The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

Back in September I received a generous 2 oz. sample of Philosophy's The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash in my QVC Special NewBeauty TestTube for Summer/Fall 2011. It only took about a week of using this exfoliating wash for me to fall in love with it - and by falling in love with it, I mean I became unbelievably dependent on it! Ok, I know that sounds really dramatic - but I used to own MAC's Microfine Refinisher, which apparently was released a few years ago and then discontinued in 2010. It was my "holy grail", "must have", "cannot live without" exfoliating wash of all time.

After the loss of my MAC Microfine Refinisher, I was trying exfoliating washes left and right and they all turned out to be horrible matches for me. My skin is sensitive in a very picky way, I'm not sure what it's sensitive to, or what ingredients irritate it the most, but I know I cannot handle a LOT of facial products (washes, cleansers, masks, etc.) without my skin drying up, producing extra oil or just turning red from unhappiness. Then Philosophy's The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash fell into my lap. After about a week of daily use, I knew that I had found my match - it's almost as good as MAC's Microfine Refinisher - that's a HUGE compliment coming from me.

The Similarities: Both of the exfoliating washes have that micro-massage texture, and rinse off to reveal super-baby-butt-smooth skin! Both of the products are very gentle on my skin, I had no irritation what-so-ever, my skin actually feels healthier and tighter (not in a dried out kind of way - more like a young face kind of way). Both of the products are gentle enough to use daily, which my skin needs because for some reason it produces a lot of dead skin. Lastly, both products have a faint scent that reminds me of rice - weird, I know, but this is my way of saying it doesn't have a chemically smell like some exfoliating washes do.

The Differences: Aside from the obvious; one being discontinued and the other being available, the MAC one came in a tube and the Philosophy one comes in a bottle. Another note to point out, the consistencies are very different. Philosophy's The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash is a lot thinner than MAC's Microfine Refinisher, Philosophy's is more like a gel-like liquid and spreads out much thinner (the Philosophy one tends to clog at the opening, but the MAC one never did). Also, Philosophy's is not as packed full of the micro particles as the MAC Microfine Refinisher was.

In conclusion, I would recommend this to everyone! If your skin sounds to be similar to mine, I would highly suggestion buying a small bottle of this to try out. I couldn't be happier to have discovered this product. I even bought an 8 oz. bottle during one of Philosophy's features on Hautelook in November.

I have been using this exfoliating wash for about two years and I really love it. I use it every morning with my Clarisonic to make face feel fresh and ready for makeup. I really love that it does the job without being drying or too rough. If you use this product, I strongly recommend purchasing a small bottle of it (I use the 8 oz.). I once purchased the 32 oz. bottle and by the time I got about 2/3 of the way through it, the exfoliating particles had dissolved and I had to throw it away.

This is perfect to exfoliate your skin everyday. I like the idea of creating a mini peel with it too (I never tried that yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it). It feels like sand on your skin, but not in a bad way. It's not harsh at all and there's no big grits in it that make your skin feel raw and red. It makes my skin feel fresh and smooth. The only bad side to this product is the smell. It has a plastic-like smell, but other than that it's great!.