For all my KOH nail polish swatches: Brand: KOH
If ever there was a nail polish heaven, I think this would be it for me.
I had meant to write about this in December, so apologies for this little delay. There is quite a bit that I would like to share with you, so I’ve decided to spread this feature over two posts.
I must first explain how it all came to be. In November, Dutch-based KOH published an advertisement about a month-long promotion in a promo magazine of de Bijenkorf, a posh Dutch department store. All one had to do was bring along the magazine to the KOH Experience Shop at de Bijenkorf in Amsterdam to receive a free nail care consultation and at the end of it, the visitor receives a full-sized KOH nail polish in a colour of her choice. Free. Now, tell me, how can you resist such an enticing offer?
So off I went with an eager heart and soon found 
myself in nail polish heaven! However, I couldn’t oggle at the nail polishes first as the friendly consultant who greeted me wasted little time in showing me to the long manicure table (right). I was asked to place my hands on the KOH hand cushions so that she could inspect my nails. For a moment, memories of my school years among strict Catholic nuns and teachers came flooding back.
Anyway, the following were the KOH products that she used on my nails/hands during the consultation:
KOH Crystal Nail File
She proceeded to show me how to file my nails – in a single direction from the side to the middle – so as not to split the nail plates.
KOH Natural, Glossy Nail Buffer Set
Then, she demonstrated the use of a nail buffer set on one of my bare nails. In three steps – KOH calls it Equalise, Clean, Beautify – she got my nail from looking ordinary to looking very glossy! Nothing new to most of you, I'm sure, but it was this late bloomer's moment of enlightenment.....
KOH Calcium Nail Whitener
She applied this on the nail that had been buffed just to show me what it was. My nail was certainly glossier. It has calcium in the formula and is meant for discoloured nails. It’s supposed to revitalise nails by intensifying the natural nail colour, ie making the nail tips whiter and the nail bed pinker. How that is logically possible with one single formula, I have yet to figure out.
KOH Nourishing Cuticle Brush
Next, my cuticles. While I may not have had much problems with my nails, I do occasionally have dry cuticles. She applied the emulsion of essential oils from this brush on my cuticles. It’s meant to help with the dryness.
KOH Purifying Polish Remover
She didn’t use this on me as I didn’t have any polish on my nails. She did recommend though that I use this mild remover as not only is it acetone-free, but it also contains nourishing oils like castor oil, almond oil and Vitamin E.
KOH Sensational Silk Experience
On one hand, she applied this SPF 15 hand gel that contains extracts from the Purple Orchid and has an anti-aging formula.
KOH Essential Hand Nourisher
On my other hand, she applied this SPF 15 hand cream enriched with Blue Lotus extracts and Vitamin E. This is also an anti-aging cream.
The product images above are owned by KOH Cosmetics.
At the end of the consultation, I was given a personalised product sheet on
which she ticked which KOH products were suitable for me. Then, she showed me to the huge wall of KOH Colourful (I prefer to call it the Wall of Joyful Colours) and asked me to pick one colour to take home. Oh my, I felt like a little girl in a candy shop trying to choose the sweetest, prettiest and yummiest candy. It was a tough decision. This little girl chose KOH's basic red shade simply called KOH Red. I believe this particular shade is one of KOH’s pioneer nail colours when they first branched out from offering only nail care products.
All in all, the consultation was a very pleasant experience. The purpose of this promotion was obviously for people to get acquainted 
with its product range. I did wonder if they might be pushy and try to persuade me to purchase their products. On the contrary, actually. Anyway, I did buy a few small items on my own accord – KOH Crystal Nail File To Go and two cute mini versions of its body care products from the KOH Body Sensations line.
I picked up a card which shows the services offered at the KOH Experience Shop. The charges range from €20.00 for a basic manicure without nail polish to €45.00 for a complete 45-minute manicure treatment.
In my next post, I will show you the interior of the KOH Experience Shop.
Further reading:
All my features on KOH nail polishes.
