Customer Reviews

Philosophy The Present Clear Makeup

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have used The Present for 2 years. And I'm a *guy*. I am the director of a telecommunications consultancy and spend lots of time at conventions, in front of crowds, etc. I am extremely fair and pseudo natural blonde (blonde up until my 20's when it started getting darker... now it's chemically assisted).

The Present has been my salvation on the show floor, on stage and in front of cameras! And it continues to prove itself every day.

What to expect:
- A little goes a long way.
- You cannot put liquid or creme foundation over top of it.
- You need a really good cleanser before it and to remove it.
- It is *clear* so expect to see your skin under it.
- I find it best described as a "soft focus moisturizer".
- I recommend Philosophy's "Purity" cleanser to remove it. Regular soap doesn't really budge it.
- If you don't start with a pristinely clean face you won't get as good a result.

Why I use it:
1) Evens out my skin texture. I have large pores and patchy skin.
2) Gives my skin a radiant but still matte appearance, even under the most severe convention floor lighting. It's almost like having your face lightly airbrushed.
3) Locks in whatever moisturizer you put under it. It is also a *fantastic* moisturizer itself.
4) Provides a barrier for stage makeup - keeping my pores relatively clean when I have to wear it for camera work. (Yes, the guys on camera absolutely do wear makeup.)

Tips:
- If you have hormone issues, wild and crazy skin or your skin just needs a kick in the pants to get it back into shape, put The Present on in the morning, come home at night and wash your face, then put The Present on and wear it to bed. [My adult acne flareups have disappeared since starting this myself.]
- Use mineral makeup, powder, etc. over top of The Present. Creams and liquids WILL slide off. Philosphy's own "airbrush" foundation works perfectly with it.
- Remember The Present was originally designed to cover vulnerable skin after dermabrasion and acid skin peels. It acts like a second layer of skin.
- Wait for it to dry. 2 minutes means 2 minutes. If it isn't drying you should use less or start with a dryer face.

I consider myself lucky... I recieved a few sample packets of this product and after several applications from each packet I am consistantly pleased. I have a few ideas as to why there are such disparate love/hate reviews (here and on other sites), so I want to explain a few of them:

- Use: a very tiny bit goes a long way. Do not apply as much as you would any other moisturizer or foundation. A few small dots quickly and lightly blended is all that is needed.

- This product will not replace normal "foundation" makeup because it is _clear_. It isn't a "primer" makeup, and it doesn't cover up problem areas, colour imbalances, etc.

- This product does "prime" skin by smoothing out minor imperfections and textural differences. It also softens and leaves a shine-free finish with a velvety, natural feel.

- I personally have patches of different types of skin (slightly oily, slightly dry, large pores in areas, etc.) and I use this alone as a "lightweight oil-free moisturiser". I am really impressed with the fact that this product balances my skin out all over, it stays that way for a long time, and feels like there's nothing there.

- When I wear this, I look like I'm not wearing makeup and just happen to have naturally Good Skin. The times that I have applied foundation over this I haven't had any troubles, plus I seem to require less makeup.

- If I had any doubts I would consider heading to a department store and sampling this (especially with coaching from a Philosophy Rep) before purchasing a full-sized container online.

Clear makeup is the best product I have ever used. The first time I tried it, I felt like I was on top of the world. It gave me such new, fresh skin that I glowed from the outside in. Acne scars, discolorations, even scabs became less noticible. (What's more, it makes it a bit more difficult to pick at scabs because they're covered up.) It made my skin incredibly soft. As a painter, I felt as though I was prepping my facial canvas, so my makeup just glided on very smoothly and easily. (And I used a lot less makeup than usual.) Are there downsides? Nope. Your face won't feel plasticy, you can still feel things as though nothing at all is there, and it best of all, it doesn't come off like foundation does. My skin can still breathe, my face still sweats if it needs to. This stuff is a miracle. I'm recommending it to lots and lots of people, men and women alike.

I am a professional makeup artist, and I use The Present on myself and so many of my clients. I love this stuff!!!
I love the mattifying on this primer, it keeps the shine off all day. I am extremely oily, and it still works wonders on me. I am also very sensitive, and breakout easily. Since using The Present, I rarely have any acne anymore. I get so many compliments on my complexion.

Also to clear up on some issues from other posts.
YES you can wear this with liquid or any other foundation. It clearly states on the bottle that you must give it two minutes to set before applying foundation. If you give it time to dry, you'll be fine. I have even, on rare occasions, even used a silicon primer on top of this as a double primer, and had no problems with pilling.

If it lookes like glue on, your using way too much. A little goes a long way.

Also, I noticed in another post, someone using this twice a day as a moisturizer. Don't do that, it is not intended as a daily moisturizer. Only if you are oily, you can use it as a morning moisturizer, then follow up with something different for night. (Remember, oily skin still needs hydration.) If you are on the normal to dry side, you still would want a light moisturizer, then use the present over top of it.

The Present is in a class by itself! I have never seen a facial product do more! After applying sunscreen and/or moisturizer, apply The Present. This product will make your foundation (preferably philosophy airbrush canvas) go on smoothly, and makes it adhere to your skin. Your skin is smoothed out filling in lines and wrinkles, as well as large pores. It is just the greatest product ever. Sharon Perkins, Cordele, GA

My mission seems to be to try all the philosophy products so when I tried the Present (a sample) I was at first skeptical. Oh come on, a clear make-up to smooth out my icky skin? It does resemble the Elmer's Glue my friend Stacy ate in first grade but it feels like a moisturizer. It went on very smooth. As with most philosophy products, a little goes a long way. Use this sparingly daily.

However, once it dried (seconds later), my skin was incredibly smooth to the touch. My make up went on flawlessly and stayed on all day which is a miracle in the deep South. I was using DHC Skincare Velvet Skin as a primer but this stuff leaves that in the dust. It was more cost effective than most primers.

Great product! It does not make my skin break-out AND after applying I don't need foundation! It gives your skin an air-brushed look, minimizes pores, evens skin tone, etc. Word of caution: Make sure your face is COMPLETELY dry and use a smaller amount than you think you need.

I see a lot of rave reviews and wonder what age the reviewers are. I think it makes a difference. I was tired of the commonly available makeup in stores that target older women. They are so heavy and pasty, and look terrible as the day wears on. Rather than minimize wrinkles and fine lines, they seem to accentuate it by settling in the creases.
I switched from that regimen to this along with the Philosophy powder foundation. I've been using this for about 2 months now. The primer alone is fine for weekends, but I need the additional powder for work/more formal settings. I'm pretty happy with the results compared to the above. It wears well throughout the day as well; I don't cringe when I look in the mirror after a long day at work. However, if a product is going to call itself 'perfect', it sets the bar really high for reviews. I do plan on trying some other products after I use up my current supply, so the jury is still out on this one.

As with all new Philosophy products, I ordered this as soon as I found out about it, and tried it as soon as the UPS man brought it (I get excited because their skincare products are just so good). It's taken some time to try this repeatedly and think about my review. In spite of my not young age, my skin looks pretty great makeup-free. This is because of an extreme addiction to Philosophy (Purity Made Simple cleanser, When Hope Is Not Enough serum, Hope in a Jar moisturizer, two-part peels on a weekly basis, eye and lip cream, etc. etc.) and a little help from a laser. I always want my skin to look even BETTER though, so I hoped this product would do it. Putting it on, I have not experienced the "glue" effect some others complain about. It went on just how I expected. After waiting for it to dry, I did not notice a big "soft focus" effect, however. Because my skin is smooth and clear, it just made it look matte, as it does when I wear a very matte makeup. It decreased the natural contrast of the color on cheekbones and other highlight areas, so there is no natural "glow". Paired with "Airbrushed Canvas" mineral powder from Philosophy, it is about the same effect you get with "Bare Minerals". Not my favorite, but maybe really good for people with uneven or blotchey skin. As a primer, I have to say I prefer silicone under a very high quality liquid makeup when I do wear foundation (very rarely and less and less as I pry myself out of the '80s). I think this may be one of the Philosophy products that is really good for some people and not for others. To make your skin look great without ANY cosmetic, use the actual Philosophy skincare line religiously, and your skin will look better and better every day. Seriously. It has worked for me!

I got a sample size of The Present recently with an order I got from Sephora, and I must say that I really like it. I haven't run into any of the problems that other reviewers have had with it getting gummy, but then I also use a dry foundation (bare minerals if you're curious) over the top of it, and it works like a charm. I have to say that I like the present better than the foundation primer I was using previously which was from Smashbox, the present is cheaper and you get more for your money as opposed to the Photo finish foundation primer I was using. I also like that its a moisturizer in and of itself so I don't have to worry about dry skin, which now that its the winter months is really nice. I would definitely recommend this product to people with uneven skin, and to get the best results you should probably use a mineral foundation instead of a liquid foundation.