These are the things our editors loved in February, from old favorites to brand-new releases.
February, with its shiny cards and candy hearts, brings some much-needed light to the dead of winter. And that includes the month’s best beauty trends. Ballet slipper lips and romance waves made our routines more fun, and there were a lot of new products to fall in love with.
Glamour editors bought more basics this month, and we’re not just talking about Levi’s that were inspired by American Love Story. We found everyday heroes that helped us look our best, from serums that are good for winter skin to concealers and foundations that work really well. Also, new products from our favorite brands that we were looking forward to helped shake things up. February’s most-anticipated new products, like Rhode’s new lip and face masks and a treasure trove of K-beauty innovations, did not disappoint.
What else helped us get through the shortest and coldest month? Fun pink and red dark spot stickers that get rid of hyperpigmentation and look great doing it, a new perfume milk that has skin-care and long-wear benefits, a brilliant product for frizzy hair that keeps flyaways in check on windy mornings, and so many other must-have items that will make you swoon.
Glamour editors used these new beauty products over and over this February.
Laneige Water Bank Aqua Facial Serum with BHA and AHA
It seems like every new skincare product that comes out these days promises “glass skin in a bottle” results. But I can vouch for this one: This serum gently exfoliates with glycolic acid while soothing and restoring the skin barrier with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and PDRN. It’s the perfect mix for dull, dry winter skin. Not to mention the cool packaging that makes it so much fun to use: Just push down on the squishy top of the bottle to easily put 2–3 drops of serum from the dropper right on your skin. I can feel my skin getting more hydrated right away when I use it every night. After two weeks of use, my skin looks brighter and more even, and I don’t get the flaky redness that most chemical exfoliants give me. —Grace McCarty, assistant beauty editor
This month, my feed has been full of tributes to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s timeless beauty. I’ve been looking for the perfect blurred, ’90s-style red lip. My favorite right now is this sheer lipstick balm in Lose My Breath by Mary Phillips, a celebrity makeup artist who does Hailey Bieber’s makeup. The color is bright and buildable, but it’s not too thick, so it doesn’t feel like a big deal. The texture is like a balm, so it doesn’t dry out and feels dewy. For spring, I’ll definitely be buying more of the lighter colors. —G.M.
Rhode Peptide Lip Boost
Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint in Toast has become a daily must-have for me, and I have to say that I love it. I had high hopes for Lip Boost, the brand’s new lip mask, when it arrived on my desk. This is because the Peptide Lip Tint does a great job of covering lips with a shiny layer that lasts all day. I was curious if the mask would live up to these high standards. Spoiler alert: it did, and more. I’ve been using this one every day since I took it out of the box. It has peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vanillyl butyl ether, which is a fancy ingredient that makes the lips tingle and plump. The formula is thick and buttery, and when I wake up in the morning, my lips are soft and plump. Hailey did it again! —Alanna Martine Kilkeary, a writer about business
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Concealer
I already love Charlotte Tilbury’s skin care products, so I was excited to hear about the brand’s new concealer. It has a thick, rich formula that lets you hide texture and uneven tone with just one swipe. It’s everything you want in a full-coverage cover-up. The formula can be built up pretty well, and a little goes a long way, so I suggest starting with a small amount. This one has helped cover up some inflamed pimples, brighten up my dark circles, and hide fine lines around my nose without creasing or caking, even at the end of the day. —A.M.K.
Topicals Faded Tranexamic Acid Dark Spot Patches for Hyperpigmentation
I’ve tried dozens (if not around a hundred by now) dark-spot correctors to help get rid of the stubborn acne scars on my chin from when I was a teenager. These cool little patches are nothing like anything I’ve tried before. They stick on like a regular pimple patch, but they also help fade areas of hyperpigmentation. I’ve only been using these for a little over a week, and even though I still have a long way to go, I’ve already noticed that the skin around my mouth is clearer and brighter. —A.M.K.
Then I Met You Snail Mucin Eye Cream That Firms and Brightens
Even though I’m in Seoul right now, which has a lot of K-beauty eye creams, I still wish I had remembered to bring this one. I use this plumping, bouncy blue formula every day and night since Then I Met You came out with it. The azulene in chamomile gives it its calming color, and the volufiline and snail mucin in it make it firmer. Not only does it keep my skin moist, but it also helps smooth out the lines under my eyes and make my dark circles look less empty. I think that forgetting it at home is why people keep telling me I look tired. It could be the jetlag, but I choose to blame this packing mistake. —Sarah Y. Wu, a contributor
2-in-1 Hanyul Artemisia Soothing Mask-to-Foam Cleanser
This cleanser is great because it makes cleaning fun. It looks like any other gel in the tube, but when you squeeze it out, you’ll see that it has the squishy, stretchy bounce of Korean rice cakes. This is because the formula was kneaded 5,000 times for 100 minutes. That part is mostly for the sensory effect, but it also helps it stick to dirt and grime if you leave it on like a mask. I like to wet it right away and turn it into a cloud-like foam that makes my face feel better, softer, and more awake. —S.Y.W.
The Beauty of Joseon Revive Firming Moisturizer
I’ve written a lot about how much I love Korean retinols. The formulas are gentle and don’t make my skin break out in a red, flaking mess like most other retinol serums and moisturizers do. This juicy gel cream from Beauty of Joseon is my new favorite. It has fermented retinol and ginseng ceramide in it. The combination keeps my face calm while the retinol dose that is easy for beginners to use starts to work. This isn’t for big, quick changes, but if you want to slowly get used to retinol, this is a good choice. —S.Y.W.
Noyz Mylk de Parfum
I can’t believe I haven’t looked for a product like Noyz’s Milk de Parfum before, since I’m obsessed with second-skin scents. The hyaluronic acid-infused serum soaked right into the crook of my elbows and wrists, leaving my skin feeling hydrated. It smelled like mandarin and vanilla, and it lasted through an afternoon of playtime with my messy four-year-old nephew. Detour is pretty much perfect for everyday wear this spring, but I know that the fragrance milk will keep my spicier (and more expensive) perfumes going all night long when I really want to make a lasting impression. —Emily Tannenbaum, contributing editor
Rhode Caffeine Reset Sculpting Cream Mask
This month, I’ve been recovering from major surgery, which has completely messed up my skincare routine and made almost every part of my body, including my face, puffy and swollen. The good news? It was the perfect time to try out Rhode’s new caffeine reset mask, which promises to de-puff, shape, and basically act like a “cup of coffee for your face.” Once again, Rhode, which I trust with my sensitive skin, came through with this fragrance-free mask made with real caffeine, peptides, and tingly vanillyl butyl ether. I usually like sheet masks because they are comfortable and easy to clean up, but Rhode’s creamy formula didn’t feel slippery or heavy on my skin and washed off quickly without leaving my skin feeling tight and squeaky clean. I could tell right away that my skin was more bouncy and less puffy, especially under my eyes. I would say that it definitely made my neglected face look better and will help me get back on track with my skin care routine. —E.T.
Centellian 24 Expert Madeca Cream Active Renew PDRN
This Korean moisturizer really helped my skin this winter. It has the same ingredients as its best-selling antiaging cream (centella asiatica), but it also has PDRN (salmon sperm). This trendy ingredient is well-known in K-beauty skin care for helping wounds heal and recover. It has a thick texture that is a mix of gel and cream, and it leaves a shiny, dewy finish. I’ve gotten so many compliments since I started using this, and my skin has been glowing. —J.C.
Lust Gloss from Pat McGrath Labs
This lipgloss exceeded all of my hopes and has become my daily go-to. The color is beautiful and subtle. I use Bronze Venus, which is a brown-tinted base with a pink pearlescent finish. It has just the right amount of shimmer that still looks classy for someone my age (an older millennial). —Lauren Brown, assistant director of visuals
French Rose Milk Moisturizing Glaze Mist from Polite Society
This product makes my makeup look dewy and glowy, which I love. It works great as a finishing spray, especially in the winter when my skin tends to get dry. It brings everything together on days when you don’t wear much makeup and makes you look like you don’t wear any makeup at all. I also used it during the day to make my skin feel fresh, and it worked well for that too. —Falak Khoja, designer
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Matte Foundation by Estée Lauder
All month long, I’ve been using this foundation. I like how light it feels and how it keeps my skin hydrated with glycerin and hyaluronic acid. I usually stay away from matte foundations, but this one is a rare exception because it doesn’t look or feel dry at all. It makes my skin look smooth and hides my pores. It’s also very easy to wear all day. —F.K.
Thrive EmpowerGloss Ultra Glossy Lip Serum
This lip color has the most moisture of any I’ve ever used, and a little goes a long way in giving you a beautiful color (there are many shades to choose from). The best part is that it doesn’t stick, and my lips stay soft and smooth for hours. I gave some of these to friends for Valentine’s Day, and they can’t stop talking about how great they are. —Jessica Radloff, senior editor for the West Coast
Serum for Lancer Gravity Dark Spot Correction
Lancer Skincare’s newest and best product does more than just get rid of dark spots on your skin. It also makes skin tone more even and smooths out rough spots. I’ve been looking for something to even out the texture of my face since I noticed that the left side is different from the right (probably because I drive a lot). Thanks to Exosomes, Alpha-Arbutin, and Nonapeptide-1, this serum is the best. Also, it’s gentle enough for my sensitive skin, which is a huge relief because I don’t want to give it up. —J.R.
Valentino Donna Born in Roma Purple Melancholia Perfume
This is the prettiest bottle in the Born in Roma fragrance line so far (that purple! ), and the scent is also very nice thanks to the Juicy Plum Accord, Osmanthus Accord, and Rich Vanilla. It’s a warm floral scent that will take you from winter to spring and make everyone compliment you. —J.R.
