Review: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner has got to be one of the best beauty discoveries I've made this year. My boyfriend picked this up when he was battling with acne and he stopped using it because he found it to be too drying for this skin. He uses it with other acne-fighting products so the overall effect can really dry out the skin. I don't have acne but I really like tea tree for its antibacterial properties and I didn't want the whole bottle to go to waste so I started using it instead.

This toner is designed to be shaken before use. I'm not sure what the milky settlement is but you have to shake the bottle quite vigorously to get it to mix in properly. I apply it all over my face with a cotton pad and I absolutely love the scent of tea tree. This toner also contains witch hazel so it really cleanses your skin from any residue cleanser and sebum. 

I don't actually have troubled skin so I'm not sure how this works in that aspect but for my normal to combination skin, the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is surprisingly nice. It was a bit drying at first but my skin quickly got accustomed to it and I can use it twice a day without it drying out my skin. 

Overall, I like toners that make my skin feels clean while leaving no sticky residue and this is exactly that. Most of The Body Shop toners come in 200ml bottles but the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is a whooping 400ml for the same price. I'll definitely pick this up again!

What's In My Beauty Essentials Pouch?

Most people carry around a makeup pouch but for me, I call it my beauty essentials pouch as it doesn't contain much makeup. I carry it with me on a daily basis and it holds everything beauty related that I could possibly need.

I don't usually touch up my makeup throughout the day so I keep the makeup items in my pouch to a bare minimum. The only makeup item in my pouch is the SEPHORA COLLECTION's Mattifying Compact Foundation. I tend to lose coverage on my nose if I'm out for a really long day so a nice powder foundation really helps. I also carry with me two lip balms, a spearmint flavoured Boots Essential Lip Salve which is clear and a Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color in Berry Crush which is tinted. I will usually bring along whichever lip product that I've worn for the day to touch up as well.

The most important item in my pouch is actually my Sephora nail clipper. My nails chip easily and there is really nothing worse than being caught outside without a nail clipper. It can double up as a tool to cut through certain things as well. I also have a foldable Muji nail file for good measure. The second most important item in my pouch will have to be my Muji pocket mirror. You have to be on top of any makeup smudges so a mirror is definitely a must.

I carry with me The Body Shop Detangling Comb, some H&M hair ties and a hair clip for any hair emergencies. I also have a travel-size The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume, a Life Buoy hand sanitiser and The Body Shop Argan Wild Argan Oil Miracle Solid Oil which really saves me when my eczema flares up. Last but not least, some painkillers and flu medicine have a permanent fixture in my pouch because you never know when you will feel under the weather.

The pouch is from Naraya which I picked up in Bangkok quite some time ago. It's compact and helps to keep all my items tidy and in place. I try to keep my makeup pouch small so as to ensure that I don't end up carrying a load of junk that I don't need everywhere I go!

Review: The Body Shop Skin Primer Matte It

Silicone primers can smooth out skin texture and allow makeup to glide on easily. A good primer should also prolong the longevity of your makeup and is definitely a good investment. The Body Shop is a colourless silicone primer that evens out my skin texture and allow concealer and liquid foundation to glide over.

This simple primer does solve texture issues but I find that it doesn't really enhance the wear of my makeup. Personally, I find that oil control is more important that achieving a silky smooth base as I only wear powder foundation now and do not really need that function of a silicone primer.

I have not found a primer that really works for me so I've stopped using primers entirely. I would probably pick up another primer in the future, leave me a comment with your recommendations!

Review: Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub

Soap & Glory has got to be one of my favourite brands ever. So far, the few skin care and body products that I've tried are all really nice. One of their body products I've tried is The Breakfast Scrub. This scrub has a maple syrup scent and it really smells good enough to eat.

The Breakfast Scrub is a sugar scrub that constants skin-loving ingredients such as oat and shea butter to keep your skin moisturized. This scrub is packed full of granules to give you the maximum exfoliating effect. Generally, sugar scrubs are a little too exfoliating for my eczema-prone skin and I have to use this sparingly or my skin will look and feel raw and dry. Because of my dry skin, I'm better off with more moisturizing scrubs but you will really enjoy this if you love really exfoliating scrubs.

If you haven't tried anything from Soap & Glory, this and their Clean On Me shower gel will be something nice to try out. I do have one gripe about their products and it's their use of parabens. I've previously discussed about parabens here. I will still continue to use their products even though they contain parabens but I would much prefer if they can find substitutes to preserve their products!

Review: The Body Shop Shimmer Waves

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Blush is a compact that consists of a white and four different shades of pink. You can use the colours either individually or together to achieve different looks for different purposes.

I only use this as a highlighter, either concentrating more on the white for a more pronounced highlight or swirling the colours together for a muted look. You can also choose to use the darker shades of pink as a blush. I only use this as a highlighter as I find the sheen a little too much if used as a blush all over the cheeks.

Honestly, I don't reach for this highlighter much as pink tones do not really suit my skin colour. This product also has a very metallic sheen to it and I really don't fancy it. Don't get me wrong, I love shimmery highlighters such as The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer and NARS Albatross but the Shimmer Waves is just too frosty for me.

I just couldn't get around to using the Shimmer Waves much even though I've had it for quite some time. I've since gotten rid of it and I've learnt my lesson to never get a pink highlighter ever again!