Mario Badescu

 Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner

Most Helpful Critical Review

Sticky & Fragrant

I give 1 star by default, second star is for marketing/consumability. Did this product make me want to buy/use it, yes. The third star is for effect vs claim. I gave the star because it has appeared to cleanse my skin while retaining a "moisture barrier" (more on that in a sec). The fourth star is f...or feel/usability, how do that feel and is it easily able to find its way into my daily regimen? No. In short, it leaves a film that as other reviewers have put it, feel like your face grabs onto anything and everything that touches it. This does eventually subside by about 75% but it takes about 10 minutes to get there. Once you're at that stage, you're left with a smooth yet tacky surface of skin. Given that it's astringent, you don't want to mix your moisturizers with this, it'd eat them right up, yuck. Gonna have to wait. Considering a return, as I simply don't have 15 minutes every morning to dedicate to a product because it needs its sweet time to do a tiny job. For the record, the rose water spray gives me this same "sticky film" so it may be that. Last star is for ingredients. While I enjoy nice scent in my life, I don't very much enjoy the effect that the fragrance in Badescu's most popular products. They've left out any alcohol from this product, so my non-professional opinion is that these fragrances have nothing to evaporate them and are leaving behind the worst parts. Alcohol helps bind the scent to skin and then evaporates rather quickly, while the fragrance (broken down at this stage) slowly decomposes on the skin. While this one has potentially to be a great item, the fragrance, dyes, and the idea of having to dedicate my time to a needy product all just makes me want to trade it in for something else. PS, not sure why this listing says "online only" as it was clearly on the main display in my local ulta, along with the lavender toner as well.