3 Of The Best Hot Cloth Cleansers – Liz Earle, Eve Lom, Espa

If you were asked to name a brand you associated most with cleansing, chances are you’d say either Liz Earle or Eve Lom. Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish and the Eve Lom Cleanser are multi-award winning classics, adored the world over.  

That both feature in my top rated may not be all that surprising. Less predictable perhaps is my third featured cleanser - Espa’s Nourishing Cleansing Balm. This one may not share the ‘cult’ status of Liz Earle or Eve Lom, but to me it is just as adorable.

  Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

The Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish clocked up its 100th beauty award in 2014. What an achievement! Over the years there have been a few special limited edition versions, most recently a summertime scent with orange flower and chamomile. The one I’m including here is the original and, in my opinion, still the best.

The original blends eucalyptus, rosemary and chamomile essential oils. It smells fresh and uplifting, is very soothing on the skin, and has a wonderful rich and creamy texture. It makes light work of removing makeup, including stubborn mascara.

As it’s such a classic, I guess most of you know how to use it. But briefly, it’s a two-step cleanser. Step one you massage into the face and neck; step two you remove with a muslin pre-soaked in hand-hot water.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish starter kit costs £14.75 for 100ml cleanser plus 2 muslins. You can buy it here.

Eve Lom Cleanser

“Probably the best cleanser in the World”, says Vogue of the Eve Lom Cleanser. Saying “probably” is sitting on the fence somewhat, in my mind, but this is undoubtedly an extremely good cleanser.

It has a very distinctive aroma. For me the smell is almost medicinal – think soothing and calming, not unpleasantly clinical. It contains clove oil, which has a strong odour and antiseptic qualities to encourage clear skin. Three other plant oils feature - Eucalyptus (to help drain away toxins), Hops (to tone), and Egyptian Chamomile (to soften and soothe).

The texture here is soft butter, not like the ‘ready to spread from the fridge’ excuse for soft butter, more the ‘Real McCoy’- creamy butter that has been left out of the fridge to melt a little. It’s a flawless texture! Again, removes stubborn waterproof make-up and exfoliates skin via the muslin included.

Eve Lom’s Cleanser costs £40 for 50ml and can be bought here.

Espa Nourishing Cleansing Balm

More akin to the Eve Lom than the Liz Earle, in that it is a balm that comes in a jar, as opposed to a creamy cleanser in a bottle. There, though, similarities end.

Espa’s offering has a gorgeous delicate rose fragrance. Judged on smell alone, this cleanser would be my favourite. The way Espa formulates its products with the most sublime essential oils (think health spa aromas) makes it one of my favourite skincare brands (post on Espa favourites here).

The Espa texture is firm, making it last longer with me than Eve Lom as only a small amount goes on your finger when you rub from the jar. With the Eve Lom, because it’s soft, I tend to scoop it out more!  This is also a water –soluble balm. Once you’ve massaged it into the face dry, apply a little water and lather it. It transforms into a rich cream. Wonderful! Remove with a damp muslin.

Again, great at removing make-up and leaves skin feeling soft and toned. Espa Nourishing Cleansing Balm costs £46 for 60g jar and can be bought here.

Post contains PR samples