Best Beauty Products For February 2015 | Winter Shopping
Look Sexy All February Long With These Beauty Must Buys
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You know how we get really, really excited in the beauty world about Halloween? Well, February provides a new excuse in the Winter to go all out, buy a ton of festive products, and get decked out all over again for Valentine's Day. Except instead of looking ghoulish or spirited, we go all-out sexy. That means body scrubs, spray tans, bombshell waves, sensual perfumes, and extra flattering makeup. It's the best way to get out of a cold-weather slump and feel gorgeous in the buff. To help you get glam, we've rounded up the new beauty launches we're buying this month.
Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Fortune
In honor of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 19, Illamasqua is launching this gorgeous Pure Pigment in Fortune ($26). This decadent gold powder is perfect for quick DIYs since you can mix it with your favorite eye shadow (like chocolate brown or army green), blush (love it with a deep rouge), or lipstick (it's chic with a dusty pink) to add a glimmer of shimmer.
— Lauren Levinson, beauty editor
Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum
As a little girl, I grew up using Vaseline Jelly from head to toe, especially on ashy elbows and knees. Then I graduated to the gel oil in college. Now I'm all about the Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum. Typically we'd expect a concentrated serum for the entire body to cost hundreds of dollars (these skin treatments aren't cheap). But the Vaseline version is only $8. Somehow this product moisturizes my driest areas just as well as the original jelly, but without leaving skin greasy to the touch.
— Jessica Cruel, associate editor
Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Mat
If you hoard makeup brushes like myself, you're probably meticulous about cleaning them. (Hopefully!) And if I'm being honest, there is something deeply gratifying about seeing all that built-up makeup residue come out of those brush bristles. Sigma Beauty is known for its beloved Brushing Cleaning Glove ($35), and this month, the label is debuting a new cleaning solution: the Brush Cleaning Mat ($32). Instead of washing the brush against your hand, the mat suctions to your counter, allowing the different textures to thoroughly clean eye and face brushes. And you can use both hands with this option!
— Kirbie Johnson, beauty reporter and producer
Foreo Issa Mini Toothbrush
I'll admit I didn't think that my run-of-the-mill toothbrush needed an upgrade until I saw the Issa in action. One charge lasts for 200 uses, and not only do the silicone bristles scrub better than my standard nylon ones, but they also don't hold on to disgusting germs! I use the child-size toothbrush ($119) because it's perfect for my small mouth — and I like the smiley face that lights up, telling me when I've brushed for the dentist-recommended two minutes. (Don't judge!)
— Emily Orofino, beauty editorial assistant
Fresh Sugar Rosé Extreme Lip Treatment SPF 15
My bags, desk, and at-home vanity are littered with Fresh lip treatments. And while I love the berry, peach, coral, and original (so many fun choices!), the new limited-edition Fresh Sugar Rosé Extreme Lip Treatment ($23) may just be my favorite. It's infused with rose oil to give the ruby-tinted balm a floral scent and flavor. The artsy packaging is just an added bonus.
— LL
Kahina Giving Beauty Lip & Face Balm
If you're used to a thicker, almost Vaseline-like balm, this is not it . . . but that's a good thing. The rich yet sheer base is jam-packed with nourishing oils and butters, including coconut, olive, shea, and mango nut, while essential oils work their restorative magic on your skin. This 95 percent organic, moisturizing balm ($44) also has soothing aromatherapeutic properties, so it's been a staple of my bedtime ritual as I attempt to stave off my insomniac tendencies.
— EO
Dr. Brandt Needles No More
I've often been told that my emotions are easily read on my face, and that dramatic character trait is going to bite me in the butt when it comes to wrinkles. Deep expression lines tend to pop up around the forehead (frowning), eyes (squinting), and mouth (smiling). The best solution so far has been face-freezing Botox, but Dr. Brandt has created
Needles No More ($89). It acts like a numbing cream to relax the wrinkles in the face and prevent future ones from cropping up.
— JC
Colgate Optic White Express White
Caffeine friends, you've got a new secret weapon when it comes to stain-ridden teeth. Colgate Optic White Express White ($5) delivers whiter teeth in three days. I'm not kidding! I'm a sucker for this toothpaste because it's helped maintain my professional whitening treatments, and this version has two times the amount of hydrogen peroxide, which speeds up the whitening process. Available in stores now; online on February 9th.
— KJ
Byredo 1996 Inez and Vinoodh Candle
"Sexy" candle scents can sometimes be a bit . . . nauseating (let's be honest). But I promise Byredo 1996 Inez and Vinoodh Candle ($95) is nothing of the sort. The scent masters at Byredo partnered with famed photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin to create this gorgeous juniper berries, violet, and black amber fragrance. The wine-colored wax was inspired by an Inez and Vinoodh photo taken in 1996 titled, "Kirsten 1996." It featured a young girl wearing berry-stained lips. There's just too much to love here — a vampy pout, a sensual scent — that you can bet I'll be burning it all month long.
— LL
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Pen and Gel
My Achilles's heels are my brows. I have two bald patches right above my arch, which are annoying, to say the least. So when Sarah Lucero, Stila's global executive director, introduced me to the brand's new brow products, I was overjoyed. The Stay All Day pen ($21) is a new and improved version of the classic, with more realistic shades. The bristles mimic tiny eyebrow hairs, which makes filling them in look natural and effortless. The brow gel ($34) is great for creating gigantic Cara Delevingne brows in a pinch. And because they're both waterproof, they stay put from sunrise to sunset.
— KJ
Honeycat Cosmetics Chick of the Sea Foaming Bath Crystals
I am unabashedly a crazy cat lady, so obviously I couldn't stop cooing over Honeycat's product range when it came into the office — everything is inspired by kitties! If you, too, are an ailurophile, you need to get this adorable tin of bath salts ($10) in your claws . . . We promise, there's nothing fishy about it. The delicious blend of chocolate, Amaretto, and mint scents is delicious and relaxing. Postsoak, you'll be feeling friskier than your favorite feline.
— EO
Sisley Phyto 4 Ombres Palette
The Sisley Phyto 4 Ombres Palette ($115) is a mashup of four metallic eye shadow shades dusted with mother-of-pearl. While some shadows are cakey, this quartet is creamy at first, before it dries down to a powder. The colors offer a soft haze of color that you can build on. Personally I avoid the brush altogether and just use my fingers to achieve the ultimate smoky eye.
— JC
Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Slowburn
Everyone knows I am a lifelong Urban Decay junkie, and their lip products are what got me hooked over a decade ago. The newest addition to the UD family is an extension of the brand's fantastic Revolution lipstick line. While this lipstick ($22) claims to be sheer, I think it's more of a foray into opaque pigment. It's pretty bold with just one swipe, but just balmy enough to keep lipstick newbies from panicking and wiping it off. The sheerer formula makes it feel lightweight on the lips, and it's more nourishing than your average lipstick, perfect for Winter.
— EO
