13 November 2013

Essential measures #10 - Eve Lom cleanser

Not an original choice, but I credit this cleanser with transforming my skin after months of battling troublesome acne on my cheeks. Since I started using it in Jan 13, my skin has been fantastically clear, with only one or two minor breakouts. After use, my skin looks and feels healthy, glowing, clean and balanced.




 The cleanser comes in a round pot and has a thick, paste-like consistency, so needs 'scooping' out. I enjoy the ritual of applying this to my dry skin, and removing with a warm, wet muslin. And whilst it is breathtakingly expensive - for a cleanser, at £85 for a 200ml tub - a little goes a very long way. I use it once a day, in the morning, and occasionally in the evening unless I’ve worn a lot of make up in which case I prefer a cheap cream cleanser to remove that - with careful use, a 200ml tub could easily last a year, and while the product info advises it has a nine month shelf life the girls at the Eve Lom counter advised me it would be fine for a good deal longer than that.



I also have a tube of the Eve Lom Morning Time Cleanser, essentially a slightly less thick version of the tub cleanser. I find this gives similar results (super clean, healthy looking skin), but my tube developed a fishy smell a few months after opening, and its hard to get the product out when you're nearing the end of the tube. I was delighted in the recent Liberty beauty gwp to receive a compact travel sized version tub cleanser, which will more than suffice for weekends or weeks away and into which I can decant product from the larger tub when needed.

I use Eve Lom’s muslins, or my smaller Liz Earle or Boots versions. The Eve Lom ones are very generously sized, allowing you to blanket your entire face and neck with the muslin as recommended in the detailed instructions! I’ve more or less abandoned my former holy grail cleanser, Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish, in favour of Eve Lom. While I like Cleanse and Polish, Eve Lom’s cleanser has made a visible and long-term difference to my skin. I never want to be without this product.

I purchase my Eve Lom cleanser from online stores such as Beauty Expert, or Liberty of London. Liberty often has special beauty events for Eve Lom and other brands such as Sisley and Aromatherapy Associates, where you can enjoy a  facial or other treatment and the cost is redeemed against a minimum spend on products in the range. I tend to wait for these sorts of events before purchasing these more expensive products – if you’re going to splurge, why not treat yourself in the process at no extra cost!

£85/200ml


12 November 2013

Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Body Scrub

I found this a decent scrub if not exactly life-changing. It made my skin feel soft and smooth, but the effects don’t seem to last as long as my other favourites (Ren Salt Scrub and Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub) and I didn't find it particularly luxurious to use - it look and smells quite earthy, though I was pleased it didn't leave any residue on the skin, a pet hate of mine!





I'm glad I tried it, but I won’t repurchase - still a huge fan of the Aromatherapy Associates range in general though. I recently purchased the Sisley Energising Foaming Exfoliant which seems to get excellent reviews, so looking forward to trying that next.

I can't see this particular scrub on the Aromatherapy Associates website at present, but it is available from Liberty and costs £35 for 200ml.