It is always a pleasure to feature products from Alpha-H; their effective, problem-solving skincare has never failed to impress me. In fact one of their hero products, Liquid Gold, gave me my first beauty “Eureka” moment – never before had I seen such instant results from a skincare product and it really took me by surprise. A modest, unassuming bottle of odd-smelling liquid that quite literally transformed my skin overnight, brightening and tightening and generally giving it a massive shake-up. (It’s actually on a 2-for-1 offer at Cult Beauty at the moment, should you need to re-stock.)
Liquid Gold and the Leap of Faith…
Almost five years later and I am still a huge fan of this no-nonsense, results-driven brand. My latest Alpha-H discovery, the brilliant Liquid Laser, will be featured here soon, but today I want to talk about their sun protection range and – more specifically – the new #allaboutSPF campaign. I have a whopping great fifty sets of SPF skincare to give away, too, so make sure you keep on reading!
The #allaboutSPF campaign has been launched to raise awareness around skin cancer and sun-induced aging. Despite the constant reminders about wearing sun protection, reapplying regularly and ensuring that enough product is used, most people still don’t use their SPF in an effective way – if they use it at all. Granted, here in the UK it is possible to go for weeks without seeing any actual sunlight, especially if you work long hours and travel in the near-darkness at either end of the day, but it’s easy to slip into the habit of not wearing any SPF and then on the days you do spend outside – even in the winter – leaving your skin completely exposed to skin-damaging rays. Michelle Doherty, founder of Alpha-H, says
“In general people are becoming more aware of the dangers of UV and realising the importance of using sun protection, however we still see plenty of people on the beach trying to gain a tan, which is alarming considering that skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in England. Just 13% of consumers in the UK wear sunscreen on a daily basis, yet sun damage is cumulative and UV still penetrates on cloudy days. Our All About SPF campaign aims to generate awareness around daily use of SPF to prevent cumulative sun damage and skin ageing. Just one step, which only takes a few seconds, has the ability to keep you looking younger for longer – SPF is also the most cost effective anti-aging product on the market today, that’s why we are All About SPF.”
The idea that SPF is the most cost effective anti-aging product on the market is actually quite obvious, but I had never thought of it like that before. A recent study by Queensland University, one of the global leaders in skin cancer research, showed that there was absolutely no detectable skin aging after four and a half years in their 903 study participants who applied SPF30+ on a daily basis. That’s actually quite incredible – all of those expensive lotions and potions we snap up to try and reverse damage when the damage could so easily be prevented in the first place. I asked Michelle what the most frequent SPF user-errors were.
“Most people don’t put enough sunscreen on for adequate protection. Two heaped tablespoons or 40ml will cover the whole body (dependent on your body size) and a couple of pumps is sufficient for the face and neck. Not being aware of the expiry date and not knowing how to check the expiry date are also common errors.”
Michelle says that it’s important to choose the right sun care product for your needs, but recommends SPF 50+ (UVA and UVB protection, always) if you are outdoors for prolonged periods. There are two SPF 50+ products in the giveaway set; the first is the Daily Essential Moisturiser, which is great for normal to oily/combination skin. I can’t even count the number of outdoor model shoots I’ve been on where this sunscreen has been used as a sort of mattifying primer-base beneath the foundation. It has a lovely velvety finish and doesn’t feel chalky or heavy.
The other product in the giveaway set is the new Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+. This formula is far richer and great for dry skin – it helps to rehydrate as it protects, using Pomegranate Nectar and Mango Seed Butter to deeply nourish as well as a range of antioxidants to help fight free radical attack. This one has more of a comfortable, moisturising finish rather than being matte and makes a beautiful base for a more dewy makeup look.
Two different formulations then, which makes this set perfect for sharing, if you’re feeling in a sharing kind of mood. (I rarely am when it comes to my most-treasured beauty products, but I’ll make an exception here!)
Alpha-H are spreading a Sharing is Caring message with the #allaboutSPF campaign, saying “it is a shared responsibility to keep friends and family safe. It’s a duty of care to your children to put sunscreen on them and teach them use sunscreen, just as it’s a duty of care to your friends to share sunscreen at the beach. We want to want to encourage the etiquette of sharing sunscreen with loved ones across the board.”
And they are very kindly sharing their sun protection here, with FIFTY special sets to give away. Each set, worth £40, contains 30ml of the Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+ and 30ml of the Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+. To be in with a chance of winning a set, just leave a comment below (making sure you type your email into the form where prompted so we can contact you, one entry per person only, open worldwide) telling us who you would share your Sharing is Caring set with.
The giveaway will be open until 12pm (GMT) on Monday the 7th March, 2016 and winners will be announced the following day. Good luck!
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