Review: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

So I must be one of the few beauty bloggers who hasn’t written about the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser yet, but it is something that I have been wanting to try out for a long time. I had been suffering with acne until about October of last year, and although I have seen a vast improvement, I was still getting spots every couple of days, which nobody loves. Considering I used to have perfect skin when I was younger, it has very much been my mission to get it back on track.  

Having seen quite a few people talk about the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, and heard nothing but great things, it has always been something I’ve wanted to try, so when I was very kindly sent the Liz Earle 4 Piece Essential Discovery Collection* from QVC, I was very excited to finally give it a try, and give you guys my thoughts!  

The set came with the Cleanse & Polish, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, 2 Skin Repair Moisturisers (one for normal/combination skin, and one for dry/sensitive skin) and two muslin cloths. I have been using the normal/combination moisturiser, as my skin isn’t dry or particularly oily all over, but I do get dry patches on my eyelids and sometimes my nose and cheeks, very occasionally. Since it’s not dry all the time, and despite the whole acne thing, it isn’t sensitive at all, I thought that would be the most appropriate of the two.  

The cleanser itself is really lovely, the active ingredients are rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus, and the smell of these ingredients combined is just gorgeous. I love products that smell really natural, and rosemary is one of my favourite scents of the planty variety.  

You are supposed to apply this to dry skin, and then ‘polish’ it off using a warm wet muslin cloth, twice a day. This is actually a really enjoyable skincare ritual for some reason. I find myself really looking forward to washing my face before bed, where as before it always seemed like a bit of a chore. I think this might have something to do with the fact that it smells so beautiful, and using a muslin cloth is just so much nicer than splashing your face with water to rinse your cleanser off.  

I did give this the ‘waterproof mascara’ test, as it claims to remove all trace of makeup, and I can report that it didn’t remove ALL of my mascara, although it sure tried it’s best. I’d say it took off about a third of my mascara. I reckon this would be okay for normal mascara, and I really didn’t expect it to take off my layers and layers of waterproof mascara that I like to wear on a daily basis, so I’m not disappointed about this. I have stuck to using my trusty L’Oreal absolute eye makeup remover and then using the cleanser afterwards.  

I have been following this up with the toner and the moisturiser, and I really love the way the toner makes my skin feel! I have been a bit naughty the past few years, and stopped using a toner due to laziness and not wanting to buy yet another product, but I am actually really liking using this one. It also smells lovely, and it contains aloe vera, calendula, rose-scented geranium, cucumber and vitamin E. These are all very soothing ingredients, and I really like that this isn’t a harsh toner like some I have used in the past. It just helps to soothe my skin, and also adds a little bit of moisture. I also like that I can pick out the rose-scented geranium when I sniff it, as I really love that smell. We used to have a geranium plant, and when you rub the leaves, it releases the scent and it is just beautiful.  

I am really fickle when it comes to moisturisers, and never really repurchase the same one very often as I just  don’t know how to tell what they are doing for my skin. I could tell you about ones I didn’t like because they didn’t really hydrate my skin, or ones that were too thick, but of the ones that didn’t have either of these faults, I could never really tell you my favourite. My skin is just either dry or it’s not, I guess! I like the ingredients in the skin repair moisturiser though, and I am always more inclined to use something more natural like this! It’s also kinda nice to use complementary products from the same brand, I think. If products are designed to work together, I always think that I should stick with that, especially if I’ve nothing better in my life already!  

Thanks to the cocoa butter in the cleanser my skin already feels nice and soft after cleansing, and after following up with the toner and moisturiser, my skin feels lovely and hydrated, without a dry patch in sight, or any oily feeling.   I have been using this set for about two weeks now, and am happy to report that I have had no adverse reactions at all. And the best news? I haven’t had a single new spot. Not one! I do still have some scarring and blemishes from my skin woes of months gone by, but it is so lovely to not be getting breakouts! Touch wood I haven’t jinxed myself!  

I actually feel comfortable wearing minimal makeup now, which has made me so happy. I am wearing a lot less foundation, as I am just covering up the blemishes and odd bit of redness I get on my cheeks and nose. I have heard that the Alpha H Liquid Gold is really good for reducing blemishes, so eventually I hope to get my hands on some to see whether this is true. Maybe I can have perfect skin again in the not too distant future!  

I will definitely be repurchasing the Cleanse & Polish, and I would like to get the toner and moisturiser again as well, budget permitting. I highly recommend the Cleanse & Polish if you are looking for a nice natural, gentle cleanser, or have problem skin as I really think this has helped me! The set I got* is also only £21.76 from QVC and I think that’s pretty good, and the products work well together. Definitely give it a go if you are on the hunt for some new skincare!