June Empties

Not many empties for you this month, and as you can see, most of the ones I do have are Liz Earle!

Liz Earle Energising Body Wash

At £11.50, this body wash is not something I would usually go for, as I don't like to spend too much on shower gels. I just think that they get used up so quickly that it can become an expensive habit, and there are lots of lower-end ones that smell delicious! However, last time I ordered my Liz Earle skincare from the site, I was kindly sent this as a free gift, and I must admit, I really like it. The naturally active ingredients are Damask Rose flower water, sweet orange oil, pure essential oils and Vitamin E, which made me think that it would smell really sweet and fruity (which would have been fine for me - I love fruity shower products!) but actually, it's got quite a strong, almost menthol scent to it, which is really rather invigorating first thing in the morning. It really does wake you up, which is something I think we could all do with a bit of help with most days!

Would I repurchase? Yes, probably, though I wouldn't go to the site specifically for this product. I might be inclined to slip it into my basket next time I pop on to replenish my skincare products, though.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

You all now how much I love this, and you can read my review of Liz Earle skincare in  this post. Cleanse and Polish is my holy grail cleanser and I am extremely upset to have run out before having had the chance to purchase a new one!

Would I repurchase? Absolutely, time and time again.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

Again, I have already reviewed this in the post linked above, so I won't bore you by rehashing all the details about why I love it. It's not exactly big news any more, as it's constantly featuring on other blogs.

But yes, again, I would - and will - repurchase.

Palm Olive Naturals Hydrating Shower Cream

I actually picked this one up in Brazil, so I'm not sure of the exact name of the 'scent' in the UK, but on the bottle, it is fruit and yoghurt. This is literally like washing yourself with strawberries and cream. It smells gorgeous, and is an all time favourite. I love Palm Olive shower gels and creams in general, so it came as no surprise.

Would I repurchase? Definitely.

L'oreal Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder in Blonde Harmony.

This is actually the best bronzer I have tried in a long time. The compact contains two shades, split down the middle, so that you can blend the perfect colour for your skin tone. It has a matte finish, so it's greate for contouring as well as just for giving a nice, all-over glow without looking like a disco ball. Actually, I must confess that I didn't exactly finish this one by choice - I dropped it on the floor and smashed it! I know, clumsy, clumsy me. It was only a few days after I did the same thing to my Mac Studio Fix, too. It clearly wasn't my week.

But anyway, I scrabbled around and collected all of the remnants I possibly could, and they were soon used up.

Would I repurchase? Yes!

So as you can see, I quite enjoyed all of this month's empties, though there are, of course, plenty more products I have been using, some of which I have not felt so positively about. I haven't finished them yet, but as soon as I do, you will be the first to know my thought!

Sorry about the rubbish photo, and lack thereof - it's been so grey and overcast here for the last couple of days, and my camera just wasn't feeling it. I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a better one, which is in no way broken! And while we're on the subject, a tripod too. I really want to do some outfit posts, but this is currently proving impossible! Oh well, I will get there eventually!
(Please also excuse the broken Skin Repair Moisturiser lid in the picture - yet ANOTHER thing I dropped on the floor!! I'm a nightmare.)

Hope everyone has had a marvellous week so far!

Liz Earle Skincare Review

Ok, first of all, I'd like to apologise for not having included any photos of my own for this post, and probably the next couple. The reason for this is that my camera has decided to break on me and, as I am currently abroad in Brazil, I'm finding it hard to get my hands on a new charger or battery, one of which seems to be the problem! As soon as I do, I will most definitely be including my own snaps, so I thank you for your patience on that one!

Onwards.

I have heard a lot of hype about the Liz Earle skincare range over the past few months, what with the awards it has won, and the praise it has received on a couple of my favourite fellow bloggers' pages, and have finally managed to get my hands on some of their products. I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first, not least because I have never managed to locate a skincare range that really seemed to suit my skin. I have naturally pretty good skin, though I do get the odd blemish, as everyone does. But I find that many ranges tend to dry my skin out (yep, even the high-end ones), which is certainly not desirable, and this has often left me feeling like I was better off keeping it simple. However, I loved the sound of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and so decided to give it a go along with the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, and the Skin Repair Moisturiser for normal/combination skin.

What Liz Earle says:  Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare is a Great British beauty brand, founded in 1995. We are passionate about all that we do and create products that really work on every skin type by harnessing the potent powers of the finest quality naturally active ingredients. (uk.lizearle.com)

For the record, their website also states that none of the Liz Earle products are tested on animals, nor do they use genetically engineered ingredients. Good to know.

My products arrived just a couple of days after I had placed my order, and were very well packaged, stored neatly in a white cardboard box, and then individually wrapped in tissue paper and secured with Liz Earle stickers. 

I was excited to find that, as well as the three main products I had ordered (along with a mask, which will be featured in a forthcoming post), Liz Earle had kindly included some sample sachets of each shade of their Sheer Skin Tint , travel-size squeezy tube of the Hot Cloth Cleanser, and a full-size bottle of the Energising Bodywash! These were free gifts because of the amount I had spent (over £30, I think. Apologies for not remembering exactly, I will make sure I note it down next time! Anyway, check their site uk.lizearle.com , as they've always got some fab offers on the go).

Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

The Hot Cloth Cleanser, like the other products in this range, comes in simple, pale green packaging, which I think adds visual emphasis to the fact that the brand favour natural ingredients. The bottle has a pump dispenser, which makes it easy to deposit the required amount onto your hands (one to two pumps, depending on your preference). One thing I wasn't crazy about, though, was the fact that, due to the hard, opaque bottle, I would never know when it was about to come to an end!

The concept of the Hot Cloth Cleanser is unique: You massage the cream into dry skin, taking care to do so thoroughly, and then you 'polish' it off with one of the two muslin cloths provided. The cloths must be soaked in hand-hot water to do so, and then you splash your face with cool water to finish.

I must say, I absolutely love this cleanser. It gets off even the toughest of waterproof mascaras and leaves my face feeling completely clean, fresh and soft. Using it in conjunction with the cloth means that you are able to slough away dead skin cells, so essentially, it also serves as an exfoliant, which is great.

Ingredients include cocoa seed butter, chamomile, rosemary and eucalyptus, but I'd say the most prominent of those in terms of scent is eucalyptus.

Instant Boost Skin Tonic

This toner comes in a bottle with a practical 'twist-up' cap, which you basically twist one way to open and the other to close. The idea is that you use this after the cleanser, and is applied by pouring a generous amount onto a cotton wool pad and sweeping over the face and neck. 

This really does have a lovely, gently sweet fragrance, and contains Aloe Vera, Calendula, Rose-scented Geranium and Cucumber, along with natural Vitamin E. It feels cool and refreshing on the skin and for me, again, is a winner. I'm not sure I can comment exactly on what this product as an individual does for my skin, but using the three products together certainly makes for an enjoyable and refreshing session in the morning, and a relaxing one at night.

Skin Repair Moisturiser

Containing Borage and Avocado oil and Echinacea, this is a real feel-good moisturiser. Applied after the Skin Tonic, the cream feels thick and indulgent, and is really easily absorbed. By far my favourite of the three products, I absolutely adore it's scent. I want to describe it as sweet yet refreshing again, but I feel silly repeating the same thing again given the difference in ingredients! But really, I think that the whole range is designed to be a bit of a sensory experience as well as a skincare routine, and the whole lot has a relaxing feel to it.

I don't think I really need to spell out the fact that I absolutely adore these products and feel that I have found my skincare regime for life (well, until I have to start resorting to anti aging products instead, that is!)

I love the packaging, the consistencies of the two 'creams' (cleanser and moisturiser), and of course, the heavenly scents! But most of all, I love the fact that not one of these products leaves my skin feeling dry or tight. The moisturiser doesn't leave an oily feeling on my skin, as so many do. My skin has been really clear and soft to touch since I started this regime and I will be stocking up on more of these treats as soon as the old bank balance allows!

Have you tried any Liz Earle products? What did you think? Would love to hear your thoughts!