kristinafh's Full Review: Philosophy Amazing Grace Body Firming Emulsion
Preamble
The answer is...almost! I am almost done with reviewing all of the Philosophy products that I have used :).
Me And Dry Skin
By now, you know that I suffer from dry skin that is incredibly dry and scaly in the winter time. In fact, when I come out of my shower in the morning, if I don't apply a moisturizer within 5 minutes of drying, my skin feels itchy and tight.
I'm slowly, but surely, working my way through every moisturizer on the market. Why? Because it's fun! And because, as an ENFP and a Libra, I'm always looking for the next best thing.
On one of my many shopping sprees on the Philosophy web site, I added their Amazing Grace Perfumed Firming Body Emulsion to my cart and I anxiously awaited its arrival.
What Is Philosophy's Amazing Grace Perfumed Firming Body Emulsion?
Well, besides having a long a*ss name?! Alright then. Philosophy's Body Emulsion is their recent release in their Amazing Grace line. It's a perfumed body firming emulsion that is supposed to perk up your dry/aged/wrinkled skin.
Philosophy gives the usual song and dance (like other manufacturers do) about having a unique blend of all of the antioxidant vitamins in their formula. But something I had never heard bragged about is the addition of something called phytoestrogens.
When I went to see my doctor last (that's Dr. Noel), I asked her what phytoestrogens are. She told me that these are naturally occurring chemicals found in plants - like soy - that some women use to combat pre-menopausal/menopause symptoms. The chemicals possess many of the same beneficial properties of estrogen without side effects. Researchers have suggested that phytoestrogens may protect against breast cancer. She told me some other stuff, but I forgot the rest of it. It was a bunch of Dr. Research lingo :).
So who is the perfect person to use this product? If you have incredibly dry skin and/or you have aging body parts, you might want to give this product a whirl.
The Great and The Horrible
You know me. I don't read the instructions. What am I? A six year old? How hard is it to open the 16 ounce flip-top cap on the bottle, squeeze the stuff out, and apply to my body? You really can't mess that up. But just in case you do like to follow directions, Philosophy tells you to apply a generous amount to your skin and massage gently with a soothing, circular motion. Sounds like - ahem - never mind :).
Philosophy's Body Emulsion comes in a 16 ounce, clear bottle with a black flip top cap. You can purchase a pump if you wish, but I much prefer the squeeze process.
When you flip open the cap, there's no doubt that you'll smell the lotion. At least for me, it had a pretty strong, perfumed scent. Very feminine and rich-smelling like Chanel or Gucci. More on the smell later.
The lotion isn't nearly as thick as I suspected it would have to be to do the job. It's white, very creamy, and has a medium type consistency.
Apply it was a breeze. One thing that sometimes happens with moisturizers that keep me feeling nice all day is that when I apply them, they take a while to soak in. Not this body emulsion. It seemed to absorb at a normal rate and when it was finished bonding with my skin, it didn't feel oily nor did my skin feel taunt. It just felt kinda normal! It was one of the few moisturizer that I have used that has made it appear that it has improved the overall appearance of my skin.
Unfortunately.........
I just can't stand to wear it anymore. Why? Well, every time, I opened the bottle to squeeze some of it out, I sneezed. Every time I put it on, I sneezed. And sneezed. And sneezed. It didn't make me itchy, it just didn't agree with my nose.
Another unfortunate thing is that the perfumed part of the lotion does not disappear quickly. Although my husband said it was a very subtle, perfumed smell, I found it highly obnoxious and could not mix it with any other scent.
Philosophy - The Company Cristina Carlino is the brain behind Philosophy. Prior to creating this line of products, she was creator, founder and CEO of the BioMedic line. If you're not familiar with BioMedic, it's a medical skin care company that specializes in in-office peels and products for environmentally damaged skin, hyper pigmentation and acne.
Their approach to the marketing of their products is unique. First thing you'll notice is that they use lowercase lettering. They say that it "embraces the childhood consciousness in all of us". Second, their packaging is very plain. The bottles are either clear or cloudy white with black lettering and black caps. Third, all of their products are packaged with some sort of neat philosophical type statement.
Although Philosophy does not do animal testing on their products, they do admit that ingredients from their products may have been tested by someone else in another time period.
Philosophy's Product Saying
the natural aging process causes the soft tissues of our faces and bodies to begin to descend. our eyebrows frown, our lids droop, our eyes appear hollow, our noses and ears larger, and our jawbone is less defined. as for our breasts, bellies, and our buttocks, it's no different. we can fight the process or we can yield to losing our bodies, gaining our souls, and finding our grace.
The End
I struggled for weeks on how to rate this product. On one hand, I love what it did to my skin. My skin moisture greatly improved. On the other hand, it's difficult to recommend something that makes you sneeze more than a shedding animal.
Those without allergies and who need an extremely moisturizing lotion that makes your skin feel exquisite will love this product. If you don't mind paying through the nose, I highly recommend it :).
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