Camilla’s Experience: The Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate Change Your Skin Challenge

Kiehl's Change Your Skin Challenge

A few weeks ago Jules and I started the Change Your Skin Challenge with Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (“MRC”). I have been keeping very quiet about the Challenge because my skin has been quite temperamental, whereas Jules’ skin has responded really well and is looking better than I’ve ever seen it.

First and foremost, you should know that the problem is my skin, not the product. MRC is sublime and I have relished using it – it smells incredible and feels really indulgent and comforting on the skin. However, my love for the product aside, this was my first foray into facial oils and at the moment, my skin is not a happy camper. I have suffered with problem skin for years and have always had to be very careful about what I put on my face, because anything that isn’t Cetaphil or Neutrogena usually causes a reaction. My skin also got noticeably more sensitive after my dermatologist in London misdiagnosed my rosacea as acne and put me on a heavy course of Roaccutane – a truly horrendous experience, as any fellow Roaccutane-taker will tell you.

MRC

For the first two weeks of the Challenge I decided to wean my skin onto MRC because I knew that if I just started slapping it on every night my skin would freak out. So I started off by using it every other night on top of my Clarins Double Serum. Over the course of the next two weeks I built up to using it every night and things were alright – the texture of my skin was the same, which obviously isn’t anything to write home about, but it gladdened by heart because it meant that my skin wasn’t reacting the way I thought it would. After those two weeks I decided to forgo my serum and apply the MRC directly onto my skin after cleansing. Initially things went well – my skin looked smooth, and I noticed that any little spots around my mouth that seemed to want to come to the surface, didn’t. MRC also seemed to be helping with existing inflammation elsewhere on my face and in addition, existing acne scars faded completely. *Pause for effect*. That is huge – I have never known of a product to deliver those kinds of results so quickly.

A few days later I decided to try a new cleanser – Lush Ultrabland (which is universally acknowledged as being the most gentle cleanser in existence, basically). Now, I don’t know if perhaps I was too vigorous with the face cloth when removing this cleanser, or if there was some strange reaction between the cleanser and MRC, but all of a sudden, my happy little face was a mess. I developed redness and spots around my nose and cheeks, my skin tone was more uneven than usual, my dry patches got worse and my complexion looked flat. I struggle to see how Ultrabland could have caused that kind of reaction, but by the same token I felt like my skin was doing really well on the MRC, so now I’m more confused than ever! I cannot unequivocally state that it was the fault of one product or the other – it might, in fact, be neither – I just don’t know. I have decided to stop using both Ultrabland and MRC for the time being and revert back to cleansing with Cetaphil and moisturising with Neutrogena (I am also cutting out all serums, toners and acid exfoliators). I am hoping that by stripping my routine back to basics, my skin will settle down and start looking a bit healthier. Once everything is back to normal I will try and reintroduce MRC into my regime and hopefully I will have better results the second time around.

I just want to reiterate that I think MRC is a wonderful product, and, notwithstanding my experience, I would highly recommend it. I have numerous friends who are also doing the Challenge and their skins are looking glorious. Thank you to Khiel’s South Africa and Tori from Kiss, Blush and Tell for including Jules and I in the Challenge.

13 comments on Camilla’s Experience: The Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate Change Your Skin Challenge

  • Sarah Daly

    Hi Camilla, I have also been using the MRC for the last 2 weeks. My skin had a mild reaction around the eyes mostly, but again I also tried a new oil cleanser to remove waterproof mascara and I suspect it may actually be that which caused my reaction. Note to self: as a skincare therapist, try 1 new product at a time so you know how your skin reacts 🙂
    I want to send you some Salon Care products which I recommend for my clients who have the most extreme skin allergies and sensitivities. Please mail me with your postal address. I do LOVE the MRC though!

    • Camilla (author)

      Hi Sarah – thanks so much for getting in touch. I am so frustrated at the moment because I just can’t seem to find the right combination of products to keep my skin happy. I keep chopping and changing, and I suspect that this is actually aggravating the problem instead of solving it. I will get in touch via email – thank you so much xxx

  • Kirsty

    I struggle with my skin too, have terrible scars still in my cheeks so keen to try it just for this! If you ever find out the secret to flawless skin, please let me know. I’ve tried so many products, even tried the natural route with coconut oil and the OCM. Nothing has made a difference. I even stopped smoking and seven months later, still no change.

    • Camilla (author)

      Hi Kirsty – I know the feeling! In the past I have taken Tetralysal, which definitely helped, but obviously I don’t want to be on antibiotics forever. Unfortunately most topical treatments don’t seem to help, although I was bowled over by how MRC faded my existing scars – I’ve never seen anything like it. I will definitely keep you posted if I find anything that makes a noticeable difference to my skin…the hunt for the miracle product continues…

    • Sarah Daly

      Hi Kirsty, are you still struggling with actual breakouts or just the post breakout scarring?

  • Elana

    Oh no. Sorry you’re having such a tough time with your skin. It sounds like you have a reactive skin.I think stripping down to basics and cuting out “acid exfoliators” is a great idea, and Sarah seems to have some good ideas, too. I’d definitely recommend an enzymatic exfoliator. Salon Care has one, so maybe mention it to Sarah. I’ve trained and worked with Salon Care (and my mom still uses it from my student days) and it’s super gentle. It’s a very basic product with lower concentrations of active ingredients. Maybe your skin isn’t as bad as you think. If it can handle Neutrogena, I think you’ll be fine (from someone whose skin can’t handle Neutrogena), even if it just takes some time to figure out the right combinations. (Now it just sounds like we’re cooking/baking.):-P

    I hope you find the balance and your skin plays along. If/when you get really frustrated (or just want to do it anyway), maybe we should do a consultation and full “work up” and find out what your skin triggers are.
    xxx

    • Camilla (author)

      You are so right, Elana – it is all about finding the right combination. I was on to a good thing before I started dabbling with all these different serums, oils and exfoliators – I need to remember to stick with what works instead of getting sucked in by clever marketing.

      I would be really interested to do a consultation with you – I will get in touch via email. xxx

      • Elana

        Well, if you never tried anything new (whether due to clever marketing or not) you may never find something that you and your skin may LOVE! So it’s all part of a process, the way I see it. 🙂 Also, everyone gets sucked in by marketing at some point…even skincare professionals that know better. *hides* We just need back up plans should our new experiences not work out and know the right questions to ask. But we’ll work on it, and our skins will be happy again. In the meantime, aren’t you super happy that makeup exists and that you rock at applying it? 😉
        xxx

        • Camilla (author)

          Amen – if I didn’t have access to foundation at the moment I probably wouldn’t leave the house! I am incredibly impatient so if I don’t see results fast I usually end up getting frustrated and tossing the product away. Need to learn to start remembering the 28 day rule!

  • hildegarde_k

    I’ve also been trying out a few new products lately (as well as the MRC for the past two weeks), and my normally perfectly fine skin turned red and my skin burns when cleansing. 🙁 Feeling quite down in the dumps with the redness and slight rash on my cheeks, but have stopped with all the new products until things start looking better. Glad I’m not the only struggling!

    • Camilla (author)

      I am so jealous of your normally perfect skin! I think we are all guilty of getting caught up in the hype of new products, but if you know what works for you, rather just stick with it. After all the chopping and changing, I have made a promise to myself not to try anything new for the next month – I am really hoping that my skin will settle down soon. I hope yours does too! x

      • Elana

        When using new products, you should always stick it out for at least a month, unless you’re suffering from irritation or bad “side effects”. The skin cell cycle is 28 days. So from the day you start using a product, although you may see improvements after a week, you’ll only really know if it’s working for you or not after 28 days of continuous use. This, of course, is dependent on other factors within your lifestyle, such as your hormonal cycle, oral medication and other potential stressors that could be affecting your skin during that time. xxx

        • hildegarde_k

          I think my problem is that I jumped into a couple of new products at the same time and my skin completely freaked out. The dry Pretoria weather isn’t helping either… I can already see an improvement in my skin from just using my Kiehl’s oil-free cleanser (now with the hot-cloth method, which is amazing) followed by a hydrating cream. Will rather introduce new products one by one and then establish what caused my initial rash… Also finding it difficult to stick it out for 28 days! I wanted results yesterday! 😉

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