As someone with dry to normal skin, I stick firmly to the non-foaming family of cleansers – i.e. Oils, balms, creams and hot cloth cleansers. Of these, oils and hot cloth cleansers are my favourites because they leave my skin feeling the cleanest, but not dried out. In addition these kinds of cleanser tend to melt makeup off quickly and efficiently, without needing lots of scrubbing away at the skin, while the action of the cloth provides a gentle manual exfoliation, which polishes the skin without damaging it.

Now obviously Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser has a well earned place as the queen of the hot cloth cleansers, but more and more pharmacy brands are cottoning on to their popularity - soap and glory do one for example, and most of the thicker cream clensers from any skincare range will work well with a muslin cloth to emulate the awesomness of hot cloth cleansing.

I’ve been hearing a lot on twitter and on other blogs about this bargainous Superdrug cleanser recently, so I headed down to my nearest one to pick one up and see what all the fuss was about, as my Liz Earle HC cleanser was on it’s last legs. I almost gave up on finding it, but then, I spotted it nestled in amongst the Vitamin E range – hurrah! At £3.99 for 200mls and comes with a muslin cloth (thats twice the amount you get in Liz Earle for £11.75 without a cloth, or £13.25 for a starter kit which comes with a cloth) 

So obviously that’s the first thing to stand out about this – the price seems totally unbeatable. The second obvious difference is the packaging – the Liz Earle version comes in a swishy pump, with definite “bathroom shelf appeal”, whereas the Superdrug version comes in a tube and has a less luxurious look about it… No biggie to me, as both are perfectly hygenic and functional modes of packaging.

If you’ve used the Liz Earle cleanser before, you’ll be familiar with the lovely herbal scent of it. The Superdrug version has a different, but in my opinion, pleasant scent of almonds. Now to me, it’s not too synthetic a scent – less marzipan, and more clean and creamy with an almondy overtone, but definitely give it a sniff before purchasing if you are opposed to such things…

l- Vitamin E, r - Liz Earle....

Texture and appearance wise, both cleansers are white creams - I’d say the Vitamin E cleanser is not as thick as the Liz Earle, but in a way this works in its favour as it melts into the skin faster. Both are just as effective as the other in removing makeup – although if you are using them to remove makeup, I’d always recommend cleansing twice – once to get the slap off, and once to cleanse the skin itself.

The only difference I’ve picked out in the two cleansers really in terms of performance, is that the Liz Earle seems to be a bit easier to remove from the skin, whereas the Superdrug version can be more prone to leaving a slight residue on the skin, and so needs to be more carefully removed with the cloth – I’d say it’s more important to use a toner with it just to be sure that all traces of the cleanser are gone.

In the week or so I’ve been using the Vitamin E cleanser, I’ve noticed that my skin definitely feels softer, and more even textured – the same changes in skin I noticed when first using the Liz Earle cleanser, so it seems just as effective in that way. I’d definitely say that the Liz Earle is more of an “All skin types” cleanser, whereas the Vitamin E is better for drier types due to the tendancy to leave a bit of residue – this could overload oilier skins and cause breakouts.

Vitamin E Cleanser Ingredients

Both cleansers are cruelty free as well – Liz Earle’s “contains no animal extracts”, whilst the Vitamin E is BUAV approved (All Superdrug’s own products are free of animal tested ingredients, which earns them major brownie points). The Liz Earle wins out in terms of a more natural ingredient list, whilst the Vitamin E cleanser contains parabens, and has a slightly less natural looking ingredient list…

Liz Earle Cleanser Ingredients

Oh and as for the muslin cloth, both versions seem fine to me, but I come from the “a muslin cloth is a muslin cloth” school of thought… they all work fine for me, and I have about seven on rotation, and I wash my cloths after 2 or 3 days use anyway… *shrugs shoulders*

Overall though, I’m pretty impressed with this cleanser – its a great budget alternative for hot cloth cleanser fans, and provided you’re skin is not oily, should work well for you… A definite repurchase for me, as this is working very well for my skin - please do bear in mind that this may be less successful for people with oilier or combination skins though… I always use a toner as standard anyway because I like my skin to feel refreshed after cleansing, but I’d say that’s definitely even more important with the Vitamin E cleanser.

Have you used this? What did you think? What other hot cloth cleansers on a budget do you recommend? Also do you recommend any other products from the Vitamin E range?

I love a good clay mask. Find the right one and it can work wonders, hoovering gunk out of pores and leaving skin fresh and clean.

The problem is I find a lot of clay masks too harsh. They often dry out some areas of my skin to the point of soreness, without really making any major impact on blemishes. My drugstore fave clay mask is the Good Things Five Minute Facial - See my review HERE.

Moving into winter, means changes in skin. Mine has intensified in its usual combination of dehydrated tightness and blemishes around the chin and jaw area. The dehydration I can deal with – I use these products filled with Thermal Spa waters and they have worked wonders, but the blemishes are kind of annoying… Not full on zits, not milia, more just tiny bumps under the skin. Very irritating.

So I was interested to see how the new offering from Liz Earle (AKA “The Duchess” would fare… This is available from the Liz Earle Website and costs £12.50 for a kit containing a 75 ml tube of the mask and two cleansing sponges…

Packaging wise, this is fine and comes in a standard squeezy tube. I doubt there will ever be a solution to the usual problem of grubby clay covered finger marks over the tube, but this rinses easily once you’ve finished applying.

The mask itself is a glorious green gloop. Less grey than other clay masks I’ve tried, and with a slightly looser consistency, which makes it easy to spread a nice layer – its not too thin that it glides off, nor too thick that it can’t be spread.

Whilst on this does actually feel like its doing something – it tingles in a way I don’t mind, although the website does state that this is NOT suitable for sensitive skin… I don’t find it painful or unplesant at all, more just refreshing, and somewhat reassuring that something is actually happening with the mask.

The two sponges are really great as well when the time comes to remove the mask (5-10 minutes is the recommendation). They do a really good job of getting it all off, and they make you feel like a proper beautician, in your own home. Bonus.

I’d recommend going over your skin after removal with a decent toner, as I do find this removes leftover traces which are revealed as a greenish tint on the cotton wool pad.

After removal, toning and moisturising (I just use a serum or something quite light, so as not to undo the work of the mask), my skin doesn’t feel tight or uncomfortable. I notice surface blemishes are drawn out, and dry up faster too. Overall my skin looks fresher after use as well. On the downside I would only use this once per week for my skin type, as I think it would dry me out eventually. Obviously not ideal to use just before a big event as it does draw out imperfection.

I think this is a winner – thorough but not too harsh, and I’d be very likely to repurchase.

Have you used this one? Are you a fan of clay masks? Tell me about your faves!

Disclaimer – the product reviewed was sent by a PR. My review is honest and reflects my own experience with the product. I wasn’t threatened by Liz Earle or any of her employees to give this review either. The Duchess wouldn’t do that.

It’s probably just me, but when I try to imagine Liz Earle, I see her as some sort of Regal entity, occasionally taking the time to impart her knowledge to the masses. She is “The Duchess” in my mind.

Just to be clear, I mean this type of duchess;

and definitely NOT this type;


She may be called Fergie, but she don’t look like a Lady here!

 Ok, so I do actually know in reality, she is fairly normal woman who has a family and works hard to create her business, but I love to escape the realms of reality every now and then. I’ll bet I’m not the only one with such a bizarre imagination?

So back a couple of months ago, Liz Earle released their new haircare range – there was a lot of buzz about this at the time, and I came late to the party. I’ve been testing the shampoo and conditioner out for a month now, and I am seriously impressed.

Secondly, I love the fact that the shampoo is SLS free. I’ve been increasingly noticing that I get such scalp issues every time I try a shampoo containing SLS. This foams well (I believe the foaming agent is extracted from coconuts. It took several years to develop as well…), despite it’s SLS free credentials, and leaves hair feeling really clean. 

The shampoo has a lovely creamy consistency too, and feels mildly conditioning in itself, due to the fact that it contains shea butter… I have a sneaky suspicion that The Mister is a fan too. I asked him to use it once to see if it could deal with the hairgel he uses. It did. But I’ve noticed his hair smells suspiciously good. And thats another fab thing about this – it works for men as well, as the scent is not too feminine.

There are three conditioners also available – one for Dry/Damaged hair, one for Normal hair, and one for Oily hair. I was sent the version for Normal Hair, as it seems to give the best of both worlds. All three versions are colour safe, so you don’t need to worry about that…

The conditioner is also fab. It’s light enough not to weigh down my fine hair, but rich enough to deal with my dry ends. It rinses cleanly and leaves my hair feeling smooth and shiny. Everything you could really want from a conditioner!

Another great thing is the pricepoint – both shampoo and conditioner come in 50ml tester sizes at £4 and full sized (200ml) for £7.50.

As I have mentioned, I was sent these for review, but I will DEFINITELY be repurchasing.
I really love these two products – this is holy grail territory here for me.

If you are a fan of this cult cleanser, as many people are, and you also fancy having a signature LE facial at the London Treatment Rooms, than this may be of interest to you…

To win this prize, upload a video onto youtube explaining why you love the cleanser so much in less than three minutes. 

The closing date is the 30th Sept 2010, and there is more info on the contest HERE .

Take a look at my review of the LE cleanse and polish by clicking HERE…

Good Luck!

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?

Like a few other bloggers I was sent a few products from the Liz Earle range to try – I will be reviewing the facial skincare separately, but I wanted to start off with a body care product…

This is a new addition to Liz Earle’s body care range, and boasts 25% pure plant oils. It claims to visibly plump and smooth the skin, deccelerate aging of the skin and leave a delicate scent on the skin. 

The packaging of the cream is simple but functional, and looks clean and modern – its a little different to the normal duck-egg blue packaging…

I was sent this about two months ago now, and have used it most days after showering, and there is still about a weeks worth of product left in the tube – and given that this 200ml tube retails at £27.50 (a 50ml tube is also available at £12.50), I’d expect to get a decent amount of use – I go through a LOT of body lotion, as have dry skin on my legs and arms, and so this tube did reasonably well.

The first thing that struck me about this lotion was the scent – when first squeezed from the tube it has a very strong smell, which reminded me of strong green tea, and verged on the unpleasant – once applied it does fade and the scent of lavender, pomegranite and neroli become more apparent – I’m guessing that this is due to the high level of essential oils. On wearing through the day, the smell did not strike me as overpowering, and I could wear other fragrances etc without worrying about it clashing. If you smell very closely to the skin, you can pick it up, but passers by wouldn’t be able to pick up on it…

Its a very thick cream and initially I expected it to take ages to sink into the skin – it doesn’t, it sinks in reasonably quickly and feels soothing and did a really good job of keeping skin feeling soothed and soft all day. I used this after shaving, and didn’t notice any irritation from it, which often happens. 

I haven’t especially noted any pariticular changes in the appearange of my skin in terms of ageing, however the skin on my body has been spared the ravages of time thus far… I don’t know how much longer this will last though (those are violins you can hear in the background)

I really do like this lotion – I do think it’s a shame it retails at the best part of £30 for this sized tube though, as many people would baulk at paying this much for a lotion for themselves – I’d say this would be a great gift for someone special (be that yourself or someone else!), especially if they have dry skin. Use caution with sensitive skin types such as eczema too, as I know that essential oils can be an irritant in some cases. I know that Liz Earle has recently partnered with Avon, and I’m not sure if this will make any difference to the price point of the product…
  
Have you tried any of the other body products from the Liz Earle range? Tell me your thoughts!