After a terrific visit to New York City last week, I am pleased to now bring you the results of testing my many Kiehl's samples!

Rare Earth Oatmeal Milk Cleanser #1 (Mild)
I was a little surprised when the Kiehl's rep. in NYC recommended this cleanser for my skin. All winter, my skin had been normal-to-dry, but now that spring is just about here, my skin has been acting more combination (slightly oily in the T-zone), and unfortunately prone to a few breakouts. This cleanser is designed for normal-to-oily skin and contains kaolin and bentonite clays to help absorb oil. It really works well on my skin without making it feel dried out, which surprised me considering it contains clay. I also like that it's a creamy consistency rather than something that lathers, which can be stripping. If you have combination or normal-to-oily skin, this cleanser is a good choice that's a nice change from most cleansers that are more lather-intensive.

Calendula Herbal Extract Toner
Toners fall into two groups for me these days: ones that feel good, and ones that don't. This one felt nice on my skin, but when I checked my Kiehl's price list, I couldn't believe they wanted $18.50 for a little 4 ounce bottle! I mean, this toner is nice, and it does have whole flowers and herbs in it, but I just can't justify paying over $4.50 an ounce for it. I decided to investigate alternatives...

Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-free Toner
When I got back from NYC, I decided after trying the Calendula toner that it would be nice to find one a little less expensive, so I paid a visit to my local Kiehl's counter at Saks. This Cucumber toner is soothing and it has a nice clean fragrance. If you are looking for a basic, non-drying toner, this one is a good choice (and priced better at $8.50 for 4 ounces). Don't let the label "for dry and sensitive skin" fool you - it's good for any skin type.

Ultra Facial Moisturizer
Although my forehead, nose, and chin can get a little oily as we get closer to summer, I still need a light moisturizer all over to protect and soothe my skin. I really liked this moisturizer, both the regular version and the one with SPF 13 sunscreen. They are both lightweight and absorb quickly, and they left my skin feeling incredibly soft and silky. What I found fascinating is how this moisturizer provided the boost of moisture my skin needed in NYC when it was cold and windy just as well as it keeps my skin comfortable and soft in warmer temperatures.

Lip Balm #1
This lip balm is a Kiehl's must-have! The mix of plant oils, vitamin E, vitamin A, aloe in a creamy base is great for moisturizing and protecting your lips even in the nastiest weather. A great buy at $4.50 a tube.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked all the Kiehl's products I tried. If you are interested in find out out more about Kiehl's, you can give them a call at 1-800-KIEHLS-1 or 1-800-KIEHLS-2. They are great at helping you choose the right products for your skin.

My First MAC seminar
I almost couldn't believe that after using MAC products for almost two years now, I had never been to one of their seminars. This one at my local Nordstrom was to kick off MAC's new colors for spring, which include some wild eye colors like Tilt (blue), Theme (red-pink), Fiction (silver-gray), Brill (white-gray), and Frame (deep plum-pink), and lip colors like Ionic (pale gray), Jet (purple black), Bubbles (whitish pink), and Skew (sheer pink-coral) that need to be seen to be believed!

The evening started with a video of the new spring colors used on models at recent fashion shows in NYC for the spring collections from some pretty hip designers. Then, after a small snack, we were ready to get down to business. The two MAC artists running the seminar chose two women from the group to be models (guinea pigs, if you will!), one to demonstrate a conservative-but-still-hip look, and one to get a more wild look. The rest of looked on, took notes, and asked lots of questions. I found it was great to see the different application techniques of the two artists, as well as how the techniques and colors worked on two very different models (one woman was probably in her fifties and suffered from acne rosacea, while the other model was twenty-something with perfect porcelain skin). Here a few handy tips I picked up: