Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Review

Cleanse & Polish ft the muslin.

My mum loves QVC. No, wait, she has an obsession with QVC.

On an almost weekly basis, we’ll get parcels with their purple label on it and usually it’s a load of crap that doesn’t interest me. Except recently, when my mum approached me as I was using my go-to makeup wipes to rid all that eyeliner stuck to my face. “Give this a go,” she said, and handed me a tube of Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish along with what looked like a cheap little rag which I was then informed was a special muslin after I turned my nose up at it. “Rub the lotion into your face and eyes, then wash it off with the muslin soaked in hot water.” And so I did, and bloody hell did I get a shock.

I didn’t think my face could be that grim. I mean, I know sometimes I get stubborn mascara (but I tend to pick it off when I’m bored) and the sides of my eyes actually appear to be stained a little black from all the eyeliner, but surely a makeup wipe can get rid of it all after a few good scrubs? Wrong. So, so wrong.

The makeup before I cleansed.

THE PROCESS

After I was pretty happy and certain that all my makeup had come off from the wipe alone, I decided to rub the cleanser into my face (making sure it was dry), focusing on my eyes and upon opening them I was in complete horror as I looked like a bloody panda. My first thought was, “The fuck has all this shit come from?” and the second was, “How old is this makeup and dirt?” Either way, it was pretty nasty.

The first thing you’ll notice is the strong smell that resembles Vicks vapour rub. Luckily for me, I actually enjoy the smell but what I didn’t enjoy was a slight cold burning, tingly sensation that happened after a few applications to get rid of all the black pooling under my lower lids. A quick rinse however, and the feeling soon subsided so it’s definitely worth the minimal pain you might endure – but it’s probably just me being a sensitive wimp.

It’s recommended that the muslin cloth you use is the Liz Earle branded one, which makes sense because why sell a product without something else on the side to buy? Anyhow, it’s supposed to be used under hand-hot water and has a slight scratchy feel to it which aids the exfoliation process and really gives your skin a good ol’ scrub.

So there I am, looking in the mirror with black all over my face and one wipe of the cloth gave a perfectly clean streak. Literally. There was no smudged marks, just a clear line in between the black which is so impressive considering even the best makeup wipes’ll smudge products all over your face before truly getting rid of them. Within a minute, I’d scrubbed off all the black from the first use of lotion and my face had never looked cleaner.

After using the product. Slightly red cheeks!

LOOK AT ALL THIS SHIT THAT CAME OFF!

THE REVIEW

Have you ever thought you’ve taken off all your makeup only to step into the shower and come out with two black eyes? Yeah, we all have. This product stops that, honestly.

It’s so quick and easy to use; within minutes you’ll have stripped even the most stubborn makeup (cough, lookin’ at you brow pomade) from your face and you’ll feel so damn fresh.  Immediately you’ll be able to feel a difference; your skin is smoother and clearer from the get-go so say goodbye to going to bed and waking up with your eyelids stuck together. Just me? Alrighty, then.

Of course, a product this good comes at a price. For an 100ml starter kit (basically the cleanser and a muslin cloth) it’s a hefty £15.50 from Liz Earle’s website. Yet, when you consider that you only need a small squirt of lotion to cleanse, it’s so worth it because this could easily last over a month, if not longer.  Plus, the product is an exfoliator, cleanser, toner and moisturiser all in one so just one bottle of this can wipe out several bottles of other products from hogging up your shelf.

The muslin cloth does need to be washed frequently (after every 3 uses) which can become a bit of a hassle, so if you’re a student in halls that has to pay to use a washing machine I would stock up on a few to tide you over otherwise get used to sticking a frequent wash on.

The Cleanse & Polish is cruelty free and suitable for vegans, with no animal extracts used. The majority of its ingredients are naturally active and it’s suitable for all skin-types which is a huge plus. Even if your skin is sensitive, whilst it may be off-putting to use a rough cloth, it’s not about to scrape your entire face off and instead will leave you with a nice little glow.

All-in-all, considering I’ve never been one to routinely cleanse my face (I’m gross, I know), I’ve got to say that this product has completely changed my mind and whilst I’m lucky that my mum bought me this first bottle, I won’t hesitate to keep on replenishing it.

Liz Earle, you get a solid 9/10 from me!

I hope this review has been helpful, leave your comments and thoughts below!