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Tag Archives: liz earle
Dollface Reviews: Liz Earle Naturally Active Haircare
I’ve been using Liz Earle’s skincare products for a few months now, so when they contacted me to ask if I’d like to try out their new haircare range, I obviously wasn’t going to say no!
Using the same principles they apply to their skin range (natural ingredients, no fuss approach, etc), the Naturally Active Haircare range keeps things simple: there’s a “one tube suits all” shampoo, which can be used regardless of your hair type, plus three conditioners – one for normal hair, one for dry or damaged hair and one for oily hair.
My hair very definitely falls into the “oily” category, so I had no problem working out which conditioner to request. Mine is the kind of hair that has to be washed every day without fail: I do occasionally skip a day if I’m planning to wear it up, but even those times where I think I’ll be able to get away without shampooing, I’ll generally find myself back in the bathroom after a few hours, with my head hanging over the bath, desperately trying to wash my hair without also washing off my makeup. Oh, and those greasy roots generally mean that I can wash my hair first thing in the morning and it’ll still be looking limp and greasy by evening: fun times!
Needless to say, then, I requested the conditioner created for oily hair, and received it and the shampoo just over a week ago. My first impressions were that this is definitely a “no nonsense” brand of product: while the squeezable tubes these come in are of a high quality, the design is simple, and there’s none of the fruity scents or bubblegum colours I’ve come to associate with so many hair products these days. Instead, you just have simple, natural ingredients: the shampoo is formulated with West African shea butter, natural source vitamin E, plus apple and orange extracts, while the conditioner contains black cohosh and yangu oil, to make the hair shiny and manageable without weighing it down.
I’ve been using these products since they arrived (in fact, I just used the last of the conditioner today) and the most obvious difference is how much bigger my hair seems when I use these. Generally flat and limp, I noticed that I have much more volume at the roots, which makes my hair look thicker and bouncier than it usually does: something of a novelty for someone with such poker-straight, flat hair! It also seems to stay clean for longer: I’ve still been shampooing every day, but there have been a few days where I felt like my hair didn’t really need to be washed, and just did it anyway out of sheer force of habit.
Overall, I’ve been impressed with this line, and have enjoyed having bigger hair than usual for the past week! This is slightly more expensive than my usual budget buy shampoo and conditioner: both shampoo and conditioner cost £7.50 for the full, 200ml bottle, but if you’d just like to try them out, you can buy the 50ml versions for £4 each.
Click here to buy direct from Liz Earle.
Liz Earle Energising Body Range
Meet my current Bathroom Buddies: the three products that have been accompanying me into the shower every day for the past couple of weeks!
These products are all part of Liz Earle’s new Energising Body range, which the brand was kind enough to send me to try out, having taken pity on me out there running through the mud and rain a few times a week. As it turns out, these are the perfect post-workout treat: as well a physically energising the skin with a range of natural ingredients designed to exfoliate and soften, they also smell fantastic, turning the shower into a little private spa, with a kind of zingy, forest-fresh scent that really helps wake me up, whether I’ve been out running, or, er, just lazing around in bed.
The three products I’ve been using are:
Liz Earle Energising Body Wash, £7.75/100 ml
This includes damask rose, flower water and essential oils like sweet orange, grapefruit and peppermint (which is presumably responsible for that “zinginess” I was talking about). It’s a clear gel which does a really good job of moisturizing the skin as well as cleansing it – my skin isn’t particularly sensitive, but this is so gentle it feels like putting moisturiser on rather than a simple shower gel.
Liz Earle Energizing Body Scrub, £12.50/200ml
Similar ingredients to the body wash, but this time in the form of an exfoliating scrub. I also have the Liz Earle foot scrub which I’ve been using daily, but this could also substitute for it: it’s a very fine-grained scrub, so it’s gentle to use, but still does the job on rough skin.
Liz Earle Energising Hip and Thigh Gel, £21/200ml
I must admit, my hips and thighs aren’t a part of the body I’ve been in the habit of giving any extra attention to, but this gel can be used elsewhere, too: they recommend trying it on the stomach and upper arms, and I’ve basically been applying it anywhere I feel like it! It uses things like eucalyptus oil, patchouli, geranium oil and other natural ingredients to invigorate and moisturise, and I always notice a difference when I use this – it leaves my skin feeling super-soft, and is a nice way to round off the other two steps.
The only downside to these is that they’re a little too expensive for me to be able to justify using on a day-to-day basis, but they’re great as an indulgent treat, and, as with other Liz Earle products, there are different sizes available if you want to just try them out – for instance, a 50ml tube of the Body Scrub is just £5.25, which will let you see what you think of it without paying for the full size.
Check them out and order online at the Liz Earle website.
Dollface Reviews: Liz Earle Superbalm
This was one of the products Liz Earle sent me to try out last month, and in a short period of time, it’s already become my go-to product for “dry skin” emergencies. It’s called “Superbalm“, and as that name suggests, it’s a balm for, well, just about everything. You can use it on your lips, on your hands, elbows, heels: you name it. You can even apparently use it on your hair, but I’ve yet to try that, being wary of putting anything sticky near my head!
As for where I HAVE been using it, I’ve been sticking mostly to my lips and cuticles, both of which tend to get very dry. As you’d expect from Liz Earle, this is made from all-natural ingredients, and includes things like beeswax, avocado oil, lavender, shea butter, echinacea and rosehip oil to gently moisturise the skin. It has a thick, waxy texture, with lots of larger particles through it which make it a great exfoliator, especially on the lips. The scent is very strong, and faintly medicinal, although I’m notoriously bad at placing scents, so that could just be me!
For me, the fact that this feels like a scrub as well as a balm is what sets it apart from other similar products (think Vaseline, 8 Hour Cream, etc): it’s great at sloughing the dead skin off the lips, before giving them a heavy dose of moisture, and my lips always feel softer after just one application of this. It also makes it idea for rough skin on areas like the elbows and heels.
I have the 30g jar, which is fairly expensive at £15. Happily, though, there’s also a 5g version which is just £4.50, making it the perfect way to try the product out. Because I mainly use this on smaller area like the lips and cuticles, when I run out (which I’d imagine will tale a long time – this is a “Little goes a long way” product!) this is the version I’d go for.
If you want to try it out, both sizes are available from the Liz Earle website.
Dollface Reviews: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and Instant Skin Boost Tonic
Well, it may have taken me a long time to get round to trying Liz Earle’s famous Hot Cloth Cleanser, but I’ve now been using it for just under a month, and I’m happy to say it’s been worth the wait!
I was sent this by the folks at Liz Earle, along with the Instant Skin Boost Tonic from the range, so I’ve been using both products together, as a double-whammy for my skin. The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser was the product I was most interested in out of these two, having read lots of glowing reviews of it over the years. It came with two muslin cloths, and the idea is that you massage the cleanser onto your face, and then dampen the cloth with hot water (it should be damp rather than wet), before using it to massage off the product.
I was actually slightly dubious about this at first. I’m used to dampening my skin BEFORE applying cleanser, and I tend to like products that you can work up to a nice lather, purely because they make you FEEL like you’re really doing a great job of cleaning your skin (whether you actually ARE, of course, is another matter altogether). So I was a little concerned that my skin wouldn’t feel properly clean after using this – a concern which turned out to be totally unfounded, because of course the application of the “hot cloth” does leave the skin feeling fresh and clean, although it’s very gentle on the face, and doesn’t make your face feel “scrubbed”, like some harsher products can.
I also really liked the muslin cloth, the state of which provides an easy way to tell how clean your skin is: no more makeup on the cloth means no more makeup on your face, either!
The fact that this product is so gentle is one of its big plus-points, and the time you spend massaging it in and then “polishing” it off is also a nice circulation booster. It does a pretty thorough job of removing makeup, too: I’m still using an eye-makeup remover to get rid of my waterproof mascara, but Cleanse & Polish gets rid of the rest very easily, including the residue of that mascara, some of which always ends up under my eyes when I’m removing it, no matter how thorough I think I’m being!
As I mentioned at the start of this review, I’ve been using this cleanser for almost a month now. In that time, I’ve had no breakouts at all, my skin has felt smooth and soft, and looks brighter. The other thing I’ve noticed is that the dry patches I tend to notice in the winter, particularly under the eyes, and around my mouth and nose, seem to have cleared up, and my skin feels healthier: this is probably the best thing about these products for me, because at this time of year my skin can look very dull and dry, which obviously isn’t a good look on anyone!
Dollface Reviews: Liz Earle Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum No.1
The people at Liz Earle were kind enough to send me some products to try out a couple of weeks ago (a Dollface care package, if you will), and I’ve been working my way through them ever since: it’s a hard life, but, you know, someone has to do it…
One product I can give you an opinion on right away, however, is the Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum. This was released last year, and although it’s Liz Earle’s first foray into the world of fragrance, it’s already won an award, from a Grazia Magazine. The fragrance is over 98% derived from natural ingredients, and contains top notes of bergamot, mandarin, orange, bigarade, lemon and cardamom, mid notes of floral rose absolute, lavender, geranium, coriander and nutmeg and base notes of naturally woody cedar wood, vetiver, tonka bean absolute and patchouli.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, all of that probably means absolutely nothing to you at all, and you’re just thinking, “OK, but how’s the SMELL?” Quick answer: it’s gorgeous. Slightly longer answer: when I first applied it, the scent was very fresh, and very citrusy. Now, citrus scents aren’t my favourite, but this very quickly tones down and starts to smell warmer and more floral, which I really like. There’s still something very “natural” about it, though, if that makes sense, and it’s not too heavy, making it a nice everyday kind of fragrance.
This costs £39.50 for 50ml, and is available from Liz Earle direct. Anyone tried it?
Christmas Beauty Gifts: Liz Earle gift box with face and body essentials
Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is one of those products that’s been on my “Must Try” list for absolutely ages, but which I’ve never got round to buying. If this little gift set should turn up in my Christmas Stocking, though, I would be a happy Dollface indeed. It’s £38, is beautifully presented in a pale blue gift box, and as well as the cleaner, also contains Liz Earle’s Instant Boost Skin Tonic, Skin Repair Moisturizer, Nourishing Botanical Body Cream, Hand Repair and two pure muslin cloths. A nice gift whether you’re a fan of the brand or just keen to try it out, it’s available at Browns.
