Let’s talk about my experience trying a Kiehl’s based skincare routine today.

Hello, everyone! Today’s post is a bit different from my usual content on the blog and is about and itself an experiment. I’d love to hear how you feel about this and if you’d like to see more of these ‘experiments’.

Let me start off by saying, I don’t consider myself someone who is particularly interested in fashion or beauty. I am horrible at using most makeup, I can honestly barely even put on lipstick without messing up. I may not be interested in beauty but I have recently been developing some interest in Skincare. The obvious question is, why is that?

Well, for one, skin care is more about health than ‘beauty’ per se. Second, I have struggled with my skin for years. I have sensitive skin that is acne prone, dry and oily at the same time, scars very easily and in general, has been quite difficult to me throughout my teenage. Now, that my teenage is nearly over(Just a month to go, yay!)  I am noticing that I have fewer breakouts and the oiliness is going down, but it is not magically 100 per cent clear and I don’t expect it to be.  Something I’d love to take into my 20’s is a skincare regime that works and also, more love for the skin I’ve basically hated for 7 years now.

I do have a general regime of sorts, I use a neem-based Face wash for acne prone skin, aloe vera gel as a toner, an SPF lotion, a bit of moisturizer if my skin is feeling a bit dry and lip balm in my routine. I’ll also use a scrub weekly and a face pack once in a while. While it seems like an okay regime to me, I’ve always wondered if there is something I could use to make my skin be its best, be clearer, more manageable and most importantly, healthier?

With that, I’d like to launch into this experiment itself. I happened to see a sign outside a Kiehl’s store that said that you could get a free skin health checkup an nd 5 samples of their recommendation. Being a college student(You know how the word free is for college kids), I jumped up at the chance and went in and had the check up and was duly given the samples and was ready to go.

The Checkup

I met with one of their skin specialists who checked the oiliness of various parts of my face and we discussed my skin concerns, what I already do, what I would like to introduce etc. My combination skin, it’s acne prone nature, acne scars etc. were brought up and I told her I’d like products I can use to prevent it from flaring up and stay healthy.

The Recommendations

She recommended the following products to me and gave me samples for each of them. I had to use them in the order in which they are listed as part of my ‘ Kiehl’s recommended’ skincare regime.

1. Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Brightening & Exfoliating Daily Cleanser(A face cleanser)
2. Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner Alcohol-free (A toner)
3. Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution( A solution for skin discolourations)
4. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream(A face moisturizer)
5. Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense(A SPF lotion)

The Experiment

I replaced my regular skincare routine entirely with their recommended products and used it for about 3 weeks which was the average time most samples lasted. Throughout the experiment, I did updates on my Instagram (Which is @musingsofawhimsicalsoul, if you’re interested you can follow me for behind the scenes content here )

Over the course of this experiment, I tried to stick to only the Kiehl’s regime as far as possible. I made updates on my trials and tribulations(Always the dramatic) with the products on my Instagram stories, some of which I  am sharing here as they cover pretty much all of my initial experience with the routine.

The verdict: Did it work? Is it worth the money?

I started my verdict with my one week review Instagram story because my opinions didn’t change much over the course of the experiment and we can talk about each product individually as I transcribe(And some)

1. Clearly Corrective Brightening and Exfoliating face cleanser: I like the face cleanser: I like the face cleanser! Once I got through the minor hiccup of getting it out, it works well and my face feels and looks clean and bright after!
2. Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner: I like the toner too, it feels hydrating and my skin continues feeling clean after applying it.
3. Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution: I dont know about the spot solution because I was told to not expect much from it as it a long term product. It doesn’t feel heavy though.
4. Ultra facial cream: I’m not sure about the moisturiser because I’m noticing little bumps on my face and i did use my usual exfoliating scrub. These resolved after a while but were due to the moisturiser being heavy on parts of my face. My skin also felt a little dry. (Combination skin is such a boon, I tell you.)
5. Ultra Light Daily UV Defense: The SPF seems okay although I look white as a ghost when I first put it on. (And it gave me a great fright one day) but it eventually gets absorbed.

According to the Kiehl’s website, the total price for each of these products comes to around $170, with the products having an average price of $34. I dont know about you, but I find this to be a pretty hefty amount to pay for skincare. I would be willing to do it if it made some great difference but the truth is, it didn’t. My skin was pretty much how it usually is, I had dryness, oiliness, minor breakouts and it felt pretty much the way it usually does. I realize this could be because I didn’t give the products enough time, or that samples aren’t enough to realize how good/bad a product is. Still, I can tell you for now that I do not feel like Kiehl’s is worth it. This is an opinion that could change but let it be stated I won’t be adding any Kiehl’s product to my skincare regime right now.

And, that’s all for me trying high-end skincare in the form of Kiehl’s!

THIS POST’S QUESTION: Have you ever tried Kiehl’s or some other high end skincare brand? Do you think it’s worth it? Comment below with what you think about it,I’d love to hear from you!