I brought home Clé de Peau Beaté La Creme, $535, just because it was the most beautiful jar of face cream I'd ever seen. The multi-faceted design is even more glamorous in person -- it puts my builder's grade bathroom to shame. I wasn't expecting the cream to be as special as its home, but I was seriously wrong. The texture is incredibly decadent -- rich and silky with a golden undertone. Applying it feels like a dream, and in the morning my skin is just as hydrated as it was the night before. This cream contains too many wrinkle-fighting botanicals to count -- things like white peony extract and licorice root -- and a special illuminating complex that brightens. I love it so much I'm already worrying about running out -- but at least I'll have the beautiful jar forever.
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The Green Nail Polish Color to Try Now
Manicurist extraordinaire Gina Edwards used Morgan Taylor Later Alligator, $9, to put a fun twist on the French manicure at the Monique Lhuillier spring fashion show back in September, and I fell in love with the shade. It's a true bright green -- think slightly bolder than Kermit the Frog -- and it looks pretty on every skin tone. While it's such a great color for spring, I suggest wearing it now to brighten up your February.
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Combination-Skin-Saving Scrub
Powder cleansers are a huge skin care trend that came over from Asia, and now there's finally one available in drugstores: Bioré Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub, $9.99. You shake a little into the palm of your hand, add a few drops of water, and this powder turns into a bubbling scrub. The baking soda is designed to be perfectly spherical and, therefore, gentler than the version you have in your kitchen. And this cleanser simultaneously gets deep into pores and helps exfoliate away dry patches -- making it perfect for combination skin.
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Better Than Basic Body Wash
Target is really stepping up its beauty game, and You Are Amazing Clean On Up Body Wash, $3.99, is the latest example. The packaging is fun without being overly cute, the scents are fresh and clean but not boring, the formulas are free of questionable ingredients like parabens and phthalates, and a portion of the proceeds go to the United Nations charity Girl Up. All that for the same price as your morning latte.
If you live in a cold climate, February is a tough month. You've suffered a few too many weeks of frigid temps and snow, and you've just about given up on looking cute -- snow boots and lip balm are the norm. Fortunately, there are some great new beauty products launching this February that might help put the pep back into your Ugg-clad step.
There's a foaming oil cleanser that will hydrate even the driest skin, a BB contour stick that can turn anyone into a makeup artist and a body wash that will up the cute quotient in your shower for less than the price of your morning latte. From the practical to the just plain pretty, these new beauty products are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and make February significantly more fun.
