Beauty: Liz Earle signature facial

Last week I headed to Liz Earle's London store to have their signature facial, which was a late birthday present. I already use quite a lot of Liz Earle products and had heard good things about the facial, so I couldn't wait to have it, especially as I was going to a wedding the next day.

The signature facial is a whopping 90 minutes long, and this also includes a neck and shoulder massage, plus a choice of more shoulder work, a scalp massage, or a foot massage. Most of the time is taken up on your face though, and the time flies by quickly. (Or it did for me.) After chatting for five minutes about my skin - and feeling smug because she didn't think I looked my age - I got undressed and snuggled down under a duvet. I took a few deep breaths of one of Liz Earle's gorgeous oils, before my therapist explained about the machines that she was going to be using.

After cleansing my face with the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish in the jasmine and osmanthus scent - such a gorgeous smell - and treating my eyes, my face was exfoliated and then my arms were massaged and cocooned back under the duvet. (I'm going to get the order a little wrong, no doubt, as I was trying to relax but at the same time take secret mental notes so I could write this review!) If I remember rightly, balm was put on my face at the same time as my arm massage, and a steamer was angled over my face ready for extraction.

The therapist then covered my eyes and shone a bright magnifying light over my face so she could have a proper look at my skin - I was very pleased to hear that I have really clear, plump and radiant skin and that, unusually for a Londoner, I don't have excessive blockages. Apparently most Londoners have really congested faces because of the grime and what not, but all I had was a tiny blockage at the side of my nose and congestion on my cheeks which she thought was down to product build-up. She recommended switching to a lighter moisturiser and massaging my skin at least once a week during my evening skincare routine.

The one bad thing about my skin that she did point out was that I had a little dehydration on my forehead, and even though I do drink between one and two litres of water every day, she recommenced that I drink more(!) and that I consider drinking coconut water, too.

Congestion dealt with - it was painful at times, but it was a fleeting and tolerable pain - my face was treated with a high frequency bacterial machine and then a vacuum suction system. This was also used over my chest and neck, which treats the lymphatic system and all adds up to wonderful-looking skin. My shoulders and neck were massaged whilst I had a treatment on my face - I lost track about this time what was happening, but everything that went on my face smelled heavenly - and then whilst I had a combination of face masks on my face (three different ones for different areas), I had an extra shoulder massage.

One thing I will say about the extra massages is that the focus is the facial so don't expect a really deep and long shoulder massage, for example. I don't want to say that they are a time filler, but they sort of are - think of them as a bonus rather than a massage, and if you want a massage, book a massage! My face, of course, was massaged really well.

To end with my skin was moisturised with Liz Earle's Superskin serum, moisturiser and eyecream, and that was that! The signature facial costs £120 for 90 minutes, plus I was given a travel-size light moisturiser, facial toner and shampoo (which would cost about £20 to buy) and a card detailing recommendations from my facial. I left with super soft glowing skin, and I'll definitely return to Liz Earle for another facial, though I'll probably try their healthy beautiful skin facial next time.

Are you a fan of Liz Earle? x