine and a wash of colour with lots of nourishment. If you aren't that big into lipsticks and colour but want to dabble in lip products this is an excellent way to introduce yourself to both.

Urban Decay Naked Palette: This has been such a good investment purchase. Since buying it I've used it nearly every day and love the selection of matte and glittery shades, the quality of the eyeshadows and their colour payoff. You can create so many looks for day and evening by combining the different shades and I suggest it is a good palette to buy if you are into the natural look or are wanting to experiment. You can see my full review here. 

17 BB Cream: This has been a key staple in my every day make up routine this summer. I've been shunning foundation for the summer and this has to be my favourite BB cream that I have tried so far as it has good oil control, added SPF and good coverage. Every time I use it I like it even more :) If you want to read my full review for this you can read it here. I am looking forward to trying some other BB creams and am going to do a post soon on all the ones I have tried and what I think of them.

Hope you enjoyed reading my favourites :) Are any of these featured in your favourites post? xxx

Review: 17 Blemish Balm

       

This is one of the items I received in a recent blog sale (see what else I got here). Although I already owned a BB cream prior to purchasing this, I have been wanting to test out a few different types and brands available to find the best one out there for me i.e. my skin type and coverage-wise because I have been using them a lot more, choosing them for every day wear over foundation. This is the second BB cream I have tried and I think I prefer it to my Garnier one, although I would like to try the new oil free version of this for a better comparison, which was not available when I purchased the original as I got it when they had just come out in the UK. At £6.99 it is 3 pounds cheaper than the Garnier BB cream although you do get 20ml less.

The shade I have is 'Light' and it is a good match for my skin tone. I don't use moisturiser after cleansing and toning in the morning when using a BB cream as my skin is already on the oily side and BB creams are normally very moisturizing anyway. I apply it with my fingers to help it melt into my skin and blend better, and also mix it with my Soap and Glory 'Hocus Focus' (see a review of that here) but I would also like to try it with the real techniques buffing brush. The main concerns with BB creams is that the staying power isn't effective but I have found this product to last all day, although the mattifying effect doesn't and so I do have to touch up with powder, however nowhere near as much as with the Garnier BB cream. The formula of this is a bit thicker than that of the Garnier and therefore gives a thicker coverage, however it is still light enough for my freckles to show through but not my pores! I've tried this both with and without a primer and it works well with both - I don't think using one changes the product. I also really like that it has added SPF 25 to it which I have become more conscious of recently in my face products.

BB Cream rubbed in

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this product and would purchase it over the original Garnier BB formula, however I will update as to whether I prefer the oil free version! So far, this has been my favourite though. Other BB creams I would like to test out in the future include Clinique's SPF 30, Maybelline Dream Fresh, Ginivera Green Tea and Origins A Perfect World and Vitazing.

What BB creams have you used and would you suggest? Have you tried either of these? xxx