24 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WITH LIZ EARLE (2012 ADVENT CALENDAR): extra goodies

Now this has been a long post coming and I've sort of been putting it off for a while but I don't know why. I think it's because I'm not sure how to go about presenting to you all the things I got with my Liz Earle Advent Calendar (i know, it's a strange post to do in june but i really wanted to share it all with you!). I've decided to split it into 2 parts - 1 which will show you the unexpected extra items that I got and then the 2nd post will be all the products that I found behind the doors of the calendar. I think it'll be easier this way because there really is a lot to share with you! So here we go - the first post!

This is the Christmas catalogue which I know is completely out of season but the products inside are available all year round. Plus inside are some wonderful gift ideas. I personally love looking at gift sets that companies put together because it gives me ideas of which products I can use together and which ones would benefit each other. 

Now when I saw this I was a bit confused as to what on earth it was. Upon closer inspection it basically contains a colour spectrum of all the make up available from Liz Earle. It's split into different sections - Face, Cheeks, Eyes and Lips - and then within each section it shows all the shades available for each of the products. It's a really lovely tool I think because then you can compare the colours you do have with those you don't and which ones will work well together. I, personally, don't own any make up from Liz Earle but this little item has made me tempted to check out some products!

I've just had another little flick through and noticed that there are some empty boxes to the side of each shade in which you can smudge your current foundation, favourite lipstick so that you can compare make up from other brands with Liz Earle. I thought I'd just share this with you because I find it such a wonderful idea!

Now Liz Earle really are all about the extra touches. I don't think my mum did anything when she ordered me the Advent Calendar that involved foundation. But they went that extra little step to include  a sample of their Signature Foundation. I'm yet to try it out but I think the shade will be right for my skin tone as I am quite pale on my face anyway. I am actually very eager to give it ago as well, just to see what it looks like. The description on the little 'promo' card makes it sound wonderful and I do hope I like it!

Now this is what intrigued me the most. I came upon this before the actual Advent Calendar so I looked to me mum to see if she had bought me an extra present when she was placing the order. She shook her head and I came to the realisation that Liz Earle had put in a whole gift set for me, for free! I'm pretty sure they do this with most purchases (i.e. placing an extra little goodie in to your package) but I certainly wasn't expecting all these products!

The first item was this miniature Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser with another Muslin Cloth. This was a very welcome present because I have unfortunately run out of my full bottle and haven't yet gotten round to purchasing another one. I don't know if I should do a full review on this as there are so many already out there (i'm pretty sure this is Liz Earle's most famed product!) but I really can't rave about it enough! If you're not sure whether to order a full bottle, I know you can order miniatures of everything so it's definitely worth giving it a go! It works absolute wonders for the skin!

This is also something that I'm slowly running out of. I don't really consider this to be a major necessity to my skincare routine but when I do use it I realise how wonderful it is at evening out my skin tone.

This is a moisturiser I'm undecided on. Don't get me wrong I love it, but I already have a pot of this and I have the Normal/Combination type due to my oily skin and I actually find it quite heavy on my skin so I'm not sure if the Dry/Sensitive one would feel even heavier/greasier on my skin? I am actually running out of my usual one (after goodness knows how long - one tub can last a lifetime!) so I will be giving this a go when I've finished but I will apply with caution. I do think it's worth the purchase though! My skin feel so smooth and plump and moisturised after use! Just make sure you get the right one for your skin type!

Now this is a new product for me and one I'm not sure I'll use. I rarely ever use hand cream because, luckily, I don't have dry hands. But when I do they go insanely dry and start cracking (nice!) so this sounds great for when that does happen. Although they only get dry during winter so it may be a little while before I can try this out... My mum religiously uses hand cream so I'm sure I can ask her for her opinions!

I'm not entirely sure what this is for but I think it could be a multi use balm? I'm personally think I'm going to use it as a lip balm as my lips are constantly dry. I'm not too keen on the scent but to be honest, if it works towards giving me smoother and less chapped lips, I'll use it regardless!

So they're all the extra little items I got with my Liz Earle Advent Calendar. I know you can buy these individually so I know this an ultra late post but at least you can still buy everything! I definitely recommend the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, the Instant Boost Skin Tonic and the Skin Repair Moisturiser but I'll keep you updated on my thoughts on the other things! I also hope that this has given you an idea for this Christmas! I know this is an annual thing for Liz Earle so keep your eyes open for this years Advent Calendar!

Now it's time to apologise for a lack of posts recently! It's been a week since my last post which may not seem a long time but it's annoying because the whole time I'm revising, I'm coming up with ideas about what to post and I'm constantly eager to post! As I said though, I do have so many ideas for posts to come up and when I finish on Monday (last two exams - i cannot wait!), these posts will be coming regularly!

This weekend is set to be full of working and revision but on Monday I'll be bringing you the second part of my Liz Earle Advent Calendar posts!

I hope you've all had a wonderful week and this weekend is lovely - such a shame about the weather though! To all those still revising like me, we can do this! And to those that have finished, well, I'm extremely jealous!