Laneige's Cream Skin Cerapeptide toner is the one skincare step I haven't skipped - day or night - in months, the proof of which can be found in the dewy gleam of my complexion.
As someone with dry and sensitive skin, the tell-tale signs always seemed to remain, no matter how big a dollop of the best face moisturiser or hydrating serums I applied. The flakiness around my nose and texture around my cheeks would always give my skin type away. Thus, I turned to glow-boosting primers and cream highlighters to mask my dull and dehydrated-looking complexion. Until that is, a certain Korean skincare hybrid rendered them obsolete.
Described as a toner and moisturiser in one, Laneige's lightweight, milky Cerapeptide formula has made itself indispensable in my routine, so much so, I already have bottle number two ready in the wings.
The milky toner I use day and night to ward off dry and tight skin
Dry, flaky skin has long been my companion, particularly around my nose, chin and sometimes even my undereyes. Glowy primers like Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter and SAIE's Glowy Super gel, as well as glassy highlighters like Chanel's Baume Essentiel, became everyday essentials, all to give my lacklustre skin the dewy gleam I covet.
Now, I only apply them out of habit and love, rather than necessity, after finding a skincare step that tackles and hydrates my stubborn dry skin.
RRP: £29.50
Packed with hydration-boosting ceramides and peptides, this milky two-in-one formula tones as well as moisturises. It's sheer, liquid consistency coats your face in a lightweight cushion, soothing and banishing any dryness or tight-feeling skin.
I love layering it with Tatcha's Dewy Cream before makeup and using it on its own once I've removed my makeup in the evening - for a quick douse of dewy hydration. Sometimes, I even double up with the cute Cream Skin face mist, too.
I must admit, I started using this on a whim. It had been sitting in my bathroom cabinet for months, and I'd used it sporadically, loving the feel and dewy effects, but it wasn't until March of this year that I began to use it consistently.
I soon came to realise that those dewy effects weren't just the look of the milky toner freshly applied, but rather a lingering benefit. Now, months down the line, the flakiness around my nose, rough texture on my cheeks and undereyes are gone, replaced by a plump and hydrated skin barrier.
How to use Laneige Cream Skin toner
As for how and when I use the Laneige Cream Skin toner, I splash a few drops into the palm of my hands, before rubbing them together and pressing the milky goodness into freshly-cleansed skin (I also use the Laneige Water Bank cleansing foam, in case you're interested). In the mornings, I follow up with Tatcha's Dewy Skin Cream, which is touted as one of the best Tatcha products, for extra hydration and glow under makeup.
So essentially, sandwiching one lightweight milky moisturiser with a thicker formula, which I also think has contributed to my hydration transformation. Every three days or so, I will also apply both moisturisers after using one of the best toners, Pixi's Glow Tonic, in the AM.
In the evenings, I've been cleansing and then dousing my face in the Cream Skin. Fast forward three months of day and night consistency, and now, when I wake up - even before applying it to cleansed skin again - my complexion feels and looks soft and so glowy.
All my stubborn dry patches are noticeably reduced, and I've found my makeup doesn't pill, collect or dry out like it would on my dryest of skin days. The healthy, quenched gleam of my skin shines through.
Here you can see my skin without makeup and on the right, with it, but minus any of my favourite glow boosters or highlighters. Instead, it's just my best foundation (Armani's Luminous Silk), my trusty Hourglass concealer and a dusting of Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush powder - because I actually thought my skin was bordering on too shiny. The grass is always greener, eh?
Laneige's Cream Skin toner has become exactly the extra boost of hydration my skin needs, be it at the end of the day, after using a micellar water or in the morning when I really want my skin to shine.
It's also a lovely lightweight option for the summer time, when you don't want to wear any thick creams but still want to shield your skin from the drying heat. No doubt, I'll be on my third bottle by then...
