Product Description

The Present is a "clear makeup" for perfect, airbrushed skin. Formulated to be used as a last step prior to any makeup to form an invisible barrier that "seals in" moisture for chronically dry skin and active ingredients from treatment products while keeping out harmful environmental elements by acting like an invisible band-aid. It also contains lysozyme, a natural antimicrobial agent to keep skin radiantly "clear."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6000 in Beauty
• Brand: philosophy
• Ingredients: Water (Agua), Cyclomethicon Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethiconol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Lysozyme, Sodium Citrate, Peg-12 Dimethicone, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Lavendula Augustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Customer Reviews

A minor miracle - if you know what you're getting
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.

Misconceptions?
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.

This Product Made My Day
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.