Kiehl's Skincare Routine: Thoughts and Review

Hello lovelies!

I’ve been waiting a long time to post about this, and while I will be making a video about it very soon, that will be more of an overview of my entire skincare routine. So, I’ll take this opportunity to be especially rambly and detailed! Lucky you!

So first of all, let me tell you about my skin. If you watch my videos, which I’m assuming most of you do, you’ll know that my skin is incredibly acne-prone and sensitive. So many skincare and makeup products have broken me out or irritated my skin in one way or another. In terms of oiliness, my skin is combination-oily, but tends to get really flaky dry patches during the winter. In the summer, I’m a sweater, so I’m usually quite shiny... and blackheads are always a gross issue. 

So back in February, I decided that I needed a new skincare regimen. My Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash had done its job, but was starting to really dry out my skin and irritate it. So, I popped into a Kiehl’s boutique and asked them for help!

I came out of there with two new products: their Foaming Non-Detergent Washable Cleanser for combination or oily skin type, and their Blemish Control Daily Skin Clearing Cream Treatment. 

For 250 ml, this cost roughly $30 CDN

This cost around $35 CDN, but a little goes a long way!

So the cleanser is a liquid consistency, reminiscent of hand soap. I squeeze a dime-sized amount onto my Shiseido face brush and scrub gently for at least a minute. It foams up a little bit, but the amount of lather isn’t really something that makes or breaks a product for me- it often has little to do with how effective it actually is! 

The consistency of the cleanser

So 4 months later, I’m happy to report that my skin has ceased in its flaky ways, and is doing pretty well. A few other factors have caused breakouts, as is often the case with acne-prone and sensitive skin, such as changes in the weather/humidity, stress (final university semester = loads of it!), hormones, the wrong foundation, etc.

Small sidebar… One thing to mention is that this cleanser does contain parabens, specifically methylparaben and ethylparaben. Parabens seem to be the hot topic lately, so I thought I'd cover it a bit for those of you who are interested. There’s tons of research and information out there about parabens, so if you need to brush up on your chemistry, the information is readily available online. I’ll just say that parabens are very far down on the list of ingredients for this cleanser. It’s on my skin for about 60 seconds, then rinsed off, so, in my totally non-expert opinion, if I’m going to be using something with parabens in it, it makes sense to me that a cleanser is probably one of the best options, rather than a moisturizer that is sitting on my skin all day. Again, totally a non-expert, but I’m basing this off of quite a bit of Googling. And I think I'm a darn good Googler...

…Which brings me to the other product I bought, the spot treatment/skin healer. While I really do like this, it’s more of an all-over treatment rather than a spot treatment. It only has 1.5% salicylic acid. To be honest, it doesn’t have enough power to take down the kind of zits I get (painful, cystic acne. Yuck.), so I use it nightly on my t-zone, which is my most acne-prone area. For spots, I swear by Murad’s spot treatment, which uses sulfur and salicylic acid as its main active ingredients. 

The thing that I really like about Kiehl’s blemish control product is that it does actually help to heal the skin, as advertised. Previous treatments I’ve tried have made my skin feel very tight, and did nothing to heal the broken skin around the pimples. I find this product to be soothing, mild, and effective. Win!

So for my first foray into Kiehl’s skincare, I think I did pretty well! Two products that work for me, and don’t break me out. What are the odds?! Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket or something...

xox Chloe

AM Facial Care Routine!

We all want clear beautiful skin, but sometimes we need to take steps to achieve that "perfect" skin. Unfortunately, not all products work for everyone, but you can get some ideas on what may work for you! Now I don't have perfect skin, I still suffer from a blemish or two during that wonderful time of the month (sarcasm!). But I have found some wonderful products to share.

I should mention that my skin is normal with some oily spots on my cheeks and chin.

Face wash: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild

I love the fact that this product is a gel-like substance. You need a very minimal amount and it works up a good lather. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling dried out. Price $16.00. The product lasts me about two months. Available at http://www.clinique.com or Macy's.

Scrub: Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

I recently discovered this product when Macy's was having a promotion for Clinique. I got it for free and now I love it! I only use it twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. It is mild enough to use every day, but I don't feel I need to. Full size product is $18.50.

Astringent: Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion

I'm not quite sure why it is called lotion because it's not. haha. I use this on face as soon as it dries with a cotton swab. This product leaves my skin feeling fresh and very clean. It was the biggest factor in clearing up my face. Breakouts are very rare for me now. Price $14.00 and it also lasts about two months. Available at the same locations as above!

Eye Serum: Clinique All About Eyes Serum

This is a roll on serum that I use everyday. It helps with eye puffiness and lightens black circles. It takes a few minutes to dry, but that's the only downfall. Price $26.00. I bought it about a month and a half ago and it barely looks used.

Eye Cream: Avon ANEW Rejuvenate (24Hour Eye Moisturizer)

It is a two in one eye cream. There is a night time gel moisturizer included. It has SPF 25. Now I don't really have any "crows feet" or bad wrinkles, but this cream has lightened up the area around my eyes and has made them really smooth. Price $28.00. I didn't pay full price for this item, I actually bought a trial sale kit that included a full size eye cream. Available at http://www.avon.com or your local Avon representative.

Face Cream: Avon ANEW Rejuvenate (Revitalizing Cream)

SPF 25. It is a non greasy face cream, which for me is hard to find. It is very light and makes a good base for my make-up. This product has made my face very smooth. Love it! Price $30.00 for the full size but I got the trial size.

Well I believe I have told you everything, ha ha, so feel free to leave comments!

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Bye!

Beginnings: Bio Oil

Hi!

So tonight I embarked on a new journey... The Bio-Oil Journey... (**cue sappy music?**)

I bought a bottle of it at Winners (FYI they had it for $15 instead of $20!) and used it tonight for a face massage. My most recent breakout situation (see my Acne: Solved post) will no doubt leave me with some scarring to deal with... but not without me putting up a fight!

Bio Oil- photo from Google

I have been curious about Bio Oil for quite a while. A few times I've actually had it in my hand at the store, but never ended up buying it.

I've heard both glowing and scathing reviews on this stuff, so I'm going into this with an open mind. I don't have high expectations, but I don't have zero expectations either. I'd like to notice a difference/improvement, but I'm not calling for a miracle. Not all of my acne scars will be gone, and that's okay!

If nothing else, it works well as a facial massage oil! Haha :)

Have you tried Bio Oil? I'd love to hear about your experiences with it!

xox Chloe

EDIT/UPDATE: This stuff broke me out like crazy after a few days. Fail. 

Acne: Solved!

Hi girls,

So maybe you've noticed in my (few) videos since early September, or you've heard me complain on Twitter... but since September, my acne was back. In full force. Read: BAD. I have a video on YT from a year ago about my struggles with acne, but I'll summarize it here.

In high school, particularly grade 9 and 10, I had terrible cystic acne (and glasses and braces and baby fat... hot, I know! hah). During an unrelated checkup at the doctor, he noticed my acne and prescribed me some topical treatments and pills to help with it. By the middle of grade 11, my acne was under control, and by grade 12, all I was left with were the scars (which I'm still trying to get rid of!).

SO... early September, I decided I wanted to have a "grown-up" skincare routine. I had been using mostly Clean & Clear stuff, particularly their Contiuous Control Acne wash. At that point I was just finishing my third bottle of it, and thought this would be a good time to transition into something else.

So I went to Shoppers and they had a special on the Clinique 3-Step system. I had heard nice things about it, so I got it in #3 (combo-oily skin type). I got the bar soap, an exfoliating toner, and a gel moisturizer. For the first few weeks, it was going great. I loved all of it. I included it in my September favourites video!

But then.... (dun dun dun) I noticed lingering zits and a whole lot of bumps on my forehead and t-zone. I even got a few big zits under my eyes! Gross! It didn't even cross my mind that it was my soap that was doing this to me.

I was also concerned because I had also recently bought a new foundation (in mid-October). But I did some math and figured out that I had been noticing the acne before I bought my new makeup. Cue sigh of relief... but... where was this acne coming from? I voiced my concerns to my mother, and she just laughed and said Clinique was way too gentle to break me out, and that it must be something else. I bought the Murad spot treatment, and that did a lovely job at getting rid of the zits, but new ones just kept on coming.

Wow the lighting makes this look nasty.

I was in denial for a while, but then I decided to cut the soap out, cold turkey. I went and bought another bottle of the Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash (which has not been discontinued here in Canada... apparently the US has axed it?!). Saturday, December 4 was the last day I used the Clinique soap, and already the difference is INSANE. I used to have all these little clusters of bumps (not quite a blackhead, but not quite a pimple), and they were gone within 2 days. I had about 4 deep-set zits (cystic) on my forehead, and they're all mostly faded without having "come to fruition".

Magic

I'm still able to use the toner and moisturizer. But I have no clue what was in the soap that made my skin freak out. It's the same thing with Revlon foundation. Good for 2 weeks or so, and then WHAM! Breakout.

Needless to say, this has reinforced my love for Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash. I'm sorry I abandoned you! This also goes to show that even the gentlest cleanser can break you out, and that the culprit may be your cleanser if you're having a bad breakout situation!


xox Chloe