Philosophy • Pure Grace • Fragrances

ChristianneQ on 8/13/2008 1:26:00 PM more reviews by ChristianneQ

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I got the Pure Grace set from Sephora containing the perfume, body lotion and shower gel. For those who like a subtle fresh scent, this product is definitely for you. For those who like to have their olefactory senses more distinguished, this scent is not for you. To me, it smells of a crisp very subtle citrus scent -- a very clean and relaxing scent. I would recommend to those who prefer a discrete clean scent. However, to those who prefer a more dominant scent, this product would not be to your liking. This is definitely the best fragrance I have ever had and give it 5 lippies.

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kroliczek on 8/6/2008 6:58:00 PM more reviews by kroliczek

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I sprayed myself with it when we invited friends over. They complimented me on my ...roomspray :/

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elouised on 7/23/2008 9:21:00 PM more reviews by elouised

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Bought this at Sephora for $40 which is definitely reasonable since high end perfumes are usually $60-80. The box describes the frangrance. Soap and Water. Crisp clean mornings. The parfume lasted through the whole day, but the scent isn't strong or over-powering. In fact, someone could probably only get a wiff of it if they were close to you. A beautiful scent nontheless.

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*TOP REVIEWER* LittleGnome on 6/30/2008 5:19:00 PM more reviews by LittleGnome

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is my 2nd bottle of Pure Grace, I really enjoy it, especially in the summer. I find it quite similar to Bobbi Brown's Beach, or Coppertone, but it smells fresher/crisper to me, and it does smell clean and fresh. The Fragrance Spray has fairly decent lasting power, it's not a 'hit you over the head' fragrance, but it lingers on, even if you can't smell it on you, per se, I get soft whiffs of it when I walk around or on my clothes. I do find it similar to Clean Ultimate as well, but this one is much less expensive, at $40 for the 2 oz size, vs. theirs at $76. This also has more lasting power than Beach, which unfortunately, did not last on me, except for the Suds and Light version. Here are the notes: "Bergamot, Water Lily, Lavender, Jasmine, Cool Greens, Musk."
It is not a complex fragrance, but it's very cool and refreshing and beachy.

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*TOP REVIEWER* JanM on 6/29/2008 5:03:00 PM more reviews by JanM

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Try as I might I cannot smell anything when I spray this EDT (or even when I use the rollerball), just a faint whiff of lemon and then.........fresh air, that is all. I love the idea of this, fresh cotton, washing blowing in the wind, even soap and water, but I just get fresh air. Maybe it is the way I am made, AG is a bit elusive, and BG hangs around forever.

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wordsandnumbers on 6/28/2008 1:36:00 AM more reviews by wordsandnumbers

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet because this is one of the few products I have used to the end, repurchased and used to the end again!
Pure Grace, if it hasn't been repeated enough, is the clean scent in the Grace fragrances. It's not strong or overwhelming at all, but I still catch a whiff on myself late in the day. I don't have people coming out of the woodwork telling me I smell good or asking me what the scent is, but my sister always compliments me when I wear it. My daughter says this is the scent she most associates with me--in a good way, I guess!
It is especially nice if you have the shower gel and now I believe there is an emollient body lotion.

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esque on 6/25/2008 11:14:00 PM more reviews by esque

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I love this perfume and it's a HG. Such a subtle, clean, comforting and refreshing fragrance.


This is probably more a scent than a perfume; in my opinion women would wear it more because it reminds them of something or summons a particular feeling or state of mind than, or in addition to, purely liking the smell of it like a normal perfume. Sort of like Demeter perfumes vs your departmental ones : you already like cookie dough or cut grass and possibly the feelings they conjure so you buy the corresponding Demeter, but with a perfume, say J'Adore; it probably doesn't remind you of anything in particular - you just like the smell of it.


Sorry for this round-about way of describing things but simply Pure Grace is a simple, almost one-note perfume than reminds me, for one, of a lot of different things. It can't be described in component parts like having roses, irises and lily.


This is the boxes description of it :
"pure grace is the clean smell of soap and water, the memory of fresh air woven into a set of crisp, white cotton sheets, a cold deep breath on a snowy winter night, the best summer morning you have ever known, the one white t-shirt that feels better than all the rest."


I feel the same - you have to refer to other things when describing it. (though I was probably influenced by the form of the description itself).


IMHO, it:
smells like - soap, laundry detergent, water, clean fresh linen, liquid Vicks that you dab on your clothes when you have the flu, slightly chemical, slightly sweet
adjectives - fresh, clean, cold, refreshing, comfort, innocence, purity


It is so versatile and because it reminds one so much of something I can see a woman wearing this throughout her life.
A child could wear it for comfort and because of it's innocence, a young mother because of it reminds her of the smell of her babys' head or after bathing him, an older mum because she might like the linen-y scent and as a reminder of the children, and an elderly woman because it is such an inobtrusive scent and the memories it conjures.


Also because it is so subtle and very simple you aren't likely to have people completely hate it, unlike some perfumes which are very distinct.


I wear it mostly because it is at the same time comforting and refreshing. It reminds me of the linen of my bed and sleeping, but has that refreshing hint that perks me up like morning air. I even spray it on my pillow to make it smell more like a pillow! It just makes me calm and happy.


These are all just interpretations so it's best to try it on for yourself and read some other reviews. For me this is more or less a one-note fragrance.


Staying power : spraying straight onto skin or fabric it smells exactly like it did in the bottle. Mellows fast and smells less sharp and chemical-like over time. Average staying power for an EDT on skin. When I feel it dying down it gets splashed with a little water and the scent rises again. On fabric a different matter. I find it stays stronger on certain types but on others it vanishes in 2 or so hours.

Packaging : typical philosophy box and abstract wording. Box is simple carboard with the wording stated above, bottle has same but shorter version. Love these cute philosophy 'sayings.' The bottle is plain rectangular clear glass. The cap scratches the sprayer when taken off. Simple scent; simple bottle. What makes me really grateful is the fact it has an expiry date! Unlike a lot of fragrances.

Price : Urgh - AUD70 for 59ml, might as well get a EDP. Expensive but not overly so.

I would definitely repurchase and would order a few bottles should they ever cease production!


As you can see from this very subjective review I love this fragrance and its fresh, comforting scent and the fact it reminds me of a few things, like sleeping, lovely clear days and fresh clean linen (dammit if I can't trot around with my pillow at Uni and fall asleep at least I can smell like I can).


I can see why this perfume has issues (yeah, it smells like soap and laundry powder) and that just might be why it turns people off and others on. As with all perfumes, its best to spray on and check the scent and staying power. Oh, as the sister perfumes (Amazing and something else) smell heavenly too.

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*TOP REVIEWER* boombutt on 6/9/2008 11:58:00 PM more reviews by boombutt

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

A FRESH CLEAN SMELL WITH ABSOLUTELY NO STAYING POWER.

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leeyao on 6/9/2008 11:18:00 PM more reviews by leeyao

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Picked up the purse size on a whim while standing in line at Sephora. At first it had an ever-so-slight chemical note to it, but then it dried down to a wonderfullly fresh, clean, soft scent. After a few minutes it smelled exactly like my beloved HG Clean Ultimate (see my review on that) on me, but it didn't last nearly as long. So I won't repurchase; I'd rather stick to my Clean Ultimate or Carriere Gendarme, which also smells similar.

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newchick on 5/25/2008 12:05:00 AM more reviews by newchick

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I like the smell of this - on me (and to me) it smells like Ivory detergent which smells clean, pleasant and safe for office use, but a coworder said it smelled musty like an old lady (I think she just doesn't like any perfume at all)... I generally like soapy smelling perfumes - I think I like this better than clean provence (which I like quite a bit)

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*TOP REVIEWER* WenchMartha on 5/14/2008 9:44:00 PM more reviews by WenchMartha

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I don't quite love this as much as AG but enough that (sigh), I'll probably buy more. Yes it's soap and water type scent (do I get a hint of suntan lotion smell too?) but you know, soap and water scents like Ivory REALLY don't last. There's something to be said for Philosophy's fragrance line for those sensitive to fragrance or just don't want to overwhelm others. I'm in the latter category. For years, I Samsara-ed and Tom Ford Black Orchided my way through life and never smelled my own power. Others did. These, if I get comments, are usually "you smell so fresh. What is that?" And DH loves the snuggle factor on these. The price, I agree, is steep for what you get but relatively speaking....aren't all fragrances? It's fragrance, water, and alcohol. So if you compare to others for the same size, they're fairly reasonable in price. And there's always eBay....

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*TOP REVIEWER* callmecordelia on 5/12/2008 6:35:00 PM more reviews by callmecordelia

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

To me this smells like sunblock. It evokes a day at the beach. You could do worse, but it's not for me.

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suiw on 4/24/2008 9:01:00 PM more reviews by suiw

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Pure Grace is my most favorite scent out of the Philosophy line. The scent is fabulous! I love indulging myself with Pure Grace. It makes me feel so clean and fresh. The downside is that the spray fragrance doesn't last, so to keep the scent on me all day, I layer with the shower gel and then applying the lotion after, then spritz with the pure grace fragrance after. I'm not a fan of the other Philosophy scents. Amazing Grace did nothing for me, but Philosophy got it right, finally with the Pure Grace line! Not obtrusive at all - this scent smells just wonderfully CLEAN and FRESH! I received a compliment on my first day of using it. Someone mentioned that I smelled so good. You won't be disappointed by this one. I'm smelling my arm as I'm writing this. Also, spray it on all of your clothes. They will smell like freshly cleaned linen. I heard Philosophy finally listened to its customer base and created a longer lasting eau de parfum for this. I'm going out to buy it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sunmonkey on 4/22/2008 9:58:00 AM more reviews by sunmonkey

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Fresh, light and lovely. I wore Pure Grace to work today and have already had two people tell me how lovely I smell so it's very appealing.
There are definite soapy and clean characteristics which make you feel good when you're wearing this scent.

The downside is I have to reapply often as it fades so quickly. I will try layering but a stronger lasting version would be better all round. Im taking off a lippy for this reason only.

Very similar to Clean Ultimate although I prefer Pure Grace.

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*TOP REVIEWER* TopNote on 4/17/2008 7:57:00 PM more reviews by TopNote

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark, Warm   Hair: Brown, Kinky, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Very clean ivory soap fragrance that is very similar to Amazing Grace, which I already have. purchased the small 0.5 ounce bottle for $15. Too similar to Amazing Grace to justify purchasing the full size.

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*TOP REVIEWER* punk_rock_grrrl on 3/22/2008 1:17:00 AM more reviews by punk_rock_grrrl

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

I looooove this fragrance. I am all for clean scents that smell like soap and Pure Grace smells like you just came out of the shower. Because the scent is so inoffensive, I find it to be perfect for work. My only complaint is that it does not last long on me. To deal with this problem, I purchased the mini bottle at Sephora in addition to the larger size and keep it in my makeup bag for touch ups. I might try layering it with the lotion as other reviewers have done. Because so many people have complained about Pure Grace's lasting power (or lack thereof), I can only hope that Philosophy will come out with a perfume version of Pure Grace as they have done with Amazing Grace. It can get a little expensive just to keep up the lasting power of Pure Grace (frequent sprays, and buying its line of matching products), but to me it is completely worth it to smell so good!

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Dayna77 on 3/20/2008 8:09:00 PM more reviews by Dayna77

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Yes, it is a "clean" scent but soap and water it's not. I find its nice to layer on top of another light fragrance to make it your own. I got this in a kit from qvc. I do not think I would purchase on its own.

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*TOP REVIEWER* KittySkyfish on 3/20/2008 7:49:00 PM more reviews by KittySkyfish

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I received a pile of Pure Grace samples recently at Nordstrom and while it starts out nice and soapy clean, after an hour curing on my skin it turned into sunbaked Coppertone lotion - and that's NOT a good thing. Heavens no.

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*TOP REVIEWER* evakser on 3/17/2008 11:58:00 AM more reviews by evakser

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this yesterday not knowing if I would like it - there are so many negative opinions here, I was leery! Well, I decided to give this a try, and I'm glad I did. Very clean scent. On me, it smells very much like Ivory soap. I actually like it a lot. I wish it were a tiny bit sweeter on the dry down, but I can always layer this with a spritz of Lemon Sugar or another favorite sweet scent like Dior Addict Shine. That might do the trick. As for lasting power. I spritzed this on before bed, and I still smelled it on me when I woke up in the morning - 7-8 hours. It's possible of course that many people stop smelling it on themselves so maybe they think that it wore off, or perhaps due to differences in body chemistry, it may not last as long on some people. I cannot complain about the lasting power. It lasts a lot longer (on me) than Lemon Sugar. I like this scent so far. Yes it is expensive - but it's good!

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earlyprim on 2/5/2008 7:45:00 PM more reviews by earlyprim

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Pure is my favorite Philosophy Fragrance for day time. I adore the fresh, clean, soft scent. This scent seems to last longer on me than Amazing Grace or Falling in Love.

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