I have seriously taken this idea that quarantine is the perfect time to try out new skincare to a whole new level. I said in an earlier post that I’ve been looking for alternatives to my Mary Kay/Clear Proof products that are easier to get here so that’s what I’ve been on the lookout for. A good toner and a strong acne treatment. I say strong because without knowing it, the clear proof acne gel is quite strong at 5% Benzoyl peroxide.
So firstly I was really excited to try new toners. My skin tone has never really been a problem before, no hyperpigmentation, just some fading acne scars. I’d been using the Mary Kay products for about 10 years so I had a feeling my skin was going to freak out from the changes so I was looking for something similar to what I was using, 2% Salicylic Acid. So far I’ve tried 3 toners.
The Sunday Riley toner I don’t feel like I gave a proper go of it. I was using this while changing some other things in my routine and my skin went through a bit of a purge or just a freak out so I’m hoping to give it another try soon.
I love how light this toner feels. I don’t use a cotton round to apply it, just pump about half a pump into my hands and press into my face. It absorbs really quickly into my skin and overall feels really good on my face. It’s not sticky and it doesn’t have a strong smell so I was happy with it before the great purge. I do feel like I may need something stronger than this as it doesn’t have that strong active ingredient to help my oily, acne prone skin.
Next on the try list was the Caudalie Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Toner.
I was drawn to this because of the Salicylic Acid mentioned in the title and was curious how my skin would react to a natural version of the active. So far it’s been a good everyday toner. I use a cotton round to apply it all over my face and then let it dry down just a bit until it’s tacky before I apply my next product (perfect time to apply some lip balm). I’m about half way through this and I’m not mad at it. I am breaking out more than I was with my Clear Proof toner so my skin may want back that stronger active at some point.
Lastly I went for the OleHenriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner. Now this thing is packed with actives!
It doesn’t have Salicylic Acid but it has Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid which will help fade some of my new dark spots. This is a night time toner but if I know I’m not going anywhere I sometimes use it during the day. So far my skin seems to like this. It’s not drying and it doesn’t have a strong smell to it.
What I may end up trying is the Clinique Clarifying Lotion number 3 which seems to have a couple of the same ingredients as the Clear Proof Blemish Control Toner I was using (wish I found this earlier and saved some money). I’m going to finish out these toners (and give ordering from Sephora a break for once) and try this one once I’m finished at least one of them. If you know of any 2% Salicylic Acid toners out there let me know and I’ll give it a try! 🙂
Carla Jones 
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