If you thought that living in Hong Kong meant you got to avoid the vagaries of winter weather, think again. The only difference? Unlike the UK, we’re just vastly unprepared for it!
Nevertheless, there are a couple of things you can buy to lessen the pain. Millions of Uniqlo Heattech tops. A mini convection heater to tote around wherever you go. And a really really good winter moisturiser. Which is exactly where Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration comes in.
Add dry weather to drying conditions (hello that beloved convection heater!) and you end up with pretty parched skin. Given that Hong Kong’s usual climate of heat and humidity is the exact opposite of this and you can see why a change in your skincare routine is most definitely called for! So it’s out with light, gel-based moisturisers and in with heavy-duty hydrating creams. However, what’s amazing about Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Intense Hydration Cream is that whilst it’s heavy-duty, it does so without actually being heavy. Which has to be some sort of make-up miracle.
Most intense moisturisers wear their richness like new-money Mainlanders i.e. way too obviously. They feel heavy and thick and just too much. But Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Intense Hydration Cream instead feels light, lovely and daisy-fresh. It’s pretty much the perfect consistency for a face cream – not too thin or too thick, not too heavy or too light, not too watery or too buttery. It’s basically the Baby Bear of face creams – just right. It absorbs quickly but keeps your face hydrated all day (or night) long.
The reason it’s able to be all these wonderful things is apparently because of Enriched Hyaluronic Acid, a special ingredient Kiehl’s boffins used instead of traditional thickeners like wax or butter. This includes two science-geek molecules that help with hydration: Hyaluronic Acid, which holds up to 1000 times its own weight in water (hence why the cream is so light) and Biomimetic Hydrator, which is used in contact lens technology to keep your eyes hydrated even at low humidity (hence why the cream is so hydrating). This crack duo essentially draws in and enhances water capture, then seals that moisture into your skin. Factor in Apricot Kernel Oil, which has lots of yummy omega oils and fatty acids that help condition and soften skin to reduce visible dryness and flakiness, and you have the ultimate dream team of face cream ingredients.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Intense Hydration Cream is, without a doubt, one of the best face creams I have ever used. For me, one tub lasts about 8-10 months, used both morning and night but only during winter weather (given the freak seasons, who knows exactly when I have to pull it out these days!). Whenever I start to feel that slight tightening that comes with the changing conditions, I immediately switch to this stuff and my skin breathes a happy sigh of relief. It keeps my complexion plump, hydrated and moisturised at all times – but without weighing it down or causing breakouts.
Pair it with a good serum or facial oil (or both!) and you’ll be laughing in the face of a desiccated Freddy turning to ice on the TVB weather reports. So forget Dry January, and let Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration give you all the moisture you need.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration, $305 for 50ml; see all Kiehl’s locations in Hong Kong here
Note: I originally received this product for trial… and liked it so much, I bought (and am currently using) my own after that first tub had finished!
Through The Looking Glass 
I actually tried the moisturizer version of this line and it felt like putting acid on my face… Is this because I have really dry skin? 😦 I use other creams and the burning effect doesn’t happen. :O
Yikes – acid!!!
Do you mean you tried this one? http://www.kiehls.co.uk/skin-care/by-category/moisturisers/ultra-facial-moisturiser
It may well be because you have super dry skin – I sometimes have a similar tingling feeling with certain products, usually when they are too light/watery and my skin is really dry/flaky. Or it could be you have a sensitivity to some ingredient in the cream. The Ultra Facial Moisturiser is actually the lightest out the bunch in that collection so not the best for dry skin – the Intense Hydration Cream reviewed above is the one recommended for and developed especially for very dry skin, so I’d definitely have a try of that in store to see if it has a similar effect, as it really has done the business for my complexion in dry weather!
Not sure about burning (or acid – ouch!), but the Ultra Hydrating Overnight Mask from the same range does give me a little bit of a tingle when it goes on, especially if my skin is really parched.
It settles down quickly though, and it’s an amazing product for really dry skin. I used this in combination with the Ultra Facial Cream at night last winter and it worked miracles.