Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate Review

Hi there and welcome everyone to my first blog post!

I thought I would kick things off by reviewing one of my all time favourite skin care products --> Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. 

I first heard about this about a year or so ago when it was being splashed across various fashion and beauty magazines. I didn't give in to the hype at the time but about 3 months ago I was on the hunt for a moisturising face serum and the very helpful Kiehl's counter sales assistant's bought this to my attention. 

I tried the sample size first  - This is a useful tip for those with sensitive skin. Most higher end cosmetic and skin care companies are happy to provide samples; and if they aren't then I tend to make the assumption that they have something to hide and therefore aren't worth even trying. 

So as the instructions said, I applied 3 drops to my fingers then patted it onto freshly cleansed skin. For reference I have moderately dry skin (especially in the winter time) and I applied my usual facial moisturiser on top of this.  I'm not going to lie, my skin looked slightly oily for the next half hour or so  but this doesn't particularly bother me, especially at night time as I will going to sleep. The next morning I woke up to find that my skin both looked and felt as soft as a babies bottom (a clean one obvi). I couldn't believe the magic this elixir had done in one night and so continued to try it every other night. 

How I use it:

Basically I just apply 3 drops on my fingers, rub them together then pat gently starting on my cheeks and working my way around my face. In doing this I also manage to give myself a mini facial massage which I guess isn't a bad thing since it helps the circulatory system.

Another trick that I've noticed works well is to apply 1-2 drops specifically to the under eye area and tap it in as you would any eye cream. It keeps the delicate skin under the eye from becoming crepy or dry and feels plump the next morning. I do apply my usual eye cream over this. 

I try to use the serum only about 3 nights a week because I have a fear that my skin will become immune to its effects if I use it too frequently. This a real occurrence as over time the outer layer of skin (epidermis) can develop tolerance to active ingredients in different skin care treatments, particularly moisturising oils. Its kind of like when using lip balm; the more frequently you use it, the more your lips seem to need it. 

How I rate it:

• Packaging - It comes in a glass bottle and has a pipette system to dispense the oil as drops. While the glass bottle is a little fragile, if your not going to be travelling with it, its not going to be a problem. The pipette is easy to use and makes me feel like I'm back in my high school Chem class again (Fun times). 

• Smell - Lavender is the predominant smell and this makes it an absolute pleasure to fall asleep in. There are other essential oil scents as well but the lavender is the stand out.  

• Performance - The product claims to provide a "smoother more radiant complexion by morning" while it "works at night when skin is most receptive to repairing itself from daily aggressors." In my eyes it does just this. Even after long days at work and early starts the next morning, I wake up looking like I woke up on a lazy Sunday morning, well rested after a 9hour+ sleep!  I love when products actually do what they claim to. Another plus in my eyes is that I never break out after using this (despite the fact that it is an oil). 

• Price - This cost me about $100 NZD. Kind of steep for a face oil...But you do get 30mls and considering you only use 3 drops per use, its going to last ages. 

Overall: This product gets 9/10

I will continue to re-purchase this product over and over again because of the way it works. In my eyes, its completely worth the investment. It certainly has made me want to try a number of other Kiehl's products in the future.