Saturday Skincare: Toning Pads

Following the last skincare post about Cleansers, it only makes sense that this post should be about Toners. This week's Saturday Skincare post is by yours truly and is about a fairly new type of product: toner pads. Read on for a little intro to toners and what I've learned about them over the years!

Let's talk about Toners

I first knew about Toner when I started my teens; my mum used to regularly take me Oxford Street to get the latest Clinique Bonus time (she's famous for gifting Clinique goodies amongst my cousins lol).
So whilst most teens my age were still using Nivea, I was already on the mildest three step Clinique had to offer back then and to be fair my skin wasn't bad so it worked for me.
I got more into makeup and learned about different brands when I worked in a department store whilst at university; I worked on mainly a bath and body section first which included less mainstream skincare brands including Dr Lewinns, Caudalie and Trilogy to name a few, all of which I was given training on. I never really questioned what toner was for but I learned in one of these training sessions that you should look at it like you do with a washing machine: You have your soap to get rid of grime but then need a rinse cycle to clear the soap and grime together. And that's exactly what toner is: your rinse cycle for your face.
Of course it's not a necessary step but if you're really into skincare and looking after your skin I'd say it's a great step to ensure your skin is kept at optimum cleanliness (particularly if you wear very heavy makeup regularly).
I'd say I wear an average/medium level of make up on a daily basis (aside from when I do make up looks for the blog or on a very special occasion). On a daily basis at most I tend to wear: concealer, setting powder, mascara, a brow product or two, highlighter, bronzer and lipstick.
I actually barely ever wear foundation because I mostly don't have time for it (being a mum of an impatient toddler lol) but also because thankfully I don't need it as my skin is mostly clear with the odd spot here and there.
So I don't use toner on a daily basis. I tend to use it when my skin is feeling either a bit too dry, or too oily or when I do wear foundation.
Toner Pads | Product Review

So I've been trying out a few different toner pads of late; the above three are: 

1. This Works In Transit No Traces
2. Nip + Fab Bee Sting Fix 
3. The Magic Pads

1. This Works In Transit No Traces

I first saw and heard of these on Kim Kardashians snapchat and was amazed she was (supposedly) using something so affordable.

So when I was given the opportunity to try these I no doubt wanted to see if it was worth the hype.

Key Ingredients:

Rosewater - anti aging
Water mint - antibacterial
Sweet Almond Oil - anti inflammatory
"Bio Boost Superblend plant oils" - repairing

Scent: Very soft rose scent.

Size: As you can see above, these are the largest pads of the three I have so I can usually use one for my whole face if I'm not wearing foundation/eye makeup.

How I use: I tend to use this when my skin is feeling parched/dry as it contains a lot of oils and the pads are very wet in comparison to the other two toner pads.

These can be used directly on makeup and can dissolve even waterproof makeup, but I tend to go in with an oily makeup remover separately for stubborn eye makeup anyway.
They leave the skin feeling soft and hydrated; sometimes I feel like adding moisturiser after is too much, so I would recommend these more for Dry skin types.

Price: These pads are £17 for 60 pads (available at Boots or John Lewis).

Overall rating: I give these a 4 out of 5 as they do leave the skin feeling clean, soft and certainly hydrated, so if you're looking for an all in one, these will do the job!

2. Nip+Fab Bee Sting Fix

I was sent these along with the Nip+Fab Dragons Blood Hyaluronic Shot (which I have used a fair bit but want to try it and review on more colder winter days!)
I was actually starting to notice lines on my forehead, so when I saw that these pads contained a "natural botox" and are to "tone and prep" your complexion, I was definitely looking forward to testing these out.

Key Ingredients:
Bee Venom "natural botox" - plumps and firms/fills out fine lines/wrinkles
Witch Hazel - astringent with antibacterial and tightens/refines pores
Propolis extract - antiseptic with skin healing properties

Scent: Witch hazel scent with a slight fruitiness?

Size: As you can see above, these are the same size your average face pads. I do tend to use only one at a time despite how small it is.

How I use: I tend to use this again when my skin is feeling dry/I can see visible lines on my forehead.
I use these in the morning as a toning step in my cleanse tone and moisturise routine (as opposed to the previous This Works pads, used for removing makeup/at the end of the day).
They leave my skin feeling ever so slightly tingly, but definitely feeling clean and soft.

Price: These pads are £12.95 for 60 pads (on the Nip+Fab website here) or currently on promotion here for only £6.48! 

Overall rating: I'm not sure if it's the humidity of Summer or these pads, but I have definitely noticed a drastic change in the appearance of my forehead lines that was my initial concern before trying these; if it is indeed these pads that have reduced my lines, I give them a 5!

3. The Magic Pads

I was given these by Sam (of the last two skincare posts). She received these at the Mario Dedivanovic masterclass she attended and had used some of them already but since she's into Korean skincare of late, handed these to me.

Key Ingredients:
Glycolic Acid (2%) - exfoliation; great for scarring
Organic Willow Bark - anti inflammatory; great for spots
Hyaluronic Acid - hydration; prevent drying out the skin
Vitamin E - antioxidant with hydrating properties.
Aloe Vera Juice - anti inflammatory; soothes skin 

Scent: No particular scent; not sure if this is because the pads are not freshly opened however!

Size: Again, these are regular sized pads.

How I use: I use these when my skin is feeling particularly oily (on a humid summer day/after a workout) or when I'm having a spot or two. 
I tend to use one pad at night after I've cleansed and sweep it over my whole face left and right (I avoid the eye area).
My skin feels a little drier than with the last two pads, however I'm not sure if this is because the pads are not freshly opened again as the actual pads are a lot drier than the previous two pads too.
It's not necessary to apply moisturiser after using these, but sometimes I feel like I should at least put a serum on my drier areas as I have combination skin.

Price: These pads are £13.95 for 60 pads (available at the Magic Pads website).

Overall rating: When my skin is feeling particularly oily, I have to say I feel like these pads help reduce oiliness without drying out my skin and notice a slight improvement in skin clarity/fading of scars when I use this but I don't tend to use it as often as the two pads as I have mostly combination-dry skin.
I give these pads a 3.5 out of 5:

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So there you have it! I am definitely looking into trying other glycolic acid pads particularly, are there any you would recommend?