Guerlain Toner Super Aqua Lotion

Josephine here is not the only one who likes the good stuff. My latest skincare obsession is hydrating toners that not only make skin look and feel fresh, they also moisturize. My nightly routine includes the excellent Lancome Secret de Vie Toner, but in the morning I often prefer something a little more invigorating. This is where Guerlain Super Aqua Lotion (a confusing name, for sure) enters the picture.

Super Aqua Lotion is not as thick as the gel-like Lancome and definitely feels a little more like a toner. But it's still gentle and moisturizing while doing its job to refresh and lightly tone the skin before I start loading it with serums and creams. I don't know much about the desert rose complex Guerlain is using in their Super Aqua line (other than it gives me an earworm- see Sting's song below), but the toner smells nice, feels good and my skin is happy.

Guerlain Sper Aqua Lotion ($48) is available from select department stores. The travel size I've been testing was part of a GWP.

Photo by me.

Lancome Secret de Vie Precious Reviving Toner

Those who've been with me for a while know that I swear by Lancome Secret de Vie Reviving Creme. It's one of few skin care items I'm never without, because it keeps my skin soft, supple and happy under almost any circumstances. Lancome has been expanding the Secret de Vie range, and while I have little to say about the serum or the eye cream (both are nice but nothing special to set them apart from similar products), I'm now completely enamored of the toner.

Toners are usually quite drying, but Lancome offers several great alternatives that actually pamper the skin. I like Tonique Confort which is definitely a lot easier on the wallet, but there is a slight difference that to me justifies the expense. While Tonique Conforts cleans and tones without drying, Secret de Vie instantly improves skin's moisture level and more- any follow-up products I use (serums and creams) seem to get a performance boost. My skin holds them better and retain the nourishment and moisture. It's probably the result of a high content of hyaluronic acid, known to improve skin ability to stay hydrated.

The texture of Secret de Vie toner is thick and serum-like. It gives me a little trouble when trying to coerce it out of the bottle onto a cotton pad, but I guess it's better than a precious liquid that splatters all over the place. Given the results and the state of my skin I'm willing to deal with that.

Lancome Secret de Vie Precious Reviving Toner ($60, 5oz) is available from most department stores and lancome.com.

Photo of a Lancome boutique in the 1930 from elorigendelmundo.blogspot.com

Lancome Tonique Confort

Toners have come a long way since those drying alcoholic liquids of my youth. You were supposed to scrub your skin clean, then follow up with a toner that left your face feeling tingly and dry. Of course, stripping the skin of all its natural oils only meant extra pore activity to replenish them, and breakout galore. Yes, the 80s were fun.

Everyone has learned a thing or two since then (just ask George Michael), and toners are not what they used to be. Take Lancome Tonique Confort, for example. It has the oddest texture: thick and almost gel-like. It's made with honey and almond seed extract and it's not here to dry out your skin. Instead, it feels like an extra pampering while actually picking up any leftover debris or makeup after cleansing.

I use it on those lazy nights when I remove my makeup with cleansing wipes or a towelette and want to make sure my face is really clean without overdrying it. A quick swipe of Tonique Confort feels nice, leaves the skin soft and does the job (surprisingly) efficiently. It's meant for treating dry skin and fully delivers on that. I haven't had any pulling or tightening sensation from using it.

Bottom line: Very good.

Lancome Tonique Confort ($24 for 6.4 oz) is available from every semi-decent department store and lancome.com.

Liz Earle Cleansing System

My fickleness regarding cleansers is a well-known fact. I rarely stay with one product, and more often I rotate between several cleansing methods on any given month. But lately I've been so happy with the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser from Liz Earle and the matching toner, that I'm as close to skin care monogamy as I can ever be.

It works like this: You slather your face with the cleansing cream and thoroughly massage it, including your eye area. It feels like any lotion or even cleansing oil: you'll get the sensation of pores opening and gunk moving out (a bit weird if you've been using rinse-off soaps and gels for a long time). Then you get one of the muslin cloths nice and wet (hot water) and polish it all off, leaving the eyes till the end. The muslin is quite gentle, but just abrasive enough to give you a nice exfoliating without rubbing your face raw. A quick rinse in cool water followed by patting dry with a soft towel and you're all set.

I was surprised to see how well the cleanser removes eye makeup, including mascara. The only problem is that some mascaras leave semi-permanent stains on the cloths. But maybe I should do more aggressive laundering.

A toner is not really necessary, especially not if a cleansing system is as efficient as the Liz Earle one. But I have a thing for toners, especially in the morning. It helps me wake up and look a bit more alive even before I have my tea. The Instant Boost Skin Tonic smells like perfume (lavender, rosemary and some flower extracts) and feels wonderful. Looking at the ingredient list, the toner is much more natural and far less chemical than just about anything I currently have in my cabinets. The main ingredient after water is aloe vera juice and there are other extracts and essential oils that seem to be in high concentration. My only complaint is the cap, that seems to let too much toner out and is quite wasteful. Other than that it's fast becoming a favorite product (and I just discovered that my husband has been secretly using it, too).

Liz Earle products are available online directly from the company's website and also at Fred Segal in Santa Monica and Brownes & Co Apothecary, Miami Beach. I got the products as PR freebies.

A Balancing Act- Biotherm Biopur Pore Reducing Toner

You know this kind of a day: the change of weather, the monthly, the environment, something you ate or the government are sending your skin into an overdrive. Even if your skin is usually dry and your main concern is to keep it from flaking, suddenly you feel a need for some extra cleansing. But you also know well that any shift in balance might cause either super dry patches or a starved and over-compensating skin ( a nice way to say "here comes the zit").

Most of us keep an extra tried-and-true product just for these times. I usually reach for a toner, something I don't use every day, as I prefer wash/rinse products, but I always have one on hand, just because. The brand new Biopur from Biotherm came here at a perfect time, just as I finished a bottle of something else and my face demanded more.

Now, reducing pores isn't exactly a huge skin care concern of mine, so I was a bit hesitant about even giving it a chance and can't comment on this aspect. What I can say, is that the toner picks every last bit of goo, goop and residue from my makeup removers and smooths the skin to a noticeable degree. It feels clean, but there's absolutely no tightening and drying that most products of this kind give me.

Looking at the ingredient list, it seems like a fortified witch hazel product. It would not get a crunchy endorsement, since it does contain methylparaben and a couple of unpronouncables, but it's also enriched with several plant extracts and many ingredients are natural. Also of note are the citrus oils, which can be irritants for people who have certain skin sensitivities. For me, they just make the toner smell nice (it's pretty faint and the citrus is down at the bottom of the ingredient list, but if you know that peeling an orange makes your hand red and itchy, you'd better stay away).

The entire Biopur line should be available any day now from Biotherm's website. I recieved the toner, which retails for $20, as a PR freebie.

Art: The Delicate Balance of Nature by N. Robert Wagstaff.

The Alton Brown Approach to Skin Care- Biotherm Biosource 3-in-1

If you're familiar with Food Network guru Alton Brown (who finally lost that unfortunate facial hair. Hallelujah), you know that he claims that the only kitchen tool allowed to be a "unitasker" is the fire extinguisher. It saves kitchen space, that's for sure, so I wouldn't object to a similar approach to beauty, if only for the sake of my overflowing cabinets and drawers.

Biotherm Biosource Miceallaire 3-in-1 is a cleanser, toner & eye make-up remover. The concept sounds a bit scary, considering most toners have this "avoid eye are" clause and usually a recommendation about what to do if you did manage to get it into your eye, and it ends with "call your doctor".

But I'm a brave little beauty blogger, so I gave it a try.

As far as cleansing goes, the 3-in-1 wasn't up to the task. I don't use tons of makeup, but it still failed to thoroughly remove my foundation and required follow-up with something more efficient. Surprisingly, it did much better on my eyes and managed to easily take care of both my mascara and eyeliner, with only a couple of swipes across the area and no need of pulling or rubbing.

The best results were when used as a toner, after a regular cleanser. It made my face feel clean and refreshed with no drying or tightening. I especially like using it in the morning, because it feels so gentle while waking up the skin.

Berry Clean

Things have been changing in the face cleaning scene the last couple of years. It used to be simple: Everyone had a cleanser and a toner and we used to feel like we haven't done it right if there wasn't a tingling, squeaky clean feel once we were finished.

However, ask most skin care experts today and they'd say that you need to be much more gentle on your face, because over-cleaning and drying actually causes the skin to get active and produce more oil and get generally unhappy and imbalanced. They would also tell you to drop the toner, because it's the most drying product of them all (especially those that still contain alcohol). Modern cleansers aren't supposed to leave behind any residue that needs to be removed and your face shouldn't need any toning.

Old habits die hard. For those who still crave the clean feel of a toner on their skin, there's a three-in-one product that promises to do it all: remove makeup, tone the skin and hydrate it. Cranberry toner by Arcona is all-natural, its ingredient list reads like a Harry Potter herbology class: Hamamelis Virginiana Extract (Witch Hazel), Rice milk, Sodium Lactate, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract (Cranberry), Camellia Sinensis Extract (White Tea), Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract (Grape), D-Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citric Acid, Essential Oils.
I did some research to find out what's Sodium Lactate and found out that it's produced by the natural fermentation of the sugars from corn or beets. These sugars are fermented with lactic acid starter culture, similar to those used for cheese or yogurt production.

One word of caution regarding the ingredients: This toner is basically an enriched witch hazel solution. Witch hazel is an astringent and an anti-oxidant. It's also a known skin irritant and some people are very sensitive to it, so take notice.

Those who don't have a problem with witch hazel will find this toner quite pleasing. It cleanses well (though I prefer to use it as a follow-up to makeup remover wipes) and feels nice on the skin. It usually doesn't give the dry, tightening feeling of regular toners, though you can't skip moisturizing. I'm not wild for the fruity smell and color (the cotton pads turn pale purple after using it, which I find disturbing), but since it's made of cranberry extract I guess it's only natural. Berry lovers would love it, though.