Review - Laneige White Plus Renew Skin Refiner

Along with my Laneige Splurge, I bought White Plus Renew Skin Refiner since I don't have any toner left. I already stopped using toner months ago and didn't bother to buy them.

Since my skincare obsession started, I've been adhering to my Korean Skincare Routine every single day. I used the Skin Refiner as the first step in my routine! 

In the morning, I only wash my face with a normal foam cleanser. Then I used the Skin Refiner as my toner before proceeding to the Original Essence and Sun Screen Aqua SPF 35 PA+++. 

Depending on my mood on that particular day, I decide whether to wear make up or not :P 

If I don't mind looking like a panda that day, then I'm done with my morning routine! I don't mind going out bare-faced, but sometimes I just want to pack a little vitality to my face before I head out to class. (Although I sleep most of the time during classes :X) 

Or sometimes, I just have some extra time to spare during the morning to do my makeup. Heh.

At night, I cleanse my face with an oil cleanser and normal foam cleanser before proceeding to Skin Refiner, then Original Essence again. So, basically I use the Skin Refiner twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening/night.

Packaging : 

It came in a simple basic box. The bottle itself is really heavy, sturdy, well-built glass bottle with a opaque light blue gradient color. The whole White Plus Renew line has blue as it's theme color, which is another plus point for me. Blue is my all time favorite color, so at first I was sucked onto this product because of its packaging. Not only that, the Skin Refiner has a transparent glass/plastic cap which has another shiny metallic cap inside the transparent cap. The bottle is hard, so you cannot squeeze the toner out.

Thumbs up for packaging and design! The bottle itself already giving off a high-end look :D 

It feels even more expensive than the Original Essence itself (Original Essence bottle was made of plastic) 

Felt like I was paying for the bottle instead of the product :O But you might wanna be careful because the bottle is made of glass, dropping it means breaking it. Warning : Fragile!

Product Description : 

LANEIGE White Plus Renew Skin Refiner 120mL / 4.0 fl.oz

Brightening skin refiner that instantly soothes the skin and brightens it over time

The rich and soft texture of the product instantly soothes and softens the skin and brightens it over time with continuous use. As a perfect complement to Original Essence, the skin refiner helps to maintain the optimal water oil balance of the skin and moisturizes just like what an emulsion or a lotion does (more effective when used with Original Essence)

The product is made using MelaCrusher technology that promotes the self-destruction of melanin pigments, thereby keeping the skin always looking radiant and healthy

Usage Directions

Pump up suitable amount (2.5 cm in diameter or 1 ml) into cotton pad and apply as part of basic skincare routine in morning and at night. Gently pat cheeks, forehead, nose, mouth and neck with soaked cotton pad from inside out.

For all skin types

Made in Korea

Ingredients 

*The bottle looked a lil distorted in this photo, rest assured, I don't have any bottle-squeezing-superpower .. 

After opening the cap, the bottle looked like this. It didn't have a pump or anything. You are required to just pour out the toner onto your palm. I preferred a pump design or something other than pouring it, though. It's not hard to control the amount you pour, but you need to control yourself not to pour too much product onto your palm. A pump or maybe dropper will be better. But is there a dropper THAT LONG?! Okay, a pump then. :)

The toner looked like slightly white liquid after pouring it out. The product smells amazing, just like what the other Laneige product smells like. I guess it's Laneige "special fragrance".

After pouring the amount I wanted on my palms, I used my fingers to apply it onto my face (just like the Original Essence) and then pat it on. It's supposed to be applied with a cotton pad, but the lady at the Laneige counter told me to use my fingers instead. Also, I'm just too lazy to use cotton pads .. 

My Verdict :

Pros

• The bottle itself made the product seem very high-ended and worth the price. I love the design and color of the bottle! Especially when it's made of glass. :D
• I can't really comment about the whitening effects but I assume it did at least contributed in making my skin look much more radiant, since I used it together with the Original Essence.
• It did not do anything weird to my face after using it for months, didn't make my face more or less oilier/drier as well.
• Sometimes after cleansing, I will have skin flaking off around my U zone (it happens once in a while) and after using this toner, my skin became moist again and the flaking will stop (but the flaking comes back after a few hours)
• Thanks to its 4-free formula, it is free from four harmful materials - parabens, artificial pigments, mineral oils and animal products

Cons

• It can improve better on methods of dispensing the toner. (Maybe include a pump or some sort?)
• The bottle is opaque so I can't really see how much product is left.
• This product contains fragrance, so I'm not sure how it will turn out for those who have sensitive skin. (Laneige claims that the product is suitable for sensitive skin, so .. I don't know)