A toner has been part of my skincare routine for years now and I usually always end up going back to Caudalie with their Vinopure Purifying Toner because it just works for my skin. But, when I was kindly sent the Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner, that proudly boasts of being acid-free, I was excited to give it a try.
A lot of people ask what a Toner is and why use one. For me, as well as giving those pores a thorough cleanse, they also work to remove those last traces of excess oil, make-up and dirt. I mostly have combination-oily skin with dryness around my nose and forehead, so excess oil is a bit of a problem for me and a toner helps me deal with it. They can also help to restore your skin’s natural pH balance and help to prepare your skin to better absorb moisturisers and other products you might use.
Your Toner should be used after cleansing and can be used both morning and evening and it was once explained to me that you should view your toner as wake-up call for your skin, a jack of all trades with what it should do for your skin and it should always be used after cleansing but before moisturising.
So with the Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner, it is described as being 'An acid-free exfoliating toner, the vegan Glow Toner promises to slough away dead skin to bring to the fore soft, refined and glowing skin, perfectly prepped for the steps ahead'. As you can see, it comes packaged in a beautiful bottle that clearly tells you what the product is, why it is magical and what is in it to make it good.
Out of the bottle, the Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner has a milky consistency, rather than a clear liquid, so not to be confused with an Essence. To use, I apply a few drops to a reusable cotton wool pad and sweep over my face and neck, though you can apply it directly from your palms to your skin if you wish. As this toner is acid-free, you won't get that telltale tingle that you might experience with other well-known toners, but there is fragrance, so if your skin is sensitive, then it is definitely worth a patch-test before using.
Those all important ingredients create quite a super-power list and the key ingredients to tell you about are:
- NIACINAMIDE – One of my skin's favourite ingredients. Its job is to help balance, smooth, refine those pores and to help to maintain optimal skin function.
- SUPER PEPTIDE ROYALEPIGEN P5 – Described as being a bio-mimetic peptide and its job is to support the natural surface skin cell turnover and to make life easier, it is encapsulated in Shea Butter to help increase absorption into the skin
- EXFOLACTIVE™ – Or to the rest of us, Prickly Pear Cactus flower extract. Its job is to help boost the skin’s natural exfoliation process which in turn helps to improve the appearance of clarity and luminosity, then with it comes the reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- PORETIGHT – Known as Red Clover Flower extract and it works to minimise the appearance of pores
- SODIUM HYALURONATE – This has a much smaller molecular structure than Hyaluronic Acid and its job is to penetrate deeper into the skin to hydrate and retain moisture
What I love about this Toner is that it isn't drying on the skin, gone are the days when you would use a toner that would make you feel drunk upon opening the bottle. It has a smooth texture and whilst it works really well to give that slight glow, it doesn't add moisture to your skin, because that isn't what it is really designed to do and it is why you should use it after cleansing and before moisturising. It is, if you like, the last step of removing absolutely anything left lurking on your skin after cleansing, the role of moisture should come from your serums and your creams. The star point of this toner is that it is acid-free, it doesn't dry out the skin leaving it parched and taut and you also won't be over-doing the acids and it is a vegan-friendly formula.
The Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner is available in two sizes - 30ml which is £15 and then 150ml which is £40 and it can be found very Space NK, Cult Beauty, Feelunique, John Lewis and of course via Charlotte Tilbury.