My Makeup Blog: makeup, skin care and beyond: Marie Louise Moistraiser alpha-VC Moisturizing Toner: the Toner for Grown-Ups

Hi everybody,

Quite a lot of you requested more skincare reviews during the last giveaway. No, I haven't forgot about it yet. I didn't realize how complex it is not have so many elements involved in the giveaway where there are 3 prizes to hand out. But don't fret, I will announce the result soon. Don't unsubscribe your email and leave me here with Belly, ok? He's mad at me as we speak.

With all that said, today's post is all about toner. In the past, I promoted the use of toner to get nice skin. With all that said, I didn't use toners that often because I don't want to waste a piece of totally nice cotton pad every time I apply toner to my skin. Also, the toners sold in American drugstores are made of water, alcohol, and a bit of witch hazel. They feel like water, they evaporate like water, yet they don't cost the same as water. Sometimes I felt like it's a waste of money on top of waste of cotton pads. Yup, I'm stingy like that.

Recently, a publicist from Marie Louise skincare contacted me again. This is the second time I write a review on one of their products (the first time is here.) I was very excited to try this Moistraiser alpha-VC moisturizing toner out as Japanese toners are not the same as Western toners.

Marie Louise Moistraiser alpha-VC moisturizing toner ($81 USD, $56 USD for the month of August)

The package
I guess in Japan, moisturizer is written as "moistraiser". Easier to say, I guess

My experience of Japanese toners started with Shiseido Benefiance toner and then Shu Uemura Deepsea Water toner. Both of them are super-moisturizing and they don't feel like toners at all. With this toner as my 3rd Japanese brand, I finally understand the Japanese philosophy regarding skincare: it's all about moisture!

With that said, Marie Louise Moistraiser alpha-VC is not the little girl's version of a toner. It is for grown-ups with moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid (in the form of sodium acetylated hyaluronate.) It also contains squalane, which is also a moisturizer. On top of that, it contains alpha arbutin and vitamin C to brighten your skin. The cherry on the cake is the lack of parabens as preservatives.

Ingredient list

My mouth almost dropped when I saw the price as $81 a bottle. However, the more I get into it, the more I realize how little I need to use per application.

This is how much I use: 3-5 drops

Moreover, this toner does not feel like a toner at all. It feels more like a serum in those My Beauty Diary masks that I love so much. The fluid does not smell like anything but a faint smell of chemical that reminds me of water in a plastic bottle put inside a hot car. It has almost a gel-like texture that's between a serum and a gel. It dries fast and does not feel greasy. However, as glycerin is one of the top-5 ingredients, this serum has the ability to pull water from the air to keep your face moist. In really hot and humid nights, I use it as a night moisturizer before applying my Avalon Organics Vitamin C serum. These two products seem to work well together and I don't get too many breakouts during this extremely hot month.

Marie Louise Moistraiser alpha-VC toner applied on my hand

As you can see, the texture of my skin looks smooth. I didn't take the before picture but I can tell you my skin was dry. This year, things are pretty off as this is the first time the skin on my body (except my face) is dry in the summer. I can't testify for the brightening property of this toner as I live in the Sunshine state and regardless of the amount of sunscreen I apply on my face, I still get a tan anyways. However, it does not cause my skin to break out, which is a plus to me.

Disclaimer: the product reviewed was provided by a PR for Marie Louise Skincare. This review reflects my own experience of this product and it may be different than yours. For more information regarding My Makeup Blog's disclosure policy, click here.