Tinted Moisturisers: Philosophy Vs. Grown Alchemist

What happens when I pit two of my favourite skincare brands against each other?

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All hail! Two of my favourite ever skincare brands now offer two similar, yet very different, tinted moisturisers, just in-time for summer. When the weather gets hot, my foundation usually gets thinner, especially on a day-to-day basis. There's nothing worse than melting, patchy, muddy foundation when the mercury rises (though, more on that another time). So, I tend to lean towards tinted foundations instead, except these two do a lot more than just smooth out your skin tone. They're two of the skincare-makeup hybrids that are making waves in the beauty world right now, which is why I was so excited to trial each of them. My expectations were high, seeing as though I swear by these two brands, so what happened when I pitted them against each other?
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PHILOSOPHY VS. GROWN ALCHEMIST

The first time I wore the Philosophy No Reason To Hide Instant Skin-Tone Perfecting Moisturizer I spent the 30-something degree day at the beach. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to test run the yellow-based tinted moisturiser and it did not disappoint. Applied with my fingers (the best way, in my opinion, to apply such a product), I instantly knew that a little was going to go a long way. I took some time to blend the perfectly and before long I had almost flawless looking skin that didn't look like it had an ounce of makeup on it.

The pink-based Grown Alchemist Tinted Hydra-Repair Day Cream comes out of the pump somewhat thicker than the Philosophy Perfecting Moisturizer, but don't let that fool you; a small amount of the cream covers a lot. It's also a lot darker, but blends out effortlessly even on my pale skin, so that it only looks like I've got a healthy, warm tan. The thing is, despite their colour differences, both seem to adapt well to your own skin tone ('universally adapting', they rightly say), though Philosophy offers two shades, light and medium.

In terms of scent, both have a very subtle fragrance that lingers on the skin; neither unpleasant, but hey, I don't really mind a scent, so long as it isn't too powerful. The Philosophy Moisturizer has a subdued sunscreen smell, due to its SPF 20, which I personally believe is well worth it for the protection alone, whereas the Grown Alchemist Cream has a lovely camellia and geranium blossom scent (all natural, I promise).

The verdict? Well, I'd probably get more wear out of the Philosophy No Reason To Hide Instant Skin-Tone Perfecting Moisturizer purely based on the fact that I don't have perfect skin and prefer that little more coverage that the this tinted moisturiser offers (plus, I could never say no to a dose of SPF!). It is also slightly buildable as well, which is great for those days where my skin tone is wreaking  havoc, whereas the Grown Alchemist Tinted Hydra-Repair Day Cream definitely isn't (I'd stick with the one layer to avoid the cream building unevenly).

However, all that isn't to say I wouldn't use the Grown Tinted Day Cream; after all, I did mention early on that they were very different products. As hydrating as its Philosophy counterpart (if not more), the Grown Alchemist Hydra-Repair Day Cream is perfect for when I'm time-poor and want to add a little sun kissed glow to my complexion (which is, like, everyday). I say time-poor because this glass bottle offers more than just some subtle colour and moisture. It also includes a whole bunch of organic ingredients that soothes the skin whilst also acting as an anti-ager and anti-oxidant (and a whole bunch of other stuff that you can read here).

Did you really think I could choose between two of my all-time favourite beauty brands? Ha!

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