Hope is all my skin has! (Philosophy Hope in a Jar)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Philosophy Hope in a Jar
Date:	08/12/08 (291 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Absirbs quickly, moisturises well, lightweight, non-greasy

Disadvantages: very expensive, skin didn't really look any better

I had seen this product on QVC a few times, and really wanted to try it, but could never quite justify the price. I then saw that QVC were selling a kit which contained five different Philosophy products including a half size of this Hope in a Jar cream for about £25 so decided to treat myself to it.

There seemed to be a lot of hype around this cream. When Oprah was accused of having a facelift, she apparently went on TV and said that it wasn't surgery, it was Hope in a Jar. Every time I saw this on QVC, I would fall for they marvellous praise that they gave this cream - 'it's make-up optional - you'll look so good you can go without make-up', 'all the celebrities use it' etc... Not only that, but I think I convinced myself that if it cost that much then it must be fabulous, otherwise people wouldn't buy it.

Anyway, onto the product itself. Hope in a Jar is a facial moisturiser, and claims to do all sorts for your skin. According to Philosophy, this product will make your skin radiant, and will exfoliate to reveal smoother, healthier skin. How a moisturiser goes about exfoliating, I'm not sure, but who am I to argue?

The cream comes in a white jar with a black screw-top lid. I remember taking this out of the packaging and thinking that the packaging looked quite cheap, considering that its actually fairly expensive. One thing you may wish to note, is that the product has a use by date. I seem to recall the use by date on my jar being around 2 years, although I don't know, because the writing on the jar rubbed off pretty quickly - like I said, cheap packaging.

I had read some of the reviews on the QVC website before I bought this, which mentioned that it had an awful smell. I was a bit worried about this, so the first thing I did when I got it was see what it smelled like. Personally I don't think the smell is too bad. It's a subtle lavender sort of smell, and the only time it can be a little sickly is on the odd occasion when I have applied far too much.

The cream is white and has a sort of pearly look to it. It's a slightly odd texture too - Philosophy describe it as being like soufflé, which I think is pretty accurate as it has a light airy texture.

When you apply it to the skin it goes on smoothly and is very light. It absorbs almost straightaway which is fantastic as you don't have to wait to put your make-up on, but it is really the weightlessness of the cream that makes it stand out from others. I have fairly dry skin and after buying this saw it again on QVC, where the presenter said, it's only really for a normal skin-type as it's so light, and drier skin would benefit from something heavier, but I've found that this really hydrates my skin, and combats even the driest patches, so I'm pretty happy with it from that point of view. The jar does actually say it's suitable for all skin-types though.

Another great thing about this moisturiser is that it isn't at all greasy. On touching my skin after applying this, I can definitely feel it's been moisturised, but it doesn't have that oily feeling you often get. Also you can't feel that you're wearing it, which is great as I'm not a fan of heavy moisturisers.

As for all these claims of smooth radiant skin, I'm not sure I'm convinced. When you first apply it, there is a bit of a difference in the appearance of the skin, but I think it's down to the pearly sheen the cream has in the pot. I don't think the cream exfoliated my skin in any way - my skin does feel smooth after applying it, but I still need to use a separate exfoliator pretty regularly. I don't think the appearance of my skin has improved a great deal since using this either. My skin doesn't look terrible or anything, but there is no huge noticeable difference, and I certainly haven't had anyone comment on my skin, and I doubt I'll be doing an Oprah and having people ask if I've had a face lift!

Now for the scary part, the price. This cream costs a ridiculous £35 for a 56.7g jar. I have the half size at 28.4g and I've been using it most days since around June or July, and predict that from the amount left in the tub, it wont run out until the end of January/beginning of February time, so about 7 months or so, meaning the full jar could last approximately 14 months, which I suppose isn't too bad of an investment. Saying this, I do only apply a minimal amount each time I use it, and so if you're someone who likes to slap your moisturiser on it might not last anywhere near as long. You can buy it from www.hqhair.com or John Lewis also stock it.

Overall, I think that this is a nice little moisturiser - I love that it sinks in immediately, doesn't feel greasy and leaves my skin feeling supple and moisturised. Still, I must say I am a little disappointed - although mainly with myself for falling for all the hype surrounding this cream - as it didn't really do anything for the appearance of my skin. At £35 a jar, I don't think I'll be buying it again, as I feel there are cheaper alternatives which are also just as good, but I'd buy it again if I could afford it. The cream still gets four stars from me, as it's a lovely lightweight cream, and does it's job of moisturising very well.

Summary: Hope in a Jar