Briefly mentioned here in a Midweek Beauty Peek, I’ve been using this toner for quite a while – it’s pretty large at 236ml and costs S$40 on the Luxola website. This is stated as meant for Skin D,S Types, which I believe means dry and sensitive skin. I’ve tried several Mario Badescu products; generally, I find that the brand has effective and no frill products sold at rather reasonable prices, although prices have crept up quite significantly over the last few years.
A little about my skin type – it’s very dry but not particularly sensitive; I don’t get many pimples except during the time of the month. I do have some uneven skin texture, visibly clogged pores and it looks dull. I read about how using exfoliating toners could help with the dullness and I’ve been hunting for the perfect one that could help brighten up and even out my skin.
Claims on the bottle:
An exfoliating and rejuvenating toner that is soothing and effective for dull, dry or sensitive skin. Grapefruit Extract (AHA) and Glycolic Acid help to naturally break down the bond of dead skin cells that can cause blackheads, breakouts and dull texture.
Ingredients:
Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Glycolic Acid
The packaging is fuss free – just a plastic bottle with a snout. The snout looks weird but it’s actually great because it helps to control the amount of product being poured out. I apply it once a night by pouring some on a cotton pad and wiping across my face. I don’t know much about ingredients, but I like how simple it is – just 4 on the list!
After using, there is no residue, no sticky feeling. It doesn’t feel too drying immediately after use too. This was the first acid toner I ever tried (not this bottle obviously), and when I first started I felt some stinging on my skin; but after graduating to other acid toners, this doesn’t cause any skin reactions at all. However, after using it consistently for the whole week, I did find my skin feeling slightly drier than before, but not as bad as most acid toners that I’ve tried.
In all, I thought this was a good ‘starter’ toner, or an acid toner for days when your skin needs something but can’t handle anything too strong. I didn’t find that it cleared my clogged pores or brightened up my skintone dramatically; it did a little bit but I have found other products that performs better, albeit at greater skin sensitivities. So how I work with this is to use some stronger acid toners on days when my skin feels ‘stronger’, but if I feel like I’m having a finicky skin day yet still feels clogged and needing a good acid toner then I would switch to this.
I would recommend this if you’re trying acid toners for the first time or your skin is unable to handle other stronger acid toners like the Alpha H. Do you use an exfoliating toner in your routine? What have you tried and what would you recommend?
The Good Life Bunny 