I find the whole beauty process a bit of a chore, but appreciate that in order to keep my skin in good condition I do need to follow a cleansing, toning and moisturising routine on a daily basis. I have never been loyal to any particular brand and so usually scan the shelves for the best offers available and was pleased a number of months ago when I spotted this combined cleanser and toner from the well respected Simple range of facial care products. As well as meaning that I only needed to buy one product to do the job of two, a cleanser and a toner, so saving money, I also realised that this would cut down on the number of processes in my nightly routine, a big bonus!

The latest bottles that I purchased (August 2012) were particularly good value as they were part of a Boots 3 for 2 offer. Its normal cost is £4.99 and of course if you buy form Boots you will also earn advantage points bringing the cost down further, but it is also available from other supermarkets and chemists. This offer was great for us as both of my teenage daughters also have a bottle of this in their room, so I was able to stock up for us all.

Simple have been manufacturing skin care products for fifty years and their main selling point is that their products contain no perfume or colour so are ideal for people with sensitive skin. I therefore had no hesitation in trying out this product but did wonder if it would be as successful as using a separate cleanser and toner, but it was worth a try.

The Simple packaging is also simple and minimalistic. My 200ml bottle is see through so that the clear liquid with little air bubbles is visible through it; great for knowing how much of the liquid you have left. The secure flip top lid is a mid shade of green and for some reason it is not possible to unscrew the entire lid, not that I've needed to as it is not difficult to squeeze the last remnants out of the bottle. The bottle squeezes quite easily without needing to exert too much pressure and the lid can be opened with one hand.

Most writing is in shades of green giving us the name of the product - pore minimising toning cleanser, the Simple logo and we are told that it is kind to skin. Bright pink writing lets us know that it contains vitamin goodness - don't try eating it though! The vitamins included are B5 to restore soften and smooth the skin and vitamin E which moisturises. Other ingredients are Witch hazel which is one of the main toning and pore tightening ingredients, chamomile which has soothing and softening properties and geranium which is used to condition the skin and help it regenerate. These ingredients are all well known to me and ones that feel natural and that I have no concerns about applying to my skin. Unfortunately there is also a relatively lengthy list of chemical sounding ingredients.

**My experience**
I have been using this product regularly for about 6 months and am on my 3rd bottle. It is at night that I choose to use it as I'm always in a hurry to get to bed so that is when I appreciate its dual role. I apply a 20p sized blob to a cotton wool pad and wipe this over my skin. This will clean about half my face and I then repeat for the other half and then again for my neck. There is no discomfort or stinging when using this and it feels mild, unlike some stronger more astringent toners. The clear liquid has a thin gel like consistency and sits well on the cotton wool neither soaking in nor running off. It does leave my skin feeling very dry and I definitely need to use a moisturiser immediately afterwards, but I would always expect to do this after using any cleanser or toner. My skin is not particularly sensitive but I have not noticed any irritation at all and neither have my children.

The cotton wool always ends up looking a bit grimy, especially in this hot muggy weather when I've been outdoors a lot and got a bit sweaty, so it is seems to be doing the job that I want it to. I rarely wear makeup, but when I do this removes it adequately. I find it very refreshing and cool on my skin. It has a very faint and pleasant perfume which I assume must be from the camomile and geranium and this adds to the fresh feel.

I have been impressed by this skin care product and love the fact that it cuts down on the list of things that I have to do when getting ready for bed, but still leaves me feeling that I have taken suitable steps to look after my skin at the end of the day. I haven't noticed any great difference from when I used separate products so hope that it is as effective. I have recommended it to my daughters and would also recommend to others. It is not an expensive product compared to many others but as I don't have experience of using top of the range expensive skin care products I cannot compare its effectiveness to these, so you may be disappointed if you are more passionate about beauty products than I am.