So the chances are that you have heard of Kiehls. Even if it's just in passing when talking to a friend, reading a blog or even catching a glimpse of some of their products in a tv show (Carrie Bradshaw loves a bit of Kiehls) the name will likely resonate with you on some level. This isn't really surprising as the brand has been around since 1851, but when you learn that the brand doesn't pay for any advertising and just relies on the quality of their products and people's recommendations it's pretty darn impressive. Despite this I didn't really know that much about Kiehls other than that one of my very reliable beauty blogger friends Sophia absolutely raves about thier Midnight Recovery Eye treatment and so I was keen to see what else they had to offer.
After a lovely introduction to the brand and going through a bit of its history, their mission and where, how and why they source their ingredients where they do (this was fascinating but would take me far too long to recount here - ask your local Kiehls!) we had a look around the shop, discussed our favourite products or what we had heard was great and then had a little demo of the two new face masks which have been freshly added to the Kiehls range.
Masque number one was my favourite of the two, the Turmeric and Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque. I was a bit daunted at first at the idea of turmeric in a face masque as this spice is so renound for dying things yellow, but I can confirm that no such stainig occurred and it's purpose along with the cranberry helps even out the skin time. As you can see from the image above the masque also contains cranberry seeds which act as a gentle exfoliator. There isn't a heavy scent to the masque (as there isn't to any Kiehls product) and once left to dry and do its work for ten minutes it sort of tightens as most clay masques would do. Once washed off while gently rubbing the seeds to aid exfoliation it left my skin super smooth and soft and visibly brightened, something I need lots of help with in the cold Winter months. This is definitely one that will be working its way into my bathroom cabinet!
The second masque is the Cilantro and Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque which to me felt more like a moisturising barrier cream in both texture and how you use it as it is recommended that you leave a thin layer on the skin overnight. This is to aid the pollutant defending nature of the masque, helping it protect your skin from the damage of pollutants including the obvious ones like exhaust fumes but also from the damage that electric lighting can do - no really! I want to give this a proper go as I love the idea of what it does and the texture was delightful, sort of halfway between a cream and a gel. I've also read that a lot of people have found it really helps calm down and prevent breakouts and acne scars so I'm very intrigued to test this out myself!
Let me tell you, there is some passion behind this brand. I learnt so much about their heritage and ethics and so much about the products, it was impossible not to get swept up in a Kiehls-y cloud of positivity! After I had left and the fairy dust had settled I thought back on all I had learnt and took a look through the samples I had been given to try out and was still really excited. Something about it just didn't feel gimicky which is truly a marvel compared to most brands out there. It was a wonderful little event and I hope to attend more in the future. I have a facial and skin analysis booked in with the team in a few weeks time which I'll also report back on soon!!
So what did I think of the products I took away with me? You'll have to wait and see next week when my review posts go live!
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