Philosophy Hope & Purity Made Simple Ranges

Philosophy Hope and Purity Made Simple Range Reviews

I am constantly searching for high performance products for my beauty regime and in recent years the formulations of cosmetics and beauty products have become more complex and as a result more expensive!

I was recently given the opportunity to trial a few new products from Philosophy whom I already regard a good quality and trusted brand. I have always been attracted by Philosophy who have a unique and quirky packaging design for each and every one of their products. Each product is printed with an individual ‘philosophy’ that is conducive to the product within. Hope in a Jar has a plain white packaging with its little ‘philosophy’ printed on the front.

The products I write about today are from Philosophy’s Hope range and Purity Made Simple Range. Although my findings are varied, I hope you find these reviews useful…

Philosophy Hope in a Jar Oil-Free Moisturiser

I am constantly searching for high performance face creams. I was given the opportunity to trial a face cream from Philosophy which I believe is one of their ‘hero’ products from their ranges. When a product from a range is labelled as a ‘hero’ I am always excited to trial it to judge as to why it is a standalone product in a worldwide and confusing market of face products!

I tend to have problematic skin that is prone to hormonal break outs and the usual ageing concerns as I have now past my 40’s. I try not to use heavily fragranced creams and tend to air more towards natural ingredients that will not aggravate my complexion. Upon reading the ingredient list of ‘Hope In A Jar’ I was slightly concerned to see ingredients I had never heard of but was never the less keen to see its performance!

The cream is a medium consistency, part way between a lotion and a cream and is opaque white in colour. For my first application I dispensed a pea size amount to test its concentration. On this test I was not disappointed. The product is indeed highly concentrated and it glides beautiful and easily onto the face and neck area. It has a wonderful silky feel and distributes evenly onto the skin. The product absorbs extremely quickly and leaves no trace of residue, shine or greasiness. I could immediately feel the hydration and comfort from this product but there is a slight downside. I am assuming that this product is classed as ‘fragrance free’ which whilst promising great things for problematic skins, it did no favours for me for this somewhat very expensive cream. There are no apparent perfumes added to this cream but it does has a slightly stale cream scent which is not unpleasant but it lacks the indulgence of it high priced counterparts.

After application my skin felt soft, smooth and hydrated and the longevity of the moisturisation was good. I found it slightly odd that it is recommended to apply this product several times a day as I believe it would be a waste of product. Twice daily was perfectly sufficient. After finishing the full trial I was pleased that I suffered no adverse reactions and my complexion remained clear and fresh. There was no visible difference to my fine lines; however this product does not claim to be anti-ageing. I believe it is better suited to younger, problematic skins. I sadly did not feel that this product was worthy of its high price tag

For those of you that prefer a lightweight, non-fragranced face cream I can confirm that this is a very good quality product that ‘does what it says on the tin’ however with its slightly strange scent and a rather high price tag I would not be encouraged to purchase it for my own beauty regime.

Philosophy Hands of Hope Hand and Cuticle Cream

I have just completed a trial of the Hands of Hope Hand & cuticle Cream by Philosophy. Hand cream has been a daily staple in my beauty regime for many years and I am always keen to try new ranges in the hope that I will find a cream that will force me to change the brand that I have used for the past 10 years.

The Hands of Hope Cream is housed in a simple white, easy squeeze tube with a black screw top lid and black print. The cream itself has a medium consistency and is opaque white in colour. When testing a cream based product for the first time I like to test the concentration of the product. They way that I do this is to dispense a maximum of a pea size to begin with. The true sign of a high quality product is its performance by using only a small amount. My current and staple hand cream has a very thick consistency as my hands suffer from dryness so I had slight reservations when I noted the thinner consistency of this product.

When massaged between the hands this lovely cream absorbs rapidly and easily and leaves no greasy residue or tackiness. It has a beautiful comforting feel on the skin and I was thrilled to feel that it has a high moisturisation capability for such a lightweight cream. I am assuming that this product is fragrance free, as whilst there is a slight scent to the product, it is not perfumed in any way. I often appreciate un-fragranced products however I did feel that this lovely hand cream could benefit from a mild fragrance at least to make it more appealing to a wider range of users.

The moisturisation of this cream has good longevity, however I did feel the need to re-apply after a few hours so it does not offer the depth of moisture that I require on a daily basis. This said, it does not detract from the fact that this is a very effective if not simplistic little hand product that I would not hesitate to recommend for those of you who prefer a lighter cream and it would be a more than effective travel product on a short trip away but sadly for me it is a little too simple for my needs

Philosophy Hope Springs Eternal Facial Mist

Facial mists are a rarity for me in my beauty regime and until now I have often found that they have little or no benefit for my skin….this was until I found this little gem by Philosophy!

I received a small sample of the Hope Springs Eternal Facial mist. Upon reading the ingredients this product claims to contain hyaluronic acid which is an excellent and high performance hydrator and sea minerals, also of great nourishing benefits for the skin. I noted that this product is designed for dehydrated skins so was excited to put it to the test.

The mist is housed in a pump spray bottle with a little ‘philosophy’ printed on the front, conducive to the product within. As per the instructions this product can be used to refresh the complexion throughout the day whilst re-hydrating it for a moisture boost.

To apply you should hold the spray 10-12 inches from the face and with closed eyes, you should mist your skin. As this was a sample size I am unsure how the full product bottle would compare but I did find the pump action mist a little too powerful to make the application pleasurable. The mist did not seem to have a wide enough spread to mist the whole face at once so on this application side it was a little ‘hit and miss’.

Once I spritzed my face I was very pleasantly surprised at the instantaneous cooling and freshening effect on my face. Refreshing is the key word here and my skin felt instantly fresh, cool and comforted. The fragrance is barely there but very pleasant. I kind of floral fresh that is uplifting and enlivening. The product dries almost immediately without leaving any trace of residue or stickiness on the skin and perhaps the most pleasant aspect of the product is that it does indeed give your skin an instant and noticeable boost of hydration! It is also suggested that this product can be used for ‘setting’ your makeup after application. If you makeup is prone to cracking during the, as mine is prone to do, this mist does indeed refresh the look of your makeup and prevents that dry, dehydrated look that your complexion can take on later in the day.

For me, there are no particular progressive benefits to constant usage of this product however it is a little handbag gem for anytime throughout the day that your skin feels jaded, dry or dull. One spritz of this mist gives an instant refreshing boost to the skin and I think it would make an amazing travel companion to hotter climbs.

Whilst the price tag is not enormous in comparison to some other brands I feel that I would be willing to make a full size purchase especially for travel purposes. I would not class this as a treatment product per se however as a refreshing boost to those that travel and work in air conditioned environments this could be a real gem of a purchase!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-step Facial Cleansing Cloths

My final product in this blog is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-step Facial Cleansing Cloths and whilst I am not a regular user of cleansing cloths, I was keen to try this product from a trusted brand.

I received one cloth; however the usual pack would contain 30 cloths for approximately £9.19. Whilst this is certainly not a low price tag, I was not entirely deterred due to the fact that Philosophy is generally a high quality brand. The cloth itself is a very generous size or 8 x 8 inches, more than sufficient for a good facial cleanse. I was excited to see that the ingredients contain many natural oils that would not strip the skin like lesser brand cloths can do. Saying this, however, I was a little dubious to see ‘Pepper oil’ and ‘Sandalwood oil’ in a cloth that is designed for the face than can have delicate and sensitive areas.

When opened, the cloth is pure white and very soft to the touch. This is a big plus if like me, you are sensitive to scratchy and rougher cleansing cloths when using a ‘wiping motion’. When unfolded the cloth is not saturated but quite dry, however the presence of oils can give more of a dry feel than the more aqua based cleansing cloths. There is also a pleasant fragrance to the cloth that is not overbearing.

Cleansing with a facial cloth is not rocket science, so I proceeded to gently wipe and cleanse my face. Sadly and shockingly this is where the whole experience plummeted for me! It is important to say, before you read on, that Philosophy do state that you should avoid the eye area with this cloth. The closest I got to my eyes was my upper cheekbones and just above my eyebrow area.

However, the moment I cleansed face, the skin around my eye area began to burn and this reaction was instant. It was so rapid and uncomfortable I had to stop halfway through my cleanse to wipe my eyes with my usual cornflower eye cleanser to remove the residue of the cloth. Whilst I am always loathe to criticize any good brand I admit that this sensation put me into a temporary panic and I was shocked at the reaction my eyes had to this product. Determined to give the cloth another chance I continued to cleanse the remainder of my face and neck. The irritation was minimal in other areas but still there. After cleansing I noted that the makeup on the cloth was very minimal and I was not convinced that my skin had been sufficiently cleansed. Once again I returned with my usual product and found that there was a large amount of makeup still left on my face that had not been removed by the cloth.

On re-reading the ingredients, I am all but convinced that the extreme irritation I suffered must have been to the pepper oil possibly combined with the sandalwood and geranium. I would never hesitate to put these ingredients on my body within a moisturiser but I am unconvinced that they are suitable for more delicate areas of the face. When using a cloth it is difficult to completely avoid the eye area.

In fairness to Philiosophy, much research is undertaken when producing and introducing a beauty product to the general public but I have never suffered such an extreme reaction in my eyes with any other product before, even when I specifically tried to avoid that area as per their instructions. On the packaging of the cloth it is stated that ‘mild tingling may occur upon initial application’. I took note of this before use but for me the ‘tingling’ was actually a ‘burning’ sensation which was very uncomfortable. In the morning my eyes were puffy and irritated. My facial skin suffered no adverse reaction.

In light of the fact that Philosophy is aware of some possible tingling or irritation (this is obviously why it is printed on the packaging) I am a little dismayed that the ingredients have not been altered to address this problem. For such a good quality, trusted brand I was very saddened by this experience and would not be able to recommend this product to others for fear of them suffering the same irritation that I did.