My Current Skincare Regime (aka a Liz Earle Love-in)

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day. Today I thought I'd share with you my current skincare regime... you might notice that it contains one brand and one brand only, and although technically all of these products were sent to me free for review purposes (and I'll be giving you a mini review of each and every one), I'm already making plans to repurchase my Cleanse and Polish as I'm down to the very last pump and know for certain that I'll be sticking with this long term.  Since starting to use Liz Earle bits and bobs, my skin has dramatically changed - my skin is never dry or flakey (something it has always been, regardless of how intensive a moisturiser I've used), my blocked pores and blackheads are pretty much gone and my skin itself is just much more radient, less dull and grey and less prone to redness.

Cleanser - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I've done a full review of this before just here and I'm still just as smitten. This takes every little scrap of makeup off and gentle exfoliates too thanks to the muslin cloths. The essential underpinning of my entire skincare regime and I really can tell the difference if I don't use this. 

£11.95 for 100ml, £13.25 for 100ml Starter Kit - lots of other sizes availiable too.

Toner - Instant Boost Skin Tonic

I'm a complete and utter toner addict.... well, alcohol free toner addict. Anything with alcohol in sends my skin wild and some toners are just evil (looking at you Clinique 3 Step). This, however, is beautiful and I love having it in spritzer format (it's also available in a regular bottle) to give my skin a nice quick blast of rehydration post cleansing or just to perk it up in the day. It contains lovely skin softening Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, as well as lots of yummy soothing things like cucumber, calendula and chamomile. The fab thing about a spritzer is that it eliminates the need for cotton wool - saves money and the planet!

£12.00 for the 200ml Sprizter, £11.75 for the 200ml bottle (other sizes also available)

Moisturiser - Skin Repair Moisturiser (Normal/Combination)

I've never really thought of myself as a normal/combination girl before, but in the Land of Earle, I'm just that. This is a truly luxurious cream that's rich without being overpowering - less is more ladies and with this you only need the smallest amount on the end of your finger. I use this morning and night and really do adore how it makes my skin feel. It sinks in quickly and you're not left feeling tacky or sticky for hours on end. It's also full of yummy treats like avocado oil (mmmm hello natural source of Vitamin A and E), borage oil which is a fabulous natural source of the fatty acid GLA to keep your skin plump and soft (also, I recommend googling Borage - it has such pretty flowers that you can actually eat!) as well as lots of other lovely skin treats. 

£17.60 for a 50ml jar/tube

Eye Cream - Daily Eye Repair

Eye creams are something that I'm always a little unsure about - do I really need one? Really? I figure that as I inch my way closer towards 30, I should probably start investing a little more into my eye area so I decided to give this a try. It's lovely - nice and light and I love the fact that it's in a tube rather than a pot to reduce any risk of contamination or infection (no-one wants a scabby eye). It also has an SPF 10 and light reflecting pigments to help conceal dark circles.

£13.25 for 10ml

Serum - Superskin Concentrate

This is another product that I was utterly skeptical about - oil.... for my skin... to go under a moisturiser? Eyebrows were very much raised but the lovely Louise managed to convince me to give a try when I was at the opening of the Leeds flagship store. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad that she did. I think that this is one of the moist important parts of my entire skincare regime and is probably the thing that's helping with the tightness and dryness that I used to experience. On the few days when I haven't used this, I have definitely noticed a big difference in the way that my skin feels and how well my moisturiser soaks in. Ladies, you need this. I use it every single night after toning and before moisturising. It is literally packed with goodies - avocado oil (see above), rosehip seed oil for locking fatty acids in, Argan Oil for vitamin E and general skin restoring goodness, Neroli oil (my favourite essential oil) to help uplift and revive you and tonnes of other treats. It's also an excellent way of reminding you to give yourself a daily facial massage - even if it's just for a minute or two, this can dramatically improve the condition of your skin. Also don't be fooled into thinking that this is just for us dry, sensitive types - this is perfectly fine to use on oily skin (so I've been told). Also, don't be put off by the price - I use 1/2 to 1 pump a day... that's nothing! It will be a long lasting investment :)

£37.80 for 28ml bottle or £18.40 for 10ml roller ball.

Exfoliator - Gentle Face Exfoliator

I don't know about you but I love exfoliating - there's just something so satisfying about knowing that you're scrubbing off all those dead skin cells and knowing that you'll be left with lovely, soft, refined skin. This is very gentle but surprisingly effective as well - normally I go for facial exfoliators which are the equivalent of a sand blaster, but this is much kinder to my face and much more effective. It's got a lovely fresh eucalyptus scent which will help to rid your skin of any impurities (it's also a natural antiseptic), skin softening treats like cocoa butter, beeswax and sweet almond oil and jojoba beads as a natural exfoliant. Fabulous!

£12.50 for 70ml pump

Face Mask - Brightening Treatment Mask

For the first time in my life, I use a weekly face mask. Why? Because one of the most fantastic things about this mask is that it's speedy to get to work - anything between 30 seconds and 2 minutes is acceptable time for it to work its brightening magic making it perfect for those of us that can barely find 10 minutes to sit down let alone 10 minutes to mask up our faces. I use this after exfoliating (which apparently doubles its effectiveness - who knew?!) and come away with radiant skin.... my dull skin days are very much over. It's got a very errrr exhilarating smell (read as "a little bit antisepticy medicinal but in a nice natural way" but don't let that put you off. This is a fantastic mask for those of us looking to brighten up tired looking skin and give it an extra boost. 

£12.25 for a 50ml pump

You can buy Liz Earle products here

Phew! Blimey - well done if you've made it right to the very end. You really are a trooper. There you have it - my current skincare regime which I truly and utterly adore. What are you using at the moment ladies?

*Disclaimer* These products were provided as PR samples for review purposes however my opinion is my own. These are products that I love and will be buying again in copious amounts with my own money :)

Winter Skin Saviours/November Favourites

Hello lovelies! This post is going to be a little bit of a beast as its combining my November favourites with my current Winter Skin Saviours - of course, there's a whole tonne of cross over because the weather towards the end of November was playing havoc with my skin!

You'll notice that there's 3 seperate body moisturisers on there.... yeah. I have issues.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser*

This has been one of the saviours of my face over the last couple of weeks - it's so soothing but also pulls out all the dirt and rubbish. Normally in winter I get a really spotty chin from having a warm, slightly damp scarf permanently attached to my face. It hasn't happened so far and I'm pretty certain its down to this. If you want a more in depth review, look here.

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion with Shea Butter and Triple Oat Complex*

Love, love, love this lotion. In the winter, the skin on my legs splits and cracks and just goes generall scabby. I blame the fact that I have mild eczema and also the fact that York gets flipping cold. This lotion soothes all of the nastyness and now that I'm using it daily, I'm not getting any cracks or sore bits on my lower legs at all. I only use this on my lower legs though - it's far too rich for the not so dry bits of my body :)

 Liz Earle Energising Body Lotion*

You may remember that in this post I mentioned that I was given a sneaky preview bottle of the new Liz Earle Body Lotion that launches at the end of December/start of January... well, this is it! I've been using this on my upper body and utterly loving it. It sinks in nice and quickly, leaves no greasy or sticky residue and has a lovely fresh, zingy scent which is perfect for helping to wake you up in the cold wintery weather. I'll be bringing you a more in depth review of this in a couple of weeks.

Bio-Oil*

I was sent this recently for review purposes, and I have to admit, I was a little bewildered by what on earth to use it for! However, after scouring a few blogs, I came across a whole wealth of uses and have been loving it ever since - I'm currently using it on my upper legs (they freak out with heavy moisturisers and I end up with millions of blocked pores and I also have stretch marks, so this is perfect for them), on my cuticles and on a couple of scars. Again, I'm planning on bringing you a more in depth review in a couple of months, as that's how long Bio-Oil recommend using it for before seeing proper results on things like stretch marks and scars :)

Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation in 3.25 Cool Beige

Ok, so not only is this the perfect match for the tone of my skin, it's also just flipping amazing. This stuff goes on and DOES NOT BUDGE! Even in the snow and the wind and the general rubbishyness of the weather, it doesn't budge. I've experienced zero patchyness, zero redness showing through and zero transfer from this foundation. Love it.

Liz Earle Super Skin Concentrate*

We were lucky enough to be given our pick of 5 full size products at the Liz Earle Leeds Bloggers event, and I picked this one... boy am I glad that I did! This little beauty (in combination with a tonne of other Liz Earle goodies), is becoming my face's saviour. I went one night without putting it on, and I really noticed the difference - my skin was far less soft and supple feeling in the morning and got much drier in the day. I use just a tiny drop of this under my moisturiser at night and let it work its wonders. Again, I'll be reviewing this in more depth soon!

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in Cool Sand

What a cute little kit - on the top you have the creamy concealer and on the bottom you have a little tub of powder to take away the shine/stop the concealer from creasing. I've never really ventured into the world of concealer before, because I've always struggled to find something that's not too orange/too light/too wet/too creasy - this is just right. I just apply it with my fingers and occasionally blend it out with a fluffy blending brush . It's been keeping me looking half awake in my sleep deprived state (our house has been cold and I've woken up shivering a few times!)

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I've used this so much since I got it - it really is becoming a staple part of my daily makeup kit. It also got me out of a sticky situation when I forgot to bring makeup brushes on the train to Leeds for the Liz Earle event!! Clever little palette :) I reviewed it in more depth (with swatches etc) here

Bobbi Brown Blush in Apricot

Ok, so firstly, I have no idea why this is called Apricot - it really is that colour pink. Secondly, the Bobbi Brown MUA almost had a fit as she applied this to me - she really, really liked how it looked on my skin, and so did I! This has overtaken MAC Ripe Peach as my go-to blusher (it was about time - I've been Ripe Peaching for about 4 or 5 months now!)

Eyeko London Lips Glosses in Shoreditch, Soho and Knightsbridge

I know I keep whittering on about these, but I really am enjoying them a lot at the moment - such pretty shades to just pop on... even on non-makeup days, they're a great way of perking up your face. Lovely! You can read my full review here and don't forget to use code E12559 if you spend over £15 at eyeko for a free gift :)

Phew! That's about it my lovelies! Please remember to vote for me and remember to say safe and warm in all this wintery snow! xx

*Disclaimer* Items marked with a * were sent/given to me for review/PR purposes, however I will always give an honest and balanced opinion of all products I try and my reviews are in no way affected by this.

*Disclaimer 2* I have been accepted on to the AVEENO^® Discoverer Programme (insert link to the programme), helping to spread the word about AVEENO® products.  I get sent free AVEENO^® samples and have the possibility of being rewarded with additional benefits.

Queen Liz comes to Leeds

Ok, ok, maybe not the actual Queen Liz, but the Beauty Industry's next best thing:

(Top L-R Sinead, Nicoletta, Charlotte, Sarah

Bottom L-R Ellie The Actual Real Life Liz Earle and me)

As you may remember from my post last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the opening of the new Leeds store and meet the gorgeous Liz Earle for a wee natter and a glass of champers.

(Credit: Nicoletta)

As you can see, the store itself is beautiful and located in the very swish Victoria Quarter of Leeds. They've split the store over two levels, with the bottom level being aimed at your "grab it and go" shoppers and the top level aimed at those who want to take their time browsing, maybe have a skin care consultation and even have a sit down and a bit of a read in the library area. Also, a little birdy might have mentioned the possibility of treatment rooms at some point in the near future - how exciting! The whole store in inspired by the Isle of Wight where Liz Earle's head office is based, so it has a very serene and peaceful feel.

Upon arrival (and after a few sneaky glasses of Rose with the girlies and a bit of a shop), we were greeted the the lovely Louise and also the utterly stunning Jennifer (she's the botanical research manager). Now obviously the main question on everyone's lips at this point (other than can I go play with the treats) was "What do we do with our bags?" - the shop was absolutely teaming with other shoppers and we didn't fancy lugging our big winter coats around. We were presented with the perfect solution - security guards of course! Yup, that's right... my £3 H&M bag was given its own security guards - look:

The second question was "Please can we much one of those beautiful cakes?" and the answer was of course yes - look at them - they were so small and glittery. I actually felt bad for destroying such tiny works of art.

After making sure our bags were adequately guarded and the cakes thoroughly enjoyed, we were let loose in the shop and very much treated - we were allowed to choose 5 full size goodies from the shelves to give a try.

I chose:

• Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer
• Skin Repair Moisturiser in Normal/Combination
• Superskin Concentrate
• Daily Eye Repair
• Brightening Treatment Mask

And rest assured I'm putting them through their paces and will be bringing you some reviews over the next few months. Eventually, Jennifer and Louise managed to pull us away from the shelves for our natter with Liz. She really is an incredible woman - I felt a little bit in awe of her to be honest. I loved finding out more about the company and what its roots are. I try my hardest to support ethical companies and I really do feel the Liz Earle hit the spot. One this that I found out quite a lot about is that Jennifer sources ingredients that are being used as traditional skin remedies/hair treatments etc and then works with the women of that particular village/tribe to provide sustainable income from the plants they grow. Liz Earle are very pro supporting woman in 3rd world countries, and from what I can hear, they seem to be fairly good at keeping things sustainable.

Another interesting fact is that the Shampoo and Conditioner came about from the fact that Liz herself has never managed to find a Shampoo/Conditioner combo that's truly worked for her and her extremely sensitive scalp, and the fact that she personally visits and approves all the supplies and ingredients. To say what a big multi-national company they are, Liz Earle still manges to maintain a homegrown feel.

After a nice relaxing chat with Liz came my personal moment of humiliation... somehow the other ladies felt that I was best to the the face and the voice of the bloggers, so I took part in an interview which will be appearing on the Liz Earle website soon. Rest assured that for hilarities sake I'll be posting it for you to witness my wittering and wonder about what the other ladies behind me are doing (I'll give you a clue - mainly nodding and sipping champagne - lucky!)

Finally, we were given one final treat - a very exclusive tube of the new Energising Body Lotion which launches in January. I've been using it over the past few days, and will be doing so for the next couple of weeks to see if it lives up to its claim to smooth, firm and tone.

All in all, it was an utterly fab evening and such a treat and privilege. I loved meeting all the girlies and had such a giggle with them. This was my first "proper" blogger event, and it really did live up to all my expectations and more! So a big thank you to the gorgeous Liz Earle team for spoiling us rotten and a big thank you to the 5 other beautiful bloggers that I got to spend an afternoon with!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Review

When I was offered the chance to give Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish a try, I pretty much bit the hand (metaphorically of course - I'm a good vegetarian girl) off of poor Andrea. It seems that every girl and her dog has used this except me, and it really wouldn't be the done thing to go for Afternoon Tea with Liz Earle (tomorrow... me... Liz Earle... Afternoon Tea - I think the excitement is a given don't you?) and not have given this a go. 

However, there was a certain element of fear rumbling under the surface. Why? Because my skin hates water. No, seriously. Whenever I try to use wash off cleansers for more than 2 days in a row, my skin starts screaming and shouting and the alcoholic esq red nose (see this post for reference) comes out with gusto. Despite this (and because I love you) I decided to give it a go anyway. So how did I get on?

Initial Impressions

The first thing that struck me was that Liz Earle really do make an effort. It feels like they want you to feel like this little ol' cleanser isn't just something to wash your face with but a luxurious experience to top and tail your day. And you know what? I feel like that. I love the fact that time and consideration had gone ito the wrapping of my product - beautiful tissue paper, expertly wrapped with a gorgeous silver seal glinting at me as I opened the jiffy bag. Then the lovely little pouch to store my cleanser and cloths - all just simple and beautiful and lovely.

The packaging itself is the same duck egg blue as the little zip bag, very easy on the eye and the sort of thing that will look gorgeous in any bathroom. But the thing I really loved - all the instructions are printed on the bottle itself in a)a reasonable sized font (*cougholdladyeyescough*) and b) plenty of detail. This made me very happy indeed - it really bugs me to get a new product but have literally no idea how to use it. Am I meant to wash it off? Flannel it off? Take it off with cotton wool? Do I even take it off at all?! Happily, this was far from the case with this little beauty and I felt safe and happy in the knowledge that I had all the information I needed. In fact, just for those of us who are super parinoid about how to use a product (that'd be me then), there's even a little card included which goes into even more detail:

Cut the waffle - what was it like?!

Sorry. Yeah, I get a little carried away with instructions apparently. Cleanse and Polish is a gorgeously thick rich cream, which you massage over dry skin and then take off with the muslin cloths (doused in hot water and then wrung out). It feels so lovely going on, and is removed quickly and easily - you aren't left with any gunkyness, just beautifully soft skin. I've been using this for nearly a week, and I can already see that my skin has a better texture to it (much smoother and less bumpy) and is feeling generally softer and cleaner. I've also noticed that some of the stubborn blocked porey things around my nose are starting to disappear. And you know what? The angry alcoholic-esq red nose hasn't appear once. My skin hasn't had a single reaction to this, but instead has behaved itself and even started to show signs of improvement!

Final thoughts

Cleanse and Polish is an excellent cleanser and I would really recommend it. I can definitely see why it's been a best seller for Liz Earle for all of this years! It's proving itself to be comforting in the cold harshness of winter and gentle but effective in its cleansing power. Go on, give it a try!

I give this ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 hearts

Would I use it again? Definitely. When this runs out, I think I'll be treating myself to a bottle

Price: £13 for the Hot Polish starter kit (includes 100ml bottle of Cleanse and Polish and 2 muslin cloths) from lizearle.com

Disclaimer: I was sent this sample for review purposes