If there’s one thing that really gets me excited, it’s finding a skincare routine that makes my face look and feel gorgeous. I’ve struggled with various skin problems for most of my teenage years, and spent countless pounds on trying all different kinds of products from loads of different brands. Some have worked well, for a while, and some have done the exact opposite and made my skin 100% worse. I swear by La Roche Posay’s Effaclar range, and the Origins face masks are a luxurious treat for my skin every now and again. And I’ve now discovered a routine that works wonders for me, too.
I’m sure everyone has heard of Liz Earle by now; their Hot Cloth Cleanser went a little bit viral and it seemed to be a blogger favourite for aaaages. I first bought it on my 21st birthday, and when that ran out earlier this year, I decided to invest in the 3-step range because I’d loved using the cleanser so much.
I’m 22 now, and I am lucky to be over the worst years of painful, red spots. However, I do still get the odd gigantic crimson boulder pop up (usually directly before an occasion where I’d really prefer it not to), and I’ve always had an oily forehead and nose, and the odd dry patch. My lips are also always really cracked, but I’ll get onto that in a minute!
The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is the cult favourite, and it has become my new favourite cleanser. I am cautious about using foaming cleansers nowadays after realising they are super drying and leave my skin feeling tight. This cleanser is creamy and silky, and the cloth helps to lightly exfoliate and remove all the dirt on my skin. I usually wet my face using hot-ish water, massage 1 pump’s worth of cleanser into my face for about 3-4 minutes, and then wipe it away using the cloth and very hot water in circular motions. Sometimes, before I use this cleanser, I like to fill a bowl with boiling water and steam open my pores up, which lets you clean your face a bit more thoroughly.
After cleansing my face, I grab the Instant Boost Skin Tonic which is essentially a posh toner. I sweep it over my skin using a cotton pad. Liz Earle describes the toner as refreshing, soothing and brightening on the skin. It improves the appearance of skin as it is non-drying, gentle and alcohol-free. It smells really lovely, it reminds me of flowers, and the ingredients are natural. This toner contains aloe vera to hydrate, calendula, chamomile and cucumber to soothe and refresh, and vitamin E which is an antioxidant.
After the toner has settled into my face and dried off, I reach for THE BEST MOISTURISER I HAVE EVER USED. It is called the Skin Repair Moisturiser and I chose to buy the oily/combination formula. There’s also a dry/sensitive formula. I take an almond-sized amount and dot it on my forehead, each cheek, chin and nose, then massage it into my skin until it’s smooth and even. This moisturiser spreads around like a dream, so you don’t need to use much. Again, it contains naturally active ingredients which don’t over-egg the pudding and really work to brighten and soothe the skin. I absolutely loathe most moisturisers because I walk around looking and feeling greasy as anything, but this one sinks in and disappears, and is always very comfortable. The one thing that irks me a little bit about this, is that it doesn’t have any SPF, but I can just about live with that because it’s so comfortable and lovely.
Back to my dry lips; I’ve always struggled with cracking and dry lips, and it was a friend who first mentioned that it could be because I always use foaming, oil-reducing, magnifying facial products. I never thought it would affect my lips, and even though I thought I was avoiding them, evidently all the moisture-sucking properties of my previous products were making them super dry and gross. They’ve improved a lot since starting this 3-step routine, and lip balm is actually starting to do its job!
A couple of annoying negatives are the sizes of these 3 bottles are a bit inconsistent with each other. The cleanser will run out waaaay before the toner or the moisturiser, and then the toner will run out and I'll have loads of moisturiser left. They’re all also a bit pricey; the cleanser is £14.50, the toner is £15 and the moisturiser is an eye-watering £19.50. But, I am a firm believer in ‘you get what you pay for’!
My skin always feels much more balanced and hydrated, it looks less tired (despite my ridiculous sleeping pattern at the moment) and it’s making my makeup look better because of the smooth base it is being applied on to. Although I still get the odd spot, I feel like my skin is much less angry because I'm not slathering a load of harsh chemicals onto it constantly.
I hope this in-depth review was helpful to you, and if your skin concerns sound similar to mine, maybe you could find your next favourite skincare product. I will also mention that the ladies on the Liz Earle counter in Boots stores have always been soooo kind and helpful (they do try to slide in with the cheeky upsets and promotions) and they ask loads of questions to help you find the most helpful bits and pieces for you!
Lots of love,
Jasmine x
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