Empties: In With the Old, In With the New! Part 2

And this is the official last empties post from 2017! After the previous empties post part 1, which focused on cleansers, we're going to look at all the other various leave-on products! There's quite a lot to go through here, including masks, lotions, moisturizers, sunscreens, and more!

Aaaand, this is the last of the 2017 empties!

Truth be told, I'm always surprised by how much skincare I use up whenever I do one of these empties posts, especially because I don't think of myself as the kind of person who religiously masks her face every week or even slaps on serum every night! Believe it or not, when I'm really tired after a long day of work, I go to bed with no skincare on! The very horror! But sometimes you just gotta sleep, you know? In any case, I attribute my ability to use up my skincare to my large face, haha. I guess a larger surface area does use up more product!


There's a lot of empties here to round off 2017 - I'm surprised I used up all this!
So, let's get started, and finally wrap up 2017 in beauty on this blog!

Kiehl’s Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque was just launched earlier in April, and I fully expect this mask to be popular for one big reason - calendula. If you're familiar with the Kiehl's brand, then you'll know that one of the bestselling flagship products is the Kiehl's Calendula Toner, as a gentle and hydrating toner (which I'm also using right now - I need to get around to reviewing this one day!). Of course, the product line also includes a Calendula Foaming Face Wash. Now, the Calendula line of products has been extended further with the introduction of the Calendula & Aloe Masque, which is a pretty smart move given the popularity of the Calendula range.

Kiehl’s Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque: The latest addition to the calendula range of products

According to Kiehl's, the Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque has "hand-picked Calendula flower petals and Aloe Vera, [and] bursts into a refreshing surge of cooling hydration upon application to instantly achieve hydrated and soothed skin". Kiehl's also claims that you only need to leave this mask on for 5 minutes to get the hydrating and soothing effects, although you can leave it on longer if you wish. The product is suitable for both day and night use, but night use is preferable.


Kiehl’s Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque: Kiehl's claims a 5 minute application is sufficient
So, does the Calendula & Aloe Masque live up to its claims? Can it really soothe the skin? Well, we'll find out by looking at the ingredients inside the mask!

Skincare Empties Part 2: Essences, Serums, Acne Products, Masks, and Eye Creams

After the last empties post part 1, here's part 2, where we look at the rest of the skincare products that I've managed to use up over the past few months!

All my skincare empties accumulated over the past few months!

In the last post, we looked at makeup removers, cleansers, sunscreens, lotions, toners, and moisturizers. In this post we'll be looking at essences, serums, eye creams, acne products, and a Vitamin C powder, which is very interesting.


What we'll be looking at today! Serums, essences, acne products, masks, eye creams and the like
Some of these empties were products that I really liked, and some were products that were kind of eh-okay, but ended up getting used up for whatever reasons. As we run through the list, you'll figure out which is which. So, let's get started!

Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate has launched earlier this month, and this is probably Kiehl's largest launch for the year! The Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate claims to utilize quinoa seed extract to exfoliate the skin, and it claims to be effective at exfoliating, but at a lower risk than a typical at-home peel product. Obviously, the quinoa is pretty intriguing at first glance - it's been a pretty popular health food as of late, and now it looks like the fad has made its way into our beauty products too!

Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate: Kiehl's largest launch of the year

Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate is supposed to be a gentle exfoliant that can be used everyday, and is safe for sensitive skin. It's meant as a night treatment, rather than a day product. Kiehl's also recommends that the product be used after toner, but before serum. And for those who are familiar with the old Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel, I was also told that the Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate would be replacing this product, and the Overnight Biological Peel will be discontinued.


Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate: A gentle but effective peel you can use everyday
Of course, since this is a peel product, we'll have to answer lots of questions: What's the exfoliating agent? Is it really quinoa seed extract? And is this really a gentle but effective peel? And how does it compare to the old Overnight Biological Peel? We'll be answering those questions, and of course, to do that, we'll start at the ingredients list. Of course, this is going to be a pretty long review, so make yourself comfortable while you read this, and off we go!

Kiehl's Masques Review: Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance, Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending

Kiehl's Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque and Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque are two new face masks that the brand has launched for the new year. As you probably know, I've reviewed quite a few Kiehl's products over the years and am a fairly huge Kiehl's fan, so I was pretty excited about these. I've actually recently used up a (pretty large) tube of their Rare Earth Masque, which was featuerd in my latest empties post, so I'm pretty excited to see how these masks (is it masques or masks? I'm just going to use them interchangeably, because other than the more French-looking spelling of "masques" I can't really discern any difference in meaning between the two) fare.

Kiehl's Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque and Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque

The two masques each come with different claims: the Tumeric and Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque claims to "recharge your skin's youthful glow" and "brightens dull, fatigued skin", while the Cilanro and Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque claims to "replenish essential nutrients to depleted cells" so that "lines are minimized, rough texture is smoothed and dullness is diminished". So depending on your skin type, you might prefer one or the other - or you could even be happy with both masks!

In line with the new trend of multi-masking, I was also told that you can use more than one mask at a time. so for example, if your T-zone is oily but the rest of your face is dry, you can use one mask on your cheeks, another on your forehead and T-zone area, and so on. You can either layer masks on top of each other, or apply different masks to different parts of the face. The possibilities are endless!


The Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque and Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque are the first launches of 2016
So, let's take a closer look at both masques, and we'll start right at the ingredients lists! From there, we'll be able to see what's in the masques, and how they work, and better help us decide whether these are the right masques for your skin.

Empties Galore Part 2: Makeup I've Used Up!

Alright, you've seen my skincare empties in the previous post, and now, we're moving on to the makeup items that I've used up in the past 6 months or so! (There's also a skincare item that I forgot about for the previous post - oops - but otherwise, all the other items are makeup!) I'm pretty excited to talk about some of the items here, because some of these items are really my makeup staples, and although I don't often talk about them on my blog, they are some of the day-to-day backbone-of-my-routine type products.

Makeup and skincare empties that I can finally say I've used up in 2015!

On reflection, it's pretty appropriate that this post is going live on the last day of the year, because it really has that "out with the old, in with the new" vibe. And while I'm excited for the new products that I will be buying this upcoming year, it's also weirdly satisfying to see that I managed to use up some of my older products, too.

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

So, without further ado, let's get started!

Empties Galore Part 1: Skincare I've Used Up!

It's been awhile since my last empties post, and since this is the end of the year, it seemed appropriate to have an "in with the new, out with the old" empties post! And since my last post, I have accumulated a good number of empties, if I do say so myself! I think I've even accumulated more empties this time round, as compared to the last post, so I consider this to be a "massive empties" acheivement unlocked!

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

While empties posts might seem puzzling to most people, as a beauty junkie with a fairly considerable stash accumulated over time, actually using up products can be a tad of a struggle sometimes. So when I do use up things, I always feel pretty happy - it's like I've successfully cleared space in my stash for more beauty products! And empties posts are always a great opportunity for me to reflect on which are the products I've liked, and kept using, and why.


Acheivement unlocked: lots of skincare and makeup empties from a variety of brands
And I do have quite a lot of empties this time round, from makeup to skincare and more, so I'm pretty excited to share my thoughts with you! At first, I tried to cram all my thoughts into one single post, but then I realized that it would be a pretty long post. So, I've decided to split this post into 2 parts! We'll take a look at the skincare I've used up first, since it's the foundation of any beauty routine, and then in the next post we'll look at makeup!

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate is Kiehl's latest face oil, and is the day counterpart to their iconic product, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate (which I've made mentioned of on my blog before). The idea behind the Daily Reviving Concentrate is that you use it during the day to protect your skin, and you use the Midnight Recovery Concentrate during the night to help your skin repair itself. For facial oil lovers, this is pretty great!

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: A companion to the iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate

The Kiehl's website calls this a face oil that "strengthens skin’s defenses against daily aggressors to keep skin youthful and radiant-looking all day", and "provides antioxidant protection with a powerful blend of naturally-derived oils, including Ginger Root, Sunflower and Tamanu". It also claims to be "Paraben free, 100% natural origin, Mineral oil free, Non-comedogenic, Non-acnegenic". I guess that's going to appeal to a lot of people!


Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: The latest facial oil product from the brand
Of course, I'm sure there will be questions - for one, what is in the Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate that's so special? And can a facial oil really be non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic? We shall see!

Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence Review, Ingredients Analysis and Q&A

Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is one of the brand's major launches for the year - it's a brand new product, rather than an extension of an existing line, so that's pretty cool. According to the Kiehl's websites, the Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is an "essential 'first step' anti-aging treatment to maintain skin’s youthful texture, reduce fine lines, and activate radiance", and a "multi-action treatment essence for youthful, radiant skin".

If you're familiar with the concept of lotions (which have been very popular in Asia and beyond over the past few years), then the Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is essentially a similar product - basically, a light, watery lotion that you can apply on your face before heavier creams and treatments, like face creams and so on. Kiehl's claims that applying this lotion first "optimizes penetration of subsequent skin treatments", and I've seen similar claims made by other brands which sell lotion of their own.



As with all my other skincare reviews, this review starts off with the ingredients list, only this time, I've also managed to get answers from Kiehl's too, which is pretty exciting! Since not every brand is as open to answering questions about their products (especially questions like mine, which are more about the ingredients and formulation, rather than things like "is this better for oily skin or dry skin", which can be tougher to answer), I'm really happy and thankful that Kiehl's didn't shy away from answering my questions. In fact, I think they've got some pretty good responses, as we shall soon see!

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Review and Ingredients Analysis (Reformulated Version)

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen with SPF50 PA++++ protection is new from Kiehl's this summer! I know I've already done a previous post on the Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen, but this time round, the brand has reformulated its much-loved sunscreen, and so here is a "re-review" of the sunscreen. After all, summer is the time when people start paying attention to sunscreens, and since I gave the previous iteration of the Ultra Light Daily Defense a pretty good review, I thought it's good to check in again, to see if it's still deserving of the nice things I said about it the last time round.

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen: Still with SPF50, but now with PA++++

As you can tell, the packaging is pretty much still the same. Kiehl's claims that the new formulation of the sunscreen now offers better anti-aging protection, and in particular UVA protection (the type of sun exposure that causes long term aging - if you haven't yet, you can learn more in my post about sunscreen tips). This reformulation of the Ultra Light Daily UV Defense keeps the SPF value at SPF50, but the PA is now PA++++ rather than PA+++ as in the old formula.


Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense: With PA++++ instead of PA+++ for better anti-aging benefit
On a side note, I wish I had used the same bright orange paper background that I used the last time I reviewed the old formulation of the sunscreen, instead of this off-white cloth background. The off-white shade, combined with the various shades of white the sunscreen tube and box were, really messed up the white balance on the camera, and there's only so much GIMP can do to correct it. Oh well, the review is still written with the same set of brains, even if the photos are a little washed out this time round. So let's get started!

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30 Review, Swatches and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's recently launched their Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30, and it's billed as a multi-use product. The Kiehl's website says that it is both a "brightening eye cream" and a "primer for the upper eye lid", so a hybrid "both a makeup and skincare product" kind of product. So yes, this is a pretty exciting-sounding product, because now, you don't need to apply a separate eye cream and concealer, because it does it all, and has SPF to boot! I've even heard some people tell me that with its multi-tasking benefit, it's basically "like a BB cream for eyes". Eye cream, concealer, primer, sun protection - looks like the product does it all!

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30: A multi-tasking eye cream, concealer, primer, and sunscreen for eyes!

Now, of course you guys know how I feel about the hype BB creams get - and I've also actually reviewed Kiehl's BB cream as well. So I thought it would be great to, as is my fashion, start by deconstructing the hype around the product, to analyse the product and see whether it really does confer both skincare as well as makeup benefits.


Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30: Billed as a "BB cream for eyes", this promises to help you skip a few steps in your routine.
And, because you know how much of a skincare nerd I am, you'll know that this analysis begins at nowhere else other than the ingredients list! Don't worry, I promise it gets much more interesting after that, with swatches and a full review!

Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2014, and 3 Honourable Mentions

2014 is ending, and I thought it would be appropriate to do a recap of some of this year's popular blogposts! After making 2013's list of most popular blogposts, there were some unexpected results, so, just for fun, I thought it would be great to do one for 2014, too!

Some of my Top 10 most popular blogposts, as well as the 3 honourable mentions!

Just like in 2013, this year, I have also picked the top 10 by raw number of blogpost views, because it's the simplest way to go about doing things. I've written last year that I feel this method isn't totally ideal because it disadvantages posts that are popular but were written at the end of the year, or "evergreen" posts (like posts on classic topics like skincare, foundation, etc., such as my post on parabens in skincare, as opposed to a more trend-based post, like the latest MAC makeup collection) that may not garner as many initial views, but tend to do very well over a longer period of time. I always feel like counting the raw number of views tends to overlook the evergreen posts and the posts written towards the end of the year. Nevertheless, this seems to be the simplest way of doing things. Of course, if you wanted to be really particular about it you could pro-rate the number of views to the length of time the post was up, but this seems to present its own problems, because not every post follows the same viewcount trajectory - some (like the trends-based posts) do really well for a short time, and then quickly taper off, while others tend to follow a steadier growth trajectory.

But in any case, since we are using raw views, let's get to it, and here's the top 10 posts of 2014! I've also included 3 honourable mentions, which are posts that did well views-wise, but didn't get into the top 10 because they were written in the later part of the year. So let's check out the top 10 posts!

Kiehl's Vetiver and Black Tea Aromatic Blends Review: EDT, Body Lotion, Body Cleanser

Kiehl's Vetiver and Black Tea Aromatic Blends collection is finally here, and, like the previous Patchouli and Rose Aromatic Blends set of products, this consists of a body wash, a body lotion, and a fragrance - the Vetiver and Black tea Skin-Softening Body Lotion (SGD$43), the Vetiver and Black Tea Skin-Softening Body Cleanser (SGD$33), and the Vetiver and Black Tea Eau de Toilette Natural Spray (SGD$45). I was a fan of the previous Patchouli and Rose Aromatic Blend, so I was definitely keen to check out the Vetiver and Black Tea!

Kiehl's Vetiver and Black Tea Aromatic Blends: Body Cleanser, Body Lotion, and Eau de Toilette

Vetiver and Black Tea sounds pretty exciting, and if you've seen some of my instagram posts (like this photo of my perfume stash), you'll know I'm something of a fragrance-nerd - I love being able to sniff a fragrance and try to discern the various notes in it, so of course this piqued my interest. (And yes, those black things in the background of the photos are tea leaves!)


Kiehl's Vetiver and Black Tea: This year's addition to Kiehl's Aromatic Blends range
As you might expect, the Vetiver and Black Tea scent is present in all three products, but all three products have a slightly different take on the same scent, perhaps due to the nature of the product. You can tell they are in the same scent range, but each is slightly different. Like I did with last year's Patchouli and Rose Aromatic Blends review, I'll start by looking at the Body Cleanser and Body Lotion, and then looking at the fragrance! And yes, we will start off, as you might expect, with some ingredients analysis!

Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's latest skincare product is the Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum, part of the "Super Multi-Corrective" range. Kiehl's claims that this product is "formulated with botanically-derived Rhamnose and Sodium Hyaluronate to lift, firm, smooth, hydrate, and restore youthful shape of the eye", so I guess that's what Kiehl's is referring to when they call this an "eye-opening" product.

Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum: It claims to open your eyes and give you a youthful-looking eye

Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum is an accompaniment to its Super Multi-Corrective Cream, and both are packaged in little purple-and-silver packaging. Kiehl's also recommends that you can use the two together, if you want. For some reason I thought I had a review of the Kiehl's Multi-Corrective Cream up on my blog (I mean, I do have quite a few Kiehl's skincare reviews up), but it turns out I don't, much to my chagrin, so I'll definitely be reviewing that further down the road. But in any case, first things first, and I'll just look at the Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum for this post.


Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum: The two key ingredients advertised are Rhamnose and Sodium Hyaluronate
And as you might know, first things first with a skincare review always means going straight to the ingredients list! Let's take a look at the ingredients list, and see what it tells us about the formulation (with all the fancy Rhamnose and Sodium Hyaluronate in it).

Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate is their latest product launched this year, and already this has been getting a few raves online. Kiehl's bills this as a serum which "utilizes next generation liquid-to-serum technology to intensively hydrate skin's deepest surface layers", and "correct the signs of age-related dehydration". So naturally, with plump, moist-looking skin a popular thing here in Asia (and elsewhere in the world), this product is definitely bound to catch the attention of any

Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate: The latest skincare product from the company!

One of the things that the Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate boasts is 15% glycerin, along with Shiso Leaf Extract. I know what you're thinking: "Musicalhouses, this sounds fantastic, but why is this advertised as such a new product when glycerin is already in virtually all the moisturizers out there? And 15% doesn't sound all that high to me, is it really a significant percentage to advertise?" And that my friend, would be a very intelligent question to ask indeed, if you did indeed ask it (if you did - you have awesome critical thinking skills, yay!). So I thought I'd start off by exploring what exactly is so new about the Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate? And of course, to do that, we start off at the ingredients list.


Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate: With 15% glycerin to hydrate skin.

Stuff I Used Up! Skincare, Makeup and Nail Empties

I think I've been pretty good this time round! I've actually used up a whole lot of stuff with this round of empties! There are 6 products in here, so perhaps numbers-wise this isn't the most, but 3 of them are tubs of moisturizers, so I get some credit, right?

As an aside, though, I've always felt like the "empties" post is perhaps something only the beauty junkie can appreciate. I mean, normal people with like, 3 eyeshadows and 1 blush and 1 powder foundation and 2 lipglosses don't go around telling people, "O Hai I finished up my eyeshadow! So happy! Squeeee!" because they pretty routinely use up their stuff - and go back to get the same (or similar stuff). So to them, it isn't particularly spectacular when they use up something. But the beauty junkie is slightly different. When you have literally have a few tens of blushes, eyeshadows, lipglosses, and so on, even as you keep lemming the new collections and makeup that gets put out, then every empty that you use up, every pan you hit, becomes a cause for celebration. To me, it's sort of a way of saying any one of the three messages: "Look, I actually use up my stuff - see, I don't have that much stuff, you're kidding, stuff, who me?", or "Look, I actually use up stuff! I get to buy more!", or "Look, I used up this stuff, because it's awesome/although it sucked, and I want to tell you about it!" And hence, the empties post.

Look at all those empties! This is some serious using up of products, guys!

But don't let my existentialist comments on empties bother you, let's get down to the good stuff - what did I use up this time, and what do I think of it?

Kiehl's Oil Eliminator Review and Ingredients Analysis: Moisturizer, Face Wash, Toner

Kiehl's Oil Eliminator is the latest in its Men's Skincare range, and it consists of three products - a Deep Cleansing Exfoliating Face Was For Men, a Refreshing Shine Control Toner For Men, and a 24-Hour Anti-Shine Moisturizer For Men. And as you might expect from a range called "Oil Eliminator", the cleanser, toner, and 24-hour moisturizer are meant to keep your guy's skin (or your skin, if you are looking for oily skin products) oil free and shine free for longer. You may even have heard about the brand's advertising claim that they have NASA space technology in their products - in particular some technology called Aerolite, which is based on aerogel technology. In fact, Kiehl's did this entire advertising stunt where they literally sent their product into space, and this magical ingredient is supposed to absorb more than four times its weight in oil.

Kiehl's Oil Eliminator For Men Skincare Range: Now with aerogel technology inside!

Skincare for guys has always been tricky, and not just on the technical, "men's skin is different" front - my personal belief is that the factors that contribute to a good skincare regime (e.g. use a good retinol product, which I've blogged about before, use sunscreen, which again I've also blogged about, etc.) are the same, whether the skin belongs to a guy or a girl, because the skin is very similar. The only exceptions are that men's skin tends to be thicker and oilier than women's skin, so brands often have to accomodate this. (And as we shall see in this review, Kiehl's has done a really good job of doing so.)

But beyond that, men's skincare is tricky because men are also surprisingly picky about skincare. It turns out that guys are actually quite hard to win over as skincare users, as a number of company PR and Marketing people have told me at various blogger/press events. Turns out, guys are picky about their skincare in the aesthetic or cosmetically elegant sense - the moment they have to put something on their skin and it feels the slightest bit sticky or oily, or leaves a bit of residue, then most guys will not continue to use it. (I'm sure any woman who has had to purchase skincare for her guy, only to see it go untouched after the first few tries, knows what I mean.) So formulating a skincare that is aesthetically pleasing for the male customer is also important as far as men's skincare is concerned.

Kiehl's Oil Eliminator For Men Skincare Range: A set of three products for a complete guy's skincare regime

So with that said, let's see whether Kiehl's has managed to placate the ever-picky male skincare customer. I think in both cases - formulating for thick, oily skin, and making sure the skincare feels cosmetically elegant - Kiehl's has done a pretty good job. And we'll also get around to talking about that fancy Aerolite/Aerogel technology (exactly what is it, you must be wondering). But for me to explain that more fully, we'll have to start at my favourite place for skincare products - the ingredients list!

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's iconic Calendula Herbal Extract Toner now has a new friend - the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash! This is a flanker to the original toner, and as you might imagine, also boasts the presence of Calendula Flower Extract, just like the original. So, as you can imagine, this is a pretty hotly-anticipated product!

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash: The latest product with calendula!

I was excited to see how this would perform - after all, the Calendula Herbal Extract Toner is easily one of Kiehl's most well-recognized products, complete with calendula flowers inside the bottle. The Kiehl's Dalendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash unfortunately doesn't have calendula flowers inside, but it does happen to have quite a few other traits to make it a welcome addition to your bathroom cabinet - starting right with the ingredients list.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream, Cleanser, Toner Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Ultra Facial range has launched a range of summer-friendly skincare products for oily skin. There's the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream (essentially a moisturizer but in a gel form), the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, and Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser. With a cleanser, a toner, and a moisturizer, Kiehl's obviously has all 3 basic skincare steps down.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream, Cleanser, Toner: Just in time for summer

This is going to be a fairly long review, because you know how I get all long-winded with ingredients and stuff, and furthermore, there are three separate products to review! So, without further ado, let's hop straight into the meat of the review - we certainly wouldn't want to waste any time on more preambles now!

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector is the newest product from Kiehl's. It arrived with the most intriguing blurb ever - it's touted as both a skincare as well as a makeup product! As a makeup product, it's supposed to "diminish the appearance of pores" and "refines skin texture". As a skincare product, it' "provides long-lasting pore and texture correction". So I just had to review this!

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector: Both a primer and a skincare product

Kiehl's claims on its website that its product has "light reflectors to give skin a more even and pristine appearance and help makeup last longer". This makes it sound like a primer. Kiehl's also claims on its website that "The effect is far from just being cosmetic. In just four weeks, you'll notice a significant reduction in the number and size of pores, more refined skin texture, as well as a reduction in fine lines." So it's also a skincare product for pores! I just had to investigate this, and where better to start than the ingredients list?