[amazon_link id=”B00023KCPI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link] philosophy “the afterglow”

Here is my review on a smoothing gel and exfoliator by philosophy called “the afterglow”! For the past couple months, I’ve been on a new skincare routine which has been amazing for my skin…I’ve barely had any acne at all (with my oily forehead, that is a small miracle). However, I have combo skin and I was missing an important step in my routine, which is an exfoliating product (either an AHA or a BHA). I was getting a ton of flaky skin right below my lower lip as well as around my nose, and makeup would usually exacerbate it. Not pretty. 😕

This product is marketed primarily as an after-shave gel, which a lot of exfoliating products usually are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it as your exfoliator! It contains lactic acid as the main exfoliating ingredient, and has a pH level of 3.5. Its also fragrance free so it isn’t irritating to your skin. The consistency of it is much more thin than I expected. It is not really a “gel” at all like it says, but more-so a liquid. I actually prefer this because I feel like its easier to apply (you can either put a couple drops on your fingers, or you can use a cotton pad like you would with a toner). So on to the results…my flaky patches are gone. Completely gone. And I can’t really attribute it to anything but this product because they disappeared right when I started to use this. I’ve been using this primarily in the evening, although I do apply a little bit in the morning as well.

This product is definitely a keeper for me! If you are having any issues with annoying flaky patches of skin, give this a try! (or really any AHA product for that matter). The one downside to this product is that its a bit difficult to find. It isn’t in the philosophy sections at Sephora or Ulta, so you have to order it online either from the philosophy website or from Amazon. Its worth it, though! And the bottle is pretty big and should last a good amount of time. Also, if you have a guy in the house, he can use this as his after-shave. 😉