True Botanicals Face Toner - Balancing, Non-Drying for Oily Skin, Sandalwood Scent - 4 fl oz

First, the scent: I was surprised to see several negative reviews here about the scent of this toner. It actually smells wonderful to me and I was blown away when I tried it! The base scent is mostly sandalwood, but the notes of cypress and helichrysum add quite a bit of green herbs to the mix. Overall, I'd describe the scent as really woody, herby, and earthy. It's a fairly unisex scent, and as a male I really like it – it's really luxurious and unlike anything I've smelled before (in a good way). But if you don't like the sound of "earthy", then this might not be for you.The strength of the scent starts out somewhere between mild and moderate, but dissipates fast, and after about 20-30 minutes on your face can't be noticed anymore. I don't like overpowering scents and rarely wear cologne, and this works for me.Next, he texture: the toner did not leave my face feeling sticky after application, like some other toners I've previously tried do. I'd describe the effects as slightly drying, though not overly (like a Salicylic Acid toner would). It's certainly more drying than the Kiehl's toner I was using before, but does a much better job at inhibiting oils from forming on my skin, and I really like that effect. It does leave your skin feeling a bit tighter for an hour or two after application, which I also like. However, if you don't have oily skin, you might find this a bit too drying.Somebody else posted a cotton swap being very brown in color. My cotton swab was not dark like that at all, although I had given the bottle a good shake beforehand (I noticed some darker oils floating at the top in the bottle after holding it up to light to inspect). Maybe that reviewer did not adequately shake their bottle.Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this product, and feel it is a better fit for my skin than the Kiehl's toner I was using beforehand. I love the experience of trying a new skincare product that outperforms what I've previously used.
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Have to admit that this toner took me a little while to get used to. Once I did, I actually liked it more than I originally did upon first use. It's a very odd toner that isn't what one would normally expect.First off, this will leave a brown stain on a swab or you'll see brown splotches in your sink. It does easily rinse away. Okay, I'm fine with that. It also has a little bit of a funky smell. Not really all that bad and it's not strong. It's just not as great smelling as you'd think based on the ingredients. Don't worry because it will not linger at all.This toner seems very clean and it has not caused me any sort of irritations or messiness to have to contend with. It helps to clean my skin beyond what my cleanser does. Plus, it helps to clarify my skin without drying it out at all. Seems to also help keep it balanced and toned. Great for my combination skin, especially on my oily to normal days. If I'm using on a dry day, I'll just compensate with the rest of my skincare regimen while this helps to clean things up even further.*Note: I did have a little bit of a problem with opening the bottle. Wouldn't budge. Then I gently tapped the top on my counter and it then opened very easily.
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I love true botanicals products and have been using them (especially the serum) for the better part of the last year. I decided to extent my consumption to the toner this time, but I was slightly disappointed with the bottling. The lid was SO SOOOO tightly closed, I almost scraped the skin off my thumb trying to open it! I ended up having to break the lid to loosen it just so it would twist open. Maybe don’t close it so impossibly tight so your customers can actually open and use the product without having to “break” the bottle or the lid?
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