I have been an avid follower of asian skincare ever since I was a teen, to be honest it was really one of my first exposures to skincare from my mom. Growing up in Hong Kong, it was much easier and seeing what my mom used all the time that made her skin so nice also helped feed my interest in it. While I grocery shop at T&T Supermarkets, I like to sometimes wander into their skincare/beauty section and I saw this brand NARUKO that I had never heard about. As fate would have it, I had the opportunity to review some of their items a short time after! 

A few items were sent to me from the Tea Tree Shine Blemish Control Series which included:

Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Night Gelly ($28cad/80g)

This is a gel-like product that you apply to the face at night after your regular skincare routine. There is no requirement to rinse and is meant to help your skin absorb any excess oil, prevent any growth of pimples while keeping your skin hydrated, meaning you won't feel stripped even though it helps to suck up the oils. This product is meant to help regulate and maintain the oil-water balance for the skin. This is really important since an imbalance of either oil or water is what causes your skin to either break out in a frenzy of acne or be dry and dehydrated. An added feature of this product is that it is said to also minimize the pores. I do not typically apply this all over the skin, I like to just focus it on my t-zone where I am most oily, as well as the area beside my nose on the cheeks where I have enlarged pores. This would be suitable for all skin types but is obviously more targeted to those with oily/acne-prone skin. It feels very cooling and refreshing when you apply it, it is weightless and doesn't feel sticky and doesn't bother me when I go to bed at night. It also smells great!

Tea Tree Blemish Clear Lotion Precious ($30.50cad/30mL)

This is probably the product I was most excited about as I do have the occasional flare-up of pimples, especially during the time of the month with the hormones etc. I am always looking for a good spot treatment and to be honest, for the past year I have just been using plain old Tea Tree Oil. This formula contains 2% salicylic acid, sulfur, zinc, and magnesium aluminum silicate. It helps to absorb any excessive oil and tame current pimple flare-ups while preventing future acne formation. To use, shake the bottle well, then dip a cotton swab in and swipe over the areas of concern. Let it dry and then resume with daily skincare routine. It is gentle enough for morning and night use, I use it honestly a few times a day to try to zap my aggressive/painful pimples. 

Tea Tree Shine Control & Blemish Clear Mask ($28cad/8masks)

This mask contains activated charcoal which is known for its ability to absorb oil, detox skin and balance it out in terms of the oil/sebum production on the face. This mask helps to do all the above in addition to retaining the water balance of the skin. It also helps to heal any scars from previous pimples you may have had. It is recommended to use this on clean skin so that you can absorb all the benefits from the mask as opposed to having any impurities drawn in from an uncleansed face. You leave it on for 15-20 minutes and then continue with the rest of your skincare routine. Again, this is for all skin types but is geared towards those with oily skin or is acne prone. 

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for review, all opinions are my own.