Monday, 24 June 2013

My top 5 Liz Earle products

I think most ladies (and gents) have heard of Liz Earle some how (The name's fluttered through your ears or passed your eyes subconsciously I'm sure). I dont think you have to be a clued up beauty junky to know who Liz is anymore. That's how much her brand has grown and succeeded. I believe she is fast becoming a household name; like Hienz or Laura Ashley; Liz Earle is classic. You've either read about her products in the Sunday supplements or beauty blogs, or you've been recommended it by a fresh faced friend, or even flicked onto QVC and didn't change the channel, or quite possibly over heard the neighbours cat chatting about how marvellous her products are, and rightly so! 


I was first introduced to Liz about 11 years ago when I was 15 by my Mum. She had ordered her infamous cleanse and polish off QVC and we haven't looked back since. I'd like to say I've been using it religiously since then but I cannot tell that fib. Being a typical teenager, I wasn't too bothered about my skin care regime and used it as and when i remembered (plus my Saturday florist job couldn't fit the bill). Since then I have been raving about it to anyone who wants to listen to be honest! Spreading the pale green love to all!! Including smelly boys (my dad is a big fan) and they even have their own masculine packaging.  



Now I thought I'd write about my favourite Liz Earle products, and when I actually thought about it, it was a lot harder then I first thought. I have tried pretty much all of her products over the years; staple toners, moisturisers and masks to new and exciting make up items and hair products. So I asked myself - which products would I rush out to purchase once empty? This question didn't really help me.... Still really really tricky.... Hmmmm.... Ok here they are! 

Brightening treatment mask. Organic aloe Vera, witch hazel, and purifying clay. 
'use whenever your skin needs a quick fix to leave it radiant and revitalised' 

I chose the brightening treatment because it really is a great go-to for a quick instant fix to make you look, well, brighter! Plus i just love the smell, It smells so natural and inviting. The texture is thick, and clay like, and covers the skin well. You can leave it on between 30 secs to 2 mins, and soon after applying you can feel the skin tingle a little (a good tingle) must be the witch hazel. Once removed I can tell the dead skin cells and dirt from my pores look a little less visible. A magic pick me up for your face!

 
Eyebright. Cornflower, witch hazel, and organic aloe Vera.

I have had many a bottle of Eyebright. It's a gentle herbal lotion to soothe and refresh tired, puffy eyes and it removes eye make up. It's a wonderful eye treat, which if kept in the fridge makes it feel lovely and cool over strained eyes. I like to put it onto a cotton pad and pop in over my eyes for a minute, then I fold the cotton pads in half so they look like half moons and place them under my eyes. My eye area feels lovely and fresh and awake. Ping! 

Energising body scrub. Damask rose flower water, sweet orange oil, 8 pure essential oils, natural vitamin E and ground olive stones. 

Again, I love this for the smell! It's energising for the scenes! The orange scent isn't too strong, and what I love about all of Liz's products is the fact they smell so natural and up lifting. It makes my whole bathroom smell like a spa. The scrub isn't too harsh or scratchy on the skin and lathers up well too. A little bit of this scrub goes a long way. 

Deep cleansing mask. Green clay, manuka honey, propolis and rose scented geranium. 
' purifies and regulates oiliness' 

I have oily skin. Parts are sometimes dry, but the majority is oily.  Open pores, shinny T-Zone and prone to spots. This mask is specially formulated for combination, oily or problem skin. The green kaolin clay helps eliminate impurities and absorbs excess oil. 
I try and use this mask once a week. I feel my skin looks healthier and my pores look smaller after using it. It also makes my skin feel very soft and smooth. The scent is rich like the colour and once applied goes hard on your skin (no laughing or talking please) two flat sponges come with this mask to make it easier to remove. 

Cleanse and polish, hot cloth cleanser. Rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oil. 

Last but not least, Liz's best seller, cleanse and polish! This has had so many awards and reviews and its easy to see why. This gentle cleanser is superb. It's creamy, it's gentle, it removes make up perfectly, it's reasonably priced, it's smoothing on the skin, it's all natural, it's just the bees knees of cleansers! Apply morning and night to your face, pop your cloth into some warm water and wipe away, easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

You can buy Liz from QVC, on line at www.lizearle.com, from selected John Lewis stores and more and more Boots stores are now stocking her products. Yay! 
I do use a few other skin care products in my day to day routine (sorry Liz, I do love you!) but I need a little bit of extra help when it comes to my pesky open pores and blemishes. Another post coming up I think..... 










Sunday, 2 June 2013

Tanya's tutorial

If i have a spare few minutes or even hours in the day i love to watch make up tutorials on Youtube. I can get lost in their expertise and showing off of lovely products and before I know it I've been watching Tanya Burr, Lisa Eldridge and Pixiwoo making themselves look beautiful for ages! 

What I love about them is the fact you can gain tips and skills from the comfort of your own space and I have picked up some great advice from my favourite vloggers. 
I hadn't ever followed a tutorial clip by clip though; recreating their work on myself. So with this in mind I wanted to follow one of Tanya Burrs tutorials to see if I could recreate one of her masterpieces! 
I chose her Mila Kunis inspired look and grabbed Fran to paint; she looks very similar to the stunning brunette so I was half way there.... She says! 


I watched the video through a couple of times prior to letting loose on Franny's face and went through Tanya's product list to see what I needed to replicate the look. Luckily I had a couple of make up items that Tanya used. Score! 

Make up Tanya and i used.....

Nars sheer glow in Mont Blanc (Amazing FYI!).Applied with a Real Techniques stippling brush.

Mac eyebrow brush in dark brunette.

L'oréal eye shadow in 168 brown lame.

Rimmel liquid eye liner.

Mac mascara (Frans own).

Rimmel wake me up concealer.

Rimmel stay matte powder.

Mac skin mineralise powder.

Mac Spring sheen blush.

Mac Fulfilled lip gloss.

Tah Dah! 


I found it very easy to follow Tanya's video tutorial. She explains each step clearly and demonstrates how to apply the make up without it looking too difficult and offers tips on how to get the best results and tells you the best brushes to use. You can tell she's been doing this for years and does make it look so easy but also doesn't over complicate it. She's a joy to watch! 



So with Fran looking gorgeous, dark and Mila-ery, I thought I'd dress her too. When Mila isn't on the red carpet she seems to like a simple yet sexy look. She plays it safe; doesn't sport too much colour or anything too risky but at the same time looks very sultry. So I raided my wardrobe to see if I could find anything similar and copied a leather skirt and white blouse look on Fran. 


Far right
Leather skirt - Topshop 
White blouse - H&M 
Boots - Asos

I also chose a black midi body con dress for Fran. She has such a tiny frame and it hugged her figure so nicely. The length was more flattering too and i teamed it with a burgundy slim belt and tights and same boots. 

Left
Dress - Topshop
Belt - Topshop 

I think Mila would approve : ) 


 Thanks for playing dress up with me Franny! x