Battle of the Toners: High-End vs. Drugstore
I know I’m not the only one who wonders, “If it costs more, is it better?”
So I decided, let’s put it to the test and find out which toner is the right one for me - my tried and true Olay Refreshing Toner from the drugstore or La Mer’s The Radiant Infusion from the department store.
Let’s start off with my regular Olay toner, about $3.99 US for a 7.2 fl oz bottle. I’ve been using this toner for about a year now after cleansing my face with Olay Foaming Face Wash and it’s extremely gentle on my skin.
Olay Refreshing Toner contains witch-hazel, an ingredient that is strong in anti-oxidants and is useful in fighting acne. It’s also recommended for other external skin conditions like eczema, and cracked or blistered skin, therefore making witch-hazel a common ingredient in skin care products.
I like apply Refreshing Toner on my skin with a cotton ball and smooth it all over my face. It really is refreshing, not tingly or stingy like some astringents can be. This toner also gets off any dirt that may still be on my face after I wash it (score extra points!).
Next up, La Mer’s The Radiant Infusion toner, weighing in at $90 US for a 4.2 fl oz bottle (yikes!). The Radiant Infusion is gel-like in consistency and was created in the Max Huber labs with ionizing sea salts and Radiant Ferments (produced when rare blue and white sea algae go through a bio-fermentation process). The formula is supposed to give a continuous release system so that your skin can reap the benefits of the product both immediately and over time.
Sounds promising, yes? I’ll be honest, I got really mixed results when I tried The Radiant Infusion. Let’s start with the smell - when I unscrewed the top, it was a little off-putting. It has a heavy scent, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe a little citrusy and little like sea salt?
Want to read the rest of my Battle of the Toners?
For application, the bottle read to smooth the liquid all over my face and neck with my fingertips. I found this really difficult, because although it’s described as gel-like, it was more liquid-y than gel-y, making it hard to use my fingers without fear of spilling it through my fingertips. Nonetheless, I wanted to test it properly, so I applied as directed.
While trying to smooth it on my skin, I noticed that the toner dried very quickly. I wasn’t able to get it over a good amount of my face like I thought I could. And since I had to re-apply so many times to cover my entire face (combined with the ultra-quick drying factor), I felt like I was unnecessarily tugging on my skin - not good. Even using The Radiant Infusion with a cotton ball, I didn’t get better results.
EDIT: I have just learned that La Mer does not refer to this product as a toner, but as an infusion (new catagory) that’s supposed to tighten and refine your pores and to be applied under La Mer’s face serum and creme. For this test, I used it under my moisturizer as I usually do with the Olay toner without a serum and therefore, considered it for head-to-head comparison.
Now, even if I didn’t have issues with application, I had issues with the actual toner and its performance on my skin. Logicially, I thought, if I use Olay Foaming Fash Wash and then the Refreshing Toner and got good results, I figure I could use La Mer’s The Cleansing Foam and follow that up with The Radiant Infusion to see what happens.
You all know how much I love my Cleansing Foam and combining it with the toner got me really excited. But alas, my complexion broke out a few days later, giving me little blemishes, mostly on my upper lip. I have to guess that the culprit is the toner since I haven’t had any issues with the cleanser.
Bottom line: In the Battle of the Toners: High-End vs. Drugstore, I’m going to have to give this round to Olay and the drugstore brands. You can’t beat the price and nearly double the product of what you’d get with La Mer.
Olay is refreshing, easy to apply and it works for me. La Mer finishes to a nice, smooth, and almost silky texture (once I got past application issues). I’m actually going to give it another chance after my skin gets back to normal. It may have just been a weird reaction to a new product. I’ll let you guys know if I get better results next time.
So what do you think? Does a higher price tag mean that it’s a better product? Tell me what you splurge on that really works. Or are you a drugstore beauty babe all the way?
It’s Friday! I hope you’ve all got some fun plans! 
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On March 7th, 2008 Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net said:
Good review hun. It’s good I didn’t go and spend $90 on something that I’d have to keep reapplying. A good portion of the bottle would have been gone already, lol.
On March 7th, 2008 Sandy said:
i’m loving my clinique toner. however the whole clinique products have been making my face a bit dry so i’m back with my chanel~ hehe. have you tried any of their skincare products?
On March 7th, 2008 *jen said:
Wow. That’s all I can say: Wow! Thanks for a great (money saving) review!
On March 7th, 2008 Brittany said:
I don’t really use toners since my skin is relatively dry, but this was a great review, Lilan! I seriously didn’t know La Mer was THAT much money. Gooodness gracious……I love me some cosmetics, but honeyyyy. So it’s glad to know that the drugstore items (which tend to be my favorite items anyway) win this round! I don’t think a higher price tag means a better item. But a lot of us are conditioned to think that it does. Which sucks because consumers cheat their selves out of a crap load of money annually. Do I sound like a finance major or what? Hehehe….
On March 7th, 2008 Josi said:
Great review! I have to say…I am a toner addict…and I use it to get that clean feeling after a face wash…plus it relieves some of my dryness by getting rid of any flakes while prepping it for moisture….I don’t get how they can call the LaMer product a toner….sounds more like a serum the way you are supposed to apply it…plus the price!!! Wow. I would rather spend that dough on a true treatment product! Thanks for saving us some dough!
On March 7th, 2008 beautytalk said:
I love all Oil of Olay products and find that they rival most of the more expensive brands.
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Happy Aloha Friday, Mrs. Lynne!
I was afraid of running out of the product quickly too, but because it’s kind of like a gel and not a total liquid it’s more dense and doesn’t use up as much as you’d think.
Still, $90 is a lot to pay for anything, I think
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Sandy,
Hope all is well! I haven’t used Clinique products in quite a few years. Since high school, I believe.
I haven’t tried too many Chanel products, just the Hydramax Moisture Boost Cream, which I LOVED but it has since been discontinued! Booo
What are you using from Chanel right now?
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hey Jen,
Kinda crazy, huh? I had high hopes since I was soooo in LOVE with the Cleansing Foam.
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Thanks Brittany!
If you have dry skin, I still think that you can use the Olay toner. I found that it didn’t try out my skin like other astringents tend to do. Let me know if you test it, would love to hear your results
Yes, La Mer is a little on the hefty side, but sometimes a splurge isn’t a bad thing if you really love something and it works for you. La Mer’s Cleansing Foam is a steep $65 but I can justify it because it really works and a little goes a long way. I also alternate it with my drugstore face wash so it lasts even longer - LOL
Were you a finance major???
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Josi,
You know, I’ve never been a toner kind-of gal until I tried Olay’s. I was promptly hooked from then on. What are some of your favorites and what do you think makes a great toner?
I apologize, I called the La Mer product a toner, but that’s not how they describe it. I made an edit in the original post. As for a serum, I don’t think it’s that either since it’s a little more liquid-y.
And yes, the price really hurts!!
Hope you’re having a great Friday - any fun weekend plans?
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi beautytalk,
I haven’t used very many other Olay products - what are your favorites? I’d love to check out some more, especially since you mentioned that they are comparable to the higher end products!
Have a good day!
On March 7th, 2008 Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net said:
I definitely would rather spend $90 on a BUNCH of products than one. Hah. 8 eyeshadow pans sounds good to me
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
I agree! I’d love to spend my money on a bunch of products too. Maybe 8 lipglosses instead of eyeshadows? Mix n match shadows and lippies? The possibilities are endless!!
On March 7th, 2008 Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net said:
Yup. Anything but one $90 bottle, hah.
On March 7th, 2008 Sandy said:
i am using their radiance cleanser + hydramax moisture boost moisturiser. im gonna tell my dad to stock me more stuff from chanel =) their cleanser smells soooo nice.
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hey Mrs. Lynne, You don’t gotta tell me, girl! I’m with you on that one
On March 7th, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Sandy,
I haven’ t used the cleanser, but I LOVE the Hydramax! I think I’m going to try and see if there are any left out the counters since it’s not online any more - boo
On March 22nd, 2008 Ink said:
Well, the ingredients in La Mer may be expensive, but not necessarily better for your skin, that’s certainly true. Plus, you don’t get much from the marketing expenses, except for a placebo effect (apparently, not in you case, though!).
Still, the products probably work different for different kinds of skin. It does sound as though the La Mer product was meant to be somewhat serum-like, not toner-like, but it’s hard to tell without testing it.
Oh, and these liquid-y, gel-y products can be applied more easily if you pour some product in your palm, lightly (and quickly) spread it out between your palms and then apply it to your face! Granted, some product may remain on your palms (which is bad if the product is this expensive), but you can apply it very fast, before it dries.
Thanks for the post, it was an interesting read!
On March 22nd, 2008 Lilan said:
Hi Ink,
Thanks so much for stopping by!
It’s interesting to see that La Mer is marketing this product as an “infusion”. It’s not supposed to be a toner or a serum, from my understanding. While I’ve read other rave reviews for it, it just didn’t mesh well with my skin - texture-wise and performance-wise - it broke me out as I mentioned.
I’ll definitely try to apply using my palms next time, we’ll see if it wastes too much product
Thanks for the tip and again, thank you for coming by to say hello and leave a comment.
Hope you’re having a great weekend!