Hot Cloth Cleansers: Liz Earle vs. Sanctuary

Now that I have a skin care routine that works for me I'm a bit reluctant when trying new products. The Liz Earle 'Hot Cloth Cleanser', by far is one of the most talked about skin care items out there. Its received numerous reviews and is loved by the majority of people who use it. The rise of 'Hot Cloth Cleansers' has encouraged many brands to produce their own versions, so as I had the opportunity to try both Liz Earle and Sanctuary's very own alternative I thought I would give you my thoughts on them.

Sanctuary Brightening Facial Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser:

This Hot Cloth Cleanser is available from Boots at £10.20 for 125ml. I received a travel size version of the cleanser in a kit so I can't say whether it's available to purchase individually at travel size. It comes with a standard sized muslin cloth which is soft on the skin & perfect for removing the creamy cleanser. 

This cleanser claims to open pores, deep cleanse the skin and act as a gentle exfoliator to help stimulate circulation. Ingredients such as beeswax & 'gold of pleasure' oil helps to condition the skin whilst the camomile helps to leave complexion glowing with radiance. 

There's a light smell of honey however when you massage it into the skin the scent almost reminds me of white emulsion. Not the most pleasant of scent. It has a nice light, soufflé like texture which is very easy to work with and has no irritation to the skin... at least with my skin anyway (Sanctuary don't specify what skin type their cleanser is suitable for). 

My skin felt smoother after using this product but no more than usual, with my current skin care routine. Although this cleanser claims to brighten your complexion, I found my skin looked dull and lifeless. This cleanser is NOT designed for the removal of *eye make-up which is a big let down as you would hope such product would do a multitude of things! Eventually it did remove most of my eye make-up but it took at least 3 or 4 attempts and even then there was a 'panda eyes' like residue in the Mornings.
* Sanctuary do say to avoid the eye area. However out  for review & comparison purposes  I wanted to see how well this cleanser would perform when removing eye make-up.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser:

*C&P - Cleanse and Polish. 

As much as I wanted to dislike this product, (because everyone raves about it so much), I have to say I maybe Liz Earle's latest convert. I was so impressed with the Cleanse & Polish that it may replace my current skin care routine as it eliminates the clutter of bottle and tubes and does the job of cleansing and removing make-up all in one product at one easy AND very convenient step. 

The Cleanse & Polish can be purchased online at http://uk.lizearle.com/ and is readily available at most John Lewis Stores. Prices start from £5.50 and the one thing I really like is that this cleanser comes in pump or tube form at various sizes. The travel size is great for me as it's definitely something I will take on both short & long breaks in the future and further more it means I don't have to take a separate cleanser and eye make-up remover with me although I maybe be tempted to take a toner in conjunction with the *C&P. 

http://uk.lizearle.com/cleanse-tone-moisturise/cleanse-and-polish-hot-cloth-cleanser.html?what-size

So the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish claims to cleanse & remove face make-up as well as stubborn mascara with it's mineral oil rich creamy, cleanser. The pure muslin cloth allows you to polish the face to gently remove dead skin cells & give your clean & radiant looking skin. There is a slight herbal scent which I'm not the biggest fan of but it is very light so I can get pass that. The texture is very creamy and lightweight, really easy to work into the skin and like the Sanctuary Hot Cloth Cleanser it has a soufflé like consistency. 

Although you have to go in a couple of times to remove eye make-up, all in all it does a fantastic job. It doesn't string or irritate the eyes and the surrounding skin and better still there is no residue in the mornings. This cleanser just melts make-up off the skin in seconds leaving it feel a lot more smoother & even & really clean - as if it had really lifted excess oil & dirt from my face. From using this cleanser my complexion looked a lot clearer & brighter & I think because of the natural ingredients in it such as; beeswax, & eucalyptus oil(amongst others), it has helped to prevent spots & mild break out. 

So to conclude this comparison you can probably tell that I hand's down preferred the Liz Earle Cleanser over Sanctuary's version. I will be purchasing the full size version of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish because I'm always looking for products that do a multitude of things in one easy step, it means less clutter but I'm not having to compromise in the quality of my skin care routine. I'm more open to trying other versions of 'Hot Cloth Cleanser's ' so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know by commenting below and it would be interesting to know your thought on both the cleansers mentioned in this review.x