Most mornings lately, I wake up, cleanse, and stick a pad on each cheek before I do anything else. The mimmua Ice Sorbet Toner Pad has quietly become part of my getting-ready routine, not as a special treat but as the most low-effort way to make my skin feel comfortable before I leave the house.

I did not buy these with the intention of building a ritual. I assumed they would be one of those pleasant tub products I used a few times, enjoyed for a week, and then forgot about. Instead, they have ended up living on the counter because they fit into real life. I can put them on, walk around, get dressed, sort my hair, make coffee, and they stay damp and cool the whole time. They do not dry out and start tugging at the edges, and they do not slide off the minute I move my face.

There have been plenty of mornings where I have forgotten they are there until I catch my reflection. I will be halfway through packing my bag, or looking for a cardigan, and then I remember I have two pads sitting on my cheeks like I have accidentally turned my routine into a tiny spa. The reason it works is that the pads keep their moisture. Even if I am walking around doing small chores while I get ready, they stay comfortably wet and noticeably cool. I take them off when I am ready, not because they have turned papery or started slipping.

That matters to me because my skin is classic combination in the annoying, practical sense. The centre of my face can look a bit slick by lunchtime, especially if I am rushing and layering sunscreen, but my cheeks can still feel tight if I over-cleanse or if I am in heating or air-conditioning for long stretches. Toner pads tend to fall into one of two categories for me. Some are thin and dry, which means you end up dragging cotton across skin that is already feeling a bit touchy. Others are soaked but leave a film behind, and then my T-zone feels like it has been given extra fuel.

The pad itself is the reason this one works. It is thicker than the average toner pad, with a bouncy, cushioned feel that changes how it sits on the skin. I do not use these like a swipe-and-scrub product. I use them like a small compress. That extra thickness creates softer contact, so there is less friction and less temptation to rub. On days when my skin is slightly sensitised, that is the difference between a soothing step and a step that quietly irritates.

The material looks a bit gauze-like at first glance, but it is not stiff or scratchy. It is soft, and it seems to hold the essence within the pad rather than just on the surface. That is why the moisture lasts. I can put a pad on my cheek, do ten minutes of normal morning chaos, and when I peel it off the pad is still properly damp. With thinner pads, I usually get that halfway point where the pad starts feeling like a damp cloth rather than a wet one, and at that stage it is easy to start tugging without meaning to. That does not happen here.

The cooling is also more reliable than most. I have tried plenty of pads that are only cooling if they have been in the fridge, which is less about the formula and more about the temperature. With these, I get a gentle cooling sensation even at room temperature. If I keep them in the fridge, the first minute is obviously colder, but the basic cooling feel is still there either way. It does not turn into a non-cooling pad the moment it warms up. That consistency is what makes them practical. I do not have to plan ahead and I do not have to treat a toner pad like it is a special occasion product.

The morning use has become very straightforward. I apply them right after cleansing, usually one on each cheek because that is where I feel heat and tightness first. Then I get on with the day. Sometimes I am walking around the flat grabbing things, sometimes I am standing at the mirror doing mascara, sometimes I am half dressed and trying to remember where I left my keys. The pads stay put, and they stay cool for longer than you would expect. When I take them off, my cheeks feel less warm and more evenly comfortable, like the surface has settled down.

The finish is another reason I keep reaching for them. When I pat in what is left, it absorbs without leaving that tacky film that can make sunscreen pill or make base products behave badly. For combination skin, that matters more than people admit. If a pad leaves any stickiness, I can guarantee my forehead will look shinier later, and my makeup will start to separate around the nose. With this, my cheeks feel comfortably moisturised, but my T-zone does not feel coated. It is a hydrated finish, not a glossy layer.

I noticed the difference most on the days when my skin is behaving like two different faces. If my cheeks feel slightly tight but my forehead is already leaning shiny, I do not want to add something that makes either side worse. This sits well on the dry-leaning parts and leaves the oily-leaning parts alone. After the pads, my skin feels balanced rather than pushed in one direction.

On mornings when I wear makeup, the improvement is subtle but real. My base goes on more evenly because my cheeks are not slightly tight or patchy. I do not get that odd situation where one area looks smooth and another grabs product. It does not turn my skin into something else, but it makes the surface feel more consistent, which is what I actually want from a pad. If you have ever found that your makeup looks worse when your skin is warm and a bit dehydrated at the same time, this kind of gentle cooling prep helps more than you would think.

Because I am already using them most mornings, I am picky about how I use them later in the day. I do not automatically reach for them every night as well. Instead, I save my second main use for specific evenings, usually after I have been out and my face feels properly hot. It is not an everyday night step for me, because in my routine the morning use already covers the general comfort side. The evening use is for the days when my skin feels like it is holding onto heat.

On those days, I remove makeup, cleanse, and then I put three pads on my face. One on each cheek, and a third where the heat feels most stubborn, often across the centre or slightly along the jawline. Then I do something ordinary while they sit there. I dry my hair. I eat dinner. And yes, sometimes I just lie there for a few minutes and let them do their thing, because it is the easiest form of self-care I can manage when I am tired.

This is when you really notice the cooling. The heat drops quickly, and it is almost funny how clear the contrast is. The areas under the pads feel properly cool while the rest of my face still feels warm. It is not a complicated result, but it is satisfying in a very direct way. I can feel the temperature change, and my skin feels less overstimulated. After ten to fifteen minutes, my cheeks look less flushed and feel more comfortable, and I can carry on with the rest of my routine without that hot, tight sensation.

What I like is that the pads stay wet and comfortable for that full stretch. Some pads start out drenched and then turn drippy, then dry, then tight, all in one sitting. These are damp without being sloppy. They do not leave essence running down my neck, and they do not slide around the face the moment you stand up. If there is excess liquid, it tends to stay in the pad rather than immediately pooling at the edges. That balance is harder to find than it should be.

There is also a quiet practicality to the tub. The pads do not feel like they are drying out as you work through it. I have had tubs where the first week feels luxurious and then the rest feels underwhelming because the pads are not as saturated, and you end up pressing them into the bottom to get enough liquid. With this one, the experience has been more consistent. It feels like the pads were designed to hold the essence evenly, not just be wet on day one.

I am careful about calling anything a must-have, but if your main complaint about toner pads is that they are either too thin, too dry, or too messy, this is one I would point you towards. It feels more like a mini treatment you can fit into normal life than a fiddly pad step you have to manage. The thickness reduces friction, the moisture lasts, and the finish stays clean, which is exactly what I want for combination skin.

In day-to-day use, it is not a product that demands attention. It is just the thing I stick on my cheeks while I get dressed, and the thing I reach for when I come home with that warm, slightly irritated face feeling. I like that it works whether I have planned for it or not, and I like that it makes my skin feel comfortable without leaving me shiny.

I did not expect a toner pad to become a routine anchor, but this one has. It is simple, it is consistently pleasant, and it does exactly what it should do.