Philip Kingsley Maximizer

My hair is very fine and lacks any volume so decided to ask for this for my birthday as I adore Philip Kingsley and use his hair masks, shampoo, conditioner and scalp tonics regularly and would now not be without them.

My mum bought for my birthday in March, I am not sure where but you can buy 250 mls from www.feelunique.com for £18.70 or 125 mls from www.johnlewis.com for £13.20

I had read some reviews before I started using the product which said it left their hair dry and a bit like hay.  I did find that this was the case if you used too much of the product.  With all Philip Kingsley products I do find that you need a lot less of the product than with other brands.

I was quite disappointed in the product I found that when I was blow drying my hair it had lots of volume and bounce but as soon as I brushed or smoothed my hair it was all gone.  I also found that my hair wasn't as smooth or manageable.  I also would have preferred a product which included some heat defence as most drugstore volumisers do.

I doubt very much that I would purchase this again as I think that a cheaper drugstore volumiser would be much better value for money.



Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser Normal Combination

I have been using for about a month with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic as my skin had been problematic.  Again I must admit that I have not used twice daily religiously, but did use at least every morning.

 

I bought from my local John Lewis for £18.75 http://www.johnlewis.com/231417761/Product.aspx I thought that the price was reasonable as I had previously been using No7 Advanced Hydration Day Cream which is £15.00

I was advised by the saleswomen to go for normal/combination after discussing the problems I had been having with my forehead as it was either flaky or oily with red hard pimples.  Even after the first use my forehead has not been dry or flaky. 

TIP I found that it was best to use a little as the product did spread easily and at first I did find my skin was a little greasy at the end of the day but when I used less this stopped.

The consistency was lighter then I expected and there was a 'Liz Earle' aroma, floral and soothing which I do like.

The moisturiser did leave my skin soft and my forehead is a lot better the pimples are no longer hard but are still there, I imagine with further use this will clear up completely.

The one big negative is that this did not include any SPF or UV Protection which I personally think all good moisturisers should include.

If this did include SPF and UV Protection I wouldn't think twice about re purchasing but I may try and find a similar product with this included.  



Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer

I have been using this along with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and Skin Repair Moisturiser (Normal/Combination) for about a month.  I decided that I needed to update my beauty regime as my forehead was very dry one day and then oily and covered in red hard pimples.   I must admit that I haven't used religiously morning and night but have used this slightly more then the cleanse and polish as it is so quick to use.

I decided to buy the spritzer from my local John Lewis for £13.00 http://www.johnlewis.com/231417760/Product.aspx as I knew I would use this more then a normal toner as it didn't require the fuss of using cotton wool and thought with the summer coming up would be refreshing.

I loved the smell of the product which is very floral and refreshing.  I epically enjoyed using the product in the morning as I found it really helped wake me up. Having said that it was also nice to use in the evening.

You can spritz over make up according to the Liz Earle website however I have not tried as I honestly can't believe that your make up wouldn't need refreshing afterwards.  If anyone has tried please let me know.

TIP - The saleswomen at the Liz Earle counter said that before the toner dries completely, massage your moisturiser onto the skin.

To be honest I don't really know what a toner actually does but I think that this is meant to brightened and freshen the skin.  I am not sure that this made my skin brighter but this along with the other two products did make my skin a lot softer and my forehead is getting a lot better (the red pimples are still there but not as visible or as hard)

I did enjoy using the product and think it will last a long time, however I wasn't amazed by it unlike the cleanse and polish.  Would buy again unless something else grabs my eye.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

After hearing lots of positive things about Liz Earle and getting some Superbalm for Christmas, I decided to give the famous Cleanse and Polish a go.  My skin was also really playing up, with my forehead being my main concern, one day would be dry and flaky and the next greasy, I also had red hard pimples at the centre of my forehead. 

I have now been using for just under a month along side the Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer and Skin Repair Moisturiser (Normal/Combination) which I will review separately.  I must admit that I have not used the cleanser twice every day but have used most mornings and when I can be bothered in the evening.

The product is different then anything I have ever used before, you massage one or two pumps onto dry skin and then rinse and wring the muslin cloth wiping off the product.

I really like the consistency I was expecting the product to lather (although thinking about it now it obviously wouldn't as you are using on dry skin)  The smell is also lovely which makes massaging onto the skin more enjoyable. 

I absolutely love the muslin cloth I bought the 100ml starter kit from my local John Lewis which included two cloths and a zip up bag for £14.25 http://www.johnlewis.com/147598/Product.aspx although I know you can also purchase from Liz Earle or QVC also.   The reason I loved them so much is that they gently exfoliate your skin and you can remove all of the product easily.

TIP - I did see on QVC that you should not use fabric conditioner when washing the cloths and make sure that you wash regularly.  I made sure that I rinsed with very hot water with each use and hung on my clothes horse to dry as well.

The cleanser was amazing at removing makeup, usually on a night out I would end up using loads of cleansing wipes and wake up with mascara round my eyes.  With this however I used one and a half pumps and made sure I gently massaged over my eyes last.  The cloth ended up filthy and my skin didn't feel like it had been scrubbed within an inch of its life.  I did use a cleansing wipe after my first night out as I couldn't believe that it had removed all my mascara but it had!

Overall my skin is noticeably softer after using and my forehead is no longer flaky or oily.  Its powers of removing even heavy eye make up is amazing and I will definitely be re purchasing and would recommend to any one.