Toning is another important aspect to a good skincare regime. First you wash and or exfoliate then you tone before moisturizing. Toning will take off the last bit of dirt and bacteria so your serums and lotions can absorb much better. Depending on your toner it can also be your exfoliator. Toners that have alpha and beta hydroxy will exfoliate in the sense that those ingredients take off the dead skin without having to scrub your face. They can also be drying though so watch out.

People with dry skin want to look for toners that don't have any harsh ingredients. Alcohol is something that will dry out your skin so you want to look for something with little to no alcohol. Sometimes they will say "alcohol free" on the bottle.



Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner - This toner is definitely a number one in my book. It is so refreshing and gentle you can even use it on your eyes. It feels like cool soothing water on your face. Sometimes in the summer I use this just to freshen my face on a day when I don't wear foundation. I think I might even put it in a spray bottle so I can spritz it on my face every now and then to freshen my foundation! Target also sells this in store which is great! I heard it was a drugstore dupe for Bioderma but I can't say since I've never tried Bioderma.

Thayer - Witch Hazel Toner-Rose Petal - This toner smells divine if you like roses. It does come in different versions though such as cucumber if that is more your thing. The rose is the only one I've tried. It is not overpowering, the scent is very light. Roses are also supposed to be very brightening and nutrient rich for your skin. I will get into a few other rose items I like in my future posts.

I'll admit, I do not always tone after washing my face but I do notice a difference when I do. My skin is much clearer and brighter.

Another product that is similar to toner is facial mist. Many brands are coming out with these now and they can be great. Mac was one of the first I bought. Their Fix+ is supposed to keep your makeup on and fresh. They came out with their Mineralize water and that is a really great freshener throughout the day.

These do seem like a waste of money to me sometimes unless they have a purpose like keeping my makeup on longer, moisturizing, or brightening my complexion. Otherwise why buy bottled water for your face? Here are a few facial mists that I like and think if you are in the market for one or have been intrigued by them you might want to try one out.

JURLIQUE Rosewater Balancing Mist - another rose scented item... this is really refreshing and has rose extract and marshmallow to moisturize and balance the skin. This is nice to spritz on after cleansing and before your night time creams. It smells lovely and is a relaxing ritual before bedtime. I have not used it every single day so I can't tell you if it has necessarily improved my skin in any way.

Mac Fix+ - definitely a regular in my collection from now on. It does help my makeup stay fresh and it is a great refresher when my foundation becomes dried out during the day. This is also a great product to mix with pigments and other loose eyeshadow and such. It gives you a much truer pigment and helps the product stay on longer without creasing.

Murad Essential C Toner - This is new to me but I am definitely becoming a fan. As I have said in my earlier posts, I love anything that will even out and brighten my tone. This helps with its vitamin c addition. This does sting a little if I use it after doing an intense exfoliation (from the citrus extracts) but for other times it works great to make my skin feel clean and fresh.




I do not think any of these are essential. Out of the three I think Mac's Fix+ is a great thing to have, or any other makeup fix spray for that matter. I am currently trying out different mists to see if Mac really has the best of the best so I will keep you posted on that! If you have any mists you recommend please let me know!

Bewitched & Hocus Pocus

Here I am with my second post on dry skincare for you guys! I hope this is helping you out and you are enjoying hearing my tips and reviews as much as I am enjoying writing them. :)

So lets talk about cleansers... I switch mine up here and there. Like a lot of you I see something new and I want to try it out. I do go back to a few that I've stuck with for a while now. Some are oils and some are creams. It all depends on my mood and how my skin has been acting. I am also very drawn to anything brightening or that can give my skin even tone and texture, I mean come on who doesn't want that?

One type of cleanser that I have really fallen in love with is cleansing oil. There are lots of different brands now that carry their own version. I have two that I really like, one a little more than the other though. They are Josie Maran's Cleansing Oil and Shu Uemura's Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil. The Shu Uemura one is my all time favorite and it was one of the first cleansing oils on the market. The texture is silk and it really cleans my face nicely. Josie's is definitely the more affordable high end of the two and it does work it just isn't as silky and takes a little more "massaging" to remove makeup. And do not get Josie's in your mouth, it is gross!




What is really great about cleansing oils is that they don't strip your skin like some other types of soap can. You rub the oil all over your dry face and the oil just dissolves left over makeup from your day (even waterproof mascara!). It is remarkable. I especially love how mascara just melts off my lashes. I wear a lot of mascara everyday so I like that I don't need to rub at my lashes to get it off at night. It keeps my lashes healthy and long (another plus!).  Plus you aren't tugging at your eyes and irritating that gentle skin. When you wet your face the oil just turns into a milky liquid and rinses right off. It is pure magic!

I have not found a cleansing oil from the drugstore. But if you have, please let me know as I would love to check it out!

Other cleansers I am really loving:

Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser - This one I found when I was in college a couple years ago. I definitely see a brighter complexion and more even tone and texture when I use this. I do find that using it in the winter is too drying. So I keep this one usually for spring and summer usage. It has a scrub texture to it so you really don't need to use a separate exfoliator with this at all. It gets the job done and will forever have a place in my cabinet!

Philosophy Miracle Worker Lactic Acid Cleanser - I have just dipped into this one so it is fairly new to me. I do find that I can't use it everyday because it can leave my skin a little red. Not really irritated just pinker than usual. It is a cream texture and rinses clean. My skin definitely feels cleansed after using this. I have not used it enough to see if my tone improves or not. It does help with breakouts without being overbearing and it leaves a nice glow too. So far so good.

Pond's Cold Cream - A classic. This is really nice in the winter. I don't use it too often but I do like it. It is so refreshing with the cucumber in it. The texture reminds me of yogurt. It soothes my dry skin while also cleansing. It can leave some residue behind but nothing a good toner won't help clean up. The "residue" is also part of its charm. It makes sure your skin is completely moisturized. This is also nice for when you don't feel like necessarily wetting your face to wash it. You can just rub is gently on your face and then tissue off.

This is going to be a series of entries all dedicated to dry skin. I find a lot of the people on the web who write beauty blogs have oily skin. I have dry skin myself and I am always on the lookout for tips and product reviews or suggestions. So I thought this is a good opportunity to share some of my finds along the way with you guys, so here is goes...

I have purchased two Nars duos within the past month and they are making their way into my everyday makeup routine. Both are really nice tie ins to some of my palettes that are missing that one shade I wish it had. Well these two duos are really working out fantastically for that. They retail at $34.00 each and are part of the permanent line.