Kiehl's Ultra Facial Product Review

A month ago, the representative of Kiehl's Indonesia was kind enough to send some of their products from the Kiehl's Ultra Facial line for some beauty bloggers to try. I was pretty new to Kiehl's (actually I've never tried any of their products before) so I was excited about the fact that I was about to try some of their sample.

"Kiehl’s Since 1851, the venerable New York-based purveyor of fine quality skin and hair care is introducing two formulas inspired by its classic Ultra Facial Moisturizer – Ultra Facial Cleanser and Ultra Facial Toner. Kiehl’s original Ultra Facial Moisturizer lotion was first offered in the early 1970s and since that time, loyal patrons have come to rely on the formula’s superb hydration benefits."

So I was sent four products from Ultra Facial line, including the cleanser, toner, face cream and face moisturizer.

Ultra Facial Cleanser
To me, this cleanser is a winner. I love this cleanser very much. First of all, it lathers very well that I need just a small amount for my whole face. Kiehl's Indonesia is so generous. The sample the sent is enough for more than two weeks. This promised to be an ultra-mild cleanse which is so true. I love how gentle this cleanser feels on my skin. I can tell because this doesn't sting my eyes while I'm washing my face. This cleanser doesn't strip and it makes my skin feels so soft afterwards. Definitely in love with this.

Maybe a little bit of a downfall here, as I said earlier, a little amount of this cleanser is enough but unfortunately the aperture of the tube is a little bit too wide, it tends to dispense too much product so I got some products wasted. Another thing that I dislike is the fact that the tube comes with screw lids, which is never been my favorite in any skincare or makeup products. But then again, mine is a sample. Hopefully this isn't the case with the full size packaging. And from the picture of the actual products it looks like it has a snap lock lid instead. which is good.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Squalane, Vitamin E, Apricot Kernel Oil, Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil

Size: 5 oz./150 ml
You can purchase this at Kiehl's counter with estimated price of IDR 235,000


Ultra Facial Toner
Another thing that I love although I can really say much because the sample doesn't really last me for long. I'm a type of person who loves to soak my face with toner after I rinse my cleanser so I ran out of toner after only three applications. Haha.. But I love the first three impressions of this toner. It's a little bit thicker than my usual toner and it as this kind of milky appearance. It removes surface debris and any remaining residue and also hydrates my skin. Feels very comfortable afterwards and I love it so much. And the alcohol free formula makes it suitable for sensitive skin.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Squalane, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Avocado Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Sweet Almond Oil


Size: 8.4 oz./250 ml
You can purchase this at Kiehl's counter with estimated price of IDR Rp 235,000


Ultra Facial Cream
Honestly I was a little bit skeptical about trying new skincare line especially moisturizer. My skin is sensitive and I get breakout so easily.

Funny story, I did get breakout after two weeks wearing this. So I stopped using it but three weeks after I stopped using this, my break out is getting even worse. Thankfully it wasn't this cream that caused my breakout (apparently it was my sunblock, but that's another story) soI started wearing this again. Which is why this post is so long overdue. My bad.

About the cream, it's for all skin type. I wear this in the morning because I'm exposed to air conditioner everyday. This cream absorbed very well into my skin. I'm currently on skin treatment using Retinoic acid and is very dry. But this cream hydrates my skin for the whole day without making me look overly greasy.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Antarcticine (a glacial glycoprotein sourced in Antarctica), Imperata Cylindrica (a desert plant extract indigenous to the Australian Outback), Squalane, Avocado Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Size: 1.7 oz./50 ml
You can purchase this at Kiehl's counter with estimated price of IDR 298,000


Ultra Facial Moisturizer
The last product I tried is the moisturizer. This moisturizer is a lightweight lotion. Honestly I didn't use it that much. I tried it and it appears greasier than the cream which is weird considering this is the lighter formula. So yeah, not a big fan. However, the result may vary on different people. This might work for you if your skin doesn't need too much moisturizer.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Squalane, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Avocado Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Sweet Almond Oil

Size: 4 oz./125 ml
You can purchase this at Kiehl's counter with estimated price of IDR 298,000 (125ml)

Current Hair Condition & Non Beauty-Related Obsession

Hiya guys!

After my previous post about Sunsilk Hair Studio, I realized I have never posted any hair-related entry on my blog. Such a shame considering how much products I've tried, and it'd be nice if I can share it with you. The thing is, me and my hair has been through such an adventure, if I may call it that way. In this post, I'm just gonna share with you about my hair condition, because on my next entries I'm about to post some shampoos and conditioners I've tried in the last 4 weeks. So you can always go back to this post, as a reference on why I choose the products that I use.

Now, I'm always in a love-hate relationship with my hair. Mostly hate, though. My hair is a mixed between my father's thick and curly hair and my mom's thin and super straight hair. What I got is a lot of hair with super thin strands. I used to think that I have thin hair in general, but everytime I went to the salon the hairdresser always said to me, "What do you mean thin? You have a lot of hair here" so that's how I come into conclusion. Another thing, my hair is somewhere between curly and straight. I don't know how to call it (no, definitely not wavy). I don't think there's a name for that. This is how I always have problems. Back when I was in junior high or in high school, I didn't own any hair straightener. So yeah, I went through those years with weird short 'floating' (and don't even think about asking me to post those pictures here!). Back then, I wasn't really into hair care. The only hair product I use was only shampoo and I've never had any hair chemical treatments done to my hair. Even when my hair was still a virgin, generally my hair is dry with normal scalp.

Somewhere along the way, I began using hairdryer. I use it every single day, even until now, with no heat protector, so my hair got even drier and worst, red instead of black. There are times when I visited the salon and the hairdresser was like, "Wow! your hair looks beautiful" made me feel like floating on air, and then she continued with, "What color did you use? The red looks pretty." Ugh!

My first year in college is the time I did my first permanent straightening and been regularly doing it ever since. Usually twice a year. I'm sure you're already familiar about this treatment. But in a nutshell, the name is self-explanatory. It straightened your already grown hair and when you hair grow even longer you'll have your actual hair shape around the roots which not a very pretty sight. That's your cue for another straightening session. I usually use my hair straightener to postponed my visit to the salon. And what I did there is just damaging my hair. Unfortunately I did all those treatments without proper hair care routine. I didn't use conditioner, and hair mask that's supposed to be applied once every two weeks became once every month and then no follow up. So you can imagine how dry and damaged my hair is. I have split ends and my hair looks red especially under the sun.

Over the past years I've tried so many shampoos for dry and damaged hair. But I just started using hair conditioner about a month ago. My sis shot me this overly-shocked expression and told me that I've committed hair sin by not using hair conditioner. Seriously, sis?! (She's a bit of a late-bloomer when it comes to hair straightening and yet she became a hair-care freak since then, which explains her emotional review on my last entry.. lol). But long story short, hair conditioner is now in my daily hair care routine.

The thing with maintaining hair is one or two products are not enough. Especially if you have overly damaged hair like mine. Right now, I have shampoo, conditioner and hair mask as my daily hair routine. I must add hair serum and heat protectant because definitely still gonna use my hair straightener. I'm all about maintaining hair but I also don't wanna be seen with hideous hair. I used hair serum before although I rarely repurchased (not that they're bad it's just that they're expensive). So next time I'll add my hair care reviews because I wanna share it with you, especially if you're in the same hair condition as mine. And remember that it takes time for your hair to improve, so be patient.

So that's the end of the hair-talk.

Now on to my current non beauty-related obsession. You know how I always try to find excuses of my lack blog update? *d'oh moment* Well, this time I have a good one (aside from the fact that I've been spending some nights for night shift at a Nursery Care cause I'm now in Geriatric cycle) and my current excuse is this guy:

Yup. Edward Norton.
I've been spending a lot of time locking myself in my room, watching his movies in marathon.

(I hate it when people say, "If you're following me on twitter" so let me put it this way) I've been tweeting seriously a lot about him lately, along with some quotes from his characters in the movies. I guess that about to annoy people some time soon so I'll just make a one post about it (don't you hate when people tweeting over and over about one topic?). I don't even understand the sudden obsession considering this is not the first time I was introduced to his work.

I watched 'Italian Job' (2003) before. And I love that movie so much, I think it's brilliant. But I wasn't really noticed Norton at the time. But then again, he was the villain and with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron as main characters, why would you pay attention on the villain?

The first movie I watched with Edward Norton as main character was 'The Illusionist' (2006). Another movie that impressed me. I watched it twice in the movie and several more times a home. I showed this movie to my friend few weeks ago and then got home and for whatever reason I began to search for more Edward Norton's movies. That's when the obsession started.

I watched about more than half of his movies and came into a conclusion that this man is a genius. You'll never now what to expect. First of all, he starred in a various genre so everybody can enjoy his movies. Drama, thriller, crime, romance, comedy, you name it. Another thing, he plays a lot of different roles. I first watched him as this charming, vulnerable, helplessly-in-love character in 'The Illusionist' and 'The Painted Veil'. And again as a cute guy-next-door priest in 'Keeping The Faith'. So that's the image that I have in my head. I didn't expect to see him all silly, dancing around in rhino costume. But I did enjoy 'Death to Smoochy'. He also played the role as violent gangster and a loving brother at the same time in 'American History X' but my personal favorite in crime/thriller genre so far is 'Primal Fear' which is his breakthrough movie (I still have '25th Hour' and 'Red Dragon' in line, waiting to be watched so I might change my mind. Who knows).

The thing is, most of his movie really suit my taste. And, mind you, I'm not the type of person who love complicated storyline. And it's very rare that I love most movies from one actor. I mean, take Leonardo diCaprio for example. I think he's a great actor but I got out of the cinema, partially depressed after watching 'Blood Diamond' and 'The Departed' that have so many violent scenes. So yeah, I don't enjoy most of his movies. While most of Norton's thriller movies are interesting to watched.

By the way, after rambling about the movies don't ask me about the actor's personal life because I don't know and I'm not interested to find out. I have this weird obsession about movies. To me, watching movies is like visiting wonderland with actual characters in it. And I love to keep those characters the way they are in my head. I hate how knowing more about one actor's life could ruin my imagination about the characters. Like how different or ordinary they are in person compare to their character. If I confused you, think of it like reading books. Character is a character. Not just a role portrayed by actors.

So yeah, I think I have listed all the reasons behind my obsession to make it sounds rational. Plus another superficial reason, he's cute. If you're a movie enthusiast like me, you need to add Edward Norton's movies in your "Must Watch" list. Believe me, you'll enjoy it.

And that's all I want to say about my current obsession. Look forward for more in the future. Believe me, I have a lot of fun and healthy obsessions I would love to share that I bet you'll enjoy. And I'm gonna end this post with my favorite soundtrack from 'Keeping The Faith'. Hope you enjoy.

"I don't doubt myself because of you. I feel like the best version of myself when I'm with you, and that makes me doubt everything else."
Father Brian Finn (Keeping The Faith)

all pictures are take from imdb