Manfred ThamFashion Review: Body Shop Tea-Tree line
Puberty has a way with people. It gives men deep voices and women the ability to bear offspring. It matures you physically. But usually, the package doesn’t come as advertised and the side effects hit like a truck, peppering your visage with acne.
Now, we’re not exactly learned in beauty products. As a guy, I’ve never really bought my own facial care products. Normally one’s mother comes home with a bag of them and not so subtly implies that we should use it.
With this utter lack of knowledge, we ran headfirst into reviewing The Body Shop’s new tea tree line’s facial products and their touted facial cleansing qualities from the infused tea tree oil.
We got ourselves their facial wash, toner as well as a handy little bottle of tea tree oil. Immediately, we realised that the oil was a topical product, despite our initial thoughts that any oil is normally ingested (I pride myself on my cooking expertise, not my facial care).
A quick bout of research (Googling and clicking on the Wikipedia result) taught us that the order of application was facial wash, toner then the oil onto any significant blemishes. We also leanrt what a toner is: it cleanses the skin and shrinks the appearance of pores. Fascinating, and I thought it was just water.
Tea trees are also different from the tea plant we use in beverages. Tea tree oil (also known as melaleuca oil) is harvested from the tree’s leaves. It shows antimicrobial properties and it’s usually used to treat dermatological conditions, acne being one of them.
Now with limited knowledge, we could begin improving our skin.
But we immediately encountered a problem. We had no way to apply the toner to our face after the facial wash. Thus, we ran around the house blindly looking for a cotton pad, as suggested. We had to settle with a clean handkerchief instead and prepared ourselves for an abrasive application.
Our prime concern with the tea tree oil was the fragrance. As manly men, we use a variety of colognes to add subtle complexity to our un-complex body odour. Would the tea tree oil interfere with the natural order, despite the natural ingredients?
Thankfully, the tea tree oil had a pleasant smell: heady but calming, comprised of wood and herbs, and we enthusiastically applied it as recommended.
The very first day we used the full suite we were given, we definitely felt fresher – and ready to conquer the world! But after applying the tea tree oil to all blemishes, we might have been oiler than when we started. Maybe it just needs some getting used to.
And it became pretty clear these products were created with longevity in mind. Despite our lunch in a particularly oily food court, our face was still matte and sheen-free. The tea tree line survived its baptism of fire and we were still feeling fresh back in the office, barring sleep deprivation.
Your skin normally repairs itself and some strong cleansers actually leave your skin more vulnerable to outbreaks. The Body Shop’s tea tree line proves otherwise.
After a week of routine usage, I can report that my mother definitely approves of my new beauty regime and that my skin has marked improvement. But a lull in usage over the weekends did have our skin revert to its oily complexion so keeping a routine is definitely a must.
Our favorite of the 3 products has to be the tea tree oil itself. Coming in a handy little bottle, it leaves no residue after application so we could just reapply throughout the day on particularly ‘noteworthy’ blemishes. And its fragrance was definitely growing on us: it goes nicely with our evergreen cologne.
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Information:
Facial Wash: S$20.90
Toner: S$24.90
Oil: S$19.90
Available at The Body Shop’s stores and online
Publicity photos courtesy of Klix Photography, Third Culture and The Body Shop