Kiehl's Kolkata Store Launch - Event Pics

Kiehl's, one of my favorite skincare brands opened their first store in Kolkata last December but the official launch party was held a couple of weeks back at their Quest Mall store. The event was hosted by Anurag Tyagi, the Kiehl's brand manager and the Kolkata based fashion designer Pranay Baidya, a friend of Kiehl's. The invite said that there would be live music, drinks, Hors D'oeuvres, complimentary skincare consultation and free samples so I was definitely excited. What the invite did not mention was that it would also be a mini gathering of Kolkata's page 3 crowd!

Saheb, Mumtaz and Pranay

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream - Review

Kiehl's is a brand that I've been wanting to try for ages and when they opened their first store in Kolkata about two months back, I was a very happy woman. I picked up quite a few products and samples from the store last month and they are basically all that I've been using on my skin. Will review each of them separately but today it's the turn of the Ultra Facial Cream.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

Kiehl's describes the Ultra Facial Cream as ' 24-hour, light-textured daily hydrator leaves skin comfortable and well-balanced, particularly in harsh weather conditions. Made with Antarcticine, a Glycoprotein extracted from microorganisms sourced from sea glaciers and notable for an ability to protect skin from cold air as well as Imperata Cylindrica, a plant indigenous to the Australian desert that possesses superb water retention properties in dry conditions. Reduces moisture loss while drawing and absorbing moisture from the air'.

Key Ingredients - Water, Glycerin, Squalane (a key ingredient of a lot of Kiehl's products), Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sucrose Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol. From what I saw in google, all of these are extremely good humectants and emollients to give great hydration. 

Price - Rs 1900 for 50 ml

From the description, you can easily make out that this cream is targeted specially for those with normal-dry skin. I fall in that category and that's the reason I picked it up. This cream is one of the top ten Kiehl's products across the world and is an extremely popular one. From the tub, I also got to know that Kiehl's partnered with the team of the "Greenland First Ascent" expedition in 2005 to lend support and protection from the elements. So if it is the cream of choice for someone making an expedition to Greenland, it's gotta be good, right?

When it comes to skincare and makeup for the face, I hate anything that has fragrance. Kiehl's products are fragrance free, tested by dermatologists and extremely gentle on the skin. The packaging of the products is very simple and straightforward 'which speaks to the old apothecary concept'. In terms of skincare, they have about ten collections which includes Midnight Recovery, Blue Herbal etc and the Ultra Facial cream belongs to the Ultra Facial Collection of products.

What I love about the cream is that its extremely light and just disappears into the skin without leaving any residue behind. When we first hear of the term cream, we immediately connect it to winter and to something very rich, greasy and heavy. This product is so light that it can be used at any time of the year irrespective of whether you live in humid or dry weather conditions. All of Kiehl's products  rely on the 'less is more' theory so you need very little of the cream to work its magic. I apply it in place of my moisturizer during the day and I'm sorted for the next 12 hours till I apply my Midnight Recovery Concentrate at night, also from Kiehl's. I have not faced any breakouts or irritation on my skin after I started using the cream and I think I'm hooked!

If you are looking for a product that is light yet offers great hydration, I would definitely recommend the Ultra Facial Cream. Kiehl's is a premium brand and is therefore more expensive but again, their products do work and this is an old, tried and tested and loved formula across the world. Each Kiehl's store offers samples to try out so do take a few and check whether this product works for you. I'm sure it will and you will love it!

Have you tried any Kiehl's product? Which is your favorite?

Hosting an Afternoon with Kiehl's

A few days back I read somewhere that out of all the months, February is always the happiest and I can definitely vouch for that in 2014! Feb was a month of many firsts for me. It was the first time I hosted an event in collaboration with a brand, visited a vineyard and also got invited to a fashion week. Want to know how the hosting an event part transpired? Then read on J

Leading international skincare brand Kiehl’s opened their first store at Kolkata’s Quest Mall a couple of months back and I was contacted by them to host ‘An Afternoon with Kiehl’s', a two hour long event which would give people an opportunity to know more about the brand and their various products. They did not want the event to only target bloggers so I had to make sure that I invited people from all backgrounds and age groups. I had never done something like this before so along with a lot of excitement, there was also quite a bit of nervousness and apprehension. Planning involved deciding on the guest list, creating a formal invite, talking to the Kiehl’s brand manager on the activities for the day, contents of the goody bag, food etc etc. And I must say that Kiehl’s was an excellent partner. The people I spoke to were so friendly, helpful and professional and they took care of everything. For me, deciding on the guest list was the tough part. I wanted it to be a mixed crowd of bloggers and beauty enthusiasts so I invited my friends, fellow bloggers and also my mum and aunt. Basically 14 people who I knew would be interested in skincare and knowing about Kiehl's

The event was held on 15^th February and those two hours were so much fun. The Kiehl’s staff at the store took excellent care of everyone. They listened to all queries, gave skincare consultations, recommended products based on skin type, made sure we were all well fed with snacks and cupcakes and patiently handled a group of beauty bloggers who were crazily clicking away. Every guest was handed a goody bag which contained a 75 ml Kiehl’s Ultra Facial cleanser and generous samples of other products.

Introducing Kiehl's

Shirin, the store manager taking charge

My aunt to the left and mum to the right

Shikha, me with the 'Dhai Kilo Ka Haath' and Pranaadhika

So that’s the story of my ‘Afternoon with Kiehl’s and I hope I’ll get to host many more such afternoons in future. A big thanks to Sowmya, Zoya and Shirin from Kiehl’s and to all my friends and well-wishers who turned up on the 15^th to support me. Honestly can’t thank you guys enough <3

Here are some more pics of the event…

Tamia in the background. Nivedita and Poorna giving their best smile for the cam

Wonder what caught Nivedita's attention. That's Shikha next to her

Poorna is clearly very happy. Sharmishta posing like a model. Bidisha is just happy.

A girl's gotta have her lipstick intact always!

Ooops you just caught me eating my 6th cupcake! :D

Shikha giving her 'Can we get over with the posing now' look. Poorna and Pranaadhika are much more co-operative

Shayoni is clearly not happy about something. 

The Good Girl Look 

The very popular Mr Bones

Happy Bunch. Sreenanda added to the frame

Kiehl's unveils Skin Rescuer

Kiehl‘s offers a breakthrough solution to help correct

the visible signs of stress on skin

Introducing, Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer Stress-Minimizing Daily Hydrator. Utilizing highly efficient ingredients Mannose and Rosa Gallica, this facial formula helps address and reduce skin’s visible response to stress.

Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer actively works to minimize the visible signs of stress with key ingredients that limit the release of stress signals and promote a healthy, strong skin barrier. This result is that skin becomes less vulnerable to the signs of stress.

In order to efficiently combat the signs of stress on skin, Kiehl’s chemists discovered they needed to address three factors.

1. Limit the release of stress signals:
Rosa Gallica Extract: Stress is well documented to cause an inflammatory response in the body. A research team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Sheldon Cohen has found that chronic psychological stress is even associated with the body losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory response. The inflammatory response to stress signals and a weakened skin barrier can lead to visible “stressed skin” symptoms such as redness, fatigued skin, dehydration and blotchiness. In vitro data supports that Rosa Gallica Extract, sourced from the petals of the Rosa Gallica flower, limits the release of stress signals, in turn minimizing the inflammatory response and thus breaking the stress cycle.

2. Protect the skin barrier from future reactions:
Mannose: Research conducted by Columbia University’s Department of Dermatology validates that it is able to strengthen and reinforce the skin barrier. A stronger skin barrier is known to reduce visible signs of stress on skin, making it less vulnerable to future, inevitable stress.
Squalane: Naturally-derived from olives, this healing botanical lipid is highly compatible with the natural oils in skin. Instantly restores and replenishes the skin barrier and is known to protect skin from dehydration. Renowned for its easily-absorbed texture, as well as for its silky after-feel.
Blend of Unique Ceramides: These lipids found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of skin cells are known to help protect and strengthen the skin barrier.

3. Treat, calm and hydrate the skin: 
Chamomile Extract: Helps soothe and calm skin.
Glycerin: This humectant draws moisture from the air to increase immediate and prolonged hydration; helps skin regain its suppleness and smoothness.
Shea Butter: Naturally-derived from the African karate tree, it is a lipid known for its ability to protect skin from dehydration.

Available at all Kiehl's stores. Price is Rs 2500 for 75 ml.

New Launch - Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream

With Kiehl‘s cutting edge formula and proprietary tri-active technology, Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream is clinically demonstrated to simultaneously lift, firm, visibly redefine skin contours and re-texturize skin within 2 weeks with double efficacy shown within 4 weeks.

 Kiehl‘s chemists focused on three ingredients that until now have never been combined in a cream:

Jasmonic Acid: A highly effective yet very mild, active known for its ability to support epidermal renewal and help to visibly correct wrinkles, fine lines, loss of suppleness and elasticity, while gently smoothing and retexturizing the skin‘s surface.

Beech Tree Extract: Known for its ability to improve skin firmness and visibly improve plumpness and density. Beech Tree Extract is axylose based molecule, a sugar found abundantly in beech trees and known to stimulate the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)2.

Fragmented Hyaluronic Acid: Known to reinforce skin‘s natural short and long term moisturization. Additionally, it is known to improve skin elasticity while reducing skin roughness and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.