Sizzling Summer Skincare from Nuxe, Kiehl's, Nivea, Eucerin, Erborian & Bioderma

There is nothing quite like the feeling of warm summer sun on your skin and how great it is for body and soul to get some Vitamin D and a little bit of a glow. However sun care skincare is so vital and finding the right products to look after your skin during the summer months to protect and hydrate is essential. I've been researching summer products for the last couple of years and here is my essential edit of the very best sunshine skincare.

When it comes to taking care of your skin during the summer months two aspects are vital to prevent skin damage and even skin cancer. First and foremost sun protection. Whatever your skin type you have to use an SPF. No potential tan is worth the consequences of sun damage. If you are fair and don't tan, just accept it and relish your beautiful pale skin and never forget to pack your SPF50. If you do tan you still need to protect your skin from the harmful sun rays and you can still get a great colour while wearing high sun factor.

Rescue Me - Kiehl's Skin Rescuer

Kiehl's Skin Rescuer is effectively a product that does exactly what it says on the tin, but could also be called Skin Comforter too. I carry a bottle of this around in my bag at all times for long days that cause skin hydration and irritation and it really is the perfect go-to for stressed, out of sorts skin.

This cute little green bottle is yet another class act by Kiehl's, creating a specific cream for a specific problem. Containing soothing ingredients Rosa Gallica Botanical Extract, Chamomile and Mannose, Kiehl's Skin Rescuer promises to reduce visible signs of stress and flare-ups including skin fatigue and redness. It also professes to address both the short-term visible signs and long-term premature aging effect that stress can have on skin.

I personally don't suffer from major stress flare ups with my skin so I got this for the calming effect on irritated skin and the cool hydration it provides but I can see so easily this is a bit of a find for anyone who suffers from skin fatigue, blotichiness and redness. The texture of the cream is not too thick not too thin, you don't need to apply a huge amount at a time but the best thing about the cream is the stress-minimizing ingredients that really do make your skin feel so much calmer. It's such a great product to carry around in your bag and apply it as required. It's not one of those absolute necessities for me since I don't suffer from redness or major flare ups but it's so comforting I absolutely love how it makes my skin feel so I hate to do without it now the bottle is almost empty!

Kiehl's Skin Rescuer is €35.00 and is available from the Kiehl's section of Arnott's and at Kiehl's on Wicklow Street and Dundrum Town Centre.

Cleanse Up Your Act: The Best Cleansers from Eve Lom, Bioderma, Kiehl's and L'Occitane

Strange as this sounds to some, cleansing is one of the most overlooked but important steps in your skincare regime and having the right cleansing routine and products can make the biggest difference in the quality of your skin and how well the other products you use work. Here are the very best cleansers I've comes across from Kiehl's, Eve Lom, L'Occitane, and Bioderma.

This might sound a bit obvious but it's only been in recent times I've truly become aware of the skin sins so many people commit and one of the biggest mistakes of all is underestimating the power a good cleanser has on your skin and the difference it makes to find one that suits you and that you use on an every day basis. A shocking amount of people go to bed without taking off their makeup and so many people apply products without cleansing first which means you get a lot less out of the serums and moisturisers you use. Investing in a decent cleanser can actually transform your skin and I swear by this selection of tried and tested products which have, in different ways, all made such a noticeable difference to the quality of my skin over the past few years.

The Very Best Travel Kit Tips

Let's face it, this summer has been a bit of a bust so the only rational thing to do is to pack your bags and take your well deserved holiday somewhere the sun shines throughout the day. Even if it's just for a long weekend with a carry on there are so many amazing travel-sized skincare goodies available to keep your skin glowing and pampered throughout your trip. Here are my all time top picks.

Travel sized skincare doesn't just have to be a small tooth paste and mini shampoo and conditioner from Boots. Personally, whenever I got away, I love to take the time on my holidays to do some proper pampering to add to the relaxing experience so over time I've learned how to pamper pack with the best skincare products to suit a holiday routine. Here are my all time favourite picks.

Kiehl's New Uplifting Serum: Precision Lifting & Pore-Tightening Concentrate

A new serum from New York brand Kiehl's is always great news for skincare lovers and this Precision Lifting & Pore-Tightening Concentrate is certainly no exception.

Kiehl's rather wordily titled Precision Lifting & Pore-Tightening Concentrate is the latest in a long line of super serums from the New York brand that are renowned for creating products that do exactly what it says on the tin and this is no exception. In fact, the effectiveness of their wonder serums not only made me fall in love with the brand immediately but also made me see how great certain brands and skincare products can be which was what inspired me to set up the beauty section of this blog and become a beauty writer. Every time I try a new - or new to me - product from Kiehl's I want to shout about it from the rooftops! Well certainly write a review of the product at least.

A Luxury Christmas Gift List with YSL, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani & Kiehl's

If you have a special someone in your life that you'd like to really pamper, here is a selection of the more luxurious, a tad more expensive but every so fancy, presents for you to peruse from YSl, Giorgio Armani, Kiehl's and Lancôme. I want it all Santa...

Christmas is a time for gift giving for the people you love so, if you have anyone in your life your want to give an extra fancy surprise to this Christmas, or you're looking for a luxury treat for yourself to use your Christmas bonus for something usually out of your price range, I've compiled a list of the biggest cosmetic treats around from YSL, Lancôme, Kiehl's and Giorgio Armani. If you're reading Santa, that Wild Edition Palette by YSL is something else!

Penelope's Bed's Definitive Christmas Beauty Gift List

I put together a list of the best beauty gifts from some of my favourite products over the past year featuring Kiehl's, L'Occitane, YSL, Lancôme,, Urban Decay, Benefit and Caudalíe.

I decided to compile a piece on the best beauty products I've found this year which are all go-tos for me for Christmas presents so I thought I'd share my ideas. All of these products have been tried and tested by me and either reviewed here on Penelope's Bed or are about to be reviewed. I vouch for all of them so, welcome to Penelope's Bed's Definitive Christmas Beauty Gift List!

A Peep Inside Penelope's Bed #1

Here at Penelope's Bed I am always trying out new skincare, makeup, books and lots more to find the best products to recommend to you, the readers. Here's a little peep at some skincare treats I'm currently trying out.

Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream (€51.50 for 50ml)

This is a little gem I just started using after hearing a lot of good things about both it and the brand itself. This Hydro-Nourish Night Cream feels so wonderfully silky on application and your skin feels immediately smoother and softer. It works as an anti-oxidant and also replenishes the skin's much-needed moisture which helps your complexion look really revitalized and a lot clearer and smoother.

Handy Tips to Moisturise Your Mitts!

Isn't it funny, the minute October appeared today the nip in the air got just that bit little sharper and the feeling that winter may well be on its way, sadly, became a little more of a reality. In the same way we will have to get our hats and scarves out, an essential skincare addition heading into the colder months has to be a good hand cream to battle the effect the sharp drop in temperature has on our much-used mitts. After many years trying and testing dozens of hand creams, these three by Clarins, L'Occitane and Kiehl's are my favourites by miles.

Hand creams are a dime a dozen and I'm sure most of you have received many over the years as part of Christmas presents or picked up one after the other over the years; I certainly have. But, like a moisturiser for your face or body, a lot of hand creams are just so blah and mediocre and don't really ever do much to change the moisture of your hands or are any better than water when your hands face the biggest challenge of the year: bitterly cold temperatures one minute followed by central heating or open fires the next.

Picture Perfect

I have always been quite underwhelmed by the idea of any primer-style product. I tried quite a few over time and I just couldn't figure out what major benefit they represented other than smoothing skin out a bit to prep it for makeup application. However, two weeks into using Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector daily and my mind has definitely been opened and a fresh-faced favourite has been found.

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector promises two things: 1. To instantly refine the skin's texture and minimize the appearances of pores while 2. Improving skin's quality over time. The latter was definitely the selling point for me but the first really shocked me. It really does what it says it will do which can either make a great primer or base for foundation or it actually works incredibly well as an alternaitve to any foundation at all, especially in the summer months. It blurs out imperfections, fills in bumps and creases and leaves the skin silky smooth and, as many people have noted when reviewing this, Photoshopped looking - which is a touch of an exaggeration but there is a very  noticeable smoothing out of skin immediately.

Sixties Summer Styling

A touch of sixties style meets one of summer's hottest shades with this navy piqué dress from Dunnes Stores' boutique brand Savida, which offers a high quality structured on-trend dress for a pocket-pleasing price.

I've been pleasantly surprised and impressed with a lot of Savida's strongest pieces this year and this sixties inspired navy piqué dress is one of the strongest pieces I've seen the Dunnes brand present in a long time. It was an immediate winner for me and mixing it with coral and mint lifts it right up for sizzling summer days and long hot evenings and it's such a structured dress it fits like a glove while the piqué material is very forgiving for any lumps and bumps.

Beauty News - June 2014

Here's the lowdown on all the news in the land of beauty this week:

Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner is almost here!

Launch Date: Saturday June 28th

First things first, probably one of the more exciting summer beauty events is the launch of the much talked about They're Real Push-Up Liquid Liner (€25) by Benefit. I've not seen as much excitement over a beauty product in a long time and the Push-Up Liquid Eye Liner seems set to at least equal the success of the mascara in the same range which really was everything it promised.

Essential Oils: Nuxe, Trilogy and Kiehl's

In all of my time testing skin nourishing beauty products I have never been so surprised or overwhelmed by any cosmetic compared to these three oils: Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe, Midnight Recovery Concentrate by Kiehl's and Trilogy's Rosehip Oil - the jewel in the crown.

The difference in my skin happened so quickly that I, having earned the right to be somewhat skeptical with any product I try no matter how much or little it costs, was completely taken aback. I would almost urge anyone who would like to give their skin some nourishment and be as pleasantly surprised as I was to try out at least one of these oils. This, for me, serves as a public service announcement: try these three oils and give your face and body a little extra love.

Kiehl's Ultra Fabulous Skincare

The most impressive element of the Kiehl’s brand is their variety of extremely effective serums, many of which I will write more about over time. But something that should not be overlooked is their most basic, no frills skincare range to date called Ultra Facial. The line has expanded over time but the highlights for me so far are their Ultra Facial Cleanser, Ultra Facial Toner and Ultra Facial Cream.
 

Kiehl’s, for me, is a revelation in skincare. The apothecary-style luxury brand is the first skincare range that has well and truly wowed me almost completely across the board. I was reeled in at the start with a mere sample of their Midnight Recovery Concentrate - which really is a remarkable product - and, to my skeptical surprise, it did exactly what it promised.

Burning the Midnight Oil: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Probably the brand's most highly-lauded product, and my very first and still favourite Kiehl's purchase, Midnight Recovery Concentrate is one skincare item that really does exactly what it says on the tin, or rather beautiful blue glass bottle, much to my complete amazement.

When I ambled upon Kiehl's first it was through looking for a reputable but gentle skin care brand as a Christmas present for my sister, who has sensitive skin. I remembered hearing a lot of good things about Kiehl's so I decided to buy her one of their start up packs to see if she liked the brand. But after I'd paid, the sales assistant picked out a few samples for my skin and it was then I tried Midnight Recovery Concentrate for the first time. My skin was in a bad way at the time, the worst it had ever been. I'd been extremely ill for the six months preceding that point and by the time I realised how dull and rough it had become I had no idea how to fix it.

It Makes Scents to Smell Good this Summer with Clarins, Chanel, Kiehl's and Benefit

Scents of each season instil such strong memories for us; the first smell of log fires burning represents the advent of autumn; cinnamon, the smell of Christmas turkey and pines are all comforting signals of winter at its best; the exciting fresh scent of flowers in bloom marks the start of life beginning in spring and, the best of all, summer is filled with the beautiful aroma of freshly cut grass, barbeques and fresh fruit at its best. During this season fragrances are so important and your essential summer scent can remind you of like summer all year round.

Different fragrances are designed to create different impacts; whether it be attraction, nostalgia, or just simply to make yourself smell exactly how you you want to. Much like aromatherapy, scents are extremely important for providing a sense of calm on a long, hard day at work or just a stressful situation generally. Personally, Chance by Chanel has been my go-to scent for many years. One squirt and I always feel calmer and happier... It works!