Hey everyone!
I am back with a review of the toner that I have been really loving since I got it. The previous toner that I used was the NUXE Gentle Toning Lotion which I have reviewed and I liked it then.
But this Tony Moly Black Tea London Classic Toner has stolen my heart. I couldn’t find any review of this so I thought I should get the ball rolling, and hopefully more people will know of this product. Haha.
On the website, an image stated that it contains 82% of pure black tea extract and is dermatologist tested. Actually, you should really visit the website after my review, there’s so many benefits stated there and I don’t want to clutter you with so much details since my review is already pretty extensive.
AND, before uploading this review, I noticed that the image was gone but I saved it before that.
It’s a little long so you can click here to open in a new tab.
What: Tony Moly London Classic Black Tea Toner
Price: S$43.90 / 37.50 USD
Weight: 180ml
Period-After-Opening: 12 months
In Singapore, I saw it being sold at $43.90, which did take me back by surprise. Since I didn’t expect it to be that much above $30 in the first place.
It’s retailing at 37.50 USD on the US Tony Moly website. Other places online are selling from a range of 20 USD onwards. So it depends on where you find the better deal.
Read on to find out what I love about it and how it’s graded with the LAYNA Criteria.
Look & Feel
It is a sleek and glossy brown bottle that holds 180ml. However, this was given to me by someone and was ‘Not for Sale’, so it came in a 140 ml bottle. Nevertheless, the looks are similar apart from the pump and a slightly translucent bottle that the original bottle has which I do not.
Bottle feels sturdy and is plastic. No complaints about the bottle whatsoever.
Application
If I say that watery toners are 1 on the viscosity scale, this would be about 4-5. It isn’t too watery yet its texture is more watery than an essence. To make things seem easier, I’d say essences/serums are usually about 6-7 on that scale.
It absorbs so nicely, and when you apply it with your palms, you can feel that your skin is really drinking this up. I have oily skin so trust me when I say that it doesn’t make me feel oily like other products do. It’s hydrating enough when I do one or two layers more on top of it. I don’t even need moisturiser to last me through the night or day. The smell of this toner is on the natural side, to me it smells like literal black tea but definitely not off putting at all. It disappears soon after application anyway.
By the way, my routine with this toner would be one proper swipe all over my face with a cotton pad, wait about 15 seconds, do the next layer this time by spreading the product on my palms before patting it into my face till it absorbs most of it. If you wish to do one more layer for more suppleness (or in other words, that elastic boing boing feeling when you poke your face), you may repeat the steps.
The 7 skin method is one very famous way.
Previously on the Tony Moly website (words in bold only),
It says that it’s okay for All Skin Types and is for those with skin concerns of Wrinkles and Lacking Elasticity. First things first, I am only nearing my mid 20s but it doesn’t mean that I can skip these concerns easily. I have oily and blemished skin, which also means that I do use topical acne cream regularly when a zit pops up and that dries out the skin a lot with frequent use. Due to these topical creams, I do occasionally feel that my skin gets dull or not very elastic as before.
Despite that constant use, I actually felt my skin improve. I kid you not. Few days before while washing my face, I started to notice that my usual slightly rough skin texture got visibly smoother, even to the touch. I never felt this way in a long time. The last time I felt this way was during my Accutane journey so I was thoroughly impressed knowing that it was this skincare product that I’ve recently switched to since I only use this for my skincare routine. Yes, just one. It used to be more than that but ever since I reduced my steps drastically, keeping it simple helped me more.
I might do a post on that next time because I believe that you really don’t need a lot of skincare products for your face to maintain the way it should. Even so, I still have some skin concerns to target in the future, such as blackheads and sebum production.
Now for the pros and cons in my opinion.
Yes
- Hydrating and moisturising enough for my oily skin
- Gentle and does not sting my eyes
- Good for layering
- Smells pleasant
- Improved my skin texture
- Did not break me out
- Great for day or night use
- Good for all skin types, layer it 2-3 times if needed
- Not sticky
- Oil peeks through a little but only after a 3-4 hours (that’s definitely a pro for oily me)
- Reduced sebum production slightly
No
- On the expensive side as compared to other Korean drugstore brands sold in my country. It only costs 23,000 won (~USD 23) in South Korea.
Am I Repurchasing?
Yes I so would, only if the price was lesser. $43.90 is pretty expensive for me to keep repurchasing. If you have the moolah, you can try this. If not, I’m sure there are other brands and products suited for your skin at a better price tag.
Price aside: Unless I manage to find something that does the job better and even helps in other areas like reducing sebum production further or reducing blackhead appearance, there is a chance that I would get it again.
Overall Rating:
Hope you liked my review, as usual, please let me know if you’ve tried this or have recommendations for other products I could try!
With ????,
Pin it!
