I was/am a fan of Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar moisturizer and their Purity Made Simple cleanser (user of 3+ years).  However, price was always an issue for me.  At $38 for 2 oz. and $20 for an 8oz., respectively, it was more than I wanted to pay.  I justified it with the fact that both products seemingly lasted FOR.EVER.  I typically got about nine months of usage out of both of them.  Maybe more.  I think the cleanser lasted longer because I only used it at night.  The moisturizer was 2x a day.  I usually purchased both simultaneously.

- faint fragrance – a lot of people complain about the scent of both, but it actually doesn’t bother me that much
- Hope in a Jar is a WONDERFUL quick absorbing moisturizer
- the cleanser removes make up easily and thoroughly
- only a MINUTE amount of either product is needed (making it last FOR.EVER.)

Cons:
- Cost $58 out of pocket each time
- no SPF (this is kinda a biggie, but I use a foundation with SPF)
- Um.  Can’t think of anything else.  :)

Pretty much same pros and cons as I listed for the Philosophy products except I’d have to say I use more product to achieve the same results as the Philosophy products. Price is a huge PRO.  At $20.99 out of pocket each time, I don’t cringe as much.  I’ve been pretty happy with both of the Aveeno products.  Again, I’ve used the moisturizer before so I was familiar with it.  It got me through the winter months!  I love that it is light and has a very light fragrance.  I can’t stand things that are too perfumey going on my face.   The cleanser has been wonderful. I hate the tight, dry feeling after washing my face and the Aveeno Ultra-Calming does NOT do that.  (Neither does the Purity Made Simple.)  Make up comes off very easily as well.  That’s a good thing, right?

So I am about out of both of these Aveeno products and am ready to make my next purchase.

Here’s my calculations:

Philosophy: 9 months = $58, or $77.33 a year
Aveeno: 4 months = $20.99, or $62.97 a year

What do you think?  Interesting, right?  Believe when I say, I just did that. Didn’t do this prior to posting this blog.  Huh.  I’m baffled.  Guess I was right after all.  Philosophy IS worth the extra bucks.  Hmm.  Now what?  Plus, I get points for Sephora purchases.