Get through the day with (Philosophy's) Amazing Grace

I received Philosphy's fragrance and bath, shampoo, & shower gel in the scent "Amazing Grace" as a complete random act of kindness from a beloved friend made through MUA. It was a very appropriate gift given with much love and yes grace, at a time when life seemed dark and bleak.

I am very fussy about scents. I prefer them simple, and not too strong. Most designer perfumes give me a headache. So although I appreciated this scent's subtilty, its complexity made it hard for me to decide immediately if I liked it or not. Over the months of using it I've come to love this scent more and more, it surrounds me in a scent of comfort, freshness, and calmness that makes me feel like a lady.


Amazing Grace Spray Fragrance
Philosophy created Amazing Grace to be feminine and subtle, so that others would say, "You smell good" rather than "Your fragrance smells good". A mixture of gentle florals, musk, clean soapiness, with a tangy berry singing through, this scent is now Philosophy's most popular fragrance. Not too sweet or flowery, this fragrance makes me think of pretty dresses, clean laundry, and cuddling someone who has just stepped out of the shower.

I find the cologne manages to last a good couple of hours, without being sickeningly strong at the outset. A feat of chemical engineering I greatly appreciate as it means I don't have to spritz myself, and hold my breath as I dash out the door (yes I really do, do that to avoid initial fragrance headache).

As I wear it, I find the tangy berry fades but the rest of the scent remains essentially the same. When worn on the skin (I tend to spray into my hair and clothes as I find some perfumes cause me to breakout), this fragrance melds with my body heat to smell warmer and deeper bringing out the musk notes. I think it smells sexier when worn this way, but slightly less fresh.

The fragrance retails for £32 at HQhair. Although it is considerably cheaper in the states, UK customs may place a restriction on postage of liquid. So, be sure before you order online.

Perfumed Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel
As a shower gel, this product is fine, its fragrance is true to Amazing Grace (which I've been waffling on long enough), it is moisturising and cleansing. In a bath, it doesn't foam up as much as I'd like, but lack of lauryl sulfate is supposed to be a good thing. But it is as a shampoo that I really really love this pearly pink gel.

Enriched with milk and silk proteins to soften skin and hair, as well as pro-vitamin b5 for hair strength, this is a good-hair-day in a bottle. My only regret is that I cannot use this as a regular shampoo (too expensive), but for special occassions I turn to this. When used with a light conditioner, it gives my hair full bounce and volume without making it flyaway. I can't stop playing with my hair after washing it with this, it feels so silky, fluffy, and light. And it looks SHINY... so shiny. *gets distracted playing with hair again*.

But perhaps the thing I love best about this as a shampoo is that the fragrance lasts in my hair for well over a day. Even after two days my hair still smells faintly of Amazing Grace - it's wonderful to be travelling in a soft, shiny, scented cloud of this fragrance.

The shampoo, bath & shower gel retails for £18. Or if you'd like to try both the fragrance, the shampoo & shower gel, and the firming body lotion, HQhair has a set for £30. It's also worth checking out StrawberryNet as what they do stock from Philosophy is a lot cheaper than HQhair.

On the box & bottle:

Philosophy: how you climb up the mountain is just as important as you get down the mountain. and, so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson. in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.