Do I really need a toner?

First up in my "Do I really need..?" series

I never thought I needed a toner, until I started reading various beauty blogs: their thoughts and reviews on various products. Then I realised I was using much more cleanser than I needed, just to remove the last remnants of my makeup, because my skin wasn't "squeaky clean". Yet trying to find an affordable toner that does the job proved to be quite the task for my combination skin..

First I thought I'd head to my trusty No7 and snap up the only toner they do in their range: Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner. I chose this as I thought it would compliment the rest of my No7 skincare routine the best, even though as a No7 advisor I know that our cleansers do not need a toner to follow, as the cleansers don't leave any residue on the skin..hence why we only do the one toner! Sadly, this didn't work out for me, probably due to the fact it's a hydrating toner. After the first use, overnight I had developed multiple little pimples of spots across my chin and jawline, which, even when I was suffering with my worst acne, I never had these types of spots, and I had done nothing different with the rest of my skincare routine. I hate to give No7 products a miss as I find them generally great, however this just didn't do it for me, but I think this toner would be great for normal/dry skin types to balance the skin out after cleansing, especially as it's alcohol free. Not to mention that it's £8 for 200ml, and it would be even more of a bargain come round to the £5 off No7 voucher time!

Back to the drawing board, as I searched online for a toner suited more towards a combination skin. Dare I say I struggled, until I came across the Seaweed Clarifying Toner by the Body Shop. Again, very reasonably priced at £8.50 for 200ml, and with rave reviews online, I had to see what all the fuss was about. As you look at the skincare stand within The Body Shop, straight away they are categorised by their ranges, and what skin types they are catered towards; the Seaweed range is specifically targeted for combination/oily skin, and there is also the Tea Tree range, but this is more for blemish-prone skin. If only I knew about this range earlier..

I love everything about this toner! 1) First up, the packaging; simple yet effective, it dispenses just the right amount of product onto a cotton pad without overloading it and wasting any toner. It's pretty robust too, it doesn't leak and you can see exactly how much is left. 2) This toner will last AGES. Because it dispenses just enough, and a little goes a long way, even if it's used more than once a day it's gonna last a long time before it needs repurchasing. And there's no denying I'm going to repurchase this toner, it's just slotted into my skincare routine perfectly: 3) Replacing my third pad of cleanser for one pad of toner means I use less cleanser, yet this toner goes deeper than my cleanser to pull out every last bit of makeup and dirt from my pores, without drying my skin out yet balancing my oils out, you can instantly feel it tighten your pores to stop any dirt making it home. 4) This toner smells divine; fresh and of the sea, it's a joy to use this product! I could go on and on, can you tell I'm impressed? 

Do I really need a toner? Yes, I most certainly do! And if you've got combination skin just like me, I'm sure this would be great for you too. Do you use a toner? 

No7 Cleansing Water

Sorry for the blogging silence over past few days, I was working all weekend and needed a bit of me-time come Monday..yet here I am today, struggling to put together the right words for a blog post! (Oops). Thought I'd give a quick review on the cleanser I swear by, day in, day out, to remove my makeup with ease and leaving my skin feeling refreshed.

Before I got my position as a No7 advisor, I was really bad with my skincare routine, considering how much trouble I've had with my skin in previous years; at best, I would remove makeup with makeup wipes, which would never leave my skin feeling clean or refreshed..at worst, I would sleep in my makeup. (I know, rookie error right there!) Yet, ever since my first use of No7's Cleansing Water, recommended for Normal/Oily skin, (I have Oily/Combination skin), I have been hooked.

This product promises "1 simple step to perfectly clean, refreshed, shine free skin..that leaves no residue, dissolves makeup and impurities whilst helping tighten pores." The ingredients that help to make this happen include: Zinc, which helps control oil production in the skin; Alcohol, which helps to tighten pores; Witch Hazel, which helps to treat blemishes; Glycerin, which helps to put some level of moisture back into the skin, as Alcohol can be quite drying; and "No7's unique multivitamin and mineral blend" to help energise the skin.

It does say on the bottle that you can use your fingers to apply this product to the skin..I must say, you'd be wasting it by the bucketload if you actually did this! However, it does say to use cotton wool pads, which is the ideal way of seeing how well it removes makeup and cleanses the skin. The pump is an ideal way of getting the product onto pads, and I find that three squirts per pad is an adequate amount, and I use two pads, both sides, to remove the majority of my makeup, and use a third pad with two squirts just to make sure my skin is completely clean. (I tend to do this more when wearing full coverage makeup). It can actually be quite scary how much makeup comes off on the pads, but it just goes to show that it lives up to its promise of dissolving makeup from the skin. Also, the cleansing water itself smells so refreshing and clean that I look forward to taking my makeup off at the end of the day, even though I love wearing my makeup. (I've even managed to sell this product based on its smell alone when using it on a customer! And my boyfriend loves the smell too, he says it reminds him of holidays.) Due to the high content of blemish/oil tackling ingredients, I would definitely recommend to use a separate eye makeup remover to do that job.

I've been using this cleanser for over a year, and with the combination of a better skincare routine as a whole, in addition to ongoing medication for my acne and an improved diet, I must say that my skin is in the best condition it has been in since before my teenage years, which is a huge achievement for me! I rarely get any spots these days, even when it is my time of the month, and that's when I used to get raging, sore pustules all over my face. At £9.50, it comes in a 200ml bottle, but I find it lasts me a good few months, at least! Therefore, I would recommend this product to anyone with Normal/Oily/Combination skin, especially if they suffer with excess oil production and/or blemishes, who wants a hassle-free makeup remover that only requires one step. In the coming days, I'm going to blog about my skincare in the past, and the products that now help me to keep a good control on my skin.