Whew!

The last month has been absolutely ridiculous between sorority obligations, finishing my thesis, and taking a quick trip to New York to check out my grad program, and finally graduating. While I may have been a slacker in terms of posting, several beauty standouts have emerged in my stash of goods as champion stress combatants, the foremost being Philosophy's When Hope is Not Enough serum.

I first stumbled upon this serum last winter after extensive research into age prevention and antioxidant skincare ingredients. While many brands flaunt unique plant derivatives as miracle cell rejuvenators, I find a lot of products on the market frankly to be mostly hype and gimmick. This is not to say that something boasting a molecule derived from orchids that is apparently the reason for the flower's longevity won't be a lovely moisturizer, but rather that it's ridiculous to charge $360 for 1.7 oz (I'm looking at you, Guerlain). Ultimately there are only a few ingredients that have solid scientific evidence to back up them up. As the April 2007 issue of "Allure" discusses in the article "Skin Saviors", retinol- a vitamin A derivative- is proven to stimulate cell turnover and increase collagen production as do peptides- protein fragments-, and antioxidants such as vitamin C and green tea combat free radicals and protect skin from environmental damage throughout the day. There is also significant research saying that antioxidants are brilliant for reviving the skin when you're overly stressed and tired, i.e. the story of my life. Finding a reasonably priced no-frills serum with these key ingredients is more difficult than it sounds, especially one that isn't loaded with silicone which has no real benefit for skin other than making it feel nice and helping foundation glide on smoothly (if that sounds nice try Smashbox Photo Finish primer). After hours of Internet research and a big chunk of time spent investigating product consistency at Sephora, When Hope is Not Enough emerged as one of the best contenders.

The watery gel consistency is perfect for reviving tired skin in the morning or during the day, and the light herbal rosemary scent is definitely an aromatherapy perk. It seems expensive at $35 a pop, but a good friend's aunt has a point when she says a good skincare regimen now will save you thousands on surgery later. I've also found that 2-3 drops does the trick, although Philosophy recommends 6. After using this serum for about 5 months I find that I don't look as tired as I used to and when I get a minor acne flare-up it heals quicker. Not convinced? I used this religiously during my hectic and virtually sleepless trip to the east coast then had to go to a formal dance after being awake for nearly 20 hours and was told repeatedly that I looked fabulous. I recommend using When Hope Is Not Enough with a moisturizer that packs a solid retinol punch like Philosophy's Hope In a Jar.