Goods & Chattels

Over the past year skincare is something I've become much more passionate about. I used to simply wipe off makeup with some face wipes, wash my face with wilkinson's own brand face wash and use the cheapest moisturiser I could find. Although I don't suffer from acne, I am prone to the odd spot on my chin and forehead, and my skin was becoming drier and more sensitive. Having read through many, many blog posts on the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, I decided that it was the skincare routine for me. For christmas, after dropping lots of hints, my boyfriend bought me the Liz Earle starter kit of sensitive/dry skin (clever boy!) and I can honestly say I've never looked back... until recently when it started to run out.

For those of you who don't know, the Liz Earle starter kit contains a Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which comes with a muslin cloth, an Instant Boost Skin Tonic and a Skin Repair Moisturiser. You massage the Cleanse & Polish all over your face, smearing your makeup everywhere in the process, and wipe it off with the warm, damp muslin cloth. You then wipe the Skin Tonic all over your face with a cotton pad, removing any last trace of makeup the Cleanse & Polish didn't manage to get off and finally massage in the Skin Repair Moisturiser. 

I love this product so much. Not only has my skin become a lot clearer after using it for three months, redness has been reduced and the stubborn patches of dry skin that used to adorn my forehead have faded away. It is honestly a miracle worker, and I thoroughly recommend trying the starter kit. However the one big problem I have with Liz Earle is the price, at above £40 for a starter kit it is hugely expensive. Now I have only been using it to cleanse in the evening, using half a pump of Cleanse & Polish unless I am wearing particularly heavy makeup, and the kit has lasted for around three months. If you used this in the morning and evening I doubt it would last much longer than a month and a half, making it a very expensive repurchase around 7 or 8 times a year! I have been on the look out for something that is as luxurious as the Liz Earle starter kit, but costs a lot less....

Enter the Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser! This is essentially the same type of product as the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. The cleanser has the same consistency as the Liz Earle cleanser, perhaps a little thicker, and massages into the skin very nicely. At £10 in Boots the Sanctuary cleanser comes with a muslin cloth which is double layered, making it much more robust than the Liz Earle muslin cloths, but also harsher on the skin. I had to be very gentle when wiping the cleanser off my face as the cloth could feel quite rough at some points. This removed all my makeup and left my skin feeling soft and moisturised, brilliant if you have dry skin like me! The Sanctuary specifies that you must place the cloth in hot water, wring out and lay over the face to open pores. I tried this step and frankly I didn't really see the point, sure it felt nice but I didn't feel like my pores had opened that much, probably because you can't get the cloth too hot or it would burn your face. 

Overall I was quite impressed with this cleanser, although not a lot cheaper than the Liz Earle cleanser, it does save a few pounds, and when purchased with a Boots £5 off voucher it becomes very cheap indeed. The main downside is that it does not smell as nice as Liz Earle, it is meant to smell of chamomile and "gold of pleasure" oil (whatever that is!), but I did not enjoy the smell as much as the rosemary, chamomile and eucalyptus scent of Liz Earle. In that respect I don't think anything will beat Liz Earle for me, however if you are looking for a slightly cheaper alternative that does exactly the same job, the Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser is great! I paired the cleanser with Simple toner and repair moisturiser, both staples I purchase over and over again which are nice and cheap. Although the Simple moisturiser is a nice, light, everyday moisturiser, it does not leave my skin as soft as the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser. I think I am going to have to save some money to repurchase the Liz Earle starter kit, but up to that point these Sanctuary and Simple product will suit me fine!