That Time I Won ... Liz Earle's Ultimate Christmas Hamper

I've been a fan of Liz Earle skincare since I was given a sample of the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser a few months ago - that distinctive eucalyptus scent and soothing cocoa butter had me hooked from day one. And I wasn't the only one: shortly after demonstrating the wonders of a Liz Earle "cleanse, tone, and moisturise" routine on John, he too, marvelled at his better, brighter skin in the mirror and asked for a repeat recently (seriously, why don't men wash their faces?!).

As a former acne sufferer, my skin underwent a major transformation after a series of laser treatments in my late 20s. Now, my face hardly shows any signs of the angry, scarred, and flaking battlefield it had been years ago and I look forward to my evening skincare routine every day. I've used Dermalogica products for years (their Daily Microfoliant is still the best exfoliator I've ever used, hands down) and I still reach for the Special Cleansing Gel when I'm in the mood to feel squeaky clean, but I find that Liz Earle works especially well on an everyday basis for my mostly dry and dehydrated, yet combination skin. I was searching for a good toner a few months ago and saw that beauty guru, Caroline Hirons, had recommended Liz Earle's Instant Boost Skin Tonic on her blog. I never looked back.

So, seeing that I was running out of my favorite Hot Cloth Cleanser, I placed an order for the Limited Edition Sweet Orange & Mint Hot Cloth Cleanser, plus the Men's Everyday Skincare Offer for John as a Christmas present (don't worry, he never reads this, so there's no chance of ruining the surprise). The next day, I received a tweet from Liz Earle announcing that I'd won their Ultimate Christmas Hamper, filled with £200-worth of products.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

To say I was excited didn't even begin to cover how I felt. I was over the moon (which I know is a silly emotion to feel over skincare products). The hamper includes the following items, in case you're wondering:

• The Original Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

• 2 Pure Muslin Cloths

• Instant Boost Skin Tonic

• Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination Skin

• Superskin Moisturiser

• Superskin Concentrate Rollerball

• Daily Eye Repair

• Gentle Face Exfoliator

• Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask

• Brightening Treatment Mask

• Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash

• Nourishing Botanical Body Cream 

• Superbalm

• Superskin Hand Serum

• Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion

• Botanical Shine Shampoo

• Botanical Shine Conditioner

• Botanical Shine Nourishing Hair Oil

When the hamper arrived in its gorgeous blue box, it felt like Christmas Day as I took off the ribbon and slowly unwrapped each product from its beautifully sealed tissue paper.

"I hate you!" cried my friend Natalie, who showed me her Liz Earle loyalty card from the Kings Road flagship in Chelsea, totalling up to £932 spent over a period of 6 years of Liz Earle products.

But I can see why people are loyal to the brand: they use natural, botanical products which are gentle, but effective on the skin. They don't test on animals and all of their products are suitable for vegetarians.

I was most excited to try the Botanical Shine Shampoo, Brightening Treatment Mask, Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask, and the Superskin Hand Serum. As winter approaches, my skin gets super dry from central heating and cold wind. I'm a huge believer in facial oils (my favorite is Trilogy's Rosehip Oil, which I use before bedtime for plump, moisturised skin), so I'm looking forward to using the Superskin Concentrate Rollerball (which wins points for easy application!) and the Superskin Moisturiser. And because I'm the generous type, I'm dabbing the Daily Eye Repair on John before bedtime, because his crow's feet are out of control (sorry, I meant, "smile lines"). 

Sidenote: if you're a fan of the original Cleanse & Polish, you should definitely try the Sweet Orange & Mint Limited Edition. It smells like a dream and cleanses beautifully. 

I've been a little stressed out lately, so I'm looking forward to having a quiet night in with a box set (I need to start Scandal from the beginning!), a cup of chamomile tea in hand, and popping on one of the treatment masks pictured above.

I used the Botanical Shampoo and Hair Oil this morning, which were both amazing and left my thick, shoulder-length hair feeling soft and silky. I've started using paraben and sulfate-free shampoo ever since I noticed my scalp getting drier and stinging when I used my regular store-bought and salon shampoos. For a good cleanse, I'll turn to Wella Professional's Enrich Shampoo and Conditioner, but the Liz Earle Botanical Shampoo is a terrific alternative because it's both gentle on the scalp and smells like a spa treatment.

I like mixing up my products, so it's a total luxury to have all of the items from the Ultimate Christmas Hamper at hand. Definitely the best early Christmas present I could have possibly received!

Thank you so much, Liz Earle! xo