philisophy's kit for home microdermabrasion - review

philosophy - the microdelivery peel

Following on from a lot of searching around about town (Arnotts, Brown Thomas, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser...), I finally hit upon this en route to London last weekend.

I have used a few bits and pieces from philosophy before (which reminds me, I really ought to blog about them!) so I was happy enough to try this out.  As per recent post on Trish McEvoy BHA pads I have been on the search for a good BHA peel, and this one, a two-step at-home microdermabrasion kit, looked interesting.

How to use is straightforward (and quick!)

Step I - the mechanical exfoliator

The contents of the first tub (which smells divinely of sweet oranges), which contains the Vitamin C and the microdermabrading crystals, goes on first, and like any standard mechanical exfoliator, is massaged into clean and dry skin, for approximately 60 seconds.  The crystals are quite harsh, so I recommend (as does philosophy, in many languages) that you massage this in nice and gently, avoiding the eye area (the French instructions are quite insistent that you keep it the hell and back away from the eye area).  A teaspoon amount is recommended, and depending on the size of your teaspoon, that's likely more than sufficiently generous (I think my teaspoon is too big, for example!)

For step two, you add the activator.  This is the chemical part of the peel, and contains the AHA- and BHA- goodies (see the link here if you want to know the difference between them).  The instructions say you'll feel a warming sensation - actually, and I don't want to freak you out - it's a hot sensation.  I was about to panic, knowing my overly-sensitive skin, and then realised that actually, this sensation lasts about a half a second.  If even.  You can either massage this gently in even further, or just leave it alone, I recommend if you have sensitive skin that you just leave it sit there to do its business all on its own, unmolested (what I did).  It claims that it can "foam up", which also scared the bejesus out of me, until I read the ingredients and realised that the second listed on for the mechanical (step I) part is bicarbonate of soda.  So of course it's likely to foam up - that stuff foams up if it as much as encounters humidity ;-). This step stays on for 2-3 minutes (I gave it the full 3) and is then rinsed off.  Thoroughly now mind, don't be leaving acids on your face for too long (you might feel a split-second of heat again as you rinse it off, but it's nothing to get fussed over).

And after that?

Oh sweeeeeeeet mama was my skin soft.  And clear!  No sign of any pores anywhere.  Of course it's going to take a couple of uses to see how I fare with it, but my skin didn't react adversely in any way (and my skin does tend to react immediately if it's going to at all).  I think I may have found my new exfoliator.  Love.

Step I comes in a 60g tub, is thick, balm-like, slightly oily.  The ingredients contain parabens.  Step II is 60ml of a thick slightly gellified liquid, scentless.  Water-based, the AHA is lactic acid (so not the strongest one you can get but just fine) and the BHA is, of course, salicylic acid.  So it’s good for both de-gunking your pores and smoothing out your skin.  And that it certainly did, my skin was silky smooth.  Soft.  Clear and bright looking.  And not a pore in sight.

I think I’ll get maybe six or so uses out of it - not a huge amount, but enough - microdermabrasion peels in a salon will set you back usually €80-120 or even more.   I think I will likely use it every second week, and/or possibly only in my t-zone.  This time around I used it all over my skin, but i know that my skin doesn’t need anything this harsh in general.

As with anything involving AHAs/BHAs, using an SPF is really important for the following week.  Priced I believe around €35 in the Sky Shopping on Aer Lingus, so I can only presume it's around the 45-quid mark in town.  Well worth it I think...