Proactiv Skin Care vs. Philosophy On A Clear Day

When I was 17 my nanny had picked me up from work one weekend and said that we were going to run some errands, so I had to freshen up at home and put on 'real clothes'. Not long after she said that we were at a red light, she turned my face to hers by the chin and commented, "We need to fix your face." I didn't take it personally, because I knew she wasn't talking about make-up. I didn't have any on and I never was one to have so much on that you have a line underneath your chin... my other grandmother did that in her later years so I knew better. She meant the spots that were on my face and were probably there because I was 17 and stressed about not being able to get to PREX to buy the new Death Cab for Cutie album or something.

Family members have always commented on how clear my skin is and that I'm very fortunate- my mom's side of the family has intensely bad acne and my dad doesn't have really clear skin, but my family members on that side are hit or miss from my understanding. So, I haven't really needed to use intense products to 'fix' my face or anything else, but I have used such products because I wanted to deter from having to fix my face and getting nasty spots.

Needless to say, while living in France I started to experience what it was like to have spots on my face about five years later than usual. I became really frustrated and realized that the Proactiv kits, as purchased by my nanny via QVC, that I've been using since I was 17 was no longer working it's magic (it also wasn't working much magic when I had to leave the house in the winter mornings and my face hurt so bad... it felt like it was on fire from how dry the products made my skin). I had a nice seven year run with Proactiv, honestly. But, it did come down to a science when my skin started to feel a certain way, when the weather was going to change (even when the humidity was going up and down), and when I knew that sleeping with a face mask on was necessary. I started knowing when I needed to wash my face with the products once a day, twice a day, or whether I needed to take a couple day break. (In the mean time I use Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I also used this to get the rest of my make-up off my face).

This past year after looking long and hard for a new face regimen, I finally found the most amazing stuff in the world: Philosophy's On A Clear Day. The foaming cleanser is so light and airy and you don't need to use a lot of it to make it work! The Oil Free All Over Acne Treatment is also light and dries quickly. The Oil Free Spot Treatment is great and really does take care of the spots and larger areas if you wanted to use it that way. The Retinal Cream is light and does the trick as the final layer on your face. I know, I know, it's a lot to put on your face in on sitting, but these are light products and they work miracles. SERIOUSLY.

I have a mixed oily/dry complexion and these products didn't make a difference with how my skin reacted. These products had also evened out my skin tone, which is great because it's nicer and clearer.

I know that Proactiv ships to international locations, so if that suits your interests you can certainly order. Philosophy can also be bought at Sephora, so you can order from either one, or just stop in to Sephora (really, who doesn't want to do that?!).

I can vouch for many other Philosophy products as well. They are delicious! I own most of their parfums too- Pure Grace is my absolute favourite and my casual smell.

I'd love to share more, but I have a guest from Scotland wanting to try out the Cheesecake Factory!