Kiehls Acai Damage-Repairing Serum

Kiehl's opened their first store in Edinburgh in summer last year I believe. I didn't know this and came across it by chance. I was in town running some boring errands and it started to rain so I ran into the nearest store which turned out to be Kiehl's (everytime I type Kiehl's I write Khiel's for some reason).

I had wanted to check out their range of Vitamin C serums as I've heard good things. The shop is really cute and nicely laid out. It turned out a friend of a friend worked there and she recognised me - it was embarrassing that I didn't realise who she was right away! She was lovely and recommended the Damage-Repair Serum as the Vitamin C serum I was looking at was probably to strong for me since I was still 'young'.

The product cost £37 for the tiny 50ml bottle which comes with a pump which is perfect for not ruining the ingredients. The bottle is made of plastic so very lightweight for something so expensive... She gave me student discount too so I got 15% off! I've not been a student for a few years now.

Kiehls Acai Damage-Repairing Serum

What they claim:

• Activates skin’s own renewal process to help repair visible effects of oxidative skin damage
• Improves appearance of skin discoloration, evens skin texture, and provides a natural tightening effect
• Provides light moisture to smooth skin

Paraben and Silicone Free

I've used this for about 2-3 months and have about half left. I stopped using this because it started to feel really uncomfortable on my skin. In the winter my skin is drier than usual and this does not work well probably because the top three ingredients is water and alcohol. So I don't know if it's repairing skin damage or causing the damage. The product smells of alcohol too - not pleasant at all, quite intoxicating in a bad way. I can't believe I paid this much for it - I might as well have spent it on a few good cocktails.

To be honest I haven't noticed a huge difference to my skin using this and I've tried it out long enough to show any results.

I also got given 2 free samples with my purchase:

The Ultra Facial Cream does not contain any SPF so I used it as a night cream. Simple cream that works well with the dry skin. However this costs £43.50 for 125ml! I don't think it's that good to justify the price. Also it comes in a jar - enough said. 

The Cucumber Herbal Toner costs £16.50 for 250ml which is a bit too much for a toner as I don't find that they help much in my skin routine apart from removing the last traces of makeup. It was good that it was alcohol free so my skin didn't dry out but other than there's that not much else to say.

Before reviewing these I checked the products on Paula's Choice's website which is an amazing new website I discovered and is the place I go to before buying any new product now. It gives you a rating on how good the product is for your skin as well as details on price, ingredients and reviews.

All these products were rated POOR. Oh dear. It turns out these products have been tested on animals!! I was considering not reviewing these products because of the bad review - how I wish I had checked and known about this website before purchasing as I wouldn't have bought anything! It's safe to say I won't be buying anything from this brand in future.