Monday 11 July 2011

Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion

RRP: £9.70/150ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Wake up and revitalise eyes with cotton wool pads soaked in this gentle, soothing herbal lotion before using Cleanse & Polish. Non-oily, it is ideal for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Naturally active ingredients include the grassland herb eyebright, witch hazel, organic aloe vera and cornflower to help tone, cool and refresh tired, puffy or sore eyes."

 --Packaging--
The rectangular packaging is reliable and confident, especially with its twist-up lid, and the calm yellow is unusual too, while still fitting in with the rest of the company's products.
--Application--
The Liz Earle website states: "Apply Eyebright to cotton wool pad to clean and wake up your eyes first thing. For a revitalising, soothing compress, soak 2 cotton wool pads in Eyebright and place over eyes and relax for 5 – 10 minutes." No tricks to any of that. One other tip from the Liz Earle therapists is to keep this product in the fridge for extra coolness on summer mornings.

--Appearance--
A clear liquid which leaves no visible residue on the skin after use.

--Scent--
I would actually say it's fragrance free, which is perhaps a little surprising given the presence of the aloe vera and witch hazel. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing - if you are put off by strong smells in products, have no fear here.

--Texture, consistency and sensation--
It's a replica of water in its texture and consistency - and, as promised by Liz Earle, is light and non-oily. It also didn't bother my contact lens-wearing husband; we both found it delivered a refreshing sensation without any irritating side effects. Although it's marketed as an eye lotion, it can also be used to refresh the entire face, which makes it a lifesaver in hot weather. Its lack of harsh chemicals also means it can be used for children.

--Other comments--
I've heard this can also be used to remove light eye makeup, and while I believe it can do this, I don't know anyone who wears *only* eye makeup, and so most people need a more heavy duty makeup remover that also removes foundation etc. Why would you use two products when one will do?

--Value for money--
It's not that I think the price is bad, especially for a product which appears to be totally unique in the market (type "eye lotion 150ml" into Google Shopping, and even without the speech marks, Liz Earle's product is the only one to come up; without the ml specification, even then most of the results are eye creams, which is not what this product is). However, even though I think it is a great addition to a facial (before, during or after a mask, for example), neither my husband nor I could see the point of it exactly in terms of fitting it into our day-to-day routine (we both already cleanse, tone and moisturise). I'm guessing that the people who would get the most out of this product are people who perhaps suffer with eczema, psoriasis or dry/irritated skin around the eye area, but apart from that, most people are not going to make regular use of this product. Liz Earle would perhaps be better off rebranding it as a toner for acneic skin (its Skin Repair Light moisturiser, which is for oily skin, already contains similar ingredients; I would be tempted to use Eyebright as a toner to see if its witch hazel sees off the blighters), a toner for sensitive skin, or a toner for people with other skin complaints (see above for examples). Maybe then it would have more takers.

perfect partners
Eye Try-Me Kit, £22.75 (for 4 travel size favourites)
Daily Eye Repair, £13.25/10ml
Smoothing Line Serum, £13.25/10ml
Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, £11.75/100ml
Skin Repair Light, £17.60/50ml

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