LUSH Tea Tree Toner Tab Review

I went to the salon and on the way back I tried to resist the sweet alluring smells wafting out of LUSH but I failed slightly. I say slightly because I only caved to 2 items: some toner tabs and a hair treatment tub. The other 2 are samples that the kind SA threw in :) I'll review all of these as I use them but for now I'll only be reviewing my spotlight item: LUSH Tea Tree Toner Tabs!


LUSH has 4 different types of toner tabs to address different skin conditions. I got the Tea Tree Toner Tabs to help soothe acne prone skin. They're $1.50 each (yikes!) or $7.95 for 6 tabs (smaller yikes!).

To use these, first boil a pot of water. Once the water has boiled, remove the water from the heat and drop in one of the tabs. Then place a towel over your head and let the tea tree steam seep into your skin. When the tab fizzles out the steaming is complete! Just pat skin dry and then finish with a moisturizer. The SA recommended allowing the tea tree water to cool and then pouring it into a spray bottle and to use it as a toner. I loved his idea for turning the tab into a multi-use product!



I have to admit 1 tab per pot of water seems rather wasteful to me. So I used this with my Conair Facial Steamer in my pre-masking ritual. I let the facial steamer heat up and then I just shaved off a about 1/4 of one toner tab into the water basin.

The Verdict: A
I know some people find the scent of Tea Tree oil to be quite pungent but I actually don't mind it. When I used it with my steamer I found the scent to be relaxing and spa-like. I'm not so sure about the effect of this for my skin though. My skin was all clammy after steaming so it was hard to gauge the benefits of incorporating the toner tab. However I'm confident all the antioxidants and tea tree oil goodness were busy working behind the scenes to beautify my skin :)

Caudalie Cleansing Water $12/$23 Review

I had heard a lot of nice things about this toner and when I ran out of my usual Shiseido toner, it was a perfect time to try this guy out! I say that I "ran out" of toner knowing full well that I have like a bajillion little promotional sample sized toners stashed away in a promotional makeup bag under my bathroom counter. I bet if I poured all of the little toners into 1 container it'd fill a full-size toner bottle....but I digress!

So back to this toner! As with most Caudalie products, you can purchase Caudalie Cleansing Water in 2 sizes: 200ml/6.7oz for $23 or 100ml/3.4oz for $12. This toner is a micellar water meaning it will attract dirt from the skin to gently cleanse and remove makeup without rubbing. It is suitable for all types of skin, including sensitive skin.

The Verdict: C
I have to first say this is called Cleansing WATER - meaning not oil so I was skeptical it would remove makeup. Well, I was right. If you soak a cotton ball with this stuff, it will remove some makeup but it really is no comparison to cleasing oil. I would not recommend using this as a makeup remover because there's a lot of stuff that gets left behind.

I gave it a shot for eye makeup too. With mascara and full eye makeup, I used cleansing oil first to get rid of as much as I could and then used the Cleansing Water to remove any remaining residue. It removed some, but again it wasn't as thorough as I'd hoped. I even lost an eyelash or 2 in the process. When I'm going light on makeup, this stuff works great for removing pencil liner.

I also tried using this solely as a toner. As it is alcohol-free, it does not tighten skin or suck moisture away. It is also odorless, so there is no funky smell at all. It does get very slighty soapy as it's applied and because of that it leaves a weird gummy film after it's dried. I find I have to rinse my skin after this and that just tears it!

Unfortunately after all this trail and error, I will not be re-puchasing this. I'll probably use up the bottle I have for removing pencil liner only.

Caudalie Eau de Beaute Beauty Elixir $15/$49 Review

This product is a 2-in-1 toner and serum combo. It claims to hydrate and smooth skin using essential oils and plant extracts. It also tightens pores and makes skin radiant. There are 2 sizes available: 1 oz for $15 or 3.8 oz for $49. The 1 oz bottle is meant to be travel friendly (also the size shown in the pics).

It can be misted on clean skin or over makeup and used as a toner or to hydrate the skin at any time of the day. The product has to be shakened up before use because the oils in it separate from the water and it forms little yellow gobs that float towards the top.


Close encounter with the yellow gobs!!!

The Verdict: A+
This is currently my favorite Caudalie product! If you are considering the Caudalie Grape Water - skip it and go straight to this! I thought the Grape Water smelled like old bottled water and was grossed out when it was misted on my face. The Beauty Elixir's got it's own smell too but it smells more medicinal than dirty. I should warn that the medicinal smell does linger for some time before it dissipates - about 1-2 minutes. Also, my final complaint - this stuff seems to go quickly. Even after a few spritzes I actually notice the level of product has gone down. This leads me to think the bottle must be made of really thick glass so that it only appears to contain a lot of product.

When I mist this on, it gives skin a cool refreshing feeling. There is alcohol in it to give it that astringent effect, but it's not at all drying. It hydrates without overly wetting skin and the smell combined with the coolness literally "wakes up" my skin! Once it dries, it's either absorbed by the skin or evaporated so there's not a trace of film left behind. I really love this product but I have a feeling it's a love it/hate it kind of thing. Definitely try it out before taking the plunge!

Shiseido Skincare

I use the Shiseido skincare line for my daily 3-Step cleansing regimen. All their skincare products have a light fragrance that I find calming and pleasant. I can't place it but they smell wonderful!

Cleanse

The Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam $21 is my all-time favorite cleanser! It really deep cleans gently without making your skin feel tight. All you need is a little dab of this mixed with water. As you wash your face there are little blue scrubbing beads that dissolve once the cleanser has emulsified. I use this as a sign that it's time to rinse this off. I like to just splash my face with warm water until all the cleanser is completely rinsed off. I find this cleanser really washes away all traces of dirt, oil and makeup.

Tone

I follow with the Pureness Balancing Softner Alcohol-Free $23. I love how this is alcohol-free and doesn't dry out my skin. I used to think that a good toner draws out ALL the oil from my face - boy was I wrong! The toning step has 2 purposes: it removes any traces of residue from your skin that your cleanser may have missed and it preps your skin to soak up moisturizer fully. I like to soak a cotton pad and wipe this all over my face. I use 1 side of the pad for half of my face, then I use the other side of the pad for the other half of my face. The important thing is that you always wipe in 1 direction and not back and forth (you'll just wipe any residue that is picked up back onto your skin). I also tone before putting on any kind of mask that doesn't require rinsing off.

Moisturize
I use 2 different moisturizers: one for daytime and one for nighttime because during the day I look for a moisturizer that contains SPF or will help mattify my skin. At night I usually want something more hydrating.

I started off using the Pureness Matifying Moisturizer Oil-Free $32 during the day and the Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream $32 at night. Both these products are really great for oily skin but I found that they weren't moisturizing enough for my temples and cheeks as I have combination skin (oily T-zone and dry cheeks).

The great thing about Shiseido products is that you can combine the lines to customize for you own needs. This being said, I started using moisturizers from The Skincare line. The Skincare Day Moisturizer Protection SPF 15 PA+ regular $39 and The Skincare Nighttime Moisture Recharge regular $41. These are also wonderful and fast-absorbing.