Last Friday at Kiehl's on Fillmore Street in SF I was invited to a special event to experience the new Kiehl's Apothecary Preparations service a select Kiehl's stores. Kiehl's was founded back in 1851 and the founding family created handmade personalized skin remedies for customers right up until the 80's. Now, the Apothecary Preparations give you a chance to work one-on-one with a Kiehl's skincare specialist to create the right product for your skin.
The whole process really only takes 10-15 minutes. My Kiehl's skincare expert was Mark and he started by helping me access my skin.
He had this big book called the Skin Atlas and inside there were photos of skin and you chose where you thought your skin was in terms of color, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and more. Mark entered the data into his tablet. We talked about what two additional complexes I wanted to focus on: wrinkle reducing and brightening (to reduce my sun spots). He started to mix a sample so I could try my own formula on my hand to see how I liked it. It felt wonderful! I am a true fan of oil based serums so this really absorbed well into my skin. I loved the light botanical smell.
(Photo: Ashley Batz)
The main body of the serum is Skin-Strengthening Concentrate and contains Squalane, a botanical lipid derived from the Olive fruit that is highly compatible with the naturals oils present in skin. Also in the concentrate is the, Skin Lipid Complex which is a blend of botanical oils (apricot, coriander, black currant, and schism oils) which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids.
The brightening complex contains Vitamin C and Scotch Pine Extract. The wrinkle reducing complex contains Vitamin A (Retinol) and Pro-retinol. Because of this, Mark told me I should only wear this at night and that in the day I should be wearing sunscreen (which I do each day already).
The other three additional complexes you can choose from are: Texture Refining, Visible Redness Neutralizing and Pore Minimizing.
After we finished my Apothecary Preparations, Mark asked me if I wanted to do a couple of skin tests for fun. Why not? I always love finding out more about my skin. These two skin tests are really fast and it's something that all Kiehl's stores can do for you. The first check your skin type. Mark placed one of the paper tabs on my forehead and one on my cheek for about 20 seconds. In the photo above the bottom right tab is the one from my forehead which you can see on the chart means that I am Normal to Oily. My cheeks were more Normal to Dry. Mark recommended that if I get skincare, I choose products good for combination skin. And here all this time I thought I had dry skin! Next, he tested hydration. (You can see my daughter Chloe in the pick drawing as she had the week off school last week.) Needless to say, I had a busy day with her so I wasn't drinking enough water and it definitely registered on the device. My skin was only 32.7% and it should be at least 46%. Mark handed me a bottle of water and I drank!
I then waited for a few minutes for Mark to prepare my custom Apothecary Preparations serum. He told me to mix in the two tubes (pictured at top) into the main bottle that night before I started to use it. This keeps the serum really fresh. The label tells you when your serum was created and there's a code so you can easily take it back in store to replenish your supply when you are finished with the bottle. Thanks to Mark for also adding in Chloe's name to this. So cute! I have been using this every night since I received it. I put three drops in the palm of my left hand and warm them up with both hands. Then I gently press it into the skin on my face. I have been loving this ritual and I feel like my skin is really starting to look its best! I'm looking forward to using this for months to see how my skin is doing in terms of the hyperpigmentation.
(Photo: Ashley Batz)
The entire process is really easy and I learned a lot more about my skin. The Apothecary Preparations serum costs just $95. If you are in SF, take a visit to the Kiehl's store on 1971 Fillmore Street to get your own custom Apothecary Preparations. In the South Bay, visit Kiehl's at the Westfield Valley Fair.
(If you like the scarf I am wearing in the photo above, please visit my friend Cecily Chudacoff's site to shop her beautiful luxury circle scarves available in 5 prints!)
Apothecary Preparations is also available at the following Kiehl's stores:
New York: East Village Flagship - 109 Third Ave, Upper West Side - 154 Columbus Ave, Upper East Side - 941 Lexington Ave, Nolita - 223 Mulberry St.
Boston: 112 Newberry St.
Chicago: Woodfield Mall, The Shops at North Bridge - 520 N. Michigan Ave.
Costa Mesa: South Coast Plaza
Dallas: Highland Park Village, NorthPark Center - 8687 North Central Expressway
Houston: Highland Village - 4076 Westheimer Rd.
Los Angeles: Santa Monica - 1516 Montana Ave., Westfield Santa Ana - 400 S. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia
Miami: Avetura Mall - 19501 Biscayne Blvd.
Philadelphia: King of Prussia Mall - 160 North Gulph Rd.
San Diego: Fashion Valley - 7007 Friars Rd.
Seattle: University Village - 2611 NE University Village St., Bellevue Square - 134 Bellevue Square
Washington D.C.: Georgetown - 3110 M St. NW
Review products provided by Kiehl's
