The lovely Gina and Mr Bones at the new Kiehl’s store in Kirkcaldie and Stains

It’s no rhetorical question – the answer is heaps.

I knew little about Kiehl’s before it opened up shop in Wellington earlier this month, aside from having heard the name online and from people overseas. Now us Wellingtonians are lucky enough to have a Kiehl’s store to call our own in Kirkcaldie and Stains.

The Kiehl’s brand, founded as a New York homeopathic pharmacy by Mr John Kiehl in 1851, is today owned by L’Oreal and adored by men and women worldwide (Dr Duane McWain, partner of US Ambassador David Huebner, love love loves Kiehl’s products, and helped cut the ribbon to open the store in Kirks). Wellington fans of the products have been flocking to the new counter, snapping up their favourites – and causing some items to sell out!

The plainly-packaged products don’t exactly jump out at you – they wink and shimmy subtly from shelves. Don’t let their understated appearance deceive you – the ingredients in these fellas pack a punch that will fix whatever ails your skin.

I recently had a complimentary skin consultation with the lovely Gina at Kiehl’s (Gina is the former owner of Beautique Skin and Body Therapy in Thorndon, which offered THE BEST facial in town, so the lady knows her stuff).

After a chat about my skin concerns (I’m 25, still getting teenager-style breakouts, but also worried about future wrinkles), Gina took me through the Kiehl’s range and I gave some products a whirl.

Fast-forward one day and I’m already seeing the results. Not even joking. My skin looks clearer and smoother, the blemishes I have are clearing up and my pores – big enough to park a digger in – are smaller and less congested.

The first product I’m trying out is Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser ($38), a foamy gel cleanser which leaves your skin clean without drying it out. I’m using this morning and night and finding it great for also removing makeup (which, admit it, we’re all a bit poor at).

I’m also using the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner ($44 or $69), which is one of the company’s top sellers. I have been a bit lazy with using toner in recent times because I wasn’t *really* sure what it did, but Gina tells me it’s ideal for finishing the job cleanser starts on normal and oily skin. *FUN FACT* the flower petals inside the toner bottle are hand-picked and placed in each bottle by hand, no robots involved.

In the daytime, I’m following up these bad boys with the Yerba Mate Tea Lotion (that’s ma-tay like the Frenchies say, not mate, but I can’t find the accent button, or a link) ($69) as a moisturiser, plus the Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion ($50) on my aforementioned moon-crater nose pores.

Last night I gave the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque ($50) a whirl, and let me tell you, I am super excited about this product. I believe it may be the answer to years of woe, like people asking “are those freckles or blackheads?” (Okay, they’re not actually that bad, but it’s borderline). I’ll keep you updated on how they shrink.

Three other products I’m really digging are the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, which feels amazing on my future wrinkles (seriously, you gotta try it), the Creme de Corps, a non-greasy body moisturiser which is another top-selling product, and the delicious lip glosses, which come in a bunch of shades and are non-sticky and non-drying – and your hair doesn’t even get stuck in them!!

I’m also looking forward to trying out the Pineapple and Papaya Facial Scrub ($60), as I’m somewhat under exfoliated, but Gina tells me this is a great product for my combination skin.

To sum it up, Kiehl’s could very well replace the MAC counter as my happy place. I love the products, the staff are delights and SO helpful, and if you haven’t already tried out Kiehl’s, I guarantee (and the McQuillan guarantee is a solid one) that you will love the products too. Head in ASAP for your own skin consultation, try a few of the samples at home and let me know your favourites!