Review: The Tonymoly Floria Pore-Tightening Foaming Cleanser

Stock Photo

Ever since I tried Korean products on my skin, I never looked back. Most Korean skincare and makeup products are just so effective that in the past couple of years I have successfully accumulated my own Korean cosmetic collection. I am loyal to most Skin79 products, but I also love Etude House, Missha and The Face Shop, just to name a few. Last November, I decided to give Tonymoly a try. I know the said Korean brand has been around for a while, but I had to try some other brands before finally ending up with Tonymoly. Last November, I ran out of my Skin79 foaming cleanser and I figured that I really needed a replacement right away.

While casually browsing for beauty stuff on Ebay, I stumbled upon a cheaply priced Korean cleanser – the Tonymoly Floria Pore Tightening Cleanser. It’s sold at around Php 300, so I bought it without having any second thoughts. After all, my Skin79 cleansers are all worth twice as much, or even more.

I never had any bad experiences with any Korean brands before, so this should be good too, right?

I was about to find out.

Actual photo of product

Actual product

First impressions?

After completing the checkout process, my purchased item arrived at my doorstep in a couple of days. I was pleasantly surprised to find a ‘large tube’ for something so cheap. To add, the packaging doesn’t look cheap at all. Its glossy aquamarine packaging is also something that’s just too irresistible. The actual cleansing foam’s color is almost the same with the packaging, which is actually kind of cute. The consistency seems great and the texture is all right as well. The fragrance, though, is more on the artificial side, so some people may not like it. Like most bloggers, I was kind of disappointed with its smell; I expected a more natural flowery fragrance, but I guess I must have been expecting too much from it.

How was it?

First of all, I would have to explain how to use it. It’s important that the product should be lathered on the hand first prior to applying it on your face. As the popular saying goes, a little goes a long way. In my case, I had to use lesser than the pea-sized amount.

List of ingredients

The cleanser is kind of easy to lather. A pea-sized amount should be able to give you a rich lather or so.

Sadly, this product didn’t live to what I expected.

1.       The solution stung as soon as I applied it on my skin; and it’s the worst I’ve had ever since I could remember. I thought it was kind of strange because I don’t have problematic skin. I rarely have acne and pimples, and I often thought that it’s kind of impossible for me to feel a strong stinging sensation from a mere foam cleanser, such as this product, but I felt it anyway and I hated it. The stinging sensation even lingered for a few minutes even after rinsing it with water. And please note that I just used a “smaller than the pea-sized” amount.

2.       My skin stretched out like there’s no tomorrow, so this tells me that this product is loaded with strong ingredients. I do admit that its product description included the following, but I failed to read it prior to testing the cleanser:

Take note: STRONG pore tightening effects

3.       It caused me breakouts, and a very angry zit at a bridge of my nose. As mentioned earlier, my skin stretched out like crazy, and it seems that every time I use this cleanser, the ‘extra skin’ along the areas around my eyes and nose seem to ‘convene’ right at the very spot where the zit appeared. I know it sounds funny but it really happened. The very same spot was red and unsightly for weeks.

4.       The very same ugly results even after using it a few more times. Yes, I did give this product a few more chances but it turns out that the stinging sensation, the strong tightening effects, and the breakouts seem to build up even more every time I use it. So, it’s definitely a no-no for me. And if I may add, it doesn’t ‘tighten pores’ at all. It merely stretches out your skin and then, the effect’s gone.

Sadly, I regret buying it. I know it was cheap and cute, and all, but in my case, it’s not worth it. It was a horrible experience. It’s my first time to try a Tonymoly product, and it turned out to be a disaster. I may want to try some of its products soon, but only if there’s a sale, or a set of samples.

Sorry, Tonymoly. L

So, the rating is 2.00 out of 5.00. The extra two points are for the cute packaging and the 130ml product at a very low price.

What do you think?

Have you ever used this product before? What do you think of it?

Do you think I used it incorrectly?

Please post your answers, comments, questions and recommendations below.

[DISCLAIMER] This is NOT a sponsored or paid advertisement. NEWBEE (the author of this blog) chose to buy the said product at her own expense. Please note that the reviews are not by any chance made by an expert on makeup and skincare; these reviews are all based on the author’s limited knowledge, thoughts, and opinions.