Murad - Celebrate You! 'Embrace Balance' Skincare

Last month Murad released their Christmas Kits - bargainous sets of skincare with big savings. I was sent the Embrace Balance box to try out.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I am quite particular about what I try on my face as it's very prone to spots, but after reading all the bumpf I was happy to give this a go. The back of the box filled me with hope with this statement 'Clear pores and embrace beautiful, radiant skin. Three simple steps balance oily and dry zones while removing dull, dry cells for skin that is smooth and shine free.' It sounded ideal for my skin - dry patches, oily patches and spotty patches (mmmmm).

The kit contains 50mls Pomegranate Cleanser, 60mls T Zone Pore Refining Gel (which is actually bigger than the full size 50mls worth £50!), 30mls Pomegranate Moisturiser SPF 15, and 2 Pomegranate Exfoliating Masks. I love the size of the bottles - they are perfect for putting in a wash-bag while traveling, or staying over at a friends house without having to scrimp on skincare during your stay. You'd think that they wouldn't last very long being these sizes, but I have been using these products religiously for around 4 weeks and they are all still at least half full.

The cleanser comes in a pump-bottle which dispenses it as foam. One or two pumps is enough to cleanse your entire face. I have been applying it to my face using my Clarisonic Mia. It has a light fruity, refreshing fragrance. It feels very light, and doesn't irritate my skin at all. At night I have been using a Simple facewipe to take off the bulk of my make up, then using the cleanser to remove all the rest of the grime and excess make up from my face. As I am using Retin-A I seem to need a bit of extra exfoliation for the dry patches, so I remove the cleanser using an Emma Hardie muslin and microfibre cloth.

The tip I have for the toner is not to use too much - a little goes a long way - half a pump is perfect for my face. It's a thin, runny, liquid, and on contact with my face feels a bit tingly. Not in an uncomfortable way - but like it's doing some work! It says that it 'balances oily and dry zones while gently exfoliating to remove dull, dry skin cells' which for me is key! The toner takes a few minutes to sink in as it's quite wet. Once it's dry I apply a thin layer of Retin-A to my face (obviously this is just an additional step as this is what my GP has prescribed to me!)

The moisturiser is gorrrrrgeous. It's oil free yet very moisturising. It's lightweight and is like an instant blanket of comfort over your face once you massage it in. It totally restores my face to a natural balance and doesn't leave me looking shiny, or feeling greasy.

I wouldn't say my skin is any better or worse since I have been using this range, but this in itself is a massive achievement. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that my skin will never be perfect, so the fact that these products could maintain the condition of my skin is fabulous!

If you're interested in this kit, it's only £39.50 from www.murad.co.uk and is actually worth £78. If you're looking to try a new regime, I would recommend Embrace Balance highly!

Liz Earle's Naturally Active Essentials

I have reviewed Cleanse & Polish before, saying it was going on my Holy Grail list... and it was.... but in the mean time I tested out some other brands, and my beloved Cleanse & Polish was somewhat forgotten by me. My skin was in dire need of some TLC; breaking out all over the show, horrid red angry boils... and I wasn't really sure of the solution. By sheer twist of fate I was sent Liz Earle's Essentials range - The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, and Skin Repair Light Moisturiser to review... and now I will never forget Cleanse & Polish again!

Within days of using these three products my skin seemed to sigh with relief, it was suddenly a lot calmer - and while it hasn't been a miracle product - I am still getting the odd spot, it seems, and therefore I seem, a lot happier. I have now been using these products for almost 4 weeks, so thought it  was ample time to test them out and see how I got on...

The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is a thick, cream based cleanser containing naturally active ingredients including eucalyptus and cocoa butter. I had been sent the 100ml starter tube - which basically means that it comes with two of the muslin cloths you need to use in conjunction with it (RRP £13.25), but is also available without the cloths. The cleanser is gorgeously thick and rich and superb at getting it's job done of cleaning your skin - so much so that you can use it as a make up remover, including eye make up. That in itself tells me that it's powerful yet gentle - something which my spot-prone skin is obviously fond of. To use the cleanser you pump some of the product out onto your hands (I use one pump in the morning, and two at night to shift the make up!), then massage over your (dry) face and neck. You then wet one of the muslin cloths in warm water, and use it to remove the cleanser, gently exfoliating as you go. Once you've done that, you rinse the muslin, then splash your face with cold water to close your pores. It leaves my skin feeling silky and moisturised without greasy. I have used the 100ml bottle in this way for almost 4 weeks and today it ran out - I have gone out and bought a 200ml tube as I don't want to skip it in my routine tonight! I guess if I took my make up off with a face-wipe first, I wouldn't need to use so much at night and it would last longer, but hey ho.

The next product was the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, which is their version of a toner - but without any alcohol so no stripping of the skin! If they sold this as a perfume, I would wear it - the smell reminds me of something in my childhood that I can't put my finger on, but it's delicious - a really comforting smell. I was sent the 200ml bottle (RRP 11.75) and have been using it for almost 4 weeks - although I can't actually see how much of the product is left (this is my only gripe with these products, although I realise it would take away some of the luxuriousness), it feels and sounds as though there is about a third of the bottle left. You use this after cleansing - twist the twisty cap, squirt some on to a cotton pad then wipe it all over your face and neck. Be warned not to squeeze the bottle as I first did, it will pour out on it's own! I'm not a religious toning kinda girl, but I liked the additional step in my routine. It feels extremely calming and refreshing - when I have had the odd spot, putting my Instant Boost Skin Tonic soaked cotton wool pad on it has felt like it was doing some good. It is very gentle and most definitely does not leave my skin feeling dry or taught in any way, which is a concern I've always had with toners. It's also a fail-safe way of making sure every last scrap of make up is off.

When I explained I had combination, spot prone skin, it was recommended I used the Skin Repair Moisturiser which is suited to combination/oily skin - there are others available for the different skin types, but this particular one came in a 50ml pump tube (RRP £17.60) I think the normal and dry skin types come in a pot. Although the smell is very gentle, I'm not overly fond of it. After 3 and a bit weeks of it I don't even notice it, but for the first week I didn't like it. It's not strong or overpowering, so luckily I couldn't smell it on my face - it's not even a horrible smell, just a dusky herbal smell that I'm not too keen on. Smells aside, this is a great moisturiser. It's thick to the point you could pump some onto your hand, turn it upside down and it wouldn't drop off, but not so thick that it feels like it's never going to sink in to your skin - a perfect consistency. As I wrote this review I used some on the back of my hand, and it now feels very soft! I have been using 2 pumps of this, morning and night, and again, would guess at there being about a third left. After applying this in the morning, I tend to wait 5-10 minutes before applying make up just to make sure it has all settled in.

I am very impressed with all three of the products. Cleanse & Polish is definitely the only cleanser I've used that my skin seems to get on with the most, and working in combination with it's two team-mates seems to be a winning team to me. Each bottle has written on the front what its purpose it - Cleanse & Polish says 'cleanses and gently exfoliated for smoother, clearer skin' - check! Using the muslin means I no longer need to use my harsher exfoliator, dry patches are gone and my skin is calmer, clearer and smoother. The Instant Boost claims it 'revitalises, soothes and tones for instant radiance' - check! This is definitely a product with instant effects, it just feels gorgeous! The Moisturiser says 'light, gentle and balancing for fresh, naturally healthy skin' - check! I love that it's so moisturising without making my skin oily. If you are in the market for a new skincare regime, I would highly recommend this one. You can buy it, or find your local stockist at www.lizearle.com