Friday 6 July 2012

Liz Earle - My Top Products

Hey Ladies,

I hope this post finds you well. My love for Liz Earle began about two years ago. I stumbled across a review for the infamous Cleanse and Polish. I had to try it. I rang their customer service to ask for advice on what would be the best products for a first time customer. I purchased the Cleanse and Polish, the Instant Boost Skin Tonic and the Skin Repair Moisturiser.

Liz Earle skincare products will always be in rotation within my skincare routine. It is truly an incredible and unique brand. The products are packaged beautifully, they smell amazing, they contain naturally active ingredients and most importantly, they actually work.


I'll start with the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. This contains rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oil. It is a wonder product in my book and to be honest, I really believe everyone should try it. The smell is absolutely incredible. I find if I'm ever suffering from a headache or sinus infection, putting a generous amount of this on my face and massaging it in works wonders. It comes with a muslin cloth to gently help slough away all the dead skin and makeup. I use this twice, once to remove my makeup and then again to cleanse my face properly.



The Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I cannot stress the importance of adding an alcohol free toner into your skincare routine, it's really not enough to cleanse and moisturise. The great thing about the Instant Boost Skin Tonic is that it come is two forms. A regular bottle and a spray form, both are pictured above. I like to keep the spritz topped up and in the fridge for warmer days (granted they have been few and far between) Keeping your toner cool is a fantastic way to ensure you close your pores after using the hot cloth cleanser. It contains organic aloe vera, calendula, rose scented geranium, cucumber and natural vitamin E.



The Skin Repair moisturiser is a lovely product, it contains borage and avacado oil, echinacea, beta-carotene and natural Vitamin E. Although it did work for my skin two years ago, its not what my skin needs anymore. I think I may need to invest in the Superskin moisturiser at some stage when I have gotten through what remains of this jar.



The Gentle Face Exfoliator is fantastic, it contains eucalyptus, cocoa butter and jojoba beads. Why do I love this exfoliator more than any other? It's very simple. When you have stubborn dry skin, the worst thing you can do it use a scrub that is too harsh or over exfoliate the area. My skin just retaliates and decides to kick up a fuss. The beauty of this product are the Jojoba beads, they gently slough away the dead skin with out being too abrasive and then... they burst! Releasing jojoba oil onto the face. Amazing.

This is a holy grail product for me... The Brightening Treatment Mask. I briefly mentioned this in a previous post about finding the right skincare routine. This product contains organic aloe vera, witch hazel, and purifying white clay. I use this mainly when my skin is dull and has that dead skin look, it's the perfect pick me up I leave this on for 10-15 mins and remove with a pre-heated muslin cloth. The results are truly amazing. I will never be without this in my collection.


The Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask. I use this about once a week and i leave it on overnight for a bit of a moisture surge. It contains St. John's wort, Borage, comfrey and rose scented geranium. It can also be used as a mask but I tend to feel the benefits more when I leave it on overnight.


The Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion is very delicate in working towards revitalising and cleaning the eye area. I find it a lovely little pick me up when my eyes are sore and tired. I also keep this product in the fridge as I find it very soothing when used cold.


Finally on my must have list is the Hand Repair. I would be lost without this little gem. It contains echinacea, hops, pure essential oils and natural vitamin E. This provides my hands with just the right amount of moisture without being greasy. You only need a tiny amount and this pump has lasted me a long time.

So that's it for now ladies.
I hope you enjoyed!
Let me know if you have tried any Liz Earle products.
What's on your wish list?

Until Next Time
xoxo

Aundrea

Monday 2 July 2012

Don't Believe The Hype: Clinique Chubby Sticks

Hey Ladies,

I hope you're all well, this post is about Clinique's latest offering 'Chubby Sticks'. I'll admit I was curious about these.I always am when something new and hyped up hits the makeup stands! I purchased two last week, and I have to say, I am unimpressed. I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. They're not exactly the most unique product out there. Here are my thoughts...


There are 16 shades to choose from, which is great, every girl loves having a good selection to help make an informed decison. Clinique say that this is a moisturising lip colour balm. I dont know about that, it's supposed to relieve dry, cracked lips and provide immidate moisturisation. I really dont find them moisturising at all. The colours are very very sheer and I chose two of the brighter more pigmented colours.



The first shade is 'Pudgy Peony' Which is an almost blue toned fuschia colour. It applies very sheer. It's nice but, nothing spectacular.



This is what it looks like on the lips, please excuse the teenage skin breakout (mortifying!). It applies nicely and the staying power is about average.



This is 'Voluptuous Violet' this would be my pick of the two. It applies a subtle plum colour. It's very similar to my natural lip colour once applied.


The application of these is very sheer. In all honesty, they are a huge let down for me. I really feel like there are much nicer products out there that do exactly the same thing if not better, for a lot less money. These retail for €19, £16 and $16.


Another problem I have with the Chubby Sticks is you only get a whopping .3g of product! That to me is absolutley insane! When you apply the product they tend to wear down quite quickly, so I really couldnt imagine these lasting very long. You're definatley not getting value for money with these. I really think they are over priced for what they are.

So that's it for now ladies.
I hope you found this review helpful.
Have you tried the Chubby Sticks?
If so, what are your thoughts?
If not, do you plan to?
Let me know!

Until Next time,
xoxo
Aundrea