LQ Liquid Health Skin Hair and Nails

RRP: £29.99 for 10 x 50ml

--What does the promo say?--
"LQ Skin, Hair & Nails is a scientifically formulated daily liquid supplement and is part of the LQ Liquid Health Supplement range. Each daily bottle contains multiple key active ingredients and includes marine collagen (7000mg), hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, silicon, glucosamine, selenium and vitamins. Collagen is the most abundant, naturally occurring protein in the body and each bottle contains 7000mg of high bioavailability Peptan™ marine collagen. High grade resveratrol is extracted from red grapes.

In addition to the multiple key active ingredients LQ Skin, Hair & Nails contains:

- Vitamin C which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the skin. It also contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress
- Selenium which contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and hair
- Biotin (vitamin B7) which contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and hair
- Vitamin E which contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress."

--Packaging--

The magenta labels are bright and vibrant and the plastic bottles themselves are practical for travel thanks to their small size and secure screw caps. They are also recyclable, so a win-win situation all round.

--Usage instructions--

Drink one 50ml bottle per day. This can be mixed with water (fizzy or still) if you choose.

--Appearance--

An opaque orange colour reminiscent of the passion fruit it contains. When diluted it turns slightly yellower. No visible residue is left on teeth, lips, tongue or drinking glasses.

--Taste--

A very sweet, rich taste. Luckily, despite this, it's only 31 calories a bottle, so even those on calorie-controlled diets can easily take advantage. This does, however, need to be clearly labelled on the packaging so that dieters are not deterred.

--Texture and consistency--

Slightly cough-syrupy, but mixing this with fizzy water makes it a more palatable supplement to consume. It's also very smooth, not at all bitty, so in this sense it's no struggle to drink either.

--Effects on the body--

As this is supposed to maintain normal skin, hair and nails, the product embodies the same irony as with anti-ageing products: if it works, then nothing should happen! However, nails appear to be strengthened and skin seems clearer. Longer-term use is possibly necessary for effects on the hair to be perceived.

--Value for money--

At £29.99 for 10 shots, and with a minimum of one month's use apparently required for results to be visible, you're talking about a cost of nearly £90 for one month's supply, which is a luxury for most people. Even if you take advantage of deals such as Boots' current offer of 3-for-2 on the product, that is still a monthly cost of £60, which for many is difficult to justify. People would need to see real tangible results after a month to continue investment in the product. If LQ can find a way to bring the price down, more people would potentially be persuaded to buy. This could potentially be done by reducing packaging costs (e.g. sachets containing dissolvable powders, instead of ready-mixed bottles, which also are heavier and cost more to ship than sachets). In short, the product has potential, but still requires improvement in order to boost sales.

perfect partners

Joint Care, £24.99

Advanced Skin Care, £29.99

Heart Care, £24.99

Snowberry Deep Cleanser

RRP: from £25.50 for 15ml
retails at Harvey Nichols

--What does the promo say?--
"Perhaps the world's only cleanser formulated entirely from natural herbal oils, such as precious Neem, Inca Inchi and Passion fruit oils. An extraordinary, deep cleansing lotion, uniquely designed to remove stubborn makeup while maintaining ideal skin pH."

--Packaging--
The boxes and pump-action plastic bottles in which the Snowberry products come are instantly attractive, featuring kitschy cartoon people holding banners that bear simply expressed but eloquent slogans about life. The brightly coloured drawings on a white background offset the calm that is created by the sophisticated opacity of the bottles, meaning that these products should appeal to a wide-ranging audience. The plastic bottles are recyclable but hard-wearing, simply designed but easy to use.

--Application--
Snowberry advises that you can just smear this cleanser straight onto your face, but it's just as effective if you add a few drops of water and allows you to spread it over your face more easily (but don't expect any lather). Rinse off and follow with toner and moisturiser as normal.

--Appearance--
The gel is bright orange and reminds me of a tangerine Body Shop shower gel that I had when I was younger. This doesn't leave any residue on your face after rinsing, but do expect it to turn your face cloth a bit orange, and don't be surprised if when you use toner there is also a trace of orange on the cotton pad too.

--Scent--
The most gorgeous of all of the Snowberry products that I have tried; a rich, natural, tangy tangerine that really wakes you up in the morning.

--Texture/consistency--
Very strange; not viscous like your usual gel, and not oily either. More velvety, while still remaining distinct from moisturisers. This is nice :)

--Effects on the skin--
Skin appears smoother, calmer and retextured with tone seeming more refined. For a couple of days I was also under the illusion that my acne was improved too. However, this latter effect certainly dissipated after a few days, when my skin returned to its usual sorry state. However, I was certainly very impressed in the beginning.
Snowberry's range, though, is also supposed to be anti-ageing, and seeing as I'm still under 25 I was in a fairly fortunate position to begin with, but I can't say I saw any miracles happen in this area.

--Value for money--
This is very tricky; the 50ml version of this breaks the bank at nearly £50, and £25.50 for just 15ml is pretty steep as well, especially since the initially promising effects on the skin don't seem to stretch into the long-term. While Snowberry is certainly different and appealing in its approach and ingredients, it still needs to consider how it compares. For £25.50 at Boots, for instance, you can have a whopping 400ml of an Estée Lauder cleanser, and brands such as Clinique and Dermalogica offer 200-400ml of cleanser for less.
To put this into perspective, 1.5ml of the Snowberry product lasts approximately fourteen days, meaning that 15ml would last about four and a half months, at a cost of around 18p a day. If the effects lasted, I would be more than happy to pay this. However, their ephemerality calls this into question. Shame, as the product itself is just lovely.

perfect partners

Snowberry Exfoliator, £21.50 for 15ml
Snowberry Toner, £24.00 for 30ml
Snowberry Day Creme Lite, £46.00 for 15ml
Snowberry Night Creme, £56.00 for 15ml
Snowberry Face Serum, £99.00 for 15ml