My Current Hand Cream Of Choice: Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream
Written: Mar 22 '07 (Updated Mar 22 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Moisturizes hands well; thick; rich; not greasy; great mint scent
Cons: Too expensive
The Bottom Line: This is a really nice hand cream with a refreshing, pleasant mint scent. I recommend it for anyone who loves a rich hand cream.
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| moonsista's Full Review: Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream |
A couple of months ago, I read a review by my fellow Epinionite PattyTherre, who had purchased the Philosophy The Handbook set. This is a two-piece set that includes a Hand Wash and Hand Cream in the minty Empowermint scent. I had to try this set, as I'm a big fan of both mint-scented products and Philosophy products. The next time I was at Sephora, I picked up this minty duo.
Product Details:
Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream is one of several products in Philosophy's very successful Empowermint line, which is a mint-scented line of bath and body products. The line also includes Hot Salt Scrub, Hand Wash, Lip Shine, Body Butter, Bubble Bath and 3-in-1 Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel.
The Empowermint Hand Cream comes in just one size, which is 2 oz. It comes in a small white flexible plastic tube that has a sprig of mint on the front with one of Philosophy's famous "philosophies": Don't give it away. The tube has a black plastic flip-bottom cap that also screws off in case you need to remove it.
The directions on the back of the tube say to "apply liberally to hands as needed".
From Sephora.com: Invigorate your senses and deeply hydrate your hands with this gentle, shea butter-enriched hand cream formula that softens your hands and gives you an immediate pick-me-up with its refreshing mint scent.
Ingredients (taken from packaging):
Water, shea butter, cocoa seed butter, glyceryl stearate se, glycerin, sweet almond oil, squalane, beeswax, mango seed butter, cetyl alcohol, rice bran oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, fragrance, potassium cetyl phosphate, stearic acid, dimethicone, tocopherol, tocotrienol, sodium hyaluronate, PPG-12/SMDI copolymer, allantoin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, hydrogenated palm glycerides, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hydroxide, tetrasodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin.
My Experience:
I need a thick, rich hand cream for wintertime. I can't use a regular body lotion or a cheap drugstore hand lotion that is going to do a bad, temporary job of moisturizing my hands. So when I purchased the Philosophy Empowermint Duo, I was really hoping that the Empowermint Hand Cream would be rich and moisturizing. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed!
The scent of Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream is a bit hard to describe. It doesn't smell like toothpaste (thankfully!) and it doesn't smell like mint herbal tea. To me, it smells like a sweet-ish spearmint chewing gum. I love that it doesn't smell like a bad mint scent (like toothpaste!) and that it's a pleasing, soothing mint scent. It smells very natural and not at all fake.
As soon as I squeezed some of this thick, rich hand cream out of the tube for the first time, I could tell that it wasn't going to be greasy. It has a matte appearance that looks thick and rich without being greasy. If it were greasy, it would look glossy but this stuff looks like it performs - fast-absorbing and very moisturizing.
When I use most super-moisturizing hand creams, I use a very small amount because any more than that is a huge waste and I end up wiping a lot of it off with a paper towel or tissue. I usually start out with a pea-sized amount and go from there. However, I need a bit more than that with the Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream because it absorbs very well and pretty quickly. An amount about the size of a pea and another half of a pea does well for me most days. Sometimes I then take a little dab of it and rub more into the extra-dry areas of my hands and around my fingernails. This stuff absorbs so nicely - it leaves my hands very soft, very moisturized and without a trace of grease.
The mint scent of Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream is just the right strength and is not over-powering. It's refreshing at any time of the day as well. I usually use this as soon as I get to work in the morning and then again after lunch. The scent is truly refreshing and makes me feel happy. I don't usually use it at home at night, because I keep it in my purse and don't really get into my purse for anything once I'm home. But I have used it before bed once or twice and it was fine at nighttime too, and I woke up the next morning with my hands feeling not as dry as they normally do. They weren't as moisturized as I normally like them to be, but there are few hand creams out there that will keep my hands moisturized for eight hours without reapplication.
The moisture, softness and smoothness of this hand cream lasts for a few hours after I apply it. The mint scent lasts for about five minutes or so and slowly fades away. I probably wouldn't want it to last any longer than this, so this is OK with me.
Overall, I love this hand cream and I will definitely purchase it again when this tube runs out (if I'm not attracted to some other product right away). I love the performance, the scent and the fact that it's non-greasy. The $15 price is a turn-off because the tube is so small, but it takes me forever to get through a tube of hand cream, so after the initial sticker shock wears off, I'm OK with it. And I love the minty Empowermint scent so much,
Price and Purchasing Information:
A single tube of Philosophy Empowermint Hand Cream is $15.00. It can be found online at Sephora.com, Philosophy.com and at Sephora brick and mortar stores. I still see the The Handbook duo at my local Sephora brick and mortar store and Philosophy.com, but not at Sephora.com.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
moonsista
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 in Wellness & Beauty |
 in Wellness & Beauty |
 - Top 100 |
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Member: Stacey
Location: Northeast Ohio
Reviews written: 921
Trusted by: 453 members
About Me:
I miss Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both helped make the 70's and 80's great.
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