A big round of applause for Kiehl's, please, who opened the first free-standing Kiehl's store-slash-pharmacy in 'Straya yesterday.
It's on Oxford St Paddington and I went in there yesterday to sniff around. It smelled real good.
If you've never seen or heard of this brand before (weirdo) it's a ridiculously successful beauty brand that originated in New York as a pharmacy brand, and has now become very famous and extremely adored globally. Celebs froth over it. Mischa loves their tinted lip balm. (I do too, but no one gives a rats because oooh, i haven't been on teeveeeee, and ooooh, i haven't dated a roooock star.)
You have been able to buy it in Mecca for a few years, and there is now also a store within DJ's in Bourke St, but this, this is one is a full shop, and it's even got the signature Kiehl's skeleton to prove it. (Not creepy at all - he's very lovely and clean and plastic and would probably offer you a bone to nibble on if you were really hungry while doing your Christmas shopping.)
This isn't the Sydney store, it's another one from Another City, but as the design is very uniform all around the world, you'll get the idea.
See? See how it's all pharmacy like? But not like a 'chemist' or a 'drug store', like an actual ol-school PHARMACY, with people in nice starchy white coats and wooden floor boards and just a very lovely energy, as though you were back in the 50s, only with less mafia and racism and more feminism and lovely skin care.
Definitely go in. Especially if you have a man in your life (hotrod/brother/dad/gramps) who is proving very difficult to buy for, because that's what they like to do when you're already stressed about buying presents: be difficult to buy for.
Kiehl's, which is hard to spell even when you write it several times, has lots-and-lots of shaving gear and men's skin care, as well as baby stuff, hair stuff, face stuff, body stuff, lots of Lady Stuff (although it's all unisex - it's all for everyone and as the fragrance is always light and authentic, dudes can use pretty much any of it, but because they sometimes demand need their skincare, and to have it packaged in blue and grey so as to preserve their masculinity, Kiehl's was willing to make them their own special range, too. Yeah, they're nice like that) and just generally a lot of nice things that would be very nice to open on Baby Jesus' Day of Days.
But don't expect pretty packaging (they say no to boxes as it's waste of resources and puts price of product up) or makeup or fluffy names, Kiehl's are simple.
But in a good way. Not in a Paris Hilton way.
My favorite products even though I am not Mischa Barton:
* Creme de corps - the richest loveliest body creme you'll ever get your dry little paws on.
* Abyssine serum - for radiance and hydration on your mug.
* Liquid body cleanser - I prefer the grapefruit or pear but there are so many lovely fruit-based variations, fruity almost lost her freakin' mind.
