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Vicki Duong

March 21, 2020

EMPTIES; Toners

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This reoccurring category features skincare products I liked enough to use up, but did I like it enough to repurchase? 

​Items featured in this post include L’oreal Hydra Ultra-Fresh Toner, Nena Mineral Toner, Pixi Glow Tonic, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, Aēsop In Two Minds Facial Toner.

Pixi Glow Tonic

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The Pixi Glow Tonic seemingly has a cult following and after trying it for myself I can see why. First off, if you’re a sucker for packing it’s stunning. I love the coral bottle with the sage green label. Second off, it works. It was the right balance of exfoliating while being gentle and I love how long one bottle lasts since it applies so effortlessly.

Would I repurchase? Absolutely. I love that it’s available at Shoppers and repurchasing it is easily accessible.


Nena Mineral Toner

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A mineral toner at this price point ($25-ish via Amazon) is unheard of. Trust me, I’ve been searching for one for years. I love the texture of the Nena Mineral Toner (more like a serum) and would recommend it for those who don’t like the someone stingy nature of toners. Plus it’s a local brand!

Would I repurchase? Yes, but specifically for the winter season since my skin is prone to be oily in the summer. In the summer I do prefer something with a more astringent sensation.


L’oreal Hydra-Total 5 Ultra-Fresh Toner

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Out of all the toners in this post, this is the one that smells most like a spa and that alone earns it a few extra bonus points. The L’oreal Ultra-Fresh Toner also doesn’t have any burning sensation and reminds me a lot of a micellar water instead. The label boosts it’s five features (tones, removes impurities, refreshes, tighten pores and smooths.)

Would I repurchase? Yes, I would. I love that the L’oreal skincare line has toners specifically for different skin types so I was able to pick the one for oily to combination skin. Also, who can refuse drugstore prices?


Aēsop In Two Minds Facial Toner

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Aēsop toner that cost $45 for 100 mL? Yep, you’re girl is bougie. I’m kidding mostly, this was gifted to me. I don’t have $45 toner money. This is a mild toner with witch hazel and niacinamide making it ideal for pH balancing and I liked that it smells expensive (which to be fair, it should.) It has a slight orange tinge to it, but not so much that it bothered me.

Would I repurchase? At this price, no. Perhaps if it was leaps and bounds better than any other toner I’ve used before but tbh it’s a pretty standard toner in rich people packaging.


The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

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Yo, do you really need a review of a toner that is less than $10 and comes in this giant bottle? I noticed improvement in my skin texture within the first few days of using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid toner and I love the fine tip nozzle to control dosage. This continues to be my go-to toners whenever I’m running low and have no toners awaiting testing in my stockpile.

Would I repurchase? Hands down, 100% yes. I would have repurchased this toner multiple times.

Posted In: ARCHIVE, Archive Beauty · Tagged: aesop, beauty, empties, l'oreal, nena, pixi, skincare, the ordinary

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