Liz Earle Skin Care Essentials Kit, Combination/Oily Skin

Heading to John Lewis, I had the intention to buy one tube of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish to replenish my stocks. After spending over 3 x the amount I had budgeted, I walked away with the Liz Earle Skin Care Essentials Kit (Oily/Combination) which cost £47.25. I was actually egged on by my husband to buy it; sometimes he really is a great partner in crime.

So what is inside this kit of dreams?

§  Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (100ml) - £13.25

§  2 Pure Muslin cloths - £4.25

§  Instant Boost Skin Tonic (200ml)  - £13.25

§  Skin Repair Light - Combination/Oily (50ml) - £19.25

§  Orange Flower Body Wash (30ml) - £5.25

§  Nourishing Botanical Body Cream (30ml) - £5.25

If you add up the individual items it comes to a total of £60.50, plus you get a wash bag with detachable mirror. I think this is a good deal, I would recommend buying this way if you are going to try a few items.

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser £13.25

I don't think I have to say much here, but lets just say im a fan. It removes all of my make up easily, leaves my skin feeling soft & generally a pleasure to use. If you have not tried it yet you should!

Instant Boost Skin Tonic (200ml) £13.25

This skin tonic is alcohol free, which in turn makes a non-drying and gentle toner. The smell as you would expect is delightful, thanks to the blend of geranium and chamomile essential oils. It also contains a number of active ingredients which have many soothing & toning properties:

·         Cucumber Extract – calming & soothing

·         Geranium Essential Oil – uplifting fragrance, has toning & balancing properties

·         Aloe Vera  - cools, soothes and softens

·         Glycerin  - aids hydration.

·         Hops Extract  - has astringent and toning properties.

·         D-panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) - helps stimulate cellular renewal.

·         Calendula Extract  - has a calming, soothing effect on the skin.

·         Chamomile Essential Oil/Extract  - has soothing properties.

I used this AM & PM after using the hot cloth cleanser, applied with cotton pads to remove any last traces of cleanser to leave the skin fresh and ready for moisturising. The 200ml version is a decent size; I still have not finished this yet and have had it a good few weeks now.  I really like the twist top packaging, It’s a safer option if your prone to dropping things and also keeps the product nice and fresh.

It also comes as a spritzer – 200ml for £13.50 (and hand bag sizes too) which is ideal for when you’re on the go or travelling. If we had a summer in the UK it would be ideal for freshening up, but seeing as we don’t you will have to book a holiday somewhere hot just to use this spritz (I think that’s enough justification for a holiday)

Overall I really like this tonic, it smells lovely, has handy packaging and it does what it is supposed to.

Skin Repair Light - Combination/Oily (50ml) £19.25

Just when things were going so well, they throw this moisturizer into the mix. I will however start off on a few good notes, 1) it smells lovely (to be expected) 2) Nice packaging & the pump keeps it fresh 3) the pump is good for trigger happy fingers as only a small amount comes out on each pump  4) absorbs quickly. That’s actually quite a few good points, but for me there are more significant negatives.

I have been using this twice a day after the Hot Cloth Cleanser & Skin Tonic for about a month now and I can now safely say that this is the cause of my pimple break out. It is quite unusual for me to get pimples on my cheeks but since using this they have been more and more present.

In my opinion this moisturiser is not particularly light, it might be light-ER than other Liz Earl moisturisers but it’s still too heavy for my skin. As mentioned above, it does absorb quickly which is surprising seeing as the texture is buttery. However it does feel heavy on the skin even once absorbed, and it fights for the opposing team in my battle of the mid day shine.

Maybe the ingredients can explain this -

·         Wheatgerm Oil - contains high levels of vitamin E,    which is a powerful antioxidant.

·         Glycerin - aids hydration.

·         Beta-carotene - has antioxidant properties.

·         Borage Oil - is one of the richest sources of the essential fatty acid GLA (gamma linolenic acid), which helps to lock moisture onto the skin.

·         Hops Extract - has astringent and toning properties

·         Echinacea Extract - used widely in herbal preparations ever since for anything ranging from colds and flu to skin conditions.

·         Avocado Oil - a good source of vitamin E, magnesium and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid and leaves the skin smooth and soft.

·         D-panthenol - has a moisturising effect & helps stimulate cellular renewal.

I am not a skin expert by any means but the ingredients do seem to favour fatty oils & `moisture locking’ properties, probably is not the best for oily skin every day. I do have some left so from now one I am going to use it once a week for a moisture boost and see if that works for me. Overall this is not suitable for my skin and I would not re-buy, I think this is better suited for normal/combination skin types.

Orange Flower Body Wash & Nourishing Botanical Body Cream – both 30ml £5.25

At first I thought these two 30ml tubes were free try me samples, on further investigation it appears they cost £5.25 each to buy out side of this set. That’s £10.50 for two 30ml tubes! Call me stingy but I think that’s a lot, I would rather spend that in Lush and get a few bath melts.

I used the Orange Flower Body Wash all in one go, probably two goes in this size but I’m a bit heavy handed and I fancied a full on orange flower sesh. It was nice, orangy and got me clean – that’s about it, it didn’t excite me.  A full 200ml size costs £12.00, would I buy it? No, it’s just not special enough.

The body cream however really is a treat, it smells gorgeous and leaves my skin feeling lovely and smooth. Its a bit pricey at £17.25 for 200ml, but it is nice and does the trick so I probably would buy this 

The Bag

I have to mention the bag because Its pretty good for a freebie (which it is if you add everything up)It’s a decent size and the best bit is that it has a detachable mirror which sits inside the lid. It is magnetic so you just pop it on and off when you need it. I don’t like mirrors that are sewn into the lid, where you have to prop up the lid and shove your face in the bag to see anything.

 Have you tried any of the Liz Earle Skin Care Kits?