I was recently able to experience KIEHL’S Apothecary Preparations, first hand. It’s personalized skincare and how often can that happen? Usually a skin care concern pops up and then you go find something to fix it. With the Kiehl’s way, you meet one-on-one in one of their stores with one of their trained experts where they evaluate your skin, access your needs and send you on your way with a product to address those needs.

Click here to read more

This is the first post in an on-going feature on products you need in your beauty arsenal leading up to summertime with a splurge vs save option for each recommendation. Is a sunscreen on your list this summer?

So let’s get to the first category, sunscreen. The formulas are getting better when it comes to ones that go on clear or at least quickly fade to clear.

$ - COPPERTONE Clearly Sheer Faces Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 ($7.99/2oz @ target.com) - water-resistant for 80 minutes. Absorbs quickly. 

$$$ - KIEHL’S Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+ ($38/1.7oz, $61/4.2oz @ kiehls.com) - mineral-based. Great for those with sensitive skin. 

‘Tis the season … to give back. This year KIEHL’S is donating 100% of the net profits of their Limited Edition Crème de Corps towards providing meals to families through Feeding America. Not 10% or 15% but 100%! Yeah, we love that.

The holiday-art on the label is called “lumberjacks of fashion,” is Monty Python-esque (and of course the lumberjack reference helps!), and was created by Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra.

Pick one up for $19.508oz, $48/16.9oz @ kiehls.com, dillards.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

 You can also follow Cybele on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

All areas of the body need moisture now. Here are some of my favorites!

Hair - PHYRRA Pretty Little Elixir Hair Masque ($39.99/8oz @ phyrrahair.myshopify.com) – who knows hair better than someone who puts it through the ringer like fellow beauty blogger, Courtney from Phyrra does? She just came out with a major hair mask and I couldn’t recommend it more! Pretty Little Elixir is  cruelty-free and will snap your strands back in shape no matter how harshly you treat it. And I recommend you use it with this product. 

Hands - TATCHA Indigo Soothing Silk Hand Cream ($38/2oz @ tatcha.com) – your hands are out in the elements a lot in the cold months, so give them some TLC with this nourishing cream. It uses the stems, leaves and petals of the Indigo plant to calm sensitive skin due to the cold, dermatitis, eczema and even rosacea.

Face - KIEHL’S Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque ($35/4.2oz @ nordstrom.com) – help your skin retain the extra moisture it needs to be fed during these burrrrr months by using this face masque. It’s a 10-minuter that will help your regular moisturizer work overtime.

Eyes - TARTE Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment Cream ($38/.35oz @ ulta.com) – this one uses their patented C-brighter technology that uses the power of the Maracuja fruit that super hydrates the thin skin around the eye that a heavy moisturizer just can’t conquer.

Body – RITUALS Honey Touch Rich and Nourishing Body Cream ($25/6.7oz @ barneys.com) – I have a soft spot for honey and wow, does this one do right by it and I’m not just talking about the gorgeous scent! It uses Himalayan Honey and Indian Rose Oil to nourish the nose and skin as well as Shea Butter, Cocoa Seed Butter. Thick and rich, just what the skin needs right now.  

Disclosure: Samples of some of these items were provided for review purposes.

You can also follow Cybele on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

Now that every beauty line has a BB Cream in theirs, you just have to weed through the masses to pick out the best one for you. Up until now, this one has been it for me, but I think this is the next best one. It’s KIEHL’S BB Cream – Actively Correcting and Beautifying with SPF 50 ($37/1.35oz @ kiehls.com). Yup, SPF 50!! Love that as I don’t think you can overload on the sun protection these days.

The formula is incredibly lightweight, buildable, and while they call it a BB, it acts more like a CC. With this one you get the coverage of a BB but also the correction like a CC. Got it?

It seems that tinted moisturizers turn out to be too pinky for my tone from the addition of spf but the one I tried Fair/Medium doesn’t seem to be, phew. And like a lot of Kiehl’s products, this one comes without a lot of things: parabens, fragrance, silicone and mineral oil and is really great for those with sensitive skin as I’ve heard some of these packed-to-the-hilt super creams can be a little irritating. Available in 4 shades.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

CLINIQUE Moisture Surge CC Cream Hydrating Colour Corrector Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($35  @ ulta.com) – when their Moisture Surge products speak, I listen. Out this month is the next letter in the alphabets do-it-all product (for a breakdown of BB, CC and soon to be DD creams, click here). In a nutshell this one is Colour Correction, Hydration and Protection. Available in 6 shades.

BLISS “Fuzz Off” ($24/.5oz @ dermstore.com) – This is a “super-fast fresh-scented facial hair remover” and as we get older, who can’t use one? I admit, I can in certain areas of my face and this one is non-messy and contains aloe, willowherb and vitamin E and it works in 3 minutes.

KIEHL’S Skin Rescuer ($40/2.5oz @ neimanmarcus.com) – loving this latest release from Kiehl’s. It addresses all your skin’s short term and long term concerns in one bottle. It ups the hydration, improves fatigue and contains Rosa Gallica Botanical Extracts and Mannose, which they found helps with the skin’s reaction to stress and to help it bounce back.

BIOELEMENTS Oil Control Mattifier ($36/1oz @ dermstore.com) – oil ain’t sexy! Think of this cream as the blotting sheets you would have to use in a few hours should you not applied this one. And with the heat, your makeup is sure to slid off without it. If you’re a matte girl, this is your matte wish!

WHISH Hair Inhibiting Swipes in Pomegranate ($8/8pack, $20/20pack @ dermstore.com) – not sure how these work but I’ve been testing them on my left arm and I must say, they seem to be making the hair less noticeable. And this has some great ingredients in the wipes – Chaparral Extract (an anti-oxidant), hyaluronic acid, aloe and Shea Butter, among others.

I’m thankfully able to use just about anything on my face without worrying about breaking out or any kind of irritation. We’ve all heard of the crazy circle people with oily skin go through – when skin is not hydrated, it produces oil and then it becomes too oily and shiny, so you wash it again only to go through this crazy cat and mouse game over and over. So you try oil-free products and those just lack lasting moisture so it’s back to the former and on and on. So the KIEHL’S line took it upon themselves to come up with a collection of skin care products that are oil-free but are still able to not only hydrate the skin but also seal it in. It’s their Ultra Facial Oil-Free Collection and is proven to rebalance the skin and prevents the overproduction of oil. And the collection contains all the necessary ones to get it all under control –

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser ($18/5oz)
Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner ($16/6oz)
Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion ($24.50/4.2oz)
Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream ($24.50/1.7oz)

A great value and way to try out these products is with the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Moisturizer Starter Kit for $29.50. It contains a 1oz Cleanser, 1.4oz Toner, and 4.2oz Lotion. Get this collection @ kiehls.com.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

I’m kinda sad that we’re wrapping up our Best of Summer feature, but we have some great fall products to talk about so look for features on those shortly. Here are some that are keeping my summer never ending! From L to R clockwise:

 

CARESS Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Beauty Bar, Burnt Brown Sugar & Karite Butter ($7.99/6-pack @ walgreens.com).

BATH & BODY WORKS Fragrant Waters Roll-On in Sweet Pea ($7.50/8.5ml @ bathandbodyworks.com).

DEVOTED CREATIONS 'Haute Couture' Tanning Lotion ($39.95/12.25oz @ tan2day.com).

C.O. BIGELOW Lemon Eau de Parfum ($34.50/3.4oz @ bigelowchemists.com).

HAMPTON SUN Privet Bloom Body Lotion ($35/6.6oz @ hamptonsuncare.com).

TILLIA BEAUTY Pink Grapefruit Sugar Scrub ($16/10oz @ tilliabeauty.com).

KIEHL’S Superbly Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil ($27.50/8oz @ saks.com).

I have a problem digesting milk so I stick to soy-based products. And what’s good for my insides has to be good for the outside. KIEHL’S new Crème de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish ($27.50/6.8oz @ macys.com) is simply dreamy. Soy milk AND honey? Yum! Medicinal Shea butter, jojoba butters and almond oil top off the skin benefiting ingredients and the exfoliators are ground luffa fruit (from exactly where you are thinking, the Loofah). Such a treat that I could eat.