Live chat with Liz Earle, Tuesday 21 September (1-2pm)

[HelenMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that Liz Earle is going to be joining us at Mumsnet Towers for a live chat on Tuesday 21 September between 1pm and 2pm.

Liz is a broadcaster and best-selling author of over 30 books covering a wide variety of beauty, health and lifestyle issues.

She is also co-founder of the award-winning Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare range. Liz Earle products are regularly revered by Mumsnetters, and Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is cited across the boards as a 'must-have' beauty product.

We hope you can join Liz for the chat on this thread on Tuesday but, if you can't make it, feel free to post your advance questions here.

All Mumsnetters who post a question to Liz on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a Liz Earle Ultimate Hamper, worth over £170, plus the brand new Botanical Shine Shampoo and Botanical Shine Conditioner for Normal Hair.

To be in with a chance of winning, you must post your question to Liz, on this thread, before the end of the online chat (2pm on Tuesday 21 September). For all other prize draw terms and conditions, see the bottom of the competitions page.

Hi Liz,

I've recently started using your C & P and love it. I was wondering what products you would recomend for me, I have oily skin and am constantly on the look out for something that will keep me from looking like I've dipped my face in chip fat by the middle of the day.

Also I've heard a lot of people mention your wonder balm, why is it so wonderful? (I'm sorry if that sounds like a dumb question).

Also do you have plans to move into doing make up at some point?

Thanks!!

Hi Liz,

I have just received my shampoo and conditioner yesterday and I LOVE it, my hair is very difficult to manage and I was able to wash, blow dry and style with no problems leaving a very happy me today :-)

My quesion is ..... do you have any plans for any other products? I do not like to use too much product on my hair but would love a heat protection spray for when I straighten it to compliment the shampoo and conditioner.

P.s the smell is devine

Thanks - a devoted fan of all things Liz Earle

Hi Liz, I have had eczema and sensitive skin all my life, and have loved using your products over the 10 years, However, I now seem to have developed a spot problem on my neck and upper back. can you recommend something that will cope with sensitive eczema prone skin but also Bl(*dy spots!!

Can i take maternity leave at 21 weeks (just over 5 months)?

testing!

Liz has arrived at Mumsnet HQ and after various tech hitches (loss of power supply) and a change of desks, she's now ready to answer your questions. Welcome to Mumsnet Liz Earle...

Hello :)

Hello! Really great to be here and my laptop is now powered up!! :-)

@ASecretLemonadeDrinker

Oh my, I have just discovered Liz Earle, I bought a starter pack with lots of things in and I love love love them, though most have now run out and I am replacing them one by one. I am lucky enough to have my sister in law living in Ryde so it's always my first stop before heading the the beach

I did have a Q I was going to email which I have now forgotten, but I would like to say I would love to see a childrens range.

Oh, and also the lip balm is lovely but it makes even sips of water taste of lavender, IMHO it could do with a tone down - sorry!

I do have an actual question now I come to think of it - are you ever going to think about branching into cosmetics? I love going quite bare (I can now go mostly bare after having very bad skin which I always put down to hormones as nothing else worked) but I would love to see a 'matching' (I can't think of a better word) simple set of makeup that I know is good quality like the other products, the ingredients work together etc.

And thankyou for making my skin so much better, it saves me such alot of time in the mornings now!

Hi AsecretLemonadeDrinker,

Thank you for your question. Its lovely to hear that you are seeing such great results on your skin from our range! Our customers really are at the heart of everything we do, so we pay close attention to their requests and needs. Although there are no immediate plans to launch a cosmetics range, its something that we know our customers would love (and is something I definitely would love to launch)... so watch this space...!

P.S. having just had another baby, a children's range is on top of my wish list too! I'm currently discussing this with my new product development team... :-)

@LilKim82

Hi Liz,

I have just received my shampoo and conditioner yesterday and I LOVE it, my hair is very difficult to manage and I was able to wash, blow dry and style with no problems leaving a very happy me today :-)

My quesion is ..... do you have any plans for any other products? I do not like to use too much product on my hair but would love a heat protection spray for when I straighten it to compliment the shampoo and conditioner.

P.s the smell is devine

Thanks - a devoted fan of all things Liz Earle

Hello - thanks for that - I love it too - having had eczema and a flakey scalp all my life it's great to have a clear scalp at last. I'd love us to do styling products - hopefully in time we will...

would you ever consider cosmetic surgery?!?!

@Pennies

Oooh, I was looking at Liz Earle stuff this week. My question is...

How come there are no paraben-free SPF15 (or more) daily moisturisers on the market?

I would also be interested in Liz's view on parabens in cosmetics in general.

Hi - thank you for your question Pennies.
Firstly I have to say that I don't know about all products on the market but I think you have raised two very interesting points- parabens and UV moisturisers.
Ultimately, product safely is of absolute and paramount importance, especially when products are being used around the eyes and mouth or any delicate skin areas. I have bought non-preserved products in the past only to find they have grown some pretty nasty bugs. I bought one ënaturalí skin cream (which shall remain nameless), only to find that a couple of months after opening it grew asperillus niger, a green toxic mould that causes the deadly farmers lung disease. According to leading British dermatologist Professor Michael Cork, some un-preserved or poorly-preserved skincare has been found to contain the superbug MRSA and could even be fatal. So I hope that puts the safety issue into some kind of perspective. Parabens occur naturally in nature - blueberries (ironically a 'superfood') are full of them and are the reason they last longer in the fruit bowl than strawberries! Their bad press can be traced back to just one piece of (now discredited) research, which even the author has admitted to being flawed.
If you would like to find out more about parabens please take a look at our online preservative fact sheet. I've written about ths issue at length (also in my Skin Secrets book) as I think it's really important.
If we then turn to UV moisturisers, this is a product area that I have also thought long and hard about and I'm not sure it's a good combination. If we think about UV protection then this has to be regularly applied and at a level to ensure the right amount of protection. A moisturiser is used in such a small amount that it's UV screening properties end up being extremely small (some might say negligible). If you were to apply a moisturiser at the level needed for sun protection (ie very thickly!) then you could start to overload the skin. Although a moisturiser is important during the day it is equally important at night and of course we don't then need UV protection then... So - given all this, I genuinely believe it is better to have a separate moisturiser and then a sun protection product that I can wear with it to ensure that I have enough protection without overloading my skin. HTH.

@StantonHarcourtTheThird

Hi Liz, I have had eczema and sensitive skin all my life, and have loved using your products over the 10 years, However, I now seem to have developed a spot problem on my neck and upper back. can you recommend something that will cope with sensitive eczema prone skin but also Bl(*dy spots!!

HI StantonHarcourtTheThird, sorry to hear about the spots - if they have just started after a decade are they perhaps hormonally related? Could be worth a GP blood test for hormone fluctuations... meanwhile so you have someone who could Cleanse & Polish your back?! Also the Deep Cleansing mask is very good as it contains calming and healing propolis and manuka honey, really HTH

On the Avon sell out. Have been spending a small fortune on a product which I believed to have a full ethical background... now not so sure!! Will the companies original ethics be kept or be lost ie., BodyShop??

@EstroGena

would you ever consider cosmetic surgery?!?!

Hello! Well I haven't so far... I also don't do any Botox or fillers, face-freezers etc etc. Any proceedure carries a risk - however small, so it really has to be a personal decision of risk vs benefit. I have to say, more broadly speaking, I don't think we should obsess about every wrinkle - ageing is not a disease needing treatment... ;-)

Greatm thankyou :) & congratulations

@Pannacotta

I love the Liz Earle skincare range but have stopped using it since the company was taken over by Avon.
One of the main reasons I used Liz Earle skin care was for their strict no animal testing policy, Avon doesnt share this approach so I no longer shop at Liz Earle.

All too reminiscent of the Body Shop/L'Oreal takover...

Very disappointing.

I'm really sorry to hear that you have stopped using our products. However, let me reassure you that nothing has changed and that none of our products or ingredients are tested on animals. We are still BUAV and still operate a fixed cut-off date. Avon fully supports all of our brand values and will not change any of this. Ever.

@rookiemater

Oh I didn't know the Liz Earle range had been taken over by Avon . Sad consumer sucker that I am it makes me less likely to pay top range prices for a mid/low range brand.

Liz what made you do this ?

Thank you for your question Rookiemater.

The reason is not to change anything in the UK in any way at all, but to give us the resources and local knowledge needed to take our small but highly-prized Naturally Active Skincare range and our message worldwide.

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare will continue to operate as an independent, standalone beauty brand, led by my co-founder Kim Buckland, me and our original management team. No changes there at all - and none planned either.

Our new ownership gives us an international platform to fly the flag globally - but we will remain firmly rooted in our home in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, which will remain the brands heart and home. We are all very excited by the new opportunities now open to us. Really hope this goes some way to reassure you.

Hi Liz,
Do any of your products help stop cream foundation sliding off the skin after about 30 mins?

Thanks Liz, great attitude! Think I will give your products a go! All the best for the future!

@mackerel

Hi Liz,

I'm also wondering about sunscreens. I really like the superskin moisturiser in the winter when my skin is very dry and I'm getting a bit wrinkly too, but as I have vitiligo on my hands, arms and feet which started after my 1st pregnancy, I've been advised to use a high SPF on my face to limit the possibility of vitiligo spreading there (something I'm quite worried about). I'm slightly confused about your facial moisturisers and the SPF issue. Do they offer the same degree of protection as other face creams?

Thanks,
Mackerel

Hello Mackerel - glad you like Superskin Moisturiser, that's the one I most often use too (I switch between Skin repair Dry/Sensitive too). Really best to use a separate sunscreen to give you proper protection, especially when dealing with something as tricky as vitiligo. We have a great mineral-only sunscreen which I use on face and body - less likely to irritate sensitive skins than the synthetic variety (watch out for benzophenones and cinnamates on the ingredient listings - can be problematic for some, especially with prickly heat). Hope this is of some help. all the best.

Hi Liz

Can you recommend something for acne scarring please?

Thanks Liz - I've not tried your sunscreen but does it absorb well because I find sunscreen can be a bit thick and greasy on faces? Does the superskin moisturizer offer any protection at all? Thanks.

@WreckOfTheHesperus

Hi Liz,
Do any of your products help stop cream foundation sliding off the skin after about 30 mins?

Hello WreckOfTheHesperus (always wondered how to spell that!) - try Skin Repair Light. Very matt and loved by make-up artists as a great base for the skin. Good at 'mattifying' too if you have shiny patches, HTC

@JulesJules

I LOVE the Cleanse and Polish, and have recommended it on here before.

I can never decide which moisturiser to go for as my skin ticks several boxes - tends to be combination, slightly sensitive, getting a bit haggard er, mature... which would you recommend? And do you use serum as well as, or instead of moisturiser?

Thanks!

Hi JulesJule,

Thanks for your questions. I'm so pleased to hear that you are seeing great results from our (legendary) Cleanse & Polish!
You're in good company. Do you know its now won over 50 independent awards and accolades?! As you mentioned that you suffer from mature, sensitive, combination skin, I would def recommend our Superskin Moisturiser and Superskin Concentrate.

I think that a little Superskin magic is just what your skin needs. Specially formulated with powerful naturally active ingredients rich in GLA, omega-3 and antioxidants, these botanical skin-savers plump, smooth and deeply moisturise mature skin.

Use our Superskin Concentrate as a restoring night-time treat for your skin after cleansing and toning before or after moisturising. With softening argan and organic rosehip oils, soothing neroli, lavender and chamomile essential oils plus protective natural source vitamin E. Kim and I actually made Superskin Moisturiser for ourselves as we grew older... this rich luxurious and fragrance-free moisturiser is specially formulated to help mature skin. I would never - ever - not ever leave home without it.