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Earth Day: Kiehl's is "pro" Rainforest & I'm "pro" these gorgeous toning mists!

Kiehl's Ltd. Edition Açaí Damage-Protecting Toning Mist

Kiehl’s collaborates with actress Julianne Moore, musician Pharrell Williams, artist Jeff Koons and pro-surfer Malia Jones to raise funds and awareness for the Rainforest Alliance, which is dedicated to sustaining biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods.

100% of proceeds up to $200,000 from the sale of this product will be donated to support the Rainforest Alliance... 100% Organic; With daily use, helps protect cells from destructive effects of oxidation... Improves the look of radiance and rejuvenation to skin... Tightens pores, and clarifies and balances skin’s texture

Bottle labels all feature a design by one of the collaborators. Each bottle is $26.

Skincare review: Kiehl's Imperial Body Balm

OK - that's a really big picture, ain't it!? But its size is in direct proportion to my enjoyment of the product. :)

Here's the scoop:

• Inspiration - Sbiten, a hot, immune-system-boosting drink enjoyed by Siberians as far back as the 12^th century. 
• Goal - "a luxurious experience" that helps "repair dull, lackluster skin.
• Great for - extra dry, dull skin.
• Ingredients - Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil (skin regeneration); nut butters (deeply hydrating); Honey and Fruit Glycolic Acids (accelerate skin cell turnover for improved smoothness and radiance).
• About Sea Buckthorn ("SB") and Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil ("SBBO") - The plant survives in harsh climates thanks to the way it can efficiently pull nutrients out of the soil. The berries are found on the female plants and are yellow-orange and rich in oil. SBBO has been used as an alternative treatment for radiation burns and by Russian Cosmonauts as a skin protectant in space.
• Appearance - A thick, opaque yellow cream.
• Smells:  like a light cocoa or shea butter.
• Editor's Note - Ha! The funny thing is I wrote that line above before I looked at the full ingredient break-down. Also in this balm: shea butter and cocoa butter. I'm a genius.
• More ingredients: Squalane, a moisturizing oil extracted from the olive. One of Kiehl's "signature ingredients". (PS: It's in a lot of cosmetics, not just at Kiehl's).

Price: 8oz/200ml for $42

My thoughts:

Honestly? I think this should be called a cream, not a balm, but that's probably nitpicky. "Balm" makes me think of something translucent, possibly sticky... mabye gloppy. This is a rich, thick cream. Of course, "balm" makes me think of something incredibly healing and moisturizing, so I guess that's where Kiehl's is going with that. The appearance? It immediately put me off. I'm not sure why, but the color is unappealing. In fact, I was reluctant to try it. How does it smell? The scent doesn't do the product any favors, since some people don't like the scent of shea and/or cocoa butter. Then again, it doesn't have any extra ingredients put in just for scent, so I give props for that.

Does it work? In a word: yes. It's super rich, super luscious. It is incredibly hydrating and fairly long-lasting, but sinks in quickly enough that there aren't slimy fingerprints all over the place.

The sample I got is small, so I'm sort of doling it out slowly and using it mostly for my amazingly dry hands, but I'm definitely getting a bigger tub of this and can't wait to use it to soothe my winter hands, feet and dry-dry legs! I don't usually dive into the Kiehl's pool, but my opinion is that this is well-worth the pricetag.

A+