Lancome Secret de Vie Precious Reviving Toner

Those who've been with me for a while know that I swear by Lancome Secret de Vie Reviving Creme. It's one of few skin care items I'm never without, because it keeps my skin soft, supple and happy under almost any circumstances. Lancome has been expanding the Secret de Vie range, and while I have little to say about the serum or the eye cream (both are nice but nothing special to set them apart from similar products), I'm now completely enamored of the toner.

Toners of the past were usually quite drying, but our approach to skincare has changed since the 80s, and the influence of Japanese methods has done wonders Lancome offers several great alternatives that actually pamper the skin. I like Tonique Confort which is definitely a lot easier on the wallet, but there is a slight difference that to me justifies the expense. While Tonique Conforts is a pampering product, Secret de Vie has a slightly more elegant texture, less gooey. Any follow-up products I use (serums and creams) seem to get a performance boost. My skin holds them better and retain the nourishment and moisture. It's probably the result of a high content of hyaluronic acid, known to improve skin ability to stay hydrated.

The texture of Secret de Vie toner while thinner than Tonique Confort is still  thick and serum-like. It gives me a little trouble when trying to coerce it out of the bottle onto a cotton pad, but I guess it's better than a precious liquid that splatters all over the place. Given the results and the state of my skin I'm willing to deal with that.

Lancome Secret de Vie Precious Reviving Toner ($60, 5oz) is available from most department stores and lancome.com.

Photo of a Lancome boutique in the 1930 from elorigendelmundo.blogspot.com