The contouring revolution isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but the products sure are getting easier to use. You could buy a palette with 17 shades you have to mix and match for a perfectly contoured face, or you could pick up a Physician's Formula Super BB #InstaReady Contour Trio BB Stick SPF 30, $12.95. It has three shades for highlighting, bronzing and creating shadows, and the formula has a special "InstaFilter" technology that mattifies and blurs away pores. It even has bonus SPF, which is always a good idea.
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Cool Girl Hair Mask
Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin is one of the coolest ladies in the beauty biz -- I'm talking a million followers cool @jenatkinhair. I've been lucky enough to have her style my hair on more than one occasion, and each time I got up from her chair feeling exponentially prettier than when I sat down -- she's that good. Now, you can create Jen Atkin hair at home with her new product line called Ouai (like I said, she's cool). There are shampoos and conditioners and stylers galore, but the hero product (in my opinion) is the Ouai Treatment Mask, $32 for 8. It comes in perfect-for-travel packets, and it makes hair feel silky soft -- like you just got a blowout from Atkin herself.
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Mascara for Super Lashes
When I heard the new It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara, $24, was created with an elastic stretch technology, it just made sense. Of course I want my lashes to be pliable as well as volumized (very, very volumized). And this mascara delivers on both the stretch and the volume. Because the formula has these stretchy polymers, you can layer on countless thickness-building coats without your lashes getting dry and clumpy. Plus, it contains collagen, biotin, peptides and proteins for lash health and maximum growth -- really living up to its Superhero name.
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The Ultimate Face Cream
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.
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.