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MY HONEST THOUGHTS ON KYLIE SKIN

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Ok, no fancy intro: I tried Kylie Skin (they have a UK ecommerce site and are now stocked by Harrods and Selfridges) and today I'm delivering my verdict...

- BRAND BACKGROUND -

I don't think Kylie Jenner really needs an introduction, but I'll just lay out my thoughts: I'm pretty Kardashian-Jenner indifferent. I know they're a thing that exists in the world, obviously! I've never watched their show but I don't hate them because it's kind of weird to have personal hatred for anyone other than, like a politician or someone else making decisions that affect the lives of millions of people. But, I digress... I think it's valid to think that maybe celebrities like Kylie who may have had a tweak here and there and regularly see dermatologists and estheticians should be a little more upfront about it. I know Kylie and JLo don't look the way they due purely due to using their own products, but I guess not everyone has such a sceptical mindset, particularly when Kylie has a lot of young fans.

The other criticism people have is that it's a cynical cash grab. I do think Kylie had an interest in her lip kits, which are how her brand started. Do I think she's passionate and knowledgeable about skincare? Do I think she's in the lab, super involved in this process? No. I think her team noticed an increased interest in skincare and they wanted a piece of the pie. I think a lot of these products are what's popular amongst the Gen Z audience I think this range is targeting, I think a lot of them have been formulated to suit most people. But none of that means the products are bad, so I'm going to review them as I find them.

Just a note: these formulas do contain fragrance. It's not strong and it causes me no issues, but people always like to know, so I'm just laying it out up top instead of talking about it in relation to each individual product. Speaking of which...

- PRODUCTS - 

Let's start with the first step of a skincare routine: cleansing. The Foaming Face Wash* | £26 | is one of those pump-action liquid-to-foam products. Honestly this isn't my preferred form of cleanser and I don't find this great at removing makeup either. I have pretty normal skin but I am prone to dehydration and during the winter, things can get dry. Honestly, this is foam central. The ingredients aren't bad; there's hyaluronic acid and glycerin and these ingredients will attract water to the skin. There's also kiwi seed oil but, despite kiwi being prominently featured in the marketing photography, it's listed below fragrance on the INCI list, so it's not going to be more than 1% of the overall formula. Look, I'm not mad at this cleanser for not being my bag, because I think it's aimed more at younger skin that's going to be a bit more on the oily side. For me, it's a super-foamy, stripping disaster. 

Shall we get the infamous Walnut Scrub* | £24 | out of the way? I didn't really need to put this on my face to know it wasn't going to be a good product, but I did it for the blog. Look, I'm not a big fan of physical exfoliation as it is, but if you're going to do one then go for a micro-exfoliant. If you didn't know: scrubs made from crushed walnut shells or apricot kernels are notoriously harsh. Because it's a natural product that's just been crushed down, the particles aren't uniform in their shape and size and can have very jagged edges. This means the exfoliation you get from such products is uneven across the surface of the skin when compared to using an AHA or BHA, for example. Additionally, the sharpness of these particles can actually cause microtears in the skin, so if you're prone to hyperpigmentation, I would really steer clear of this. I can confirm after using this that I found this too harsh and irritating to try it more than once.

Next is the product from the range I'd definitely purchase once I've run out of my bottle: the Vanilla Milk Toner* | £27. This bottle is 236ml, which is pretty generous for a toner, and this is really my preferred sort of formula. This has a milky texture that's almost a gel-like consistency, but still a little thinner than a serum. I just squeeze this into my palms and pat it onto my skin using my hands. It's a lovely hydrating, moisturising step in my routine to just really layer on all that good stuff. It's formulated with avocado oil, hyaluronic acid, squalane and fruit extracts, which are all brilliant. Avocado oil is rich in replenishing fatty acids, squalane is a skin-similar plant oil, hyaluronic acid draws water into the skin and the fruit extracts have antioxidant benefits. Overall, I really like this! I was honestly expecting to really be looking at an astringent toner from this brand (given its younger audience), so this was a pleasant surprise.


Ok, the next thing you'd apply in your routine is the Eye Cream* | £22. This comes in a squeezable tube and has a cooling metal applicator. My one gripe with this is that the product tends to accumulate on the applicator and get a little bit icky. This cream is primarily formulated with antioxidants like caffeine, green tea, pomegranate extract and Vitamin E, which are all great around the eye area to prevent free radical damage and premature ageing. There's moisturising jojoba oil, shea butter and kiwi seed oil in the mix too. This is one of the only products in the range without fragrance, which is a good call because fragrance can be a little bit irritating around the eye area. This doesn't irritate me, but I did see that Andrew Wheatcroft on Instagram said this irritated his eyes, so I'd just proceed with caution if you're prone to that. For me, this was a bog-standard eye cream; not too light, not too heavy, but also not anything wildly exciting. It moisturises my eye area but it's nothing to write home about. I'll finish up this tube but I wouldn't replace it.

There's also a Vitamin C Serum* | £29 | in this range. This is pretty nice; it doesn't contain fragrance and has a fairly simple formula comprising of some moisturising oils, humectants and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which is a Vitamin C derivative. The 'gold standard' of Vitamin C is ascorbic acid (or l-ascorbic acid) because it has the most evidence behind it in terms of helping with hyperpigmentation, evening out the skin tone and even potentially boosting collagen production, not just providing the antioxidant benefits and giving the skin a nice glow. Generally products that mix derivatives with ascorbic acid have given me my best results in that respect, but at the same time there have been some derivative-only formulas that have still worked really well for me. I really like the texture of this product and how it goes onto my skin; it's light but still hydrates and moisturises. I didn't see any dramatic 'treatment' results but it did give my skin a healthy glow, and given it's very gentle and is a lovely all-rounder; I think this is a solid everyday serum.

Lastly is probably my second-favourite product from the range: the Face Moisturiser* | £27. This is a light but still moisturising day cream that melts in with no excess and softens and smooths my skin. It's simple, but for that reason I think it will actually work for a lot of people's skin. It's formulated with plant oils, fruit extracts, shea butter and glycerin. The ingredients balance out beautifully so you get that skin-softening, moisturising goodness without it having a thick, heavy layer on your skin. I'd recommend this for everyone but the very dry and the very oily. There isn't parfum in this product but there is orange peel extract; most skin types will be fine with that but it's just a little warning if you're sensitive to it.

- FINAL THOUGHTS -

Look, it's a mixed bag: stuff like the cleanser and exfoliator weren't made for me and I never would've purchased them myself, but the toner was a surprise love. The serum and moisturiser are solid basics I think will work for most skin types, and you can't really go wrong with them. Do I think this is an inspired line, or a real passion project for Kylie? No. Personally, when it comes to celebrity beauty brands, I do think the likes of Honest Beauty (Jessica Alba) and Kora Organics (Miranda Kerr) are a lot more considered and the products are of a higher standard. But, what do I know? I'm just a skinny jean-wearing, side-parted millennial... 


Have you tried / will you be trying Kylie Skin?


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