Hydrating Toner

The 90s sort-of ruined toners. I'll admit that I did not use one up until about 2 years ago, actually. For awhile all I could think of was the ads for "toners," which were really astringents my Seventeen Magazines growing up. They were harsh and full of alcohol and made the skin feel just awful - even in those days. Now that I'm a bit older and much more well-informed, I'm so glad that toners have come back around and are even more advanced than their predecessors (Indie Lee's CoQ10 is another fave).

Mila's cleansing toner, however, is the holy grail of toners. It not only pH balances the skin, but it gives an instant firmness. And when I say firmness, I'm not talking about that squeaky clean tight feeling but firm as in the skin feels clean, healthy and strong. When I put on my serums afterwards, I don't have the feeling of them sitting on the top of my skin as the toner really helps to have these products penetrate into the dermis.

While I do recommend using Mila's full regimen for optimal results, I would say if you are using a current skin care routine that is working for you but still want to amp it up a bit, definitely try her cleansing toner and refining lotion - these two alone will make any other products in your regimen hyper-active and effective.

My first thought was, "$70 for a toner?" Hmmmmm, okay. I've been using Murad's Essential C toner for quite some time, and I have always been pleased with the results; however, after reading Alicia's review on this toner, I had to give this one a try...and I am so glad I did.

I don't know what magic is hidden in this toner, but let me tell you this toner is unlike any toner you have ever used, or might use in the future. Once I swiped it over my skin, I could tell an immediate difference; my skin felt firm. When I say , 'firm' I do not mean the kind of dry firm you get when you use an astringent with loads of alcohol in it, I mean 'firm' in the sense that your skin feels plumped and supple...kind of like patting a collagen rich moisturizer into the skin...nice, plumped and firm. Once the toner is absorbed into the skin, in a matter of minutes, your skin feels like a cross between velvet and silk. I've never experienced anything like it.

As a makeup artist, proper skin prep is so important. How one preps the skin determines how the makeup will look and adhere, and I must say.... this toner will be in my kit from now on. Is this toner worth the $70? Absolutely. Try it...I guarantee you'll love this toner.

So my past experience with toners was a Dickenson's witch hazel toner. You know, it came in a giant bottle from Costco, I thought it would help my acne prone skin when I was 17 but really, it just dried it out and seemed to do nothing. So I hadn't touched a toner since then....until now. This has made me a convert, for SURE. My skin feels soft but additionally cleansed and just has better overall tone and radiance. It just feels really good being swiped on. I like to let it fully absorb into the skin for a few minutes before following up with either her Refining Serum or her Dual Action Serum. I also love that Mila's philosophy is to not cleanse in the morning (which, disclaimer, I was already doing so I was already on the right path woohoo!) so using this in the morning to tone my skin and take off anything from when I was sleeping makes my skin feel refreshed and ready for the day.

Toners are one of those things....I know they're important in skincare routine and I know i should be using a good one but I've never found one that wowed me. They kinda all just did their job. Nothing awesome, nothing too bad. I was using Nuxe's Rose Water toner before Mila (if you're into French Skincare you might be familiar with it..) and it never bothered my skin so I just kept buying it. I was using it for years. I have a pretty large stash of it under my bathroom sink. It just became a staple and I stopped thinking about the "importance of toners". Well, since I was revamping my skincare routine and upgrading it all to Mila products I thought it would be time to try her Cleansing Toner. I honestly did not expect to love it or be blown away but OMG! It really does firm and plump up your skin. It adds life back into my skin after a long day and it depuffs my skin when I wake up. I even got my husband to start using it and he's been asking if I would be buying more! Now...what do I do with all my Nuxe Rose Waters?!

My first Mila Moursi product and best toner I've ever used. I never go without toner and this one lives up to the product claims. Surprisingly, a bottle lasts a while, so that justifies the price.

Honestly I have always been of the opinion that toners were an unnecessary step in skincare. When I started Mila's boot camp I wanted to do exactly what I was supposed to do. I am a convert because this really brightens my skin and softens it after cleansing PM and refreshes in the AM!