Santa Baby, fill my stocking with a lip balm – and retinol.
So… maybe songwriting’s not my strong suit, but there is something about the festivities of this season that makes me very excited to treat myself to one or two new beauty goodies. And with all the fun gift guides to sort through online, there are new self-care prezzies galore to explore (hmm, maybe I am a poet!) From the perfect red lipstick that I’ll be wearing for at-home date nights in front of the fire, to the exfoliating mask that’s revealing my glowiest skin (and is a total steal), there are some real winners in this month’s lineup. Scroll on for the best new-to-me beauty products of December 2020 — and I’d love to hear in the comments what beauty treats you’re loving right now.
Shiseido ColorGel LipBalm in Redwood
About that red… I have literally been on the hunt (unsuccessfully) to find my perfect red lipstick for years. Every December, I suddenly get the itch to amp things up from my typically neutral lip color, but all the reds I’d previously tried made me feel pale as a ghost, clownish, or like I was just trying too hard. This year, in an effort to bring some festivity to my WFH sweats, I decided to give it one more go. This time, I opted for a moisturizing, semi-sheer red with blue undertones in hopes that it would give me more of a bee-stung “I just ate a cherry” look, and – BAM! I’m officially in the red lipstick club. Now I want the Shiseido ColorGel LipBalm in every shade, especially that gorgeous nude “Bamboo.” You can take the girl out of her neutrals, but…
iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion
When it comes to “signs that December is here,” parched dry skin is right up there with jingle bells and peppermint hot chocolates for me. Lately, it seems that my go-to moisturizers still aren’t quite enough to quench my skin’s never-ending thirst, so when iS Clinical sent me their Reparative Moisture Emulsion to try out, I immediately applied a couple of liberal pumps to my face right before hopping on a zoom call, and suddenly my glow was back, baby.
This moisturizer uses pharmaceutical-grade botanicals, peptides, marine extracts and antioxidants to fight signs of aging and especially those little fine lines that appear when my skin gets really dry. And since it’s pretty lightweight, at night I apply it as a base layer then double up with a richer cream for maximum hydration.
Versed Doctor’s Visit Instant Resurfacing Mask
You know that feeling when you find a truly luxurious, high performance beauty product on your Target run? Yes, YES, YES!!! That was me when I tried out this exfoliating mask (featuring lactic, glycolic and salicylic acid, and enzymes) that acts like a product ordinarily 4x the price. And I should know, since I’ve been cringing every couple months when I run out of the one I’d previously been hooked on and hop online to re-order. Well, not anymore, my friends! This one gives the same instant brightening results that you can visibly see, which means I can use it twice as often without the buyer’s guilt.
Saie Slip Tint
I’ve talked about this one before, but I think it deserves a refresh because I’ve recently fallen back in love. When we were in Malibu last month, I went pretty much makeup-free except for this lovely product that I used in place of moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen all in one go. Streamlined and subtly put-together: what’s not to love about that? One tip: I’m a bit more liberal with my application of this product and results are great. I’ve started using two full pumps to fully hydrate my entire face and reap the skin tone evenness benefits. I use shade “light medium.”
The Beauty Chef Glowing & Gutsy Kit
Beauty starts from within, and it’s true on so many levels. Inner peace and joy are our best cosmetics, certainly… but a healthy gut and collagen-rich skin never hurt, either! I’ve owned The Beauty Chef Cookbook for years, and it’s taught me so much about gut health and how to nurture our skin through food. So I was really excited to try out these high powered ingestibles that pack a major punch when it comes to plumping and nourishing skin – promoting collagen synthesis while also nurturing your belly for improved gut health. I mix a dose of each into my morning smoothie or afternoon almond milk latté and feel glowier already.
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Okay, that’s December beauty is a wrap over here! What products are you guys loving lately?
