I recently took a much-needed vacation to England and Paris. In England, I was able to visit Nottingham, which would be my primary base, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, and Manchester! I did all of my shopping, which wasn't much, in Nottingham, a really beautiful, quaint little town. One of these shopping destinations was a Kiehl's. Now, I know we have these stores in the states, but I have not had the opportunity to visit one. I popped in here, just to take a look around without the intention of purchasing anything, and the sales woman, Rachel, was really fantastic and talked me into purchasing the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution. I felt kind of bad for purchasing something in the UK I could get in the states, but guess what? It came out cheaper because it was only £36.00 (~$45.00) compared to $49.50 if I had purchased it here. Hooray for savings! Same thing happened with SpaceNK, but I digress.

I was really amazed at how knowledgeable and helpful Rachel was. A stark contrast from my experience minutes earlier at the SpaceNK down the street! She gave me a brief history on Kiehl's and some really great suggestions on how to improve my regimen to better suit my oily skin. For example, she suggested I exfoliate less because over-exfoliation can cause excess oil production, which I didn't know. I also ended up trying out the Oil Eliminator Toner ($18.00), marketed for men because apparently their skin is naturally more oily than women's. I didn't end up taking the full-sized bottle, but Rachel was kind enough to offer me a large sample of the stuff, to which I graciously accepted!

I have just started using the Dark Spot Solution so it's too early to report! The serum is on the thicker side, but not like a traditional gel, definitely more viscous and reminds me of aftershave. That hasn't put me off it just yet. Looking forward to seeing how this performs, as it's replacing my Vitamin C Suspension from The Ordinary.

• Highly efficacious dark spot corrector is formulated to have a visible impact on a broad spectrum of dark spots.

• This clear and corrective formula visibly diminishes the number and intensity of dark spots and discolorations.

• With a potent, latest-generation clarifying complex of Activated C, White Birch and Peony Extracts, the formula penetrates skin’s surface to help correct the appearance of dark spots and unify skin tone. 

• With daily, continuous use, skin is visibly brighter, more even and radiant with a visible improvement in clarity

Bloomingdale's (free shipping)
Kiehl's
Lord & Taylor
Neiman Marcus (free shipping)
Nordstrom (free shipping)
Saks Fifth Avenue (free shipping)

and many other retailers.

Here are a few more photos from my stay in Nottingham:

The Christmas Market entrance

I didn't have any but it smelled like heaven

Pitcher and Piano. This bar has made its residence inside a big, old fancy, church! So beautiful!

One of the main streets

Robin Hood; so many things named after characters from Robin Hood in this town

I usually hate red doors but this one looked so cozy and inviting

An unassuming band at first but they were awesome blues players

Instruments on the ceiling

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