review: pure & simple

Philosophy Purity Made Simple

Retail: Starts at $10 for 3 oz. up to $32 for 16 oz.

Review: Fans of clean skin won't miss the foam. Cleans well without leaving skin tight and dry. Nice herbal smell and pleasant lotion-y consistency. A little goes a long way...bottle should last forever.

For years during my battles with my skin, I believed that my face needed to get ultra and squeaky clean to be acne-free. I always used cleansers with either salicylic or glycolic acid, and ALWAYS bought foaming ones. Foam=clean, right?

Fast forward to this year, when a visit to the derm changed everything. My prescription for Differin made my once oily skin dry and even more sensitive, so my old foaming cleansers were way too harsh. I switched to Cetaphil on the recommendation of the Doctor. Cetaphil is a fine cleanser for the morning and after the gym, when I have no makeup on my face. However, it doesn't cut it for end-of-the-day cleansing. I don't even wear a ton of makeup...a dot or two of Laura Mercier concealer on dark spots, light brushing of Nars powder foundation all over, and Clinique blush to finish it off.

I had heard about Philosophy's Purity before, but was hesitant to try it out (having sampled and hated other Philosophy products). But, many reviewers praised it for their sensitive skin, so I decided to try the 3 oz. size from Sephora. Minimal investment, and I would always have a travel-appropriate one to refill should I stick with it. And I must say, I am in love.

The texture is a bit thinner than Cetaphil--almost a runny lotion. The smell is mild and sort of herbal...I imagine many people would be turned off, but it reminds me of my beloved Neutrogena Rainbath body wash. I pour a quarter-size amount into my palm, generously dot all over my face, and begin to cleanse. Rub in a circular motion for 30-60 seconds, rinse, and you're left with clean and fresh skin. It does foam up if you rub vigorously enough, but the foam isn't necessary for the job. I've been using this for a few weeks, and already I can see an improvement in the tone of my skin. Perhaps if I used this by day I would see more dramatic results, but for my current purposes it works wonderfully.

*Update (July 20th) - This is indeed a fab makeup remover...I finally put it to the test this past weekend after attending a wedding. On my face was foundation, translucent powder, bronzer, eye shadow and liner, mascara, and lip gloss. After scrubbing for about 60 seconds all over, my face was left absolutely clean and fresh...no raccoon eye!