Product Review: Liz Earle Essentials Skincare

So Liz Earle products seem to have taken the blogging world by storm and I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion too! I had huge problems with acne when I was younger, so I am really careful about what I put on my face. I'm not really a big one for choosing products purely because they're natural, but I must admit it's nice to know that you're not putting a ton of nasty chemicals on your skin with the Liz Earle collection.

After exchanging a couple of emails with the sales team, they advised me on the best products for my skin, so I bought myself one of their little 'Try-Me' kits. As I'm still working on a student budget, I didn't really want to buy a set of full-size products unless I knew they would work for me!

Liz Earle Essentials Try-Me Kit

The kit comes with the famous Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (plus cloth), as well as the Instant Boost Skin Tonic (toner) and two different moisturisers (one for dry/sensitive and one for normal/combination skin). I also requested a sample of their moisturiser for oily skin, as I sometimes get a super-oily t-zone.

What did I think?

First impression of Liz Earle were excellent, as my products came in lovely packaging, with plenty of information about the rest of their skincare range, as well as some testers of their new make up collection.

I'm really glad I got the 'Try-Me' kit - The cleanser and toner left my skin feeling really lovely and clean, without that overly 'tight' feeling that I sometimes get with the harsher Clinique 3-step program. I'm not used to using a cloth for cleanser, but I was very impressed with the results! They advise that you wash your muslin cloth after every 3-4 uses, which I know is super important if you are prone (like me) to spots. I would probably advise get a couple of extra cloths so that you are never without or tempted to over-use. Sadly, however, even the light formulation of the Skin Repair moisturiser left my t-zone feeling a little oily. I hoped it might sink in over time, but I just felt my skin was still a bit greasy. All the products had gorgeous scents and felt lovely to use, but I guess the moisturiser just isn't for me.

Would I re-purchase?

As I said above,  the moisturiser is a definite no - I much prefer my Clinique Dramatically Different gel. However, I have re-purchased the cleanser and toner however, which have now replaced my Clinque cleanser and toner.

Overall I loved the Liz Earle experience - great customer service, packaging and (most importantly) I loved the products!

Have you tried any Liz Earle products? What did you think?

Sarah x

Recipe: Cajun Chicken with Pineapple Rice

My friends threw a little 'Come Dine With Me'-style party the other evening and we all had to take a dish. Now I am not the niftiest in the kitchen, but had a crack at it and this was the dish I made! I must admit I was pretty pleased with it, as it's tasty and actually quite healthy (although the mountains of yummy pudding after certainly weren't!). The only thing this bad boy doesn't win any points for is looks - I actually won 'Least Aesthetically Pleasing'! But anyway I though I'd share the recipe:

Cajun Chicken with Pineapple Rice – serves 4

Ingredients

·         Olive oil

·         1 red pepper

·         1 small tin of sweetcorn

·         2 tbsp Cajun spice mix

·         250g long grain rice

·         1 chicken stock cube

·         1 small tin pineapple chunks in natural juice

·         Chicken (standard pack)

Recipe

1.      Heat oil in pan and fry diced pepper, sweetcorn and half of spice mix

2.      Mix up stock cube in 700ml of boiling water, then add this and rice to pan.

3.      Bring to the boil, gently stir in and then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

4.      Meanwhile, cut chicken into chunks and rub in the remaining spice mix.

5.      Heat oil in a separate pan and fry chicken.

6.      Gently stir in pineapple chunks and juice into rice and allow to simmer for a further 3-4 minutes.

7.      Add chicken and serve.

8.      Enjoy!

It's also great cold if you fancy taking the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Sarah x