Liz Earle Skincare

Gosh this review is soooooo overdue! Like a lot of other bloggers I was sent a few bits from the Liz Earle Range a good couple of months ago, and so the time has come to share my thoughts!

Probably the item I was most excited to try was the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - this is one of those items that comes up time and time again as a "must try" cult status skincare item...

I really like the packaging of the cleanser - it comes in a really handy little zip up bag, which also contains two muslin cloths. The product itself is also deceptively lightweight too - almost to the point where I suspected it might be half empty, but it has lasted 3 months so far isn't empty yet. You can't see in the pic, but this has a pump dispenser, which is always good. It retails at £13 for the 100ml pump above - it is also available in a 200ml pump for £23, and you get two cloths included. It also comes in a tube if preferred.

The  cleanser itself is a very firm textured cream - despite how thick it was, it was easy enough to work with, and spread well over the skin. 

Oh, worth mentioning too that there has been a bit of a blogging debate lately over the organic credentials of the company - Liz Earle products are not Organic - some of their ingredients are organic but the brand is not. The ingredients of the cleanser are;

I've definitely seen worse and more unpronounceable lists of chemicals, and I'm not an expert in what's good or bad in skincare, apart from a rudimentary knowledge that I should avoid parabens and mineral oils in skincare, and now Sodium Laureth Sulphate in haircare, which seems to be kicking my scalp off at the moment. 

The cleanser itself is refreshing, due to the Eucalyptus oil in it, which is probably responsible for the "clean" feeling you get from this - it works well as a sensation too, as I can often find cream cleansers feel a bit cloying on the skin, but that's a personal thing. 

It removes makeup well, although I did find that I needed a separate eye makeup remover, as it struggled a little with mascara. I also found the idea of rubbing something containing eucalyptus into my eye are a little odd too... 

The real genius of this cleanser is the use of the muslin cloth with it - on its own, the cleanser would be nice, but not particularly stand out, but team it with a bit of warm water and a muslin cloth and you get a gentle manual exfoliation and a deeper cleanse, which is, I suspect what really makes people rave about this cleanser. 

I have heard various claims about this cleanser - people saying it changed their skin for the better etc... I have to say, I didn't notice any miraculous changes with mine but it wasn't is a really bad state to begin with. I do definitely believe that thorough cleansing is vitally important for skin condition though - and this cleanser does a good job. 

The skin tonic toner also comes in various types of packaging - I was sent a 200ml bottle retailing at £11.50, but it is also available in a spritzer bottle. 

I find people either love toner or find it pointless - personally I like to use a toner, especially with a cream cleanser, as I feel it removes any remaining surface traces of product. This has a light fresh floral scent, and does a good job of refreshing the skin without drying it out. 

I really liked this and would repurchase - gentle but effective. 

Finally I was sent the Skin Repair Moisturiser for normal/combination skin - again, this is available in various styles of packaging - I was sent a 50ml jar retailing at £17.50, however it's also available in a tube (more hygienic), and comes in dry/sensitive and light formulations

This is a very rich formula, with a texture similar to soft butter - it glides onto the skin and sinks in well - I personally found it a little rich for my skin, which I was surprised given that I tried the normal/combination formula. Due to the lack of SPF in this I'd need to use a separate sunscreen, but this simply adds to the feeling of product overload. As I result I've started using this as a night cream, and it works well, especially when my skin feels a little drier. 

My overall thoughts on the range? I really like the way you can essentially choose different sizes and dispenser styles. I'd say the poducts are well worth trying - in particular the cleanser and toner, and you can also purchase trial packs of the products to see how you get on before committing to a full sized set. 

Have you tried Liz Earle? How did you get along with it?