little white truths

This little toner came as part of a Clarins skincare set I unboxed recently (see here) and it's the last item from the set I have left to review.

Even though I'm halfway through the bottle, I've been holding off on reviewing it because I wanted to get a really good idea of what it's doing. In short, I don't think it's doing much for me at all but it's also not a bad product so I'll use my bottle until it's gone.

Clarins claims/product details:

Verdict

I've had a look online and it appears that this toner has had some great reviews, which surprises me because I honestly think there's nothing to distinguish it - plus it's pretty expensive for what it is and I've used better toners that cost a fraction of the price.

It's a yellow liquid that's slightly thicker than your average watery toner, and it has a strong herbal scent that I don't mind but don't love either. So if you're sensitive to fragrances I would certainly test this prior to purchase.

It feels reasonably soothing against the skin, but again, I've used cheaper toners that feel more refreshing and cooling than this does. If you'd like a great budget alternative that I reckon is light-years better than this, I suggest Nivea's Daily Essentials Refreshing Toner (reviewed here).

Also, while this Clarins toner does remove the last layer of gunk from your face pretty well, I find that my face doesn't feel quite as cleansed and toned after using this as it does with other products (including the Nivea one mentioned above). On top of that, I feel that it leaves a residue behind on my skin that possibly interferes with the products I use after it.

As for product claims, in my experience Clarins has a habit of, as my husband would say -'putting too much cream on its tacos' - and in particular I can't see how this product helps with makeup application or enhances the long-lasting wear of makeup (I mean really?). I also definitely don't think that it enhances the action of products applied afterwards (quite the reverse, since it leaves a residue behind), although you could probably say that the other claims are true (eg I do think it refreshes the skin).

The good news is that this product doesn't strip or irritate my dry, sensitive skin, so I agree that it's gentle as claimed and I'm sure you could do a lot worse if you're after something that's not too harsh. But you could also do a lot better without handing over $40 in the process, so I wouldn't recommend this and instead suggest heading to the chemist or supermarket if you're after something gentle that doesn't break the bank.

Ok.