Kiehl’s Hydrating Essentials Set

 Give the gift of beautiful skin this Christmas with Kiehl’s Hydrating Essentials Set.

This gorgeous gift set will help you to kiss goodbye to tired, dull, dry, sleep deprived skin thanks to the hydrating powder of two of Kiehl’s iconic, hero products.

 

Take a dual approach to tacking tired, dry skin and locking in long-lasting hydration with their Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Ultra Facial Cream.

Fun fact for you, their Midnight Recovery Concentrate is actually the UK’s number 1 luxury anti-ageing facial oil.

Impressive right?

 

This hardworing, targeted nightime oil actively replenishes and repairs your skin as your sleep by supplementing your body’s natural overnight recovery process to ensure a brighter, healthier looking complexion come morning.

When you sleep your skin experiences peak recovery conditions as it is sheltered from external aggressors, making it more receptive to your nightly skincare routine. 

 

It is during this ‘magic’ time that the oil gets to work.

Formulated with 10 naturally-derived botanicals, you probably won’t be at all surprised to hear that lavender essential oil is just one of the key ingredients here.

Known for its relaxing and soothing properties, its luxurious and calming aroma is frequently used to help you relax and prepare for a peaceful slumber.

 

Meanwhile Squalane (a highly-refined botanical lipid derived from olives), a signature Kiehl’s ingredient helps to deeply replenish your skin, keeping it feeling soft and supple while Evening Primrose Oil helps to maintain your skins hydration and elasticity.

Contained within an elegant, midnight blue recyclable glass bottle with dropper, the oil smells absolutely incredible.

Sumptuous, comforting and deeply aromatic, it is the perfect addition to your night-time skincare routine.

Silky and smooth, lightweight yet deeply nourishing, it glides across your skin, is quickly absorbed and instantly perks up a tired, dull complexion.

Designed to be used post cleansing and prior to moisturising, it gives your skin a little extra, long lasting boost than simply using moisturiser alone.

Your skin is left feeling wonderfully soft, smooth and toned and thanks to its nourishing qualities, it reduces the appearance of fine lines and tired looking skin.

Speaking of moisturisers, you’ll notice the inclusion of Kiehl’s number one best-selling facial cream in the form of their Ultra Facial Cream.

Featuring a wonderfully lightweight texture, this cream is seriously deceptive.

Its silky, light composition may lead you to question its ’24-hour lasting hydration’ boast, however this is not a best seller for nothing peeps.

 

Formulated with Glacial Glycoprotein derived from sea glaciers and notable for its ability to thrive in extreme climates, this cream is absolutely as brilliant as the boasts suggest.

Deeply hydrating, it protects against water loss while olive-derived Squalane deeply conditions and replenishes your skin.

Silky and soft in texture, it instantly quenches dry skin, leaving it feeling noticeable softer and smoother after just one application.

Quickly absorbed it leaves your skin feeling comfortable, protected and hydrated without making it feel heavy or clogged by products.

Both products are suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin which is fabulous for people like me and as the colder winter months set in and your skin cries out for a little TLC, these two could genuinely be your new skincare heroes.

Kiehl’s Hydrating Essentials Kit is available now and costs £66 which is saving you 20% off the retail price were you to purchase the two items separately.

Sunday Riley Luna

Its very true that you should never judge a book by its cover or choose an item of skincare based on its appearance, however I’m happy to admit that when I first saw Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Oil (£85) I was found myself intrigued by its enchanting name and the bewitching blue hue of the oil itself.

Marketed as a ‘next-generation retinoid oil’ that reduces the appearance of pores and wrinkles while fighting the signs of premature ageing and redness, I was sold.

I didn’t know an awful lot about retinoids so decided to do a bit of research before I started using the oil.

Retinoid products are chemically related to Vitamin A and help with acne, anti-aging, and hyper-pigmentation.

They work by aiding in the normalization of hyperkeratinization, which means they help your skin to get rid of dead skin cells at a more normal rate so that the cells don't bind together and clog your pores.

Aside from helping your skin shed more normally, retinoids also have some anti-inflammatory effects, reducing redness and helping to calm signs of stressed skin.

Luna is a retinol rich night-time treatment which helps to combat the signs of ageing while you sleep, if you hadn’t guessed by its etherial name.

Marrying traditional skin care ingredients with hi-tech processes is what Sunday Riley does best and the combination of powerful ingredients within Luna combine to promote skins strength, resilience, health and radiance.

The key hero elements within Luna are retinol (obvs!) and something called Blue Tansy.

A Trans-retinol ester helps to fight the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of skin elasticity while correcting the damage caused by external aggressors such as sun damage, pollution and stress.

Blue Tansy is the ingredient which gives this oil its eye catching hue. This deep-blue green oil is high in azulene and helps to heal damaged skin thanks to its strong anti-inflammatory properties. Its particularly helpful with the treatment of eczema and dermatitis, something that I personally suffer from.

German Chamomile, and Cape Chamomile (also high in azulene) work to treat inflamed, irritated skin and helps to lower any potential irritation associated with retinol use resulting in calm, soothed skin.

Cold pressed avocado seed oil, chia, and concord grape seed oils  rich in Vitamins A, B,C,D, and Omega 3 offer further anti-inflammatory properties and help top plump the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines.

The oil itself is wonderfully rich and a decadent, midnight blue hue.

Delicately fragranced, you require only a few drops of this magic oil at night time.

Applied to clean, dry skin, the blueish tinge of the oil becomes clear as you gently massage it into your face.

Quickly absorbed despite its high oil content, it instantly leaves your skin feeling soft and incredibly hydrated.

Come the morning my skin still feels fresh and firm, moisturised and healthy, ready for the day ahead.

I’ve been using Luna nightly for several weeks and while I haven’t noticed a massive difference to the appearance of fine lines, I will say that my pores appear to have reduced in size and my complexion has become more even toned and healthy looking.

Dry, red patches have all but disappeared and I’m left with a far more radiant looking complexion, even on the nights where I don’t get a full 8 hours sleep.

Pores have reduced in appearance to the extent that I often don’t feel the need to wear primer, so that’s a pretty good indication that something has changed!

I will say that because of the high retinol content, if you suffer with particularly sensitive skin it might be worth trying a patch test with the product first to ensure that your skin can cope.

Also, apologies to any mums-to-be but Luna isn’t suitable for use during pregnancy.

Sunday Riley Luna is available now from Cult Beauty and costs £85 for 35ml or £45 for 14ml.