My Skin’s New Frien-emy
You’ve probably heard this before from me or we might have even shared the same opinion about facial toners – not all of us need it. I like to consider that I have relatively good skin – it’s not prone to break outs, it stays hydrated most of the time, and it does have a slight natural glow that I am quite pleased with. It isn’t perfect but I was fairly satisfied with it.
Besides, all facial toners that I’ve tried before, both drugstore and high end brands didn’t work for me. No matter how “gentle” they claimed them to be, they dry out my skin so much it felt like my face was going to burst into scars.
Change Of Heart
My mom gave me a Clinique Clarifying Lotion Number 2 (Thanks mom!). It’s basically a toner specifically for women with dry combination skin type. It comes in a nice purple bottle and probably costs more than I would spend for a toner, I thought, so I gave it a try. The first few days weren’t remarkable at all but the fact that it didn’t feel like it was hurting or over exfoliating my skin kept me using it. It took around two weeks before I was baffled by the difference it made on my skin.
A Friend
My face felt cleaner, leaving it with a soft powder like texture after every application. The remarkable result however is that it made my skin brighter! My blackheads around my nose have also disappeared. Even my boyfriend noticed it, and we all know that a product is working if the clueless genius boyfriend says something about it. (he reads my blog too)
It was a result of the toner making my pores smaller and causing my entire face to appear smoother and clearer. It really does effectively removes dullness from your skin. It’s quite addicting to use it for this very reason but I also keep in mind that it contains harsh ingredients so aside from using it twice a day like it says on the bottle I only use it at the most once a day.
An Enemy
Aside from its alcohol scent and the occassional fumes that can sting your eyes, if you apply it like a newbie that I am and because it made my face brighter, it exposed some of my few little and used-to-be hardly noticable red bumps on my skin and dark circles around my eyes.
It also became a little harder for my skin to absorb moisturizer creams and my liquid foundation does not stick well to my face as good as it did before. I feel like it creates an invisible thin mask of dead skin that sits over my face. It is as gross at it sounds. Flakes of cream peel off on some areas of my face when I rub it! I somehow solved this problem by using my facial scrub more than I usually do.
Final Thoughts
I’m still a little bit in limbo as to if I really like this product or not. So far I have been using it regularly and I like how it makes my face smoother and remarkably brighter, especially since my skin was not really dull to begin with. But until the other side effects I’ve had are completely solved, this product will remain as my skins friend and enemy. I would however recommend you to get their free skin consultation and some samples of their toner specifically made for your skin type, because among all the toners that I’ve tried this is the only one that gave me noticeable good results. Well that is it for today ladies. Have a great day! :)
Do you use a facial toner? Hows your experience with it?
Clinique Clarifying Lotion Number 2
Clinique Website
Available in Rustans Philippines
logo from their website
70 Comments
I seldom put anything on my face. Only foundation and powder every morning whenever I go out. Then at night I just wash everything off with water. Not even with soap. Oops! Haha. Need to start investing in some proper facial products!
hm, I have very sensitive skin (cos I have rosacea) so I could really use something that's really gentle to the skin and takes care of it. Let me know what you decide on finally? I'm intrigued :) Love the pictures btw. x
I do not use that product even though I heard so many good things about it. Now I know it has good benefit and ok benefit. great review.
http://tifi11.blogspot.com
Thanks for this review shayne! I was actually thinking of trying this product since my friend (who is not really into skin care or makeup) loves it and recommended this to me since i have super oily and problematic skin. My concern is the price. I hope they have a smaller bottle so it doesn't have to be above Php1000 hehe But I'll try to check their store in Megamall for the skin consultation :)
http://thebudgetfashionseeker.blogspot.com
(befere I comment the topic on this post, I'll leave here my answer to your question, to make sure that you can see it :3 )
I currently own 3 : Au Naturell, Oh So Special and Storm. From mine, I can only recommend storm, since the other two have pigmentation problems with the matte eyeshadows. Now, keep in mind that my palettes are all quite old (2 years if I'm not mistaken), and sleek did a reformulation of their eyeshadows. I've seen reviews of the new au naturell and oh so speciall and they seem to be way better than mine.
Oh, I also recommend the original one. My mother bought one for her last year (after the reformulation) and the pigmentation was crazy.
Oh and also, they blushes are really good, specially when a few are perfect dupes for the NARS blushes :P
Take care, have a nice day :3 **
I actually really like toners <3 Unless they contain too much alcohol!
My favourite is from The Body Shop, from their tea tree line. Although I have to admit that I'm thinking about getting a hydrant tonic from caudalie for my also dehydrated skin.
I never tried anything from clinique. Recently I've been intrigued by their take the day off line (both the cleansing balm a waterproof makeup remover). I've heard good reviews about their toners and moisturisers. I might try to get one of those mini.trial kits to test their line.
Thank you very much for your review!
Take care, Have a nice day!*
Your super lucky to be satisfied with your skin, I have oily and acne prone skin but it isn't that bad. I have to use pimple fighting toners which stings the sin but it works well..
http://steph-g.blogspot.com/
We have the same skin type! I've been looking all over the place for something that will help with removing my blackheads! I'll take your word for it and try this out :)
Does this have salicylic acid? Maybe that's why it works but it also dries the skin out a bit.
I agree, not all of us need toners. I don't use one when my skin is relatively good. All the toners I use are medicated (either with clindamycin, or salicylic acid). Not sure if you can consider a liquid acne solution as 'toner;
I also have dry skin, but unfortunately a cleansing milk is not enough when you wear foundation every day. You really need some sort of toner or micellar water to remove everything.
a salute to your boyfriend for noticing :)
Toners are such hard products to buy! I have oily skin and you would think that most toners are good, but in the end my skin gets dehydrated and it burns. I've tried a few, but no success so far… that one seems nice.
I am also a newbie when it comes to using toners! I have heard so many people talking about this toner and most of the reviews I read were positive. I haven't tried it yet but I am planning to as I don't have much left from the one I am using right now! I am using the body shop tea tree one and I don't really know if it works or not, as you said it's both an enemy and a friend to my skin! Thank you so much for sharing this post and for your lovely comment on my blog.x
xxxx
Stephanie
vidathings.blogspot.co.uk
I had having trouble finding a toner that works for me. I have fairly dry skin and I found that the alcohol content in most toners dry me out even more. I had the same problem with the Clinique one that you used as well. I recently found a toner that's perfect – it's all natural and isn't super drying. It's called Dickinson's All Natural Toner and the main ingredient is witch hazel and even the alcohol content in it is produced naturally by the witch hazel. Definitely recommend it if you ever get tired of the Clinique one :]
xo Deborah
Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
i only had a strict regimen when i was around 19 or 20. because of the breakouts lang. tapos ngayon i'm super lazy when it comes to these things.. i probably should start taking care of my skin again. :) happy for you that you finally found a toner that actually works. ♥:)
Oh good god I have their Mild Clarifying Lotion (misleading name, it's actually a toner, heh) and it broke me out over the course of several weeks earlier this year. STILL HAVE SCARRING, SO IDK MAN. I've stayed away from Clinique toners ever since. (But yeah, everyone's skin is different and reacts differently!)
I am currently using a witch hazel toner, and currently enjoying that, so that's good!
Vanessa | Citron and Guavaberry ʘ‿ʘ | Makeup & Silly things
Eeeek, I also have combination/dry skin. It's a weird skin type (for me) oily on the t-zone, normal and dry on the rest of my face. It's pretty hard to look for a suitable skin care. I've tried from both spectrums (high and low) too! I've yet to a skincare regimen that works wonders for me. I might change my diet, because it is largely because of that, that my skin is like this.
have you tried the dickinson toner from healthy options? it works quite well but is not harsh to skin at all ;) plus its way cheaper than clinique ^_^~
I've got to try some of Clinique's products recently, but the experience wasn't that bad. Great review & would certainly look fwd to more. Happy holidays!
for several years when i was a teenager i was like that too! then i started experimenting with facial wash bec of acne, one of the first products that my skin became very comfortable with was cetaphyl, you might like to check it out :)
im sorry to hear that, i actually googled it bec ive never heard of it before. do you use special skincare from dermatologist? i cannot say that it is really gentle because whenever i use it twice a day i feel like my skin dries a bit so i only use it once a day. maybe if you try their other toners specially made for sensitive skin it might work. thanks natasja :)
thanks jackie :)
if i am not mistaken sis its around 1300 something in Rustans but they probably have a smaller bottle because this one is mega big. it will take me forever to use it all up. but they have a lot of sample sizes that you can start and experiment with first before you get the big one :)
thanks diana! i actually have 2 blushes from them already and i really really like it , even more than some of my high end blushes <3 when you say original did you mean au naturell? :)
unfortunately when i researched online many said this toner contains a lot of alcohol :( it was quite a turn off but its working for me somehow. ive tried some body shop products before because my friend really liked them too but it was then i discovered that i am allergic to tea tree oil products ^^
i get that feeling too whenever i have a pimple and i apply toner. the feeling is quite alarming to be honest so i dont use any toner whenever i have acne ^^ thank you stephanie :)
ah this works in removing blackheads :) that was one of the first thing that i noticed after a couple of weeks of using it and i was very very happy cause i have major nose blackheads issue :P
I have yet to try this product. My mom uses this and she loves it.
hmm it didnt say that it has salicylic acid according to the bottle. i just try to use it as seldom as i can, probably use it less when its colder :) thank you rae! :)
ooo cleansing milk sounds so luxurious, i dont believe ive seen one made for the face. what brand is it your using? id like to check it out :)
hahaha, its like a miracle happening everytime he does :) thanks arya!
ah i agree! :) im quite lucky to came across with this product for free esp since i think the bottle is expensive :)
thanks stephanie! <3 that body shop tea tree toner seems popular. you are the second girl that mentioned it here. let me know which of the clinique toners you will end up trying or getting :)
will check it out as soon as the bottle is finished, although it might take awhile because its so big ^^ thank you so much for your recommendation deborah :)
wow your skin looks nice considering that your bit lazy on looking after it :) youre very blessed sis <3
ah i hate it that they called their toners clarifying lotion! why not just say its a toner. but i know that scarring feeling and im glad i dont get it from this one :)
im trying to do the same too, mostly for health issues. i love junk foods kase tsk tsk ^^ but its true, proper diet and lots of water are still a lot more effective than beauty products :)
sis youre the second person that suggested that brand, macheck nga, how much is it? :) thank you! <3
thank you shirley :) i think im going to purchase their yellow moisturizer next week. have you tried it? is it good? and happy holidays to you too! :)
i feel like clinique is really one of those mom approved products :) thanks mel!
your pics are lovely!
http://flowersandcrowns.blogspot.com
I don't use toners but I do use rose water after face wash. However, at the moment my skin is at it's worst. It's breaking out. I'm in the hunt to find a gentle exfoliater and face wash but not having luck
I've seen great reviews on this! I'll have to check it out!:)
I'll be answering here too :P
I really love their blushes but, the NARS ones have a really soft spot for me <3
Oh no, the Original is an actual palette – http://www.sleekmakeup.com/original-i-divine-pa-original-i-divine-palette I'm not sure why they gave that name, I'm not sure if it's their original makeup palette or not XD
Take care*
Oh :x that's really sad :< I'm somehow allergic to Clerasil products too...I always run from them...
Take care, have a nice day!*
Excellent review Shayne, very well written and executed, I tried this product a few times but found it was too harsh for my very sensitive skin. Thanks for participating in my last post sweety, it was great to hear your thoughts.
I really don't use toner on my face, I'm afraid actually. But this is one great review. Would love to recommend this to my friends who uses toner though.
keep in touch
xx
ellie
new post –> http://chasingculprit.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-vampire-style-diaries-goes-to.html
ah! haha i will check that out :) thank you diana! im excited to get their eyeshadows, might take awhile tho because i just recently ordered the new naked palette online, which should arrive on my doorstep after a month ^^
you too! <3
thanks daniela! :)
have you tried st ives facial scrub naaj? :) btw how was your visit to the hospital?
thanks for dropping by lupe :)
thanks ellie! i know that feelings, its hard to shop for toners because they can be really harsh to your skin most of the time :)
thank you too sam! have a great day <3
Toners and I don't get along. >.> Even though I'm oily by nature, they really strip my skin.
I haven't Shayne. Maybe I'll give it a go. Hospital….. I'm getting tired of it actually. I'm drafting a post about how I'm currently feeling, you may get a glimpse of my hospital journey because I'm not sure whether to publish it or not.
Hmm. Sounds pretty good! I'm still looking for a good toner. I tried several and I ended up always having a breakouts. Hindi ko naman siya ma-stop coz I feel so clean whenever I use toner. I must try this. Confuse lang aq sa numbers? 1 is for what?
http://www.missordonya.com/
Thanks for great review, dear. I've never tried this cosmetic product but I absolutely will.
http://www.andie-chambers.blogspot.cz
Really nice and informative review! :) Not a big fan of toners and trying out different products on my face (it's a bit sensitive hehe). I'd probably just tell my friends abt this tho! Hehe!
I am quite satisfied with my skin, too, thanks to my dad's flawless skin genes lol I would apply face powder and put on lipstick with a neutral shade when I go out but when I am at home, I let my skin rest. I don't use toner or anything for the face, a moisturizing soap or facial wash and water are usually enough. This is a great review, though, and your shots are really beautiful. You have a great and well-designed blog. Looking forward to read more! :-)
i hope you posted it, will head to your blog in a short while to check on your update :)
so nice to hear from you again bethany! :)
ay sis i can relate, its so addicting to use just because it feels that way. but i learned to stop using it when my skin feels like it does not need it. there are weeks i apply it once a day and some weeks where in i use it every other day nalang. 1 – very dry – dry / 2 dry combination / 3 oily combination / 4 oily ,you can go on their website to take a test to find out which suits you best :)
thanks for dropping by andie! :)
thank you jhanz i appreciate it! :)
thank you for your kind words irene :) you remind me of myself when i was a teenager, i pretty much have the same exact facial routine / cycle. it was very simple and yet really satisfying :)
Hello lovely, just came across your blog and it's great!
I'm your newest follower, looking forward to your next post! :)
Please check out my blog if you can, Thank you!
http://www.electricsunrise.blogpost.co.uk
xoxoxox
I'm not one for the intensity of Clinque products. I've tried them, and they've hurt my skin more than heal them. ;v; More like an enemy than a friend. I'm happy this one worked for you though! *A*
Thank you for the review! <3
http://pandagin.blogspot.com/
thanks helen i appreciate it! <3 sure! :)
aw sorry to hear that wei, that was also my concern when i first tried their product im happy it worked out well for me, i bought their moisturizer yesterday to see if that will do my skin good too :) thank you!