Philosophy Hope In a Jar Night Face Cream

Several weeks ago, I wrote a Theme Week featuring all kinds of great skincare ingredients that have helped my skin in the past and that have been proven to work by the industry.  One of the items that I covered was the best selling moisturizer from Philosophy, the Hope In a Jar product.  This face cream is one of the best known products on the Sephora website and is a consistent top seller for any company that carries it.  This moisturizer was covered under the lactic acid ingredient post, an ingredient that helps to increase total cell turnover and helps to boost hydration levels in the skin.  The reason that this moisturizer is such a top seller is because it actually delivers on its promises and is a simple yet very effective formula.  I would have no hesitation to re-purchase this product again in the future and I think that Philosophy overall has a very solid skincare product line.

Earlier this month, a new product joined the Philosophy skin care line up and it was an instant sell out at my closest Sephora store and it was out of stock online went I tried to order it.  I considered trying another face cream and ordering this one later on in the season but I ended up waiting until I got the email from Sephora stating that the product was back in stock and that I could order it any time.  I actually pushed off my entire Sephora order to wait for this product and just left it all in my Shopping Cart until I could add this product and make the order.  I have been using it for about a week now and I can very happily state that this product was well worth the wait and is one of my favorite night creams that I have ever used!

The product description and details come from the Sephora website, "An intensive retexturizing moisturizer that repairs skin overnight for a beautiful, well-rested appearance.  Wake to more radiant, refreshed skin with this night version of Philosophy’s much-loved Hope In A Jar moisturizer. The gentle formula boosts nighttime renewal to retexturize skin, as it plumps the appearance of fine lines and evens skintone. Patented qusomes help deliver potent glycolic acid to the skin, while gradual-release technology minimizes the potential for irritation. With regular use, skin becomes noticeably smoother, lines are visibly softened, and your rosy glow is restored."

The clinical trail results were provided also...

"Based on once-daily use, a clinical and consumer study of 48 participants reported:
- 92% felt softer, comfortably hydrated skin overnight
- 90% showed significant improvement in the appearance of fine lines after 2 weeks of use"

The texture of this product was the first item that I noted when I tried it, this moisturizer has the texture of thick cake frosting.  I applied this all over my face and my dry skin just drank it in.  I had to get the product out of my eye brows but other than that, it absorbed instantly and left my skin feeling very hydrated.  The next morning, my skin still felt fully hydrated and wasn't as dry as usual when I got out of the shower.  I do not use this product during the day, I use a lighter lotion from Clinique and we will get into the "Why" when I talk ingredients in the next paragraph.  After a week of use every single night, my skin retains moisture better and looks brighter and fresher than before.  This is a great hydrating face cream for dry skin, I don't see this working well on normal skin types as it is a very thick formula.  I will use this product throughout the rest o the spring but I don't know if I can use it in the summer or if I will put it away for the fall.  This is an aspect of the product that I will have to report back on in June.

My thoughts on the formula - I wasn't expecting the hit of glycolic acid to be in this product and I will confess that I was so excited to order this product that I really didn't closely read the details of it.  My skin and glycolic acid don't always get along, it has to be in small doses and I have to watch my skin's reactions with the use of it.  This product doesn't not bother my skin at all, very surprising to me but I see that this has an extra ingredient added into it to keep the product gentle for all skin types.  This formula is best for a night cream, this ingredient mix has a major potential to make skin sensitive to the sun and I would not use it in the daytime to avoid the risk of a sunburn. 

Over the past week, my skin has vastly improved in hydration level and looks my clearer than it did before I began using this product.  This is a great skin cream from Philosophy but only if you have drier skin, this is not recommended for normal skin with the hydration level that it provides.  This is my current favorite night cream and might be among the best that I have ever used and I will be purchasing it again as soon as I run out.  I will have to see how it works during the summer months and if I need a lighter formula so I will report back on that aspect of the product but so far, I am very happy with what I am getting right now from this cream!

photo courtesy of Sephora