It's been over a year (already!) since the first Kiehl's store opened in Cebu . For the longest time, I was only ever using their li...

Kiehl's: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser, conditioner, and BB cream

12:32 AM Joanna C. 0 Comments

It's been over a year (already!) since the first Kiehl's store opened in Cebu. For the longest time, I was only ever using their lip gloss and lip balm. Now that the store's here, I have not stopped using the brand since the opening.

I just wanted to be honest about the experiences I've had with their products. Some are hits, while others are misses.

Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser,
Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream


Perhaps one of the brand's most popular products is the Midnight Recovery Concentrate and is the best thing I've tried from Kiehl's. This stuff replaced my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair as part of my anti-aging nighttime routine. I don't use this every single night because it is expensive at P2,895 per bottle. But even if I did, it would still last a long time because you only need three drops per use. I put one drop each on my forehead and each cheek, then massage it in. When I remember, I put a drop on my neck, too.

The product absorbs immediately and isn't greasy. Every time I wake up after using this, my skin just looks and feels really supple, healthy and even.

The Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB cream is always with me when I travel. It doesn't streak at all like some BB creams do, provides light coverage to even out the complexion, and really saves me on hot days with SPF50 and no caking. At P1,995, this is an expensive BB cream, so I don't know yet if I love it enough to repurchase.

I have mixed feelings about the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser. I like that it cleanses the face well without any stinging or tightness. But I've found you really need to use a makeup remover first because this isn't very good at removing makeup. This leaves skin clean and soft, and for P1,095 you get a lot of product in 150ml. (The tube looks smaller than normal because I've cut it open to get out the remaining amount.) For the price, though, I wish it would do more.

The Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner is supposed to be good for dry hair. My hair is not particularly dry, but I want to nourish it as much as possible because I do color it regularly. (What was too dry, which was half my length, was chopped off earlier this year!) While the conditioner is good enough because you don't need a lot, and it conditions without weighing down hair, I didn't really see a remarkable difference in the softness or smoothness of my hair. I was expecting more for something that cost over P1,000.

I still like Kiehl's as a brand, but based on my experiences and the reviews I've read online, some products work well on some people, but not on others. I would say save your money with the cleanser and conditioner and splurge on the Midnight Recovery Concentrate instead. I'm still looking to try their other products and will review those in the future.

I talked about Bioderma micellar water and a few other products in my beauty column a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to expound a bit...

Review: Bioderma micellar water

1:57 PM Joanna C. 0 Comments


I talked about Bioderma micellar water and a few other products in my beauty column a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to expound a bit more on this wonder product here on my blog. 

As I said in my column: For years I’ve heard of this cult product, but never tried it until recently. For this one, I must say the hype is real. Several drops on one cotton ball or pad is enough to remove a full day’s worth of makeup with no stinging, no stickiness and no tight feeling. It really does feel like water when you’re wiping it on your face, but removes all traces of makeup. This is probably the lazy girl’s answered prayer to cleansing the face at the end of the day. I use this as a makeup remover then follow it with facial wash, so that my facial wash is actually cleansing my skin instead of working to remove makeup.

I should've started using makeup remover sooner. I was noticing that quite a lot of makeup was still coming off on my cotton ball/pad of toner even after washing my face. I've found that if you wear makeup everyday like me, it is ideal to remove makeup first so that your facial wash can do its job better. I think this will also work well for those with sensitive skin because there is no burning or stinging whatsoever. And, if you hate oily makeup removers, this isn't greasy at all.

I got this 500ml bottle for about P920 from Dara Beauty Market in La Guardia, Lahug, which I've been visiting frequently because of their lower-than-retail prices for authentic beauty products.