Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Just a quick recap… I was part of the Kiehl’s #changeyourskin campaign in June (thanks again Brett Robson for choosing me to take part!). You can have a read HERE.
I have been using Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate every night since 10 June ’13 and I absolutely love it. My skin has changed from dry to somewhat oily over the last couple of years and I was worried that this product would not agree with my skin. To be honest, my skin did take a couple of weeks to adjust (not sure what was up with my face?!) but I kept using my MRC every night. I am so glad I did! Even though I struggle with oiliness (urgh), my skin is ageing at a rapid pace and my skin is dehydrated. The MRC has made a huge difference in that department. My skin looks smoother than before I started using it.
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate
The product itself smells lovely and absorbs quickly. My skin feels moisturised and nourished after application. I really enjoy using it.
I have been using Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate for over 2 months and I have used just over a ¼ of the bottle. Note that I regularly use more than the recommended 3 drops. This product retails for R585. This is very pricey, I know, but if you take into account how long this bottle will last, it’s actually very well priced.
I highly recommend this product and I will be purchasing one as soon as my current bottle runs dry.

 

xoxo

Hydraluron – yes it’s worth the hype!

Hydraluron was launched in South Africa a couple of months ago and after a bit of research, I was SO keen to try it. The price made me think twice though… it retails for R400 LThis is a lot of money since this product would be an add-on to my current regime (I’ll explain that in a bit).
Hydraluron is produced by Indeed Labs in Canada and when I heard that a good friend of mine would be visiting from there, I immediately mailed her to do some research on that side. Hydraluron is readily available in Canada and apparently the stores can’t keep up with the demand. Alrika actually grabbed the last 2 tubes off the shelf for me. She gave me the 2 tubes as a prezzie… which is HUGE when you look at the local retail price! In Canada they sell for the price of “two and a half packets of siggies”, so much more affordable over there. Thank you my friend!! On to the product…
Indeed Labs has the following to say about their product:
Hydraluron uniquely combines the world’s purest hyaluronic acid and a bio-engineered strain of red marine algae causing a controlled increase in blood circulation. This increased circulation optimizes the penetration of the small particles of hyaluronic acid into the key deep layers of the skin and refill spaces formed through the aging process and improve skin structure.
 
Benefits:
• Reinforces skin’s natural moisturization
• Plumps skin tissue to restore elasticity and firmness.
• Increases cell turnover resulting in visibly radiant and youthful skin.
• Reduces skin roughness giving a smooth and silky texture to the skin.
• Boosts the action of other skin care treatments by stimulating cell turnover to provide optimal penetration of actives.
• An excellent post chemical peeling moisturizer.
 
This is how I understand the product… please bear in mind that this is from a little online research and that I know jack about science (feel free to comment below if you know more than I do about the workings). Hyaluronic acid holds onto water, so if you apply this under your moisturiser, your moisturiser performs better (hydration is more effective). This product is not a moisturiser, so you don’t replace your other products with this one. Your products will perform better when applied over the Hydraluron.
The product itself is a clear gel-like serum that comes in a plain tube. I apply it after toning, before serum or moisturiser. The tube is very small, but luckily a very small amount is needed to cover your face and neck (half a pea size will do).
Well, it seems to be working for me! I have been using it once or twice a day since 6 July. My skin looked and felt smoother almost immediately. It is sometimes hard to judge a single product as I love trying new products and I am constantly ‘changing it up’ (feel the same way fellow beauty bloggers?). But I realised how truly awesome this product is when I stopped using it for 2 days (trying to stretch my stock) – I noticed flakey patches appearing and my skin started to look dull. This stuff works great with my skin.
Let me tell you why. My skin is dehydrated, but can be very oily (even more so when irritated). This winter has been especially bad. When the weather got cooler, my skin immediately reacted and became dull and dry patches started to appear. My response was to use a richer moisturiser… big mistake! That made my skin oily and caused breakouts. Note that this is a fabulous moisturiser that used to work wonders during previous winters.
The Hydraluron provides my skin with the hydration it needs whilst using products that keep the oiliness under control.
This product is expensive, but it’s worth every penny. I will be making the investment when I finish mine.
You can find this product at Clicks. Good ol’ Clicks.
Hells bells this is a long post! I hope you found it useful.
xoxo
PS Chances are your skin is nothing like mine (lucky fish), so check out THIS post by Caroline Hirons if you are not sure if this product is for you.