My Face Lotion Quest

I’ve been having a face lotion issue. Much like Goldilocks, everything was either too heavy or too light… but nothing was just right.

For years and years and years, I used Origins A Perfect World lotion year-round. It was indeed *perfect* – not too heavy, not too light, not greasy at all. But then a year or so ago they changed the recipe to increase the SPF and it was suddenly too thick and greasy for me.

So I switched over to Origins Ginzing Gel Moisturizer. It didn’t have a SPF in it, but I loved it for my daily moisturizing needs. The problem is that while it is wonderful in the spring/summer months, it wasn’t quite hydrating enough when the weather cooled off.

I have a few night creams I like, but I really needed something for day time! I saw Oil of Olay Total Effects at Costco one day, so I figured I’d give that a try. But that one was also too thick and goopy for me. It felt more like putting sunscreen on my face than a normal face lotion. I also had a few random lotions that I had received in FabFitFun and Causebox boxes, such as the Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion and the Kalos pH Balancing Moisterizer, but after trying them I just didn’t love anything.

Before I fell too far into the vast well of face lotion options, I figured I’d ask my Facebook friends for their recommendations. And WOW did everyone deliver. In no particular order, here’s what you all like:

• Beauty Counter Daily Lotion
• Kiehls Ultra Facial Oil Free Moisturizer
• Belifs The True Cream Aqua Bomb
• Oil of Olay
• Arbonne’s Face Lotion
• The Olive Branch Skincare System
• Neutrogena Face Moisturizing Cream
• LaRoche lotion
• Trader Joe’s Face lotion
• Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar

One commenter recommended I hit up an Ulta and try a few samples before committing, which I thought was a great idea. I’m so sick of spending money on a big bottle of stuff only to decide I hate it and never use it again!

So, off to Ulta I went with my list in my hand. And I must have found the Ulta with the least helpful workers ever, because I couldn’t find ANYONE to help me… much less get me a sample. So I wandered around for a bit and couldn’t find anything on my damn list.

I did find myself in the Philosophy section though and I do tend to like that brand’s body lotions/souffles. So, I did a little digging and found the “Purity Prep Set” for $24 which contained a bottle of Philosophy Purity facial cleanser and a sample size of the Purity moisturizer.

I figured I’d give it a try, even though, yes, I was once again committing to products that I could hate. Sigh. I also grabbed a sample size of the Clinique Dramatically Different face lotion at the checkout so I could try that one too. I used it ages and ages ago and couldn’t remember why I stopped.

I finally found an Ulta worker at the cash register (and she was super rude), so apparently there were some in the store. But wow was I surprised that literally nobody was around to help me at all.

Anyways, this story has a happy ending.

I tried the Philosophy Purity cleanser and lotion… and it’s exactly what I was hoping for! It’s lightweight, but not too lightweight. It doesn’t have a heavy scent. And it leaves my skin hydrated all day long. So yay, it wasn’t one of the lotions I was looking for… but it WAS a winner!