Review of Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Acne Kit

3/5 stars
Price: $30
I have struggled with acne my whole life and have never really found anything to reign it in.  So I decided to give The Body Shop's tea tree oil acne kit a try.  I liked that it was natural and did not contain the normal ingredients found in acne products.  My kit did not come with the small bottle of tea tree oil shown above, but did come with a face wash, a toner, and a mattifying lotion.

I love the smell of the product, but it may not be for everyone.  I do not suggest using this product if you don't like the smell of tea tree oil, because this stuff is 100% tea tree smell all the way.  I find it refreshing and the smell is one of my favorite parts of the product.  I found that the products left my face tingly, a sensation that may have been good or bad.  The face wash left my face feeling clean and refreshed.  The toner was excellent at reducing the oil on my face.  The lotion was not very moisturizing but still helped my skin not dry out too much.  These products are fairly drying so it is important to moisturize when using them.  These products did make my skin softer.  Overall, they made my face clean, but they did not reduce my acne.  (Luckily, it did not make my acne worse either.)  I was very sad to not have found my miracle product, but for the price I am not upset I tried it.  Most high end acne treatments are $50 or higher, so I felt I got a good deal and still came out with a clean face and a lot of product (the bottles are pretty big).  I would recommend this product to someone who does not have acne prone skin and wants a natural product to clean their face with.

Review of Clinique BIY

3/5 Stars

Cost: $30

I found this product as I was on the hunt for a new foundation.  I wanted something that would cover my acne without making it worse.  A worker at Ulta suggested I try this product.  The Clinique foundation with salicylic acid was too dark for my pale face, but this product would offer more color options.  The product is simply blended with moisturizer and put on the face.  I found this idea inventive so I was excited to try it out.  

To use this product, you shake the bottle and add up to three drops of product depending on how much coverage you would like.  You mix the drops in with a moisturizer and apply to the face.  I enjoyed the ease of this product and that it kept my skin moisturized.  The color did match my pale skin tone.  Unfortunately, this product does not have a lot of coverage for acne prone skin.  I had to apply extra concealer to all of my acne, which caused me to use up a lot of concealer, a lot of the BIY product, and a lot of moisturizer.  Also, I found that this product did not work well with Clinique's moisturizing lotion.  If put on too thick, the product will slough off and become flaky.  I had the best luck when using this product with a tea tree oil based lotion.  

Overall, I recommend this product to individuals looking for a customizable tinted moisturizer.  If I did not have such acne prone skin, I would love this product because of its flexibility.  Unfortunately, it was not meeting my skin care needs. This product does not work as foundation with full coverage.  It goes on much like a BB cream.  Also, this product is fairly expensive for how little is in the bottle.  If you plan on using three drops every time for full coverage, you will go through the product quickly.  I do applaud Clinique for their creativity and I do believe this product would be great for some individuals.  As for me, I will go back to a thicker foundation.