Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes

For the longest time, I’ve been exclusively using drugstore makeup removers and cleansers. They’ve been so trusty and effective that I’ve never had reason to look anywhere else. But because this is the year of trying new things and broadening my horizons beauty-wise, I’ve decided to give higher-end cleansers a shot. Let’s get the ball rolling with Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes (PHP 1,195). Are high-end cleansers worth their weight in gold?

Purity Made Simple is a makeup remover, cleanser, and toner in a bottle

Ingredients

Quick Specs: 240 ml; made in the USA

Sealed

Pros:

• Removes almost all makeup cleanly. (Why ‘almost’? Read the cons list!) What it can remove, it removes 100%. When I use a face wash to try and rinse off foundation, concealer, blush, etc., there’s always a lot of residue leftover for my toner to work with. Purity Made Simple is a completely different story. I used a toner-soaked cotton pad and didn’t get any residue.
• I don’t experience any dryness after the rinse, but the clean-as-a-whistle feeling is there.
• I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, so I didn’t suffer any breakouts from the plant oils in here. Not the case for others though, so best to try the tester directly on your face.
• The scent is straight out of a bottle of essential oil, but it doesn’t come across as too hippie-dippie. In fact, I find it very spa-worthy. Nothing floral-fruity-annoying.
• Hygienically sealed. The OC part of me is heaving a sigh of relief. For the price, I expect those sealed!
• 3-in-1 is right! It functions as a makeup remover, face wash, and toner in one step, and that’s something I can feel on my skin.

Neutral:

• Suffering any stinging on the eyes depends on how you use it. (See experiment below.)

Cons:

• I was told by the Philosophy sales team that Purity Made Simple is strong enough to remove even waterproof mascara. I approached the claim with skepticism, and I was proven right. While it removes most makeup spotlessly, I’ve had a little issue with waterproof mascara. It would take some of it off, but there would always be some residue that I’d have to finish off with my tried and true dual-phase makeup remover. I’m waterproof mascara-dependent, so I can only use this cleanser on days when I’m too lazy to put on the waterproof. (Or should I give washable mascara another try?)
• The price and value-for-money factor is, of course, still the biggest deterrent for me. In the Philosophy US website, they offer bundles for Purity Made Simple. The same 240 ml of the 3-in-1 cleanser already includes a free 15 ml jar of moisturizer—your choice of Hope in A Jar, Full of Promise, or Miracle Worker. However, Philosophy Philippines does have the occasional “happy hour” sale, so that’s your best bet in saving some money.

Before and After Trial 1

Experiment: Oh, yes, I conducted a little experiment to find the most effective way of using Purity Made Simple. On all these trials, I wore waterproof mascara along with the usual full face of makeup.

Trial 1 = I used it on a completely dry face as a sort of cold cream, then rinsed off with water. I ended up using more product to be able to produce a sliding effect that I could massage my skin with, but using it on dry skin also prevented the formula from thinning out and getting into my eyes. (Read: No stinging eyes.)  I had to repeat the process on the eye area—this time, my face was already wet—to get as much of the mascara off as possible before proceeding with my dual-phase makeup remover.

Trial 2 = I used it on dampened skin, just as the Philosophy website instructed. Less product was used, but I managed to get some in my eyes. While it didn’t sting as bad as another cleanser I’ve tried, it wasn’t all that great on the peepers either. Yes, there was mascara residue afterwards.

Trial 3 = First, I used it only on my eye area while my skin was completely dry. Rinsed off. Then, I used it on the rest of my dampened face, this time avoiding the eye area. Yes on the mascara residue. No stings and you don’t end up using twice as much product though.

Conclusion = You’ll have to go through all that trouble to take off the mascara. Obviously, it would be easier and cheaper to forego this if you can’t live without the waterproof lash enhancers. Or you could get the Purity Made Simple Cleansing Oil in lieu of or to supplement this. For those who have no trouble with mascara, Trial/Method 3 is the way to go to optimize the use of this cleanser.

Mascara Residue from Trial 1

Verdict: If you don’t use waterproof mascara, this’ll be a total time saver for you. When you analyze it, the price isn’t so bad if it actually eliminates other toners, cleansers, and makeup removers from your stash. But please test it first before making the purchase. You don’t want to end up with something you can’t even use regularly.