Opening Kiehl's in Ghent

Ghent has recently added another beauty hotspot to its list. After a Kiehl's store in Antwerp and a shop-in-shop at Senteurs d'Ailleurs in Brussels, Kiehl's decided to open a new store right in the city centre of Ghent. To be honest, I never actually tried any of the Kiehl's products before, but because I heard and read a lot of great things about it, I was very excited about this opening. Especially since it's only about 50m away from my university.

So on to the opening. Before, I told Mieke (a friend of mine) about the opening and she told me she had never heard of Kiehl's before (say whut?!). So I decided it was my duty to take her with me. We received a very warm welcome by the Oona's and the new store manager of Kiehl's Ghent. It was cold outside so the hot coco with marshmallows was an instant hit for me. In fact, I'm still craving for it now. Idris Henry, the Retail & Education Manager of Kiehl's Europe, or as Marie from Oona likes to call him; 'the walking encyclopedia', was also present to teach us a little bit more about the world of Kiehl's.

Look how happy Mieke (on the left) is to be at Kiehl's.

About Kiehl's

Kiehl's was originally an apothecary in East Village, New York in 1851. Even today, each store is entirely recreated to breathe the same atmosphere like the authentic apothecary. Anywhere you go, you will find the brick wall, chandelier, sales people wearing lab coats and an artificial skeleton named Mr. Bones. The packaging of products have sort of a 'medicine' feel, also to link to the original apothecary. The products are all unisex, but they also carry a line especially for men, mainly revolving around the daily habit of shaving the face (which of course women don't have to do, thank god!). 

Idris Henry (Retail & Education Manager Europe) and his buddy Mr. Bones (quite the fun couple)!

Fun fact: Mr. Bones used to be sort of a demonstration doll, to show the people where to apply the particular product. All bloggers that attended the store opening got to sign him, so be sure to check out what I wrote when you visit Kiehl's in Ghent! ;-)

 A huge range of products, for each type of skin.

Kiehl's started to focus on cosmetics in the 70's and today, they are known for their science, natural organic ingrediënts and their focus of fast and visible results. The products don't have any artificial scents added to them, so what you smell are the actual ingredients of the bottle or tube. All these factors make that Kiehl's products are incredibly popular all around the world, even celebrities like Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) and Julianne Moore (Hannibal) openly declared their love for Kiehl's.

Kiehl's rankings

 Top 10 best sold products in America.

Now onto the sales. What are the best sold products at Kiehl's? Well, here you have 'em. (Starting on the bottom left, going right, then again upper left to the right.) I've noticed there aren't that many differences between America and Europe. What really surprised me is that Kiehl's newest product: Midnight Recovery Concentrate (only on the market since September) has already conquered the nr 1 spot in Europe!

Top 10 best sold products in Europe.

Top 10 best sold products in Europe:

1. Midnight Recovery Concentrate
2. Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate

3. Ultra Facial Cream
4. Açaï Damage-Repairing Serum
5. Açaï Damage Correcting Moisturizer
6. Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser
7. Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-free Toner
8. Facial Fuel
9. Amino Acid Shampoo
10. Creme de Corps.

After I've learned so many new things about Kiehl's and it's products, and I was already making a wishlist in my head, I got the news that I could choose 3 products to take home with me. It was music to my ears. But how does one pick 3 products out of all these wonders? I decided to take 3 products that I could use the best, so I turned to Ibris himself for a skin consultation and decide what products would help me from a problem that seems to be popping out every time around this year thanks to stress for exams that are coming up and spending the time indoors studying.. greasy skin and even worse, acne! Eww! 

This  way, I could also see what the consultation at Kiehl's really is. And who would be able to explain it better than the 'walking encyclopedia' himself? So I sat down with Ibris at the consultation table and I explained him my 'situation'. After that he asked me about my daily routine; what products did I use, what base they have, in what order did I use them etc..

Ibris at the consulation table sharing his incredible Kiehl's knowledge with another blogger.

The conclusion of the consultation was that I really need to hydrate my skin more. And that I definitely need to use a sunblock! The poor guy almost got a heart attack when I told him I used a gel based on fruit acids without using sunblock. Of course I knew that, but my skin always became greasy again right after, so I stopped using it. For this he suggested to definitely choose the Ultra Light Daily UV Defense. To make the anti-acne set complete; I also chose the Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser and the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner. The only thing that's missing is a moisturizer, but I might go back to get that when I finish my current one.

I have to say I'm not the kind of girl that blindly believes everything she's told, but I do like to try new things. With this I want to add that you should never let yourself talk into buying a product when the sales person didn't even ask you what skin type you have or ask you about your current routine because every skin is different and therefore needs different treatment. If that happens, ask for someone professional of walk away. Ahem.. now, that aside.. 

My mission is now to test these 3 products starting January 1st and see after one month if there are any improvements. There couldn't be a better time to test this, because now 'the situation' is at its worst. So if it works now, it will always do. I'll definitely let you know how that worked out for me, so all of you who share the same problem will know if it's worth trying! For others who have other 'situations' or just want to check Kiehl's out, don't hesitate to go and pay Kiehl's Ghent a visit and go ask for a consultation or a sample. The staff will be more than happy to help you out!

My picks plus a lovely Kiehl's tote bag and 'I love Kiehl's' mug.

Pictures, info and products thanks to the lovely Oona's, Kiehl's store manager and of course Ibris Henry!

You can find Kiehl's in the Koestraat 18 in Ghent.

http://www.kiehls.com/