The Best Beauty Advice I Ever Received

My parents divorced when I was young and my brother and I grew up living with our dad. Dad’s really loving and supportive in general, but sometimes I think he went the extra mile to try and bridge the Mom gap when we were with him.

Out of the blue one day he announced that my grandmother had always had beautiful skin. He went on to add that she was religious about moisturizing. I didn’t know where this random thought was coming from, so I just listened. Then it got personal: “It’s really important, Aimee – you need to moisturize.” I didn’t know what to do with this new self-care directive, so I just reminded him, “Dad, I’m 10!”

Parents do their best to impart knowledge to their kids, but never know which lessons will actually stick. Years later, I’m happy to report that this one stayed with me, and I have to acknowledge – he was absolutely right!

Part of the reason I’m sharing online is because when I get excited about things, I want to tell people about them! As you might imagine, I have a favorite moisturizer to share.

I’m a big fan of Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar line. Oprah touted it years ago when the original came on the scene. I tried it and loved it, though it had a couple shortcomings: it separated over time and the smell offended my boyfriend so much, he begged me not to use it when he visited.

Renewed Hope in a Jar came out and solved those problems, plus it was rich and creamy. My skin loved it even more! My only challenge with it was that my skin drank it in so desperately, I found myself regularly slathering on second and third layers. Even so, it’s been my go-to moisturizer for the past few years.

That is, until recently when I tried Renewed Hope in a Jar Water Cream. Ohhh, my goodness! I’d never heard of water cream (which struck me as an oxymoron), so I checked out the details and reviews online. What appealed to me most was “86% increased skin’s hydration level” and “72-hour hydration.” What?! That sounded lofty. And fantastic!

I sprang for a jar and I can’t recall the last time my skin has felt so supple and moist! It contains hyaluronic acid, which Philosophy says is “the ultimate ingredient in hydration…that creates a protective layer that keeps skin plump, smooth and elastic.” I’ve been using it for the past couple months and that’s exactly what I’ve been experiencing.

I’m already looking forward to the possibility of my face not feeling dry and tight this winter. I’ll report back in a few months. In the meantime, I think my dad and my grandmother would approve!