The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream

If you grew up in the nineties, it's safe to assume that the scent of the Body Shop's tea tree oil is forever marked in your memory along with cute stationery, cassette tapes of boy bands, and awkward crushes. I remember buying that little green bottle every month, hoping against hope that it will finally get rid of my post-pubescent acne. It was pretty effective too! 

However, like all things, I outgrew it. I do appreciate a good comeback in my life though, in the form of The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream (P795)! This was released just a couple of months ago. It promises to provide "flawless coverage whilst tackling the appearance of blemishes." So how was it, really?

Here's a run down!

What I love about the product

• This BB cream has medium to heavy coverage. It can hide minor blemishes and effectively take down redness from angry zits. As I've been having a couple of them recently, this really came in handy!
• The finish is a demi-matte. Not like a flat matte cake, but it isn't dewy either. It's skin-like and natural-looking even with the heavy coverage.
• I found a good shade match in #2. It's actually dark on me and a bit orangey on my skin, but it works well enough as I have a slightly darker neck. I just set it with either translucent powder or any powder foundation in my shade.
• I like the watery, easy-to-spread texture. A little goes a long way, two pea-sized globs should be enough for the whole face.
• It doesn't feel sticky or heavy on my face after a few hours; it didn't compound to my oil on the t-zone. It stays on for a good seven to eight hours before it starts to fade.
• It's hydrating enough that I don't need a moisturizer. It has a bunch of emollients and skin hydrating ingredients and they work really well together.
• Didn't break out from this!

Swatch of the #2 shade. You'll notice it's darker and a bit orange on my skin.

It does look fine when worn though! It has really good coverage, for a BB cream.

What I don't like about the product

• The tube has too large a hole so the product just glomps out when you squeeze it. So just be careful or you'll end up wasting the cream.
• There are only three shades available. Granted they are designed to suit and adjust to a wide range of skin tones, but this can be limiting for some people.

Neutral

• I had a few zits while I was trying this out (about two weeks) and I didn't really notice that they healed faster. They didn't get worse either. I'm not disappointed about it as this BB cream doesn't promise to get rid of your zits anyway, if you read the fine print. It was very vague so I had no expectations. 
  

Recommendations

I find the The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream to be a good daily foundation that has hydrating and anti-bacterial properties. It won't kill your zits, but at least they won't grow worse or multiply. It will help manage them at the very least - something that not a lot of foundations can promise you.

I particularly like the coverage and staying power of this one as these features are what oily, troubled skin immediately needs. I just hope you find a good match!

Verdict

I like it! My skin looks good with it on, I think. ^_^ Will keep on using this regularly.

What do you think? Is this product for you?

Aqua/Water/Eau (Solvent), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (Emollient), Alcohol Denat. (Solvent), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), Cetearyl Olivate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2 (Emollient), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Sorbitan Olivate (Emulsifying Agent), Myristyl Myristate (Emollient), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter (Skin Conditioning Agent - Emollient), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Glycine Soja Oil/Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Polysorbate 60 (Surfactant), Cetyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent), Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil/Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil (Natural Additive), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Sodium Glycerophosphate (Oral Care Agent), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Myristyl Alcohol (Emulsifier/Emollient), Stearyl Alcohol (Emollient), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Leptospermum Petersonii Oil (Fragrance Ingredient), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide (Colorant), CI 77492/Iron Oxides (Colorant), CI 77499/Iron Oxides (Colour), CI 77491/Iron Oxides (Colorant).