Superdrug Simply Pure with Calming Soothex range

It’s been many a month since I’ve had any sort of proper skincare routine. I tend to get the odd few products for my birthday or for Christmas, use them and then not bother re-purchasing or buying new skincare until my next birthday rolls around. I know that sounds really stingy and in a way, it is. But I’m the kind of person who hates buying myself things – even things some people would consider a necessity. I’d rather just go without than have a bunch of products sitting on my bathroom shelf. 

I also have really bad skin. Really bad. I’ve suffered from hormonal acne since I started taking the mini-pill (the Progesterone only pill) around 2 years ago. The pill has worked great for me over these last couple of years and my skin problems have more or less been my only significant side effect. I’m adamant that I don’t want to go back onto the combined pill and every time I go to the doctors I explain that “if bad skin is my only side effect then I guess it could be worse”. I’m very much that person.

But my skin is a problem and nothing has worked on it – even antibiotic gel that I got prescribed didn’t make a whole lot of difference. I’ve kinda just accepted the fact that this is my skin now, it’s crap and for as long as I’m on this pill, I’ve just gotta deal with it. And that’s my second reason for neglecting my skincare; if nothing is making any difference, then why should I bother?

But I like having a skincare routine and I like taking that time for myself in the morning and before I go to bed to just wash my face and feel a bit fresher. So for my birthday this year, I asked my Mum for a skincare range. I was adamant that I didn’t want anything expensive (because if nothing works, what’s the point in breaking the bank?) and I was keen to try Superdrug’s cruelty free products because although I’m not entirely Vegan or CF, I always feel better knowing I’m using CF products on my skin.

So, I know I’m not a big on the beauty and skincare posts and I rarely know what I’m talking about but I thought I’d give a quick review of the Superdrug Simply Pure range today!

Packaging

Let’s be honest, packaging has absolutely no impact on the product inside at all but I think we all secretly enjoy aesthetically pleasing packaging. There’s not a whole lot to say about the packaging of this range, it’s very neat and fairly plain but I like the logo. 7/10 on packaging for me!

Simply Pure Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

Simply Pure Gentle Eye Make-up Remover £2.99

The make up remover does what it says on the tin – it removes your eye make-up. I first used this on a day where I had done some pretty heavy, dark eye make up so in fact, that was the perfect day to test this out really. It did take a good few cotton wool balls across both eyes to get all my make up off (apart from the dregs of mascara at the end) and I think if I worked out of the home and wore eye make up on a more regular basis than I do, I can’t imagine this lasting very long. Fortunately I don’t though.

Simply Pure Face Wash

Simply Pure Face Wash £2.99

The face wash is good although it does take quite a fair bit of rubbing onto your face to actually get a decent amount of lather. Which was surprising because usually these type of face washes lather up pretty quickly and easily. But you get a fair amount of product for the incredibly low price and this will definitely last me a few months!

Simply Pure Conditioning Cleanser & Simply Pure Refreshing Toner

Simply Pure Conditioning Cleanser £2.99
Simply Pure Refreshing Toner £2.99

I think both of these are probably my favourite products in this range and also the products I enjoy using the post. I start with the cleanser and it’s good at removing the last dregs of make-up, usually around the edges or in creases that the face wash didn’t get off the first time around. These are pretty huge bottles and I know they’ll last me a really long time so for £2.99 a pop, that’s incredible. The toner is always my absolute favourite product to apply because, as it says on the tin, it feels refreshing. My skin always feels it’s cleanest after I’ve applied toner and this is definitely the case with this one.

Simply Pure Light Emulsion Moisturizer

Simply Pure Light Emulsion Moisturizer £4.99

The most expensive product of the bunch and I’m not entirely sure why (?!) but finally it’s the moisturizer. This range has a “light emulsion” and a “rich emulsion” formula of the same moisturizer and I’m glad my mum picked out the light one because thick moisturizer is only going to make my skin worse. I like this moisturizer – I like the easy pump and it blends well. It almost has the consistency of sun cream but it soaks into your skin nicely.

Scent, price & perks

I did notice that this entire range does’t have much of a scent to any of the products. There’s a slight scent of… something? But I’m not sure what. It’s not great but it’s not awful by any means, it’s just there. But this is a sensitive skin range and does say “fragrance free” on all the products so although there’s a whiff of a little something, it’s definitely unfragranced, which is perfect for sensitive skin.

Which brings me on to the perks, this is a sensitive skin range and I can definitely tell it’s quite gentle on my skin. I wouldn’t say my skin is overly sensitive but it does have acne, redness, dryness and is oily in parts so anything that doesn’t amplify any of those imperfections is wonderful. This whole range also has that nice big ‘cruelty-free’ stamp on the back which obviously, is always a massive plus.

The price of this range is fantastic and definitely justified for what you’re getting. I mean, you know you’re not using luxury products but for those on a budget, this is a really great option. Especially if you want to purchase an entire range that you know isn’t going to wreck havoc on your skin nor is it going to break your bank.

Have you tried this range or any other range from Superdrug? What did you think? Do you tend to opt for cruelty-free skincare? What are your favourite budget skincare ranges? Let me know!

* This post is not sponsored by Superdrug - I just wanted to share these products for anyone in a similar position to me, looking for affordable skincare.