Philosophy cosmetics were first sold on television as a brand of creams and cleansers developed by dermatologists. Today, the brand has expanded to include makeup, fragrance, hair care and bath and body wash products.
The cosmetics and makeup line of the brand is fairly new – so, what are some of the best products? What are some of the worst products? Are they worth the price? For the answers to these questions and more, keep reading.
Price
Philosophy cosmetics typically cost about twice as much as your standard drugstore brand, but they’re also significantly cheaper than most others found in a high-end department store. For example, a small tub of foundation powder may cost you around $35. And while those aren’t Target-like prices, they’re significantly less than what you’d expect to pay for, say, an Estee Lauder brand foundation.
Ease of Use
Overall, Philosophy has put out a fairly standard line of cosmetics – nothing that’s too far out of the box. Customers will find lip liners, gloss, eye makeup and foundation along with a few accessories like brushes. The bulk of the line is designed to be applied without tools or brushes, something that’s easier for some, but a drawback for others.
Cosmetic Quality
Philosophy’s lineup of creams, facial moisturizers and body washes have won several awards from Glamour magazine, the Best of Sephora series and more. As a result, the brand has proven its commitment to quality, which certainly shows in their cosmetic lines. The products go on well, are long-lasting and look great.
As for the color choices, Philosophy didn’t take any risks here – the palette of their cosmetics is built around neutrals and soft tones intended to compliment the skin tone, not fight it. It’s a classic look, but not very daring.
Products to Look For and Those to Avoid
Probably the best selling product in the Philosophy lineup is the Supernatural Foundation with an SPF 15 rating. It’s a powder foundation that goes on smooth and provides both coverage and sun protection – making it a great choice for someone who wants a light finish.
Probably the worst Philosophy makeup product is their Big Gorgeous Eyes Mascara. Compared to the lift and extension provided by some of the better brands (like the amazing Clinique eye-popping mascara), this just doesn’t cut it. Lashes get a little extension and a touch more color, but the impact is minimal and the results just aren’t worth $22.
Conclusion
In short, Philosophy cosmetics are a quality make. Women may want to stay away from the brow and mascara products, but they’ll find a winner with the loose powder foundation. The selection is pretty limited, however the price is right and the overall quality is certainly there.
If you seek an attractive look for a relatively modest price, you won’t go wrong here. The company’s more popular line of products has appeal over a wide range of women’s tastes.

I was reading an article about the current financial crisis. The writer was making a point about Eastern philosophy and the ways it differed from that of the West. It was quite a well written article in many ways. At one point the writer drew the conclusion that the financial crisis was ultimately caused by greed, and I would concur with that, and also add that envy comes into it as well.

But the writer of the article seemed to point to Western philosophy as the culprit. He argued that it was the Western tendency to view ourselves as separate from everything we see around us that leads to this situation. I can’t go along with that. I would rather argue that it is the technological power wielded by the West that has caused its greed and envy to be such a large and destructive force in the world. This has been around since the Industrial Revolution began in Western Europe around the 17th and 18th centuries.

I have been to many places in the world, and I have not noticed that greed and envy are any less prevalent in Eastern countries than in Western ones. I would say that greed and envy are more or less uniformly distributed throughout the world.

To my mind, the fault lies not in the philosophies of East and West, but in the widespread ignorance of those philosophies. We can learn from the philosophies of the East, there is a great deal of truth to be found in them. Many Westerners have followed their tenets, and have integrated them into their own way of life. But we can also say that much of Western philosophy is equally true, and equally adaptable to a satisfying life, in harmony with one’s environment. The key to this is in how these truths are applied in one’s own life.

There is one respect in which I would agree that the study of Eastern philosophy would benefit people in the West. When we study those philosophies, everything about them seems new and fresh to us, even though they have been in existence for a very long time. It is like finding a hidden treasure. This makes it possible for us to approach them without too many preconceived notions about them. The problem with the Western philosophies is that they are too familiar, or at any rate, they are expressed in terms that SEEM familiar, leading us to believe that we know all about them, so there is nothing we can learn from them. Such a notion is a mistake, but an understandable one.