I have had issues with my skin for over half my life so buying skin care products have always been a bit of a crap-shoot for me: they must be gentle enough to not irritate my baby-sensitive skin, they would, preferably, control my oily T-zone while not over-drying my cheeks and, most importantly, not cause breakouts.
I have spent a lot of money over the years on products that promise to do at least one of those things and I am, most often, disappointed. Cleansers, toners, exfoliants and moisturizers clutter my bathroom cabinets; all purchased with the hope of certain beauty and all discarded when they failed to live up their guarantees. The only thing that has worked consistently is Proactiv, which is so hard on my skin, but I figured it was a trade-off for keeping the pimples at bay.
When I heard about a tweet up for the launch of Simple Sugars – a natural skin-care line – my interest was piqued and I couldn’t wait to try it out. I didn’t know much about Simple Sugars except that the woman behind it scored a big deal on Shark Tank, but I was excited to find out more.
Simple Sugars Green Tea Facial Scrub
When I walked in to the tweet up, Sonja, the owner of All About Flowers (the local retailer for Simple Sugars), was passionate about the product and couldn’t wait to share her knowledge and she encouraged everyone to try out some samples of the body scrubs for ourselves. Unfortunately, when I used the lemon scrub on my hands, I grew skeptical of how this would work on my face.
Everything about it seemed wrong – this scrub, regardless of how natural, would surely irritate my sensitive skin, and the mere thought of rubbing oil all over my face had me breaking out.
After hearing my concerns, Sonja assured me that Simple Sugars was made for people with sensitive skin, and that the facial scrubs were gentler than those meant for the body (she didn’t have any to sample). The scrubs are all natural, made from cane sugar and essential oils and had all been tested out on the creator’s family and friends (who have various skin issues). She also walked me through the natural properties of the facial scrub lines and how they would be beneficial to my skin. Despite my skepticism, the driving force to find that one perfect skin-care product had me excited to give it a try and I was convinced to buy the Strawberry Facial Scrub.
Now, 2 months later, I am just finishing up the jar and I could not be happier.
My now-almost-empty Simple Sugars Strawberry Facial Scrub
I don’t want to be all intofomercial-dramatic and shout how MY SKIN HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED…but I really have noticed a change in my skin! The overall oiliness is less – much less than usual – and the occurrence of breakouts has been very low; my face – normally ruddy and blotchy – has become more even toned and there has been no stinging or burning, which are common after-effects of exfoliation.
My skin feels better and I think it looks better too! For the first time in many (many!) years, I don’t feel the need to cover my face with concealer and powder before I leave the house.
I am shocked at how well Simple Sugars has worked for my problem skin and I couldn’t be happier about it.
It is not the cheapest skin-care out there – the 5oz facial scrubs are $30-$35 and lasted me approximately 2 months (I use it 2-3 times/week), but I also haven’t had to spend money on any other products. Using the Simple Sugars facial scrub has eliminated the need for toners, exfoliators and moisturizers which certainly helps bring down the overall cost.
I stopped in the other day to see Sonja to restock my supply, and I walked out with the Green Tea facial scrub to try. The green tea is supposed to help control acne AND protect against free-radicals which can cause fine lines , because when you’re an acne-prone 40 year-old, you need all the help you can get!
My brand new jar of Simple Sugars Green Tea Facial Scrub
The Green Tea scrub doesn’t look as appealing as the strawberry, and it doesn’t smell as heavenly, but after only a couple of uses, I think I may actually like it better – my skin seems even less oily and even more glow-y than with the strawberry.
If you’re in the south side, pop by All About Flowers and check out the selection of Simple Sugars scrubs for yourself. I can’t say enough about how much I love the facial scrubs and I’ve heard that the regular body scrubs are great for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, not to mention everyday dryness, which we all experience to some extent during the winter.
Lord knows we need all the help we can get to make it through an Edmonton winter intact.
joyful follies 