This is the toner that helped me to understand the impact a good toner can have on your skin. It has been in my top three toners for over a decade and I go back to it time and time again. It is also probably one of my most recommended products to other people, especially people who are sceptical about toners or who are new to skincare.
I am not the hughest fan of the Liz Earle range – to this day, I don’t understand why the deeper foundations shades weren’t released at the same time as the rest of the make up range (this range is part of the Avon group – Avon know black women wear foundation, so why make us wait? anyway…). I have tried Cleanse and Polish, (meh) Botanical Flower Wash (meh) and Superskin Moisturiser (hmm). I but the Skin Tonic is something that I almost always have in my beauty cupboard in a variety of sizes.
The reason I like this product so much is that it is hydrating, not at all astringent – no eyewatering and no tautness after use. It can be purchased in a bottle or a spray so it can be used like a traditional toner by swiping it over the face or if your skin is going through a problematic phase, kept in the fridge and sprayed over the face when needed during the course of the day. The pumps are great as they dispense a fine mist so you don’t end up with blobs of toner on the face. It is also great at setting powder products if you have been a bit heavy-handed or generally if you want to freshen up.
The reason that I know that this toner is so good is because I have used a lot of great but an equal number of terrible products that are not good for my skin. Cleansers that stripped my skin, moisturisers that irritated my skin, exfoliants that were too abrasive and other rookie mistakes. The impact of this combination of products is clearly disastrous, however, when you add the Instant Boost Skin Tonic to the mix, there is an immediate improvement to the skin. These days I am much more careful about what I put on my skin, but I am still trialling lots of products. When I trial a new cleanser or moisturiser I often use this toner because of the gentle formulation and the positive effect on my skin.
The fragrance is very delicate, but definitely floral and the formulation is alcohol and paraben free. A great hardworking product – I will of course try other toners, but it is going to be very hard to remove this one from my top three.
Do you have a favourite toner?