Had the luxury of getting a classic/European facial about two months ago. It’s one of the perks at work I can take advantage of once in a while to compensate for stress. Oh the stress! Well, at least my employer tries. I do appreciate the generosity so trust me it’s not taken for granted! I think that was actually my first time getting a full-blown facial, uncomfortable extractions and all (an extraction is like mini skin surgery with a little scalpel-like noose tool and a bright light over you). It was like getting my nose detailed. Worked like a charm!
My lovely facialist asked me some things I’d expect, like what’s my skincare routine. I told her what I do on a good day, which definitely means on a day I have energy and am not being lazy about personal care. You know how personal care can often be the first thing to go out the window… Her questions and advice renewed my spirit to stick with a routine for my face. One of the things she said casually was that many people tell her they have trouble with unbalanced feeling skin. You might know the feeling, oily at some spots and dry at others. I definitely fall into that normal/combination skin category with an oily nose and forehead, otherwise known as the t-zone, and dryness prone everywhere else.
She told me toner fixes that right up. Now I’ve tried toner before, usually as a sample. It’s something I never took very seriously and I thought of it as a gimmick just to sell me more beauty products like there aren’t enough options already. It does feel nice if you get one that works but it seemed like a dainty totally unnecessary, not very practical luxury. I’m picturing a princess spritzing her face, oh-so dainty and graceful. But I figured, let me try this since this woman knows how to truly make my face glow, and she’s not trying to peddle products.
I took it a step further too and wow. Best morning skincare tweak ever. Such a small change and such fancy results. I wasn’t going to pay a fortune for toner so I went for a nice big bottle of Thayer’s Cucumber Witch Hazel* and refilled an empty sample spritzing bottle of an expensive “skin revitalizer” (ehem, toner). If I didn’t have one laying around I probably would have bought this simple Fine Mist Spray Bottle* or used a nicer atomizer* that I already own which is perfect for carrying in your purse and looks a bit prettier. I spritz on the toner every morning after an exfoliating scrub and before lotion. It really does make a “where have I been” difference. It hydrates skin and balances it out so everything feels even, nothing too oily and nothing too dry. It gets rid of morning skin ickyness. The best part is once you fill a bottle that gives you a nice misty spritz it takes 2 seconds to do this every morning. The toner lasts a long time this way too. And there a couple of witch hazel varieties out there probably worth trying, like rose water, original, unscented, peach, and lemon. Gotta say, I’m quite pleased!
Reuse a spritzer or spray bottle, or buy an inexpensive atomizer and refill with witch hazel.
MINIGOODY 