Even if Valentine's Day is nothing more than a made-up Hallmark holiday, if the pandemic has taught us anything it's that there's nothing more important than expressing our love and appreciation for those who are close to our hearts. Whether you're looking to show your affection for your significant other, your best friends, family or coworkers, Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to blast out that love, especially in a year where so many of us — whether in a relationship or not — have struggled with feelings of loneliness and despair.
There is no shortage of stellar new beauty brands competing for our attention. While testing through them can be part of the journey, sometimes we don't have the energy, time or funds to waste on lackluster lines. So, we've asked beauty experts for their picks of the under-the-radar hair, wellness and skin care brands that are totally worth a spot on your shelf.
We all know the classics like Mustela and Johnson & Johnson, but a growing crop of ingredient-conscious moms are looking to newer brands to pamper their little ones' skin. In fact, the tot beauty category is seeing such fast-powered interest that even luxury brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Chantecaille are getting into the kids beauty business. Ditto for highbrow children's brands like Bonpoint, which expanded into baby skincare just a few short years ago. But don't worry — not all Johnson & Johnson alternatives come with caviar prices. There are plenty of affordable options that offer better ingredients (lest anyone forget this lawsuit), cleaner practices and swankier packaging than your run-of-the-mill drugstore buys.
At this point you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't heard of Botox's ability to fight fine lines and wrinkles. "It's one of the number one treatments I do at my practice," says Dr. Dennis Gross, MD, a dermatologist and dermatological surgeon. "There's no golden age to start Botox — every person ages differently due to genetics and lifestyle choices and there's no age where you're too old for Botox. That being said, Botox is only FDA-approved and available for patients 18 and older." It's also worth underlining that Botox is not safe for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding and, those with a neurological disease, need clearance from their neurologist.
Some things become trends because they're totally new and captivating. Other things become trends based on sheer hype. Yet, it's not often something becomes a trend because it's practical. But in these unprecedented times, sensibleness and limited resources (no regular hair appointments) are just the things to make grown-out bangs a trend. Holly Dear, founder of Dear Clark and House of Dear (coming late February 2021), says that grown-out bangs are the natural progression of quarantine and people going months without a haircut. With salons closing in 2020, people were left with the option of cutting their own hair or letting layers grow. A few wonky fringes were enough for many people to embrace longer, grown-out bangs and make them a proper trend that is continuing into this year.
