February may be a short month, but there's a lot going on: Fashion Week, the Olympics and Valentines Day -- just to name a few. For this month's roundup of the best new beauty products, I'm ignoring all of those things and focusing on the products you'll want to buy for yourself. No street style inspiration. No roses. No gold medals. There's enough of that floating around already, don't you think?
My favorite new beauty products launching in February range from Sephora exclusives to three-dollar drugstore finds. So there's something for everyone -- whether you're looking for signature scent or working on your Walgreens shopping list.
Confession: I can't get enough of the Olsen twins. I watched them grow up on "Full House," and now that they've become serious fashion moguls, I love them even more. Their more affordable line, Elizabeth and James, is consistently adorable, which is probably why I wasn't the least bit surprised that the new fragrances are fantastic. There's a scent for each twin -- Nirvana White and Nirvana Black -- though they won't say who wears which one. With sexy musky notes of violet, sandalwood and vanilla, the Black version is my pick. I'm guessing Mary-Kate loves it, too.
If -- like me -- one of your favorite past times is staring into a magnifying mirror scrutinizing the size of your pores, I've got a serum for you. The latest from SK-II contains artichoke extract (in addition to their signature ingredient, Pitera, which comes from sake rice), and it makes pores appear smaller instantly. Yes, you read that correctly -- the effect is instant. Plus, the ingredients work to tighten cell walls and fight UV damage, so your skin will look brighter over time.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know how huge the argan oil (Moroccan oil) craze has become. John Frieda is the latest to get in the game with this frizz-taming hair oil. It's incredibly light, smells fantastic and it's combined with Frizz Ease technology. While other hair oils hydrate strands, and give you some smoothing, this one is ideal for wilder hair textures.
If you have sensitive skin, fragrance is the first thing you should add to your personal blacklist. And artificial preservatives are a close second. If you're looking for unscented and natural, check out the new fragrance free collection from Yes To Carrots.
If I had to choose just one, it would be the Ultra Intense Hydration Night Cream. It brightens skin with carrot extract, hydrates with vitamin E, and it smells -- incredibly -- like nothing at all.
