Tuesday 17 March 2009

{Beauty Tuesday}: Toners Tried & Tested

Hello everyone, welcome to another {Beauty Tuesday} Tried & Tested, this week it's toners. Toners are one of those non-essential things, as long as you cleanse properly (i.e. rinse with water after whatever cleanser you use), you can skip the toner part.

I tend to use a cleanser face wash whenever I can but most mornings there just isn't the time, so I'd use a cream cleanser instead and use toner afterwards, it's like the "rinsing" stage, also it's cold and wakes me up! I use it in the evening too and also sometimes as masks, I think I typically use up a 200ml toner in about 2 months! ps, I have normal/combination skin & not really sensitive.

In case you missed the first post, here is the rating guide:
- Extremely amazing! A product with a 5 star rating is one which I will buy again and again and is obviously better than the other products
- Great product, will definitely buy again
- Good product, might buy again, say it was Gift Time or something
- Works fine, but nothing special, won't buy again unless it's in the sale & money is tight!
- Works ok, could be better, won't be buying again
- Do not like at all, definitely won't be buying again


Lush Tea Tree Water
Breath Of Fresh Air
Eau-Roma Water
I absolutely love Lush's toners, they are everything I look for in a toner, light texture (non sticky), refreshing, doesn't irritate my skin and affordable! The Tea Tree one is for oily skin types (my teenage days) but at the same time is also gentle and doesn't strip too much from the skin.
Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 and 3
3 was definitely too harsh for me, 2 is better but I just don't like having alcohol in a toner, sure it cleanses really well but I prefer something such more gentle.

Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris Toner (Combination or Oily Skin)
Lovely frangrance, nice light texture, not too harsh on the skin either. Slightly expensive when comparing to the Lush prices though.
Nuxe FLORAL 3 ROSES CLEANSING WATER 200ML
A greener toner, light floral smell, perfect texture (like spring water with added goodness for the skin)
Estee Lauder Perfectly CleanFresh Balancing Lotion
A little thick in its texture, sometimes irritates my skin a little when using, especially when used as a mask.
Origins A Perfect World™ Toner
Everything about it is great, I would buy this all the time if it's 50% cheaper! Although it might be worth the extra money if you're jusing the whole A Perfect World range (a wonderful range by the way, more reviews on it later)
Lancome ClarifyingExfoliating Toner
This was one of my first toners and I really liked it, that is until I discovered the other great products, again this has the problem of sometimes irritates my skin a little, maybe because of the alcohol?

Bodyshop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner
A bit too thick in texture for me, a little soapy, sometimes stings a little too.
Aloe Calming Toner
This one is much better, light texture, non-irritating. Good price too.
Tea Tree Oil Facial Toner
Again this is for oily skin types, stonger than the Lush one.
Botanics Pore Perfecting Toner for Blemish Prone skin
The powder dries out the skin, oily skin types are often dehydrated skin too, hence I find this too mattifying.

L'Oreal De-Maq Expert Milk-Toner 2in1 Make-up Remover
This is more like a cream cleanser than toner, although it does turn into liquid, but the skin doesn't feel refreshed after using. As a cleanser it's alright, nothing too special.
No7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner for Normal/Dry Skin
Texture is ok but irritates my skin!
Eau Thermal Avene Water Spray
This is just spring water really, but the spray can be really handy in windy weathers to hyrates the skin.
RMK Skintuner Light
This is such a lovely toner, RMK is a Japanese brand that I am really loving at the moment, some of my all time favorites are theirs! The toner has a light scent, light texture but packed with goodness, with many fruit extracts. The only downside is the price, similar as the big brands like Lancome etc.
Kose Medicated Sekkisei Lotion
I bought this when I was travelling in China during August, scared I might get tanned with all the walking under the sun (this might be a little strange to you, white pale skins are the most attractive in Asian eyes), so I bought this in a 400ml bottle. The sub-brand is quite famous for bring out brighter, whiter skin tones but I didn't really notice any. Although I didn't get tanned either so maybe it worked?

Now onto some award giving, I feel so honored to have received 6 awards in the last week, it really means the world to me, and I mean it, I spend around 2-3hrs each day on my blog & reading other blogs for inspirations so this really does mean a lot to me :)

The "I like you" award from the wonderful little clover heart, our.city.lights & Zebra Stripes and Runaway Kites goes to: City of Dionne, P A N D A B L U S H*, Ill Seen, Ill Said, Simply Seductive, Sweet & Low, Girl Japan, Swish and Swanky, Aphex Nation

The "Fabulous Blog" award from the lovely Kosmopolight goes to: a cat of impossible colour, Almost Stylish, Cherry Magazine, Daisy Chain Dreams, Fashion Bananas, Flashes of Style, I am Styleish, phi s t y l e, there's no sex in your violence & Already Pretty

The "lemonade" award from the amazing Carrie Can goes to: PORCHLIGHT INTERIORS, étonnant blossom, street inspiration, Janetteria, mayk all day every day.,

and finally the "Kreativ Blogger" award from the gorgeous The Magic Risotto Diaries. goes to: Femme Rationale, PARK & CUBE, LoveMore, Violet Posy, Zucchero, Zucchero, {this is glamorous} & you are my fave .

Also as part of the Kreativ Blogger award, I have to share 7 things I love, I thought a picture would do a better job than just words :)

xx

(beauty product images from stated links, handbags ,Flickr photos 2 3 4, cats, paris)

70 comments:

Local Girl said...

Have you tried the toners by Bliss Labs? They are a leave on gel, which is a bit weird at first but they work brilliantly. Love your reviews!

Anonymous said...

Woo, you have reviewed tons, and I love it. It is nice because sometimes I am unsure of what to use = )

Local Girl said...

Doh! I didn't even notice my award, I was too busy reading about the toners - LOL! Thankyou xx

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Great reviews!!! Impressive. That's a lot of toners you tried for us!!

And congrats on all of your awards!! Well deserved!

littletiara said...

wow! Yeah, you've tried all those products? OMG, lol. I'm not really a big fan of toner, I mean, I even sometimes forget to wash my face (boo me!) But sometimes, only sometimes, I use the bodyshop, or L'oreal. Hehehe...

Tina { Luphia Loves... } said...

lol, I'm a bit crazy over toners, should really use less & save money! :)

that gel sounds interesting Liz, will def try it out!

Panda ♥ said...

Oh, I think i need the non tanning toner ^^ Thanks for all the reviews.. must try the lush ones.. never knew they did toners!

Zoella. said...

Thanks for the reviews! I don't reall use a toner much but have just got a sample of the breath of fresh air, and from what i can see you gave that one the most stars. I'm loving it and will probabay purchase the full size. :) Love these reviews x

Porchlight Interiors said...

Congrats on all your awards Tina and thanks for passing one on to us! Tracey & Hayley xx

Dallas Shaw said...

i have been faithful to clinique... thats for the review

dallas
http://dillydallas.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much, beautiful! I'm honored. ;)

Couture Carrie said...

Fab review! Will have to try that Nuxe one! Sounds divine . . .

xoxox,
CC

Green Girl said...

i really like the Tea Tree Oil toner.

the notebook doodles said...

oh this is an interesting post!! too bad i don't use that many products for myself. but if i do, i'd probably be following this review.

❤sb

Francesca Tan said...

Wow thank you for these definitely! I love using toners, they are really refreshing like what you've mentioned although i never come to know what's the exact reason for a toner haha. This post is great!

www.janetteria.com said...

Thank U, thank U very much. U are a doll! :D

xoxo: Janet

Ella Gregory said...

I was thinking of buying some Clinique for the first time but maybe I'll go for something else noe.

May Kasahara said...

thank you soooo much for the award ♥ x1000

and I am totally with you on LUSH toners. They are the best.

ps. I am in love with your beauty review posts.

agnes said...

6 awards! don't be surprise dear.. you really deserve it :)

michelle said...

what kind of skin do you have?

Aline said...

Thank you for the review and congratulations on the awards!!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous post! I am really enjoying this beauty series that you're doing! And thank you so much for the blog award, it means a lot :)

Have a wonderful St. Patrick's day!

Holly said...

tina! thank you so much. i love your blog, too :)

Dionne said...

Awww... thanks for the award!

I love your list of 7 things you love. Even though I haven't been to Paris, it's on my list, and so is my mama!

(I have posted up the Springtime Swap Parnters - yours is Maki, her link is on the post. This is going to be so much fun!)

carolina @ patagonia gifts said...

Very impressive reviews, darling!
Love that kittens image!
xoxo

Blair Friedeman said...

Oh, I love the images you used for your tag! I really don't know how you can test so many products Tina! Happy st paddys day! xx

Emz said...

haha wow you've been trying a lot of toners! haha =) I'm actually using the body shop one lol but I've got insanely thick skin haha, but I'll definitely go try some of the lighter ones for the summer!

Tina { Luphia Loves... } said...

just updated: sorry I forgot to mention I have normal/combination skin :)

xx

Anonymous said...

I really need to use toners!

Delmy said...

Thanks so much for the award!!! XOXO

Kati said...

Thank you for this review!

Jenny - pygmeestyle.blogg.se said...

Great review, I really want to try the japanese one :)

Gina said...

i love cats too :) <3

erika sorocco said...

Replace summer with fall or winter and we would have identical loves!

Kelly said...

i am totally digging the reviews!

phi-style said...

aww you are too sweet! thank you for the award!

your reviews are great! i'm so bad about using toner. everytime i get a facial, the esthetician always tells me how important it is to use to close up your pores, but i hate the thought of adding ANOTHER step to my get-ready-for-bed routine. your review has kind of inspired me to start using it again though. =)

Winnie said...

Oooh, wow what a great review. I used Clinique for a while and hated it. It contains alcohol so draws the moisuture out of you skin which is bad bad bad! I've been using a Kiehls one at the moment which i love.

Unknown said...

i love that miu miu

Andrea Eames said...

Hi there :) Thanks so much for the award, lovely lady, it's very kind of you.

Andrea xx

Tiffany said...

love your reviews and your little hearts.

thanks for passing along the award to me, so honored to be one of your picks!

Kay said...

I love this post! Very tempted to go out and buy the Lush products now

Anonymous said...

wow, what another great review! You've convinced me I really need to try some more out :-)

Mel said...

wow, you've tried on all those toners? great review though, but i never use toner..like u've said, it's not that necessary..=P

Jessica said...

awesome post ! i find it is such a good idea that you are doing this ! Very helpful review, will definetly be coming back to your blog !

{S.T.U.F.F.} said...

{LUV} this post, so much to read and do!.
CONGRATS! on the awards...well deserved :-)

roxanne said...

i've been looking to get serious with my facial routine lately (i shamefully admit that i treat my skin terribly, and i know it won't continue to look good forever), so this was a super helpful post. i'll definitely be trying some of this stuff out!

Flashes of Style said...

Ooh what a lovely guide :) And thank you so much about the award! I have linked you as well I am so sorry it took so long, I thought I did it long ago hehe :)

Annabel Wendt (LoveMore) said...

oh thanks so so much for this award!!! :) you are such a sweet and lovely girl miss. I will do this post asap and list my 7 things with it (if i have read correctly???)

good beauty tuesday post too! i don't do the toner thing..i really should! my skin is by no means perfect.

hope you have a lovely day sweetness! :)

love LM

Janelle said...

What a great post! Thanks for the review on toners. I'm quite interested in trying the LUSH Tea Tree Water!

Joyti said...

Great guide. I've never tried Lush products, but I've also heard good things about their bath line...

Maki said...

Hey Tina,

Guess what? You and I are the pair for the swapping Dionne has created on her blog... Would you please email me on jsmygirls@yahoo.com, so we can talk more about it???

xoxo

TIG said...

Thanks so much for the award! Love your 7 thing you love -- summer, handbags and Paris would definitely make my list as well.

Hope you're having a great week and thanks again!

Unknown said...

Very helpful. I am not very good at taking care of my skin, usually just some water, and a bit of body lotion ( on my face, horrible I know). And really, I don't know where I would ever start if I did, but uh, now I do!
Thanks!!

Stacy said...

Paris and Icecream, aww I agree.

freeteyme said...

I've tried Clinique and I agree. It didn't do much for my skin.

WOW! congratulations on all your awards!

Suri May said...

wowwww you tried all of those?! haha awesome! great work. i'm constantly seeking advice for skin care. lush looks pretty good now. should go check it out.

and my gosh! so many awards but so deserved! congratulations :D

<3

kari and kijsa said...

Happy St. Patricks Day!
blessings, kari & kijsa

MizzJ said...

Great and super thorough review! It sounds like you have sensitive skin? You might like The Face Shop products too, it's a gentle beauty line originating in Korea. Toners are great to refresh the skin and clean off any residue left behind by your cleanser. I like to use Nivea calming toner since it doesn't contain alcohol.

Unknown said...

The toner review is interesting. Toner's have been getting bad reps lately. Some dermatologists recommend just cleansing and moisturising because toners strip the skin really badly! But the organic Lush stuff looks really good.

Rachel said...

Oh no, the kose sekkisei didn't whiten your skin? i had a friend buy the whole sekkisei set for me in japan...I'm waiting to finish the other skincare products before opening it. Perhaps the toner only works in conjunction with the other sekkisei products...

Shes Dressing Up said...

Great post! I mainly use LUSH face products, love them =]

Gedankenlos said...

great post and thank youuuuu for the award!!! :D

TheBeautyFile said...

One of the best toners I have come across is the Mario Badescu Aloe Vera Toner. It is so gentle and really moderately priced.

Nicole Then said...

wa!! this post on the beauty product reviews is just heaven :D I love beauty reviews. thank you for doing this girl ;) very useful

T said...

HANDBAGS! I LOVE THEM.

Nina (Femme Rationale) said...

thank u so much for the blog award!...again!! this is my 2nd one from you, i believe. and you deserve all the awards...your blog really is fabulous!

alissa said...

ooo i like to sleep too haha thats a fun collection

Alex said...

You should try the Demalogica Multi Active toner I love it as it comes in a spray that you spritz on and it feels really refreshing so perfect as you were saying to make you feel more awake!

No need to wipe off either so saves on the cotton pads ;)

Zornitsa said...

I am currently using L'oreal mek-up remover and Avene thermal water and I am addicted

Little Bow Prep said...

Wow, what a great summary!

Congrats for all of the awards!

Your blog is truly awesome!

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