Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar SPF 20: Dream Cream or Dud in a Tub?
Amy,
I have an easy question for you and it should have an easy answer and I am pretty sure you would love something easy right now since in my last month of pregnancy all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and sleep, and I didn’t even have a toddler!! I am very, very broke right now, and I ran out of face moisturizer. I really want to get the Philosophy Hope in a Jar that you always rave about but I was wondering if you have tried the new SPF 20 Hope in a Jar? And if you have what did you think? I don’t want to buy it and then have it suck because like I mentioned, I have no money right now to waste. I went online and looked it up on Amazon and a lot of the reviews made it sound like it sucked compared to the original formula. I know I should really just use a sunscreen and then the moisturizer but I am kinda lazy when it comes to my face and if it is not a one step process I probably will not stick to it, all I do is wash my face and put moisturizer on, I don’t even put make up on 9 days out of 10. Thanks so much for your opinion, I guess sorta knowing the person that the review comes from makes me feel a little bit better (even though I really don’t know you).
~Susan
Here’s the thing: I have not used the SPF 20 formula for any extended period of time…I’ve poked at the Sephora sample a couple times, smeared a little on my face, tested the texture and consistency on my hands, etc. But that’s it.
Mostly because that was enough to convince me not to buy it. I found it greasy and sunscreen-y and it took much longer to rub in than the original formula. Which…sort of defeats the purpose of the all-in-one moisturizer, right? I could also “feel” the cream on my skin after rubbing it in — I sensed my skin would not like it very much, since it’s already a cream for all skin types and not specifically formulated for combination or oily skin. My skin is VERY particular about SPF…it makes me break out if I’m not careful (which is why I personally prefer keeping it out of my moisturizer so I can only apply it on a strictly as-needed basis).
I can do the original Hope in a Jar in the winter — I use Hope in a Bottle (Philosophy’s oily skin moisturizer) in the summer when I’m more prone to blemishes and am wearing sunscreen every day, no matter what. (I admit to skipping SPF in the winter some days, but only on days when I seriously, literally do not leave the house. Which is sadly, often. My neighbors must think I’m very weird and hermit-like.) I like the original Hope in a Jar because it’s a super SUPER light-feeling cream — like whipped frosting, almost — that keeps my skin soft and moisturized for hours on end without adding shine. I’ve never been too impressed with any of the sunblocks from the Philosophy line (greasy, pore-clogging, runny), so it doesn’t surprise me that the addition of SPF to Hope in a Jar might not necessarily be the home-run slam-dunk you’d hope it would be.
So…this isn’t really a great, comprehensive review, though, since no: I’ve never bought a jar and used it day after day to see if my in-store suspicions were at all correct. The user reviews at Sephora, however, seem to agree with my “oily, greasy, heavy” assessment.
If you are generally a big fan of all-in-one moisturizers (and maybe not already a fan of the original Hope in a Jar, because you WILL notice a distinct difference), maybe the texture and feel of the SPF formula won’t bother you and will be more in line with what you’re used to. If you have very dry skin, you’ll probably do just fine with it.
Readers? Any field experience with the SPF 20 Hope in a Jar? Any great all-in-one alternatives for our budget-conscious questioner?
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