Kiehl's Beautiful Acai Damage Correcting Moisturizer

My Kiehl’s love affair continues. I will be buying a 2^nd bottle of their Açai Moisturizer after using it as a day lotion. Unlike many products I have, I use it daily since purchasing it in June, but I still have a few months to go on my bottle. The key ingredient in this is Açaí – a “super berry” sourced from Brazil with exceptionally high levels of nutrients and known to be one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. According to the Kiehl's website, açai berries along with some other good stuff allegedly “repair the visible effects of oxidative environmental stress while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and loss of elasticity. Skin is visibly renewed, smoother, and more even-toned”. Sounded good to me so I asked for some samples, and as always, the Sales Associate at Kiehl's gave me some. I must say again how amazing Kiehl's is with their sampling program. Sampling works, as I know I would never have tried many products I now own without having sampled them first.

I’ve used many resurfacing products with a variety of ingredients- not too many were natural, some were prescription strength and almost all of them wreaked havoc with my oily  and acne prone yet sensitive skin. As always, I want smaller pores, less oil, even tone and, ahem, less wrinkles. The Kiehl’s ACDCM delivers on all accounts. I wouldn’t say the wrinkle reduction is dramatic, but the other criteria are met perfectly. This lotion has a matte finish while still soaking into the skin and offering lovely moisture. Nothing I have used has had a similar consistency and finish on the skin, and that alone keeps me using this. It has a lovely lavender scent which you might not like if you don’t like lavender, and a small blob of lotion goes a long way on my face. Small dark spots, ie scars from acne spots, fade nicely and using this in conjunction with the brilliant Midnight Recovery Concentrate has done wonders for my pores. I have noticed a reduction in clogged pores as well, and while I still get the odd spot (hormonal, along the chin and jaw mostly) my skin seems very calm  and happy while using this. I have had samples of the Acai serum and plan to get a bottle of this to use in conjunction with the lotion for day. The two products were a bit much together in hot summer months but a little back up in the winter will be nice. My skin does not like central heating and seems to suffer more ups and downs texture wise in the winter. 

Beautiful Top Five In My Purse (this week....)

1.      MAC Blot Powder: If you have oily skin, or if your skin tends to get shiny throughout the day you MUST HAVE THIS. It does come in different colours but you will be hard pressed (lol) to see an actual colour on your skin. It absorbs oils and somehow manages to hide redness. I don’t use foundation, just a little concealer and this patted on lasts for hours. Even if I don’t touch up for several hours I just get a bit “glowy” not super shiny. It is so fine milled that it does not settle into lines or get cakey, nor does it turn orange. Using an old fashioned powder puff (that comes with, and you can buy replacements from MAC) it’s easy to just dab on when no one is looking, and VOILA perfect pore less skin.

2.    Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Cream: Dry skin is a pet peeve of mine and I need to be able to moisturize anytime, anywhere. Although for all over moisturizing my holy grail is Kiehl’s Crème de Corps I have not been able to find a small tube of this to carry. The Palmers is fantastic. I touch a lot of doors during my day so I wash my hands a lot, and the Palmers keeps my hands and cuticles soft. I use the excess on elbows, and, if I’m feeling a bit dehydrated I may even gently dab some on under my eyes and on my décolletage. In the summer with bare legs I keep my knees soft and my skin supple- all before getting out of my car for an appointment.

3.      Mini atomizers for perfume: You know the little sample sprayers you get with perfume- some come pre-made or at Sephora they will make custom sprayers of whatever scent you would like to sample. I keep my favourite perfumes in these little babies in my cosmetic bag so I can refresh throughout the day. Or even more fun- if a friend tells me I smell so good and wants to know what I am wearing, I can just give her a sample. Anyone who knows me will confirm I feel naked without my perfume so this is a must have. I buy them in bulk, around $25 for 50 2.5ml atomizers. Perfect for travel as well. 

4.       Smashbox O Plump: This gloss is simply genius. A small tube of gloss that packs a beauty 1-2 punch. This is one of those intuitive glosses that change color according to the wearer. The color ranges from a nice bitten pink to a slightly more coral look depending on who I’ve seen it on. On me, it is a “my lips but better” pink with a  soft gloss on top. The shiny gloss doesn’t last long, but the color is almost a stain effect and lasts long enough to make me happy. I am NOT a lipstick person and have learned not to expect long lasting miracles for color. O Plump adds a soft plumping/moisturizing effect without discomfort, stinging or that weird cinnamon hot pepper plumping that can be quite uncomfortable for some. Adding: this is not to be confused with the O Glow, which gave me pink popsicle lips. Not what I was going for…..

5.  Sephora Sephora Wide Tooth Comb: I have long thick and wavy hair that tends to get messy (maybe driving my car with an open sunroof/window might have something to do with that…..) and I have found the best way to prevent frizz and to maintain my waves is to gently run a wide tooth comb through my hair. Ladies, if you have thick wavy hair and you are using a brush…unless you have straightened it or have a Brazilian Blow Dry, you are only making matters worse! Trust me, I have road tested every possible method for keeping frizz, stringiness and matting at bay. Using a wide tooth comb is the only way to keep those foxy curls.

What is your Top 5? Are there any items you cannot live without in your purse?