Kiehl's Bloggers Event

Situated on Blackett Street in Newcastle, I had been meaning to try Kiehl's Skincare for ages... and then as if by magic I was invited to their bloggers event. Perfect opportunity to be introduced to the brand. 

On entering the store, the staff are dressed in white coats which instantly gives you a chemist/science type vibe which makes sense as the brand was founded back in 1871 by a pharmacist in Brunswick, NYC. The company has seen a change of different owners introducing new ranges for men, oils and even introducing generous samples in the 1970's. The brand has had quite a prolific existence in the skincare world and even launched a product in collaboration with Andy Warhol in the sixties. The staff were full of information for all of the products, the brand history and all were passionate about skincare. But first things first, we got tucked in to a slice of cake. Because.... cake. 

I had a mooch around the store to see what type of products they have on offer and a reoccurring theme were very fresh ingredients like orange, cilantro, jasmine. The Cilantro and Orange extract smells divine btw. I had heard amazing things about the Midnight Recovery Concentrate so that was on my list to check out up close and ask questions.

So after speaking to the staff about the Midnight Recovery Concerntrate, and doing some reading online this comes highly recommended. A lot of the staff tagged this as their 'fave' product in the whole range. This is a midnight recovery cream that works its magic while you sleep, it has an oily consistency and comes in an iconic blue glass dropper bottle. It's key ingredients are some of the reasons this helps skin appear fresher, brighter and repaired. Primrose oi, lavender oil & squalane (from olives) are some of the natural ingredients helped to boost skin recovery whilst you get your all important sleep. 

I've noticed from browsing their website that a lot of the glass packaging is recyclable and the cardboard packaging comes from recycled sources. In the world we live in where mass production and the throw away concept seems so evident, I think this is a great concept to hear from big brands and I wish more would follow! 

As an addition to the cake and skincare, we were treat to cocktails by the lovely staff from The Alchemist, Newcastle. They served up the Bubblebath cocktail which, let me tell you... it's so delicious and a dream to watch being made! 

I thought the collaboration of The Alchemist and Keihl's was genius, these 2 brands are built on alchemy so it was a perfect match! If you're around Newcastle craving a cocktail, I totally recommend this as a sweet cocktail and instagram worthy too!

Sipping cocktails and eating cake (AND learning about skincare) I was asked if I would like a skin assessment. I was totally up for this because I'm a little bit obsessed with skincare and always wanting to understand my skin more and how to look after it. So I had a skin test with a little swatch - you can request these at your store (no need to remove make up).... and from the swatch they recommend the best products and treatments for you. 

So my skin was slightly dehydrated (I do moisturise every night and have a skincare routine) but I was advised to drink more water and to try using a combination of oils and serums to help moisture reach deeper into my skin. This is a free service they offer and would recommend it to any skin lovers out there! 

Until next time... 

The Original Redhead 

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Mother's Day Skincare Discovery

So, hand's up who loves a pamper session?! All of you, right?! So when I received this Kathleen Caviar Enriched Eye Cream retailing at £78.00 I was excited to open the parcel. I think that price tag warrants the "luxury" genre on any beauty shelf... for someone looking to spend a little extra on luxe skincare Kathleen have it nailed.
 

 

 

With it being Mother's Day I wanted to share a little skincare discovery for my wise and beautiful Mam. Very recently she was diagnosed with a skin condition know as Rosaea. I had heard of the condition but symptoms look slightly different depending on the person so I didn't recognise the first signs. We thought it was originally an allergic reaction to hair dye. However, once diagnosed it made perfect sense! We can no longer share the same skincare products... cleanser, face masks, moisturisers etc. Meaning we've had to find products which doesn't aggravate the condition causing dry skin, itchiness, redness & blotched blemishes mainly to the skin area.

 

 

 

Buried in the box, I opened up the package to seen what it held. I uncovered a silver holographic box and opened it to find the magic pot of eye cream. Small but mighty.

 

 

 

 

 

When I received the Eye Cream from Kathleen Skincare, I was pleased to read that their products are natural & organic, free from alcohol (one of the main ingredients in many skincare products which irritate Rosacea), parabens, sulphates & synthetic colours among others. The luxurious Eye Cream is infused with an amazing 23 natural and marine ingredients including caviars. Caviar is bursting with amino acids and vitamins which help to promote luminous skin. Admittedly, I hadn't had a chance to try this latest trend in skin care yet so this was exciting to see up close.

 

 

 

 

The cream looks like any standard eye cream and is to be applied gently using your ring finger gently patting into the skin. This cream targets wrinkles and dark circles with its extensive list of ingredients from sandalwood to ginseng root to give a natural glow. Each ingredient seems to have its own purpose and on the mission for firmer and more glowing skin it's good to know that Kathleen are really addressing our skin needs with so many natural ingredients which are so easily replaced with chemicals in mainstream beauty. Another good thing about this Kathleen cream is that it can be used as a day and a night cream... meaning you don't have to buy separate creams for day time and night time.
 

 

 

 

We're so pleased to have found a skincare product she can use on a daily basis which will not affect her skin condition and also target fine lines and give a glow too. If anyone else has recommendations for rosacea compatible skincare products we'd love to hear about them. Please leave any suggestions in the comments section!

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Tan Lines & Protection

So as most of you will probably know, I am currently travelling. As a blogger there is a few important 'must haves' on my list, but as a redhead the most important has to be my sun cream.

 

 

 

 

As a redhead who also had sensitive skin Simple sun cream has always looked after my milky complexion! 

 

I know when we're young we think we're unstoppable and we'll live forever. That eating vegetables really doesn't do anything and wearing sun cream isn't important. But as I have got older and travelling to numerous destinations, I cant stress enough how important it is to look after your skin while you're young!

 

When I was in my teens I experienced 1st hands the effects of too much sun can have on your body with an unpleasant trip to a hospital abroad. I did wear sun cream, did wear a hat, did keep hydrated but sometimes too much is just too much. I'd spent a day on the beach in intense Mediterranean summer sunshine and paid the price.

 

My mam has always drilled in me to wear sun cream and protect myself but I obviously underestimated how strong the heat was. So here are some tips to stay cool and look after your precious skin...

 

1) Wear a high factor sun cream/sun block. Even if you 'tan easily' wearing nothing can still damage your skin.

 

2) Stay hydrated. Drink a lot! When you're on holiday, the heat will probably be more intense than your body is used to. Sweating in hot temps obviously means losing moisture and hydration from your body.

 

3) Protect you head - wear a hat. I know its a cliché mum saying but protecting your head and preventing sun stoke & headaches is really important.

 

4) After a long day in the sun, around the pool or enjoying the sights make sun you have a lovely cool shower, wash off any products onto your skin to prevent prickly heat (obviously reapply if you're heading back out into the sun) and apply after sun or moisturiser to lock in moisture you may have lost during the day.

 

5) Only do as long as you feel you can sitting in the sun. As a Briton, I have seen many fellow Britans take far too much advantage of the sun abroad. As a redhead it is sometimes frustrating for me to see others so dark skinned and enjoying the sun but I have learned the hard way to be safe and only do what I feel comfortable, sun bathing wise. Don't give in to pier pressure of baking in the sun if you're clearly burning and doing damage.

 

I hope this little post will be of use to you and help you be afe in the sunshine! Try to have fun but look after yourselves too.

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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