REVIEW: The Face Shop Pore Minimizer Controlling Toner With Powder

Hello everyone.

I've been raving about Nutox's skincare line and I officially closed the book of Nutox quite awhile ago since I am such a beauty junkie that I tend to replace my regime after its finished. I have combination to oily skin and I do have enlarged pores (which people can stand two feet away from me and they can still see it LOL). I do not know the specific cause of it but I think I can say that it is because I used to pop my acne on my cheeks when I was teenager. Nope, it is not deep acne scars, its just pores. As I mentioned earlier regarding how my Nutox Oxyfusion Astringent (aka toner) finished after a month that I need to replace it with something else, something that is specific for pores.

While I am still using my Nutox skincare line, I was searching for a new toner (I did not want to repurchase their toner since it does not do much), thus I bump into Etude House Pore Wonder toner. I was so excited to own it but too bad they only sell the huge 500ml bottle that costs about RM90. I asked for 250ml size - since I don't want to buy the huge size because I was afraid its not suitable for my skin, but most of the branches in Malaysia don't sell the smaller size. I wonder why. My budget was less than RM50 so I decided to let it go. I kept on searching and I accidentally bump into The Face Shop because I saw a green bottle (and yes I really love green). I came into the shop and this young lady promoter came to me and introduced me what is the green bottle is. And she said it is for minimizing pore. I was happy because it looks good and the thing itself is what I am searching for. I asked sooooo many questions since this is the first time I bumped into The Face Shop. At first, that lady knew I wanted something for pores that she promoted me a freakishly expensive toner for pores too but of course I said, "can I get a cheaper ones like the green bottle?".

I actually hate the promoter since she is super rude and she don't know what she is saying. I know my skin and I know what I need and I know what I can't tolerate with but she kept saying, "if you want something for pores, this one lah! Don't go asking about other range!" Seriously?? I kept calm and decided to troll her. I asked almost all the products (with sarcastic smile) especially their masks and she just don't know what each of them actually for. LOL. Then she just left me hanging , go behind the counter and scream! Yes, SCREAM out of anger by herself. I laughed on the inside. I get a little pity for that lady (though she is the worst promoter I have ever encountered), so I decided to just buy The Face Shop Pore Minimizer Controlling Toner with Powder and not the masks. Meanie me. But I do not recommend you guys to buy things from this shop as they tend to lie about their products and their customer service is sooo -100 out of 5. I am serious. I never came back. I do not own the bottle anymore since its finished long time ago so here's a googled picture of it.

The Face Shop Pore Minimizer Controlling Toner with Powder

So here's the green bottle that I really love the look. It costs me around RM45 of approximately 15 USD for 130ml. I took the claims from their website and I do not decide to promote their website though. LOL.

"Controlling powder helps to absorb excess sebum. Formulated with Mushroom extract (A natural astringent; prevent enlarged pores), Acacia collagen (Tightens enlarged pores & improve elasticity), Adlay (Remove skin debris and sebum) and Sodium Hyaluronate (Helps to lock the moisture factor)"

Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Phellinus Linteus Extract Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Betaine, Zinc Oxide, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Crataegus Monogina Fruit Extract,  PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castro Oil, Salicylic Acid, Phenoxyethanol Coceth-7, Methylparaben, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Kaolin, Citric Acid, Dipotassium Glycirrhyzate, Silica, Acacia Senegal, Sodium Citrate, Lactic Acid, Fragrance.

I have been talking about how bad the customer service is, now I am going to talk about how bad this product is. It smells pretty soothing actually. Herbal scent. The toner itself, if you left it for an hour or so, you can see two layers, one layer above is a transparent liquid and the lower layer is white colored liquid. The white color is actually the powder and I actually need to shake it before using it to mix up the toner and the powder. The bottle is actually a quality matte green colored glass bottle with sliver screw lid that when you open it, you can see the opening covered with plastic/silicone thingy with small opening that prevents it from overflowing. The one thing I love about this toner is the bottle. And that's just it. It does not do what it claims. Its too harsh for my U-zone area that cause them to get flaky and dry. My T-zone tends to get super oily after few hours. It breaks me out too sometimes. I tried my best to love this toner by putting aside my bad experience with the customer service and I decided to pat the toner only on my T-zone to prevent my U-zone gets flaky again. Nope, it does not happen to improve in anyway. Such a bummer. I sometimes purposely let the screw lid to be loose that when I shake the bottle, the toner comes out a little (YES so to fasten it to finish. I think I am crazily hating it but with the fact that I can't throw it away because it costs me RM45 for useless toner). It lasts me for  more than 1 month (with my unwise usage), of twice a day. Although when I pat this on my skin, my skin felt heavy due to the powder and it is not comfortable at all aside from giving me a matte look for...let me say...10 minutes?

My ratings: (I know you can expect this already)

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Bottle: ★★★★★ (the only thing I love although I have to be careful not to drop it)

Price: ☆☆☆☆☆ (not worth it at all)

Long term effect: ☆☆☆☆☆ (still giving bad results until I actually finished the bottle)

Overall, I do not recommend this toner (AT ALL) to everyone. It does not reduce my enlarged pores and it does not help in balancing my sebum at all. It states that it is suitable for all skin type but how come my U-zone gets too dry and flaky? It is not worth it and please don't waste your money to fall for this.

P/S: I don't give this review as an act of revenge but this is my honest opinion. You can actually google others' review on this and majority have had almost the same experience like mine.

I hope this review helps!

Regards