Philosophy Hope in a Jar

As I was going through my recent purchases from Sephora, I was thrilled to find a sample of Philosophy's Hope in a Jar included in my bag! I'd been eyeing this product for a while and was itching to try it, but at $35 I wasn't prepared to splurge (especially when I still have plenty of my regular moisturizer, Olay Complete).

So, that night, I tried out my sample after washing my face. I was immediately very pleased-- the lotion felt so light, not at all greasy, and it absorbed into my skin almost immediately (I tend to need to let my Olay moisturizer "sit" for several minutes as it absorbs in the morning before putting on my makeup). The cincher? I swear the few fine lines I've started noticing around my eyes and mouth were less noticeable after using this lotion, even just once or twice. Maybe it was my imagination, I don't know. But my skin just felt... nice. Happy. Not dry, nor oily.

The only downside (and unfortunately it's a big one) is the scent. The scent is just wierd. At first I thought it smelled kind of like eucalyptus, which would have been nice. But as I continued getting small whiffs of it in the minutes after applying it, I realized it didn't smell like eucalyptus at all, but rather something stranger. My best guess is some cross between eucalyptus, citrus, and something medicinal ,and the result is something that lands more on the unpleasant side. I used my Hope in a Jar sample 3 times in a row (night, the next morning, then that night) and by the 3rd application I knew the scent was a dealbuster for me. Which is really a shame, because other than that I was almost ready to run out and buy it.

This experience has, however, reawakened in me the desire to look into other well-known pricier moisturizers, such as Clinique's imfamous Dramatically Different Moisture Lotion. Or perhaps I'll look into Good Skin and Grassroots lotions, as this may be another MAC vs Flirt! type of deal (Clinique, Grassroots, and Good Skin are also all owned by Estee Lauder).


EDIT: Ok, after a bit of online browsing I discovered, to my surprise, that Clinique's moisture lotion is actually less expensive (for the 1.7 oz size) than the Kohls brands.... Interesting. This certainly tips the scale in Clinique's favor, now being cheaper and more well-known, but I will still have some fun doing my comparison shopping. If any of you have any feedback about any of these brands I'd love to hear it. =) Thanks!