Beauty Product of the Month: May - Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Hydrolotion

The name of this product is a little bit of a mouthful, but all you need to know is this is a sun protection cream effectively. On Simple's website you can sign up to be a VIP member, which allows you to post on the website's blog, answer surveys to gain points which you can eventually turn into free products, and occasionally, get sent samples. This was actually the only product I have received for free from Simple and although I wasn't expecting great things, I hardly ever repurchase anything I've gotten as a trial size, whether it be from a counter, a magazine or wherever, I actually want to go and purchase the full size of this product.

So it came in a 10ml tube, and a little too early in the year for me to use. I put it away, forgot about it, then rediscovered it just before my holiday. It turned out to come in great use and was a staple item in my beach bag. Now I am careful when it comes to sun protection and pretty rigourous applying it, there's nothing worse than having a patchy tan, or any burnt parts when the rest of you is tanning safely and evenly. Having said that, I really don't like applying most sun lotions to my face; they're greasy, make my skin far too shiny and I can't apply anything over it. Until now, that's something I settled for, after all, your face is probably the most important part to protect when you go abroad as it's always exposed so is going to face the most damage. However, this facial hydrolotion offers SPF 25 without the greasy face! It's just like an ordinary moisturiser. This is exactly what I want from my sun protection on my face. If you're anything like me and like to put a little make-up on for the beach, (I'm not talking a full face here, just a touch of bronzer and the like) then this is perfect, it settles in to your skin like any other moisturiser and leaves a matte finish on your face so you can go ahead and apply anything over the top of it. I was sort of expecting my face to still tan because I didn't have that heavy, greasy feeling that all other sun lotions seem to leave me with, but it does work.

The nice thing is knowing this product is by Simple which means few chemicals that are going to irritate your skin. I think this is targeting the natural product lovers as it contains "sunflower goodness" to "naturally fight premature ageing". I don't really expect a sun protection cream to be too natural, and it really doesn't bother me that much, as long as it protects my skin. I think this product is suitable for people with sensitive skin and might be worth trying if you've been irritated by other brands of suncream. I personally love it purely for the non-grease factor and that's persuaded me to go and repurchase. I haven't actually seen it in the shops but I did check the website a while ago and I think this is available in various SPFs.

The only thing I will miss is the size, as this was a handy little product to pop in my bag alongside my regular suncream for the rest of my body. I don't overly want to be lugging around two sun protection products...I'm sure I'll get past that though.

Herbalism

I stumbled upon this one accidently, after leaving my Angels on Bare Skin behind at a friend's house. Not being able to live without my miracle facewash I had to buy some more. However when I was inside Lush, like any other time I'm in there I can't help but look at every other item the shop has to offer. I always find the displays enticing, especially when you get to see the items full size before they've been measured and cut down.
This facial cleanser is aimed at oilier and problem skin, moreso than Angels I think. The label states: "Join the cult and achieve beautiful skin. Clean, Control excess oil, prevent breakouts."

Herbalism is quite similar to Angels in the way it appears and the way you use it. Although it's a vibrant green colour, the consistency is much like Angels although not at as sludgy, and more crumbly. Again you just need to take a pea-sized amount, mix it with a drop of water and rub together to form a paste like substance. Herbalism does however have a few obvious differences to Angels. Namely the smell of the products are VERY different. I've noticed some people comment on the smell of Angels not being very pleasant. All I can say is if you don't like it, then you should probably give this a miss because the smell of Herbalism was almost enough to put me off buying the product. I do believe though, that the ingredients that go into Lush products are picked for their individual properties and it's what make them works so well, so I accept that sometimes, they aren't going to smell too pretty.
If you can get past the smell, this is another very effective face wash. It contains Nettle, Rosemary, Rice Vinegar Extract (this is what makes you shudder when you smell it), Rose, Chamomile oil and Sage oil, which work together to absorb excess oil on your face as well as having antiseptic and soothing properties. Weirdly, because I haven't seen this anywhere else, it contains Chlorophyll to "balance and protect the skin".
I don't know if Herbalism will replace Angels for me, but after using it for over a week now I am very happy with the result I get with it. I do have an oily t-zone, especially around the nose area and this is particularly good in helping to clear that. I'm finally growing out of teenage skin though and Angels is a milder way to control any excess oil I do get. After finishing this I will probably go back to Angels and then use Herbalism during the summer months when my skin often plays up a little more than usual. Both products are priced the same so if you've used Angels before but found it's not helped your problem skin, then this is worth giving a try.