Last month, I had a cold for the first time in years. I'm not sure how I avoided the sniffles for so long, but I sure was happy I did -- and I sure was miserable when they finally infected me. After wallowing (and popping DayQuil) for a few days, I remembered I had a bottle of Oilogic Stuffy Nose & Cough Essential Oil Roll-On, $9.99, which just launched at Target. It's a blend of natural essential oils -- like eucalyptus, wintergreen and ginger -- that helps clear sinuses and soothe a cough. I started rolling it on my pulse points and breathing in deeply, and within a few minutes I stopped feeling sorry for myself. It even cleared the fog out of my brain, restoring my focus.

I mean to wash my makeup brushes regularly, I really do. But when Sunday night comes around, other matters take precedence -- like face masks and Netflix. Fortunately, there's a new lazy girls' makeup brush cleaner in town: EcoTools Makeup Brush Cleansing Wipes, $6.99. It's makeup brush cleaner in wipe form, so you can reach for one whenever a brush gets grimy, and you don't have to set aside your entire evening to shampoo tiny brushes. They're not supposed to replace the occasional thorough wash, but who's checking?

For decades, the Vaseline Lip Therapy Lip Tin, $5, has been available in European pharmacies but not in the U.S., making it so irresistibly cool that the chic set has been smuggling them back from across the pond. Finally, it's available in our local drugstores -- and the hype shows no signs of dying down. If you thought Vaseline couldn't be glamorous, you were wrong.

Reverse washing -- conditioning your hair and then shampooing -- has been popping up on obscure beauty message boards and blogs for a while now. It's supposed to create volume because the shampoo washes out some of the conditioner, which can weigh hair down. The problem, however, is that you might end up with under-conditioned hair.

Tresemmé Beauty-Full Volume Pre-Wash Conditioner, $4.99, (and the corresponding shampoo) was designed to be used this way -- and it works. When I tested the products, they left my hair feeling fuller, yet still hydrated and easy to style. I don't think I'll be reverse washing with other formulas, but I'll be posting this one to the message boards.

Unless I'm in a particularly festive mood, I'm not much of an eye shadow user. And when I'm in a rush (which is always), I skip it completely. Still, I know I look better with a little color on my lids.

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon, $9.99, is my new on-the-go go-to. I can apply it on the train with a tiny mirror, and it looks amazing. And it won't smudge or crease all day. It's perfect for delinquent eye shadow users like me.