Philosophy • The great mystery • Masks

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jmimiru on 12/12/2012 5:04:00 PM more reviews by jmimiru

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

Skin type - normal + oily combo (T-Zone area specifically)

I had a weird experience with The Great Mystery and Purity Made Simple. It took me quite awhile (about a year) in how to use these two products effectively, and I'm glad they're not going to waste.

Personally, I did not enjoy The Great Mystery and Purity Made Simple by themselves. Sure, The Great Mystery left my face felt moisturized, but it wasn't anything "wow". Purity Made Simple didn't make my face feel "clean" either, so I wasn't sure how I should finish these products.

However, The Great Mystery says you can rinse it off with Purity Made Simple. I decided to combine both these products and see what sort of results I can get. I used both these products during shower, and I would massage the products onto my skin for a good minute. I actually ignore the 1 minute rule from The Great Mystery, haha.

After massaging the products, I soak my cloth with warm water, and I put the cloth onto my face. I'm pretty much just opening up my pores as much as possible, so the products can work their way in. I wait until the cloth is cool and then I rinse off everything. It's been a month since I've been doing this, and I noticed my face had cleared up quite a bit. I do break out due to stress, but I only get one or two pimples.

I highly recommend ladies (& gentlemen) to try The Great Mystery along with Purity Made Simple. I definitely love them together & they're now my daily night cleansers.

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Beautyisbliss on 6/22/2011 10:58:00 PM more reviews by Beautyisbliss

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I regret ever purchasing this. It made my skin dry and itchy- which is hard because I tend to have oily skin. It made my eyes itch and burn something fierce! It made my fingers dry and my nails feel brittle after applying to my face. The only thing it works for is looking pretty on my tub. A waste of money.

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*TOP REVIEWER* orisha_girl on 3/5/2011 11:21:00 PM more reviews by orisha_girl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Curly   Eyes: Green    

I'll start by saying that I have oily/combination, extremely sensitive and acne prone skin; almost everything upsets it. Not only does this not upset my skin, it actually makes it thrive.

Let's be honest ladies, it wins no prizes for looks - it's a thick, goopy, vaseline-y looking paste. But that's it's only downside - it works wonders for me. I use it in the morning. I massage it onto my (dry) face till the product turns white. I leave it sitting for a minute and then I wipe it off with a warm damp cloth. The result is glowing, supple, smooth skin that feels as peachy soft as can be. It also cleans out my pores really well, so my skin is less prone to break-outs now. I even love the smell. I find it really economical to use, you only need a tiny bit, so it works out good value for money too.

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uktrouble on 10/10/2010 5:29:00 PM more reviews by uktrouble

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Other    

This product works wonders for me I love it, after not using it for a while I have gone back to it and its mild exfoliating action works well for my skin to make the perfect base for my mineral powder foundation. I use it in the morning on dry skin just rub it all over before getting in the shower then thoroughly rinse before washing with purity made simple. Think its something to use daily rather than every so often to get the best results from it.

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Annaxxx on 6/13/2010 10:16:00 AM more reviews by Annaxxx

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

dried me out and broke me out, made me red and uncomfortable, I gave this away.

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alakanaxo on 4/20/2010 8:48:00 PM more reviews by alakanaxo

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I know a lot of people say this feels like vaseline but I didnt get that. It just feels like its cleansing your skin and getting all the bad stuff out. My skin looks so good when I take it off and it also feels good. The smell very fresh too. The way I use is I massage into my skin untill the product turns white and take it off using purity.

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*TOP REVIEWER* colettenoelle on 11/9/2009 5:25:00 PM more reviews by colettenoelle

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

An okay product, probably meant more for oily skin than my dry/sensitive skin. Sometimes this wouldn't bother my skin at all, but most times it just seemed to irritate it. I never felt that my skin benefited much from it in either case and I have stopped using it. Philosophy puts out several wonderful products that I happily use and get results from. This product just doesn't cut it for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* novelist on 11/7/2009 8:18:00 PM more reviews by novelist

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have used this mask for about a year and a half; it was good, at best, not great. I think my skin liked the glycerin and the lavender in it, perhaps the algae. At first, I used it once a week on dampened skin (face, neck, upper chest, and hands) which I then wiped with a wet wash cloth. The results were nice. This product is clay-based and so as the dry hot summer would come around, I found that I couldn't use it because it was too drying or it would start to draw oils to the surface of my skin (not good). So I began to use the Aveeno brightening exfoliating pads along with the philosophy microdelivery wash, and these two products have supplanted the Great Mystery.

It is not a bad price or a bad product; it just has been replaced by other products which work better for me. I won't buy it again but it is more of a so-long than a good-bye. If things change for my skin and it would be more effective, I would, but the $25 is going elsewhere.

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katrinalove on 10/17/2009 5:05:00 AM more reviews by katrinalove

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I really enjoyed this product. I'm extremely acne prone and always using BP treatments, it's the only thing that works for me, but putting a layer on morning and night leaves my skin really dull, and I get oily. So my skin looks like an oil spill on a desert, sort of. Not pretty.
This product doesn't do anything dramatic. It just normalized my skin and made it nice and soft. I imagine a good night cream would do the same, but I'm scared of moisturizers considered anything other than lightweight because they break me out. BP acne treatment + lightweight moisture + this in the morning made my skin nice and normal looking :)
Unfortunately I'm all out and as I can live without it (I prefer not to) I won't rebuy because it is a little pricey :(
Ahh...I'll probably break down and get it soon enough, its just a really nice way to start the day :P

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mommy2ingrid on 8/6/2009 8:43:00 PM more reviews by mommy2ingrid

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

How I love this product. I have acne-prone skin, and the Philosophy.com website recommended using this to "de-congest" it. Well, I was skeptical, but it seems to be working! The active breakouts have shrank (I've been using once or even twice a day for a week now) and nothing new has popped up.

Here's another method, because it seems like everyone has their favorite way: I apply the paste onto my skin, let it sit for a while (I've gone as long as 10 minutes) then use my Neutrogena Wave to wash it off (using the Wave exfoliation pad). Sometimes I pre-wash the Wave pad to get the Neutrogena soap out and use Philosophy's Purity Made Simple, my favorite facial wash. Other times I just wash off with Purity.

My skin is definitely softer, clearer and smoother.

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Beverlyfay on 10/19/2008 3:23:00 AM more reviews by Beverlyfay

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I think this is one of those products that you have to experiment with to get the best possible results for your skin. And that's one of the things I like best: It's so versatile. After reading the other reviews, I noted how many different techniques people had developed for using it (nighttime, daytime, wash off with water, wash off with cleanser, massage onto skin, massage in hands first, etc.). I tried them all, and interestingly, they all yielded different results, and some worked better for me than others.

The sum total of my experiments? I love it. I have middle-aged skin which is now smooth and glowing. And an extra bonus: It can replace Darphin's Purifying Balm (good but blindingly expensive) in my boudoir.

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*TOP REVIEWER* bubblysteph on 8/27/2008 4:33:00 AM more reviews by bubblysteph

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Black    

Actually I have been using this for a long time - probably on my third or fourth tube already. This is a glycerin based "purifying paste", so it is quite greasy but I find it okay when applied onto my face. It has an interesting warming effect when massaging on face. I wonder if this helps "melting off" dirty stuffs in the pores. After washing off, my skin is really soft and pores appear to be cleaner too! For reference, I have normal to dry skin in winter and combo skin in summer. This interestingly soothed out my acne after 2 days of use as I was desperate to get that removed asap and I tried to use this consecutively for 2 days. Normally, I use this three to four times in a month.

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*TOP REVIEWER* egoh on 7/10/2008 11:08:00 PM more reviews by egoh

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

The Great mystery has saved me a few times :) I use it in the morning on days when my skin have dry spots -- just smooth it on and take it off after one minute and my skin feels nice and soft again :) I especially LOVE the fact that it doesn't make my skin feel all greasy (even though product feels greasy when I'm putting it on) but it washes off nice and clean. Definitely will repurchase again :)

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beautybrainsbeastbest on 3/31/2008 1:36:00 PM more reviews by beautybrainsbeastbest

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

It's important to know the greatest mystery should only be used by people with a somewhat dry to very dry type of skin. I've read several negative reviews and I think most of the authors have a normal/oily skin type for which the substance is too oily and forces clogged pores and breakouts. Because my skin looks and feels like a desert when it's cold outside I used it fore a while and it worked, my skin turned smooth. In such cases you can decide using TGM but otherwise, take a product which contains less glycerin and oils.

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lemfloyd on 2/14/2008 6:11:00 AM more reviews by lemfloyd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

This is a rather odd product and difficult to describe. It's not a cleanser. It's not a mask. It's not an exfoliator. It's not a moisturiser. It does make the skin lovely and soft and does give that sort of fresh from a facial feel. It has a very weird texture, sort of like vaseline. I guess this is to do with the high glycerin content. I do like this and would by again, as a treat for my skin.

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happyme777 on 2/4/2008 6:00:00 PM more reviews by happyme777

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Black    

This is an occasional product for me, although Philosophy say you can use it daily. So, so far, one tube has lasted me about a year. I exfoliate twice a week, alternating with a manual scrub and a smooth,AHA exfoliator. This is neiher. It is a smooth, thick vaseline like paste which claims to exfoliate and moisturise, and I tend to use it in between whenever i'm feeling congested (my skin that is!)
I cleanse my face, pat dry (make sure hands are dry as well) and then use about an inch of paste, rub briskly between my hands, and then massage onto face. It turns from the vaseline texture to a white paste. I then leave this on my face for anything upto an hour. I don't seem to react or have a problem with this (it doesn't dry). It has a high glycerin content, which is why it feels warm as it attracts water from the air. It also contins sea salt (not gritty though) which is apparantly the exfoliating component in this - how, i don't know) Sometimes i put this on and do a work out and it feels like its deep cleansing as i sweat out all the gunk from my pores!! (gross i know, sorry) Then i wipe off with a damp muslin cloth, it wipes off very easily. Then i just splash with cool water and tone and moisturise. My skin feels soft and cool afterwards. I honestly don't know if it exfoliates or notice any other effects, but I just like using it every now and then when i remember i have it! And i would by it again. It's one of those pointless products that just makes me feel better for using it. A great mystery indeed :)

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kittykat36 on 1/12/2008 8:10:00 PM more reviews by kittykat36

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I hoped this would help with my dry and often flaky cheeks, but so far no joy. I have to admit I've maybe not given it the best chance so after reading a few of the reviews below I'm going to try again as part of my morning routine and will update if there is any change in opinion.

At the moment I find my dry cheeks feel slightly irritated (possibly by the salt content??) and while my skin feels plump straight after by the afternoon I can see flakes on my cheeks by my nose. Darn air con in offices.... :o(

Low score due to lack of results (so far) and high price tag.

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ed100866 on 12/27/2007 4:50:00 PM more reviews by ed100866

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I bought this on a whim after reading the product description and after seeing a couple of reviews here. When I first tried it I was fairly impressed. I wasn't sure exactly what the product did - it wasnt a scrub, it wasnt a moiturizer, it wasnt exactly a mask, it wasnt a cleanser...but I like the result. I washed my face as usual then applied this as others have recommended here, let it sit for about 2minutes then rinsed. My face felt very smooth and looked pretty. But that was just the first day.

The next morning, I woke up and I could just feel that my poors were clogged - NOT a pleasant feeling. Soon, I have a breakout all over my face. I thought maybe my skin was just "adjusting" to something new, so I waited out the breakout and tried 2 more times to the same results. beautiful skin for 4 hours, then a massive breakout. I dont recommend it and would never use it again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* addysmom on 12/8/2007 7:21:00 PM more reviews by addysmom

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a great product. It is pricey, but have gotten on ebay cheaper. I love the way it makes your skin feel and look. I use this on some nights during the week , because on Sun. I use the microdelivery peel and I use this after that. Good item.

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*TOP REVIEWER* minxgirl on 10/18/2007 8:09:00 PM more reviews by minxgirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

Well, it's no 'mystery' that this crap ruined my skin, flared up my rosacea and broke me out in 5 monster whiteheads. Thank god this was just a sample...

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No