I spent $397 on Kim Kardashian’s skincare & tried it for a month – there was a big issue but there’s an item I recommend

WHEN I posted my SKKN by Kim shopping haul on Instagram in June, everyone was curious: What did I really think of it? Was it worth it?

Over a month into using her line, I've made up my mind – and while I'm not all complaints, I still can't wrap my head around the prices.

I totally get why Kim Kardashian's new skincare line has piqued everyone's interest.

After I wrote my first review – comparing Kim's line to Kylie Jenner's skincare line – even my dad read the piece (though that was probably more about him loving me than Kim – sorry, Kim).

The packaging is beautiful, her social media content is compelling, and really, who wouldn't want to look like this woman?

But like most people, my eyebrows shot way up when I saw the prices, including $90 for hyaluronic acid and $85 for moisturizer.

Still, I wondered, would I like her serums more than the $7.50 ones by The Ordinary? Would her face cream be an upgrade to my $10 bottle from Cetaphil?

My brutally honest take: Nope.

I only bought five out of the nine products for an eye-watering total of $397 including tax: The $43 cleanser, the $90 hyaluronic acid, the $90 vitamin C8 serum, the $55 exfoliator, and the $85 moisturizer.

And really, there is nothing actually wrong with any of them. The cleanser gets my face clean. The moisturizer feels moisturizing.

I assume the hyaluronic acid and vitamin C8 are working, though I was already using hyaluronic acid and a vitamin C serum from other brands, so I haven't noticed any changes in my face.

Price aside, my only other complaints are super nitpicky and wouldn't be reason enough for me to never buy them again if I were in love with them.

For example, I wish the hyaluronic acid dispensed less in a single pump. As it is, I get way more than I need for my face and feel like I'm going through the bottle faster than I need to.

I also made the mistake of moving the vitamin C bottle around too much and a bit splashed out without me pushing the pump, so I wonder what kind of oxygen exposure it might be getting, just sitting there.

And I'm really not crazy about how the hyaluronic acid and vitamin C come in identical bottles with their names printed in tiny font at the bottom, so I have to lift each one up and read it to know which it is.

I use one in the morning and one at night, and I usually end up picking up the wrong one. Sure, not as dangerous as your sugar and salt coming in identical packaging, but still annoying.

Finally, Kim's whole refillable bottle system, supposedly sustainable, gets a big eye roll from me.

The removable refills come in their own sturdy plastic packaging, so it's not actually sustainable at all. You just get the "nice" thicker plastic container on the outside and the cheaper plastic container you replace on the inside.

Otherwise, though, they're solid products that I'd use again – if they were half to a third of the price.

But all this considered, you may still be thinking: "I know. I know SKKN is overpriced. I know 'expensive' doesn't mean 'better.' But I can't help it... I still want to try something."

In that case, I have two recommendations.

You could buy the cleanser, which is the least expensive at $43 – and may only be about $20 or so more than your usual cleanser.

Or you could buy the exfoliator. At $55, it's pricey. It certainly costs more than any drugstore buy from Neutrogena or Clean & Clear.

But it's definitely the coolest product of the bunch. It's both a chemical exfoliant and a physical one, it comes with a fun metal spoon for scooping, and it has a really nice rose fragrance (the other products are all fragrance-free).