Boots' 'Traditional Glycerin and Rosewater'.

I bought this a few weeks ago, because as well as needing a toner that was going help my acne, I needed a toner for when I had over-used my Retin-A, which leaves my skin dehydrated, flaky and sore. I found just the thing in Boots' own 'Glycerin and Rosewater'. This product doesn't market itself as a toner product, but a 'beautifier', which can be used as a toner. Don't you think beautifier is such a lovely word? I do! I have heard lots of people putting it to different uses: the main use is using it as toner, but have heard some people use it as an eye make-up remover and some use it as a make-up setter.

It is lightly fragranced, but smells divinely of roses, which is lovely. I suppose some people could argue that it is a scent reserved for the older generation, but I think it smells absolutely wonderful and just smelling it improves my mood, let alone anything it does for my skin! It just reminds me of going outside during a Summer evening and smelling all the roses in our garden...but anyway, I digress!

The ingredients list all seems very tame: aqua, glycerin, isopropyl alchohol, methylparaben, sodium citrate, parfum, eugenaria caryophyllus leaf oil, rosa damascena flower oil. Obviously, from reading the ingredients list, it is quite clear that this product contains parabens and artificial fragrances, but that doesn't overly bother me. It works at moisturising my skin and that's all I care about!
This product doesn't contain anything that irritates my skin, and I find that even when my skin is dry, flaky and even cracked and when most products just sting like eff and irritate like hell, this toner when applied to the skin on a cotton pad soothes, cools, refreshes and moisturises. It really is a lovely feeling. This makes me think that this is a product that people with dry and/or sensitive skin may get on with due to the fact that even in my post-Retin-A state I suffered absolutely nothing, and it kept my skin hydrated.

One thing I would say is that it does tend to leave skin looking quite shiny and tacky, probably due to it's moisturising properties and due to the fact it has a slightly thicker texture than other toners I've tried. Because of this, this product is probably better during a night-time skincare routine, as using it in the morning before makeup/day skincare can make my already oily skin a little too oily for my liking, although not overly oily. Sometimes my skin is so dry after Retin-A use that I have to use it during the day just to help my skin out a little bit, but when it's recovered it's best just to use it at night!

This product cost me £2.32 for 200ml from Boots (well, duh!), which I think is a right little bargain - some would say 'dirt cheap'! Plus, the bottle is kind of quirky and quite vintage-y, and I quite like it sat on my dresser! Although it is an obvious plastic bottle which kinda cheapens it a little bit, but this is a skincare blog, not a design blog!

Overall, when I run out of this, I will probably re-purchase since it really helps soothe, calm and moisturise tired, stressed and damaged skin without any stinging or irritation! I love the smell and, even more, the price!