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

Review: La Roche-Posay | Serozinc |

You might have seen this product do the rounds on French pharmacie posts/videos in the beauty community. Many bloggers including the skincare guru Caroline Hirons have championed this product to be an amazing toner which 'gives something back' by hydrating after an exfoliating toner and supposedly preventing breakouts due to the ingredient zinc sulfate which is a hydrating compound.

I picked up two bottles of Serozinc when I went to Paris earlier in the year (after dragging Matt around nearly every Pharmacie we saw) and couldn't wait to try it. I'm now onto my second bottle so you can tell it lasts a really long time.

I use this both morning and evening after a toner I've used for a specific problem e.g. The Body Shop's tea tree toner for blemishes or an exfoliating toner in the evening. The spray provides a lovely fine mist and it is very refreshing to use. In terms of hydration and blemish prevention I'm not sure how effective it is but I do find that when I have active break outs it helps to soothe and calm my skin and it has helped me to transition into the colder months. While in Morocco I kept this in the fridge in our hotel room to keep it extra cool and refreshing and found it great for soothing any sunburn on my body or face.

The only place you can really get your hands on Serozinc is via Ebay in the UK unfortunately and even then it can be really overpriced. I do enjoy this product as a staple in my routine but considering how hard it is to get hold of and the fact I haven't noticed any dramatic difference in my skin I would say it isn't a necessity. If you are in a country where you can buy it then I would say give it a go but  I think there are many other facial mists that do a similar job and are far easier to get hold of at the moment.

Have you tried Serozinc before? What is your favourite La Roche-Posay product? xxx

UPDATE: Since this post went live I went to an event for La Roche Posay where they revealed that Serozinc is now available in the UK via Feel Unique! Go go go!!

Review: Origins | Out Of Trouble Face Mask |

Out Of Trouble // £22 // 100ml

I've been a big fan of Origins skincare for a while now and their face masks are definitely one of their best selling points as they are great for targeting specific problems effectively. I have the Drink Up Intensive in my arsenal and have used the Clear Improvement Charcoal mask but today I will be talking about the Out Of Trouble face mask.

It is targeted towards combination oily skin, which sums up my skin perfectly, and is recommended to be used to clear up excess oil production and blemishes. Personally, I find this best for use on active break outs - normally a few days after using a clay based mask which draws out impurities, although it is good when used in 'triple threat' facials straight after the aforementioned mask to try and stop anything blossoming into a full on blemish. Although it is a 10 minute mask to give quick results, I always leave it on a lot longer like I do with all other face masks. It has a really strong smell (which I think is the sulfur) and takes some getting used to as the scent lingers until the next morning after washing it off, but the thick white consistency means you can get a thick layer without using too much product. I've had my bottle for over a year and am about 4/5 of the way through which is great value. Ingredients featured are zinc oxide and sulfur which are present to soak up oil and exfoliate away dead cells that contribute towards the creation of blemishes and camphor to refine the texture of skin and 'pull the plug' on active breakouts.

As I mentioned I like to apply this all over when I've got a few break outs or concentrated on a few spots (I've seen some people use it as an over night spot treatment.) Straight after washing it off my complexion looks a lot calmer and redness has been reduced. Blemishes often disappear a lot quicker when I use this mask and reduce in size considerably by the next morning. Although the formula does dry rather than stay sticky, my face is never left dry or tight but is instead smooth, soft and even toned. 

I would highly recommend Origins in general but their face masks are a real winner for me. It's a shame that the price point seems to have been inflated from the original £20 to £22 which does put me off a bit but I suppose for such a best selling range they feel they can get away with it.

What are your favourite products from Origins? xxx