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!

Review: Clinique 3-Step System

Clinique was having a roadshow in Sephora a couple of months ago and they were giving out samples of their 3-Step System. I received the dry combination set which consists of the Liquid Facial Soap, Clarifying Lotion 2 and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. First off, I just want to say that I don't have problematic skin so this review is not meant for you if you are looking for acne solutions. The Clinique 3-Step System consists of very basic products which I was really keen to try out and this review will only cover the products' basic properties for non-problematic skin types.

The samples were of a pretty good size and I was able to get a really good feel of all three products. I'm not very impressed by the system as a whole as I find it to be a little too drying for my skin type. I think this system will be more suitable for oily skin.

The Liquid Facial Soap is a gel cleanser that does a very thorough job at getting rid of any surface dirt and grime. It makes my skin absolutely squeaky clean and I'm not sure if I like that. I do have combination skin but I feel that this cleanser completely strips my skin of its natural oils and it can be very drying. My skin wasn't flaky but I definitely feel the tightness that is often associated with dry skin. This is a little too strong for my combination skin and I definitely prefer a cleanser that is less stripping.

The Clarifying Lotion 2 is probably my least favourite step in the system. This toner contains alcohol, and probably a lot of it, because the first thing that you smell is the alcohol. It's probably just as bad as nail polish remover. You do get used to the scent after awhile but that offers no comfort. It is a very basic toner and does a good job at picking up any residue left from your cleanser. The alcohol and witch hazel doesn't bother my skin but I'm sure it can be too stripping for a lot of skin types so do keep that in mind.

My favourite step of the system is the moisturizer. The Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel does live up to its name in my opinion. I used it in the morning and at night and I'm so impressed. I love this so much that I went to get the 200ml version and I've been using it religiously twice a day ever since. Initially, I was kind of on the fence about it because I don't really fancy gel moisturizers. I prefer creams over gels, especially for the night. However, after having used this for a couple of weeks, I find that my skin does look dramatically different. I don't know what it is but my skin's texture just seems so much smoother. I have very dull and uneven skin and I have to say that this moisturizer has made a world of difference for me. This gel moisturizer is sufficiently hydrating for my skin and I have not experienced any dryness. However, I don't think this will be sufficient for dryer climates and I did use another moisturizer on my recent trip to Beijing.

Overall, the Clinique 3-Step System is not the best skin care regime for me but I'm really glad I discovered the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. Do check it out if you have combination or oily skin!

Review: Caudalie Moisturizing Toner

Toner is a very important step in my skin care regime. There was once I forgot to bring my toner with me on a holiday and my skin protested after the first day. It's so important to apply toner with a cotton pad after cleansing your face to remove any residual dirt and cleanser. This sounds really gross but I can always see some oil and dirt on the cotton pad that I used to apply my toner so I do believe that toner is needed to thoroughly cleanse your skin.

I picked up the Caudalie Moisturizing Toner as a replacement for The Body Shop Vitamin E HydratingToner that I've been using. I really enjoy the Vitamin E Hydrating Toner but I wanted to try something new. I've been wanting to try Caudalie products for awhile now so I thought it was a good time to venture into their basic skin care. 

The Caudalie Moisturizing Toner is a very basic toner that promises to cleanse and moisturize. It does a pretty good job at cleansing but I don't think it is particularly moisturizing. The toner gets rid of any residual sebum on my skin but it doesn't leave my skin feeling stripped and extremely squeaky clean, which I appreciate. However, I don't think the toner has helped my skin in terms of hydration.

Caudalie products do not contain parabens and are suitable for sensitive skin. I do not have sensitive skin but I've been experiencing quite a lot of hormonal breakouts recently and I find that the Caudalie Moisturizing Toner has done a good job in calming my pimples. I've noticed that my pimples look considerably less angry after using the toner and I really like how gentle the toner is.

The Caudalie Moisturizing Toner is an excellent basic toner that cleanses and refreshes. It is not particularly hydrating so you may want to give this a miss if you're looking for a moisturizing toner. I don't really need my toner to be moisturizing so I'm not too bothered by this. I really enjoy using the Caudalie Moisturizing Toner and I can't wait to try out more products from Caudalie!

Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash & Hydrating Toner

The Body Shop Vitamin E skin care range is formulated for all skin types and it's the only line from The Body Shop that I've tried extensively. I have combination skin but I prefer products that are meant for normal skin. I believe that skin care products with oil controlling properties have the potential to dry out my skin and cause an overproduction of sebum so I tend to steer clear of them.

I've been using the Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash and Hydrating Toner for quite some time now and I've lost count of the number of bottles of the two products that I've gone through. The Body Shop has recently made changes to the packaging for the Gentle Facial Wash and the product pictured is in the old packaging. The tube is now slightly shorter and the base is a little wider.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash is a cream cleanser that is very moisturizing. I use a seperate makeup remover so I'm not able to advise if it removes makeup thoroughly but it does get rid of all the residue from my makeup remover as well as all the dirt and excess oils on my face on days I don't use makeup. I feel that the facial wash cleanses very well but it doesn't strip my skin off it's natural oils. I absolutely hate the squeaky clean feeling and this cleanser doesn't leave me with that. Instead, my skin feels cleaned and nicely hydrated after using it. It does have a weird chemical scent but it doesn't linger.

I've also tried the Vitamin E Cream Cleanser but it's not suitable for my needs because I wash my face in the shower and I need something that rinses off well. The Vitamin E Cream Cleanser is also a very moisturizing but I rinsed it off instead of wiping it off with a cotton pad as instructed so it always left me feeling like I had so much cleanser residue on my face. Well, it was nothing the toner couldn't fix but I switched back to the Gentle Facial Wash after one bottle of the Cream Cleanser because I'm better off with a face wash that is meant to be used in the shower.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is simply amazing. From my experience, toners can be pretty drying and they remove any natural oils that the cleanser failed to do so. This results in the squeaky clean feeling that makes me believe that the product is too drying for me. The Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is much more moisturizing than the other toners that I've tried and I like how it's so gentle to the skin. The toner is great at removing any gunk that the cleanser failed to remove. I use The Body Shop Organic Cotton Pads with the toner and apply the product all over my face in a wiping motion and it leaves me feeling really clean and hydrated.

I've actually read some comments that the toner leaves behind a film on the face and yes, it can feel that way because the product is so moisturizing. However, the residue of the toner either gets absorbed by my skin or evaporates really quickly and it doesn't bother me at all. The toner smells really clean and fresh and I love that!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash and Hydrating Toner works really well for me and I really enjoy their moisturizing properties. I will continue to use them until my skin has other needs!