Review: Philosophy Hope In A Jar

Hey everyone! Today I'm going to do a quick review on Philosophy's Hope in a Jar. It's the famous moisturizer for all skin types. The brand claims this product hydrates, exfoliates, and protects the skin, delivering a smooth, healthy, glowing complexion. I received a bunch of sample packets at my last purchase from Sephora, so I decided to try this cult moisturizer.

I love receiving samples because I usually don't stray too far from my staples. I mean, why try something new if you already got something going for you? However, there are a few times where I have ventured out of my norm in search of something possibly better. In regards to Hope in a Jar, I was glad I was able to sample it instead of getting a whole jar for myself because I wasn't too impressed by this moisturizer.

When I opened the packet, the first thing I noticed was the smell. I'm not sure how to describe it, but then I colored my mother's hair later in the day and found that the product smelled similar to the vinyl gloves in the hair dye kit, kinda plasticky or something. I hate products with strange odors. It's usually reason enough for me not use the product no matter how good it is because I can't stand smelling it on my face all day. I also can't help but feel like this is what I'm smelling like to other people. Anyway, I got over the smell enough to apply it to my face.

I noticed right away that the moisturizer was rather light. It applied rather smoothly, but it took some times and massaging for the product to absorb. However, it didn't seem to fully absorb. It leaves a rather oily sheen and a slightly greasy feel. So while it went on lightly, it finished kinda heavy. If the product is heavy and oily to me, it's pretty darn heavy and oily because I have super dry skin. I normally have to apply a lot of moisturizer to feel like I have sufficiently moisturized my face.

Because the product is rather oily, my face stayed moisturized all day, but I didn't like the greasy feeling at all. While the product seems to do what it claims, it was way too oily for me. I don't think I used it enough for it to cause any breakouts, but I think if I continued any longer using it, I would have. I know that feeling when my skin is about to break out, which is why I stopped using it after about a week. If I were to use this product for any reason, I would keep it as reserve for those super duper dry skin days in the winter where my normal moisturizer just doesn't cut it. This would probably work well if you spend a lot of time outside in the winter for any reason. I'm saving the packets I have left to use on days I go skiing.

Bottom line... I give this product 3 out of 5 stars because it does its job, but perhaps it does it too well for me.