
I don't know if its the weather, a decent run of not sleeping very well or something else entirely - but my skin is not looking its best at the moment.
While I'm not plagued by persistent breakouts or any really notable skin issues, it's just that my skin has been quite lacklustre at the moment which led to an urge to do a big skincare shake up.
Our favourite Kiehl's products
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Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing & Dark Circle-Diminishing Vitamin C Eye Serum
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The shake up I came up with was to swap my under-achieving skincare routine out for a routine made up entirely of Kiehl's products. 11 of them in fact. Here are the details:
My skin type: Dry, freckly and partial to the odd hormonal breakout
How I tested: I swapped out my usual skincare routine for a routine made up of 11 of Kiehl's best selling products for two weeks.
The best selling Kiehl′s products I tested
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Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing & Dark Circle-Diminishing Vitamin C Eye Serum
Read more
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Is Kiehl's cruelty-free?
As Kiehl's distributes products in countries where animal testing is required by law, it can't be considered a cruelty-free brand.
Is Kiehl’s vegan?
Kiehl's doesn't advertise itself as a vegan brand, as many of their products contain honey and beeswax.
Even if a product doesn't contain animal-derived ingredients, the fact that the brand hasn't achieved cruelty-free status means none of the products can technically be considered truly vegan.
Is Kiehl’s good?
After testing out this products consistently for a couple of weeks, I consider myself a Kiehl's convert.
All of the products I tried were high-quality and backed by research, and I'll be making most of them a part of my regular skincare rotation - and you can read through my full review to see why.
Pros
Feels hydrating
Sinks in quickly
Colour correcting effect
Cons
Expensive for an eye cream
Prior to trying this eye cream, I'd has my suspicions that eye creams were just regular face moisturiser thats been repackaged in a smaller pot in an attempt to get consumers to spend more.
This eye cream, however, has changed my mind completely. Thick and nourishing, its been infused with avocado oil, and shea butter for a serious dose of hydration.
Despite having a rich and creamy formula the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment sinks in quickly, with the green pigment in the cream (very slightly) helping to blur my dark circles.
Pros
Nourishing
Seals in moisture
Cons
Texture makes it difficult to apply an even layer
This super-gentle mask has been made with avocado fruit extract, avocado oil and evening primrose oil, three powerhouse ingredients that work to seal in moisture and leave skin feeling replenished.
My only complaint with this product is that it's a little messy. Spreading an even layer onto my face was tricky was there's lots of little chunks of avocado, and the post-facial clean up was a bit of a nightmare.
On the other hand, the green mask makes for a great Self Care Sunday selfie, so you win some, you lose some.
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Pros
12.5% Vitamin C
Includes hyaluronic acid for hydration
Provides antioxidant protection
Doesn't pill under moisturiser or SPF
Cons
Strong fragrance
With 12.5% vitamin C, this serum is one of the strongest you'll find on the market and will therefore provide some powerful anti-ageing benefits.
While I didn't see a radical reduction in fine lines (I'm also 27 so I don't have a great deal to worth with yet) I do enjoy the free-radical protection this serum provides.
Additionally, the serum also includes a boost of hyaluronic acid to retain moisture and keep skin hydrated.
Pros
Provides antioxidant protection
Gentle enough to be used daily
Formula contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin for hydration
Lightweight and sinks in quickly
Cons
Didn't see a reduction of dark circles
Formulated to reduce fine lines and diminish dark circles, this vitamin C eye serum is the perfect accompaniment to the above serum.
Containing 10% vitamin C along with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and tri-peptide, this serum packs a punch with a few anti-aging heavy weights in the ingredients list.
Good things take time and I've only been using this eye serum for a couple of weeks, so while it feels nice and I'd like to hope its preventing wrinkles I haven't seen any miraculous reduction in my dark circles just yet.
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Pros
Deeply hydrating
Gives the skin a good glow
Layers on top of serums without pilling
Cons
Strong fragrance
This is a Kiehl's product I've been hearing about for years, so I was very excited to get my hands on it and try it out for myself.
I'm glad to say this face oil lived up to the hype for me, and was perfect for giving my dry skin a boost of hydration overnight.
The formula uses a blend of seed, plant, and flower oils to fight fine lines and improve skin texture, and while I haven't noticed a miraculous transformation in the few weeks I've been using it, I am enjoying waking up with a bit more glow than I'm used to.
Pros
Feels like it's deeply cleaning your pores
Perfect for after heavy makeup
Good for oily skin types
Cons
May be too drying for dry skin
If you're anything like me and it gets to Sunday and it feels like your pores are crying out for a deep clean, this Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque may be a good addition to your skincare routine.
The formulation counts Amazonian White Clay among its ingredients, which is known to draw our impurities and reduce oil in order to make pores appear smaller.
As someone who can be a little heavy handed with my foundation, every now and then I like to use a clay masque so I can give my skin a deeper clean and feel like I'm getting deeper into my pores.
I do have dry skin so I have to be careful not to leave the masque on for too long or it can be a little drying, so keep that in mind if you have a similar skin type.
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Pros
Sinks in quickly
Gives skin a radiant glow
Non-comedogenic
Provides antioxidant protection
Cons
Can pill if you don't wait long enough after applying serums
As I've already mentioned a couple of times, my skin is super dry and tends to lack any sort of radiance.
I'm a big fan of face oils to help combat this and try to give my complexion a little more oomph, and this Daily Reviving Concentrate help to provide just that.
Especially helpful if I'm running low on sleep or a little hungover, the fatigue-fighting formulation includes ginger root, sunflower oil and Tamanu oil to help my skin look glowy throughout the day while also providing antioxidant protection.
My only note would be that you should be careful to wait a few minutes after applying your serum to avoid pilling.
Pros
Formula includes peptides and ceramides for a healthy skin barrier
Gentle enough to be used nightly
Didn't cause dryness or redness
Cons
Didn't see a noticeable reduction of fine lines
While vitamin C is a skincare buff's go-to for anti-ageing in a morning routine, once night falls it's retinols time to shine.
Retinol has been known to reduce fine lines, improve skin texture and fade dark spots over time. I've seen significant improvements in my skin using retinol serums, and this one is up there with the best I've tried.
I've tried retinol serums in the past that have had a significant purging stage that has left me with a few pimples, this one from Kiehl's didn't have any unwanted side effects to speak of.
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Pros
Effectively removes heavy makeup
Works well with Midnight Recovery Serum
Cons
Strong fragrance
If I was on a desert island and had to whittle down my skincare routine down to just two or three products, an oil cleanser would be on the list.
Discovering double cleansing was a revolution for me, and as oil cleansers go this one from Kiehl's is a fantastic option. Lightweight yet powerful, the squalene-enhanced cleanser melts away makeup with ease without leaving my skin feeling stripped.
If you have super sensitive skin the fragrance might be a little irritating, but it didn't cause any grief for me.
Pros
Removes dirt and impurities effectively
Leaves skin feeling squeaky clean
Alcohol-free formula
Cons
Foam may be drying on dry skin
As I wear quite a think layer of makeup, even after my oil cleanser I feel like my skin still needs a good clean.
This cleanser has been formulated for normal-to-oily skin, and mine is on the dry side so although this wasn't made with my skin in mind I've still enjoyed using it.
Crucially, the cleanser has been formulated without alcohol so even though it has a foaming formulation it isn't overly drying and it feels like your skin is getting a deep clean.
This probably isn't a cleanser I'd reach for every day, but if I've worn more makeup than usual this face wash does a good job of leaving my complexion feeling squeaky clean.
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Pros
Clarifies and exfoliates
Effectively cleans
Leaves skin looking brighter
Cons
Might be too harsh for daily use
I was put off face scrubs in high school after a few over-enthusiastic dalliances with microbeads left me with dry and irritated skin that took a couple of months to bounce back.
Since then I've stuck to chemical exfoliants to avoid irritation, so I was a little tentative to try this brightening cleanser as it uses Pearlstone to physically exfoliate and buff away dead skin cells.
I found the Pearlstone to be a far more gentle (and natural) alternative to microbeads, and while I wouldn't use this cleanser every day I did find my skin looked brighter and felt significantly softer after using it.