Style

These Are The 13 New Beauty Products You Should Be Trying Right Now

by Amanda Richards
A collage with a few January new beauty products

January is always a weird month for me. I usually feel somewhat wrung out from the festivities of the holidays, and I'm definitely in a ~unchill zone~ financially — but hey, at least everyone loved their presents? The weather in New York City is routinely categorized as "wet dump," and many of my friends are either traveling or using the new year to put their noses to the grindstone and do Rihanna work.

All things considered, it's no surprise that in January, I spend a lot of time hunkered down in my Snuggie testing new beauty products.

There are a lot of great things available to the informed beauty consumer this month, just as there were in December and November. However, I noticed that my favorite picks of the month definitely skewed towards skin care — likely because my skin needs all the love it can get in the winter time. From hydrating collections, to an awesome new cleansing brush, to a mask that feels like magic: These are my favorite new January beauty products. Wrap yourself in that Snuggie and get to it.

H2O+ Beauty Rapids Collection

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

H2O+ Beauty Rapids Collection, $6-$38, h2oplus

Many digestively-minded millennials (myself included) take probiotics to ensure maximal gut health. As it turns out, probiotics can work wonders for your skin as well. The latest collection of products from H2O+ Beauty are all about harnessing probiotic power — the blend of the brand's probiotic technology, champagne, and yuzu extracts claim to help balance and even skin. I've found that the products work wonders for hydration as well, making them invaluable during dry, cold winter months.

OGX Sake & Marula Oil Shampoos & Conditioners

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

OGX Sake and Marula Shampoos & Conditioners, $8 ea, Ulta

Beloved drugstore brand OGX launched over 15 products across several ranges for January 2018, but the Sake and Marula Shampoos & Conditioners definitely stand out above the rest. Sake (yes, the same sake that you sipped on the last time you ate ramen) contains kojic and amino acids, which help protect against oxidation and keep hair strong and healthy. Marula oil is all about hydration, and I've found it perfect for my hair type (dry ends and an oily scalp): It contains 60 percent more protective antioxidants than Argan oil to protect against damage, but leaves behind less heavy residue.

NuSkin AgeLoc Lumispa

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

NuSkin AgeLoc Lumispa, $199, Available Jan. 26 at Nuskin

Move over, bristley old cleansing brushes: The ageLOC LumiSpa is a dual-action skin care device that uses its soft silicone treatment head to gently cleanse away dirt, oil, and makeup, and it works wonders. The first time I used it, I was skeptical: How much can a pulsating, ridged silicon device actually do (for your face, anyways)? After one use, I was converted: It deeply cleansed my sensitive skin without the harsh abrasion, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated instead of stripped. As an added bonus, you can use it in the morning to depuff your skin — and that pulsation feels pretty damn good.

Olay Whips

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Olay Whips, $30, Olay

Despite the fact that my mother keeps a bottle of Olay moisturizer in every medicine cabinet, I never really used the brand — until now. Moving away from its signature rich formula, the brand recently unveiled Olay Whips, which deeply moisturizer while feeling light as hell on the skin. According to the brand, this delicate balance is struck by the Active Rush Technology™ , allowing the formula to hold and quickly release 1000x its weight in hydration. It sinks into your skin super quickly, leaving it primed, plumped, and ready for makeup.

Dear Dahlia Paradise Dual Palette

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Dear Dahlia Paradise Dual Palettes, $29 each or $145 for the set, Available Jan. 18, Dear Dahlia

Dear Dahlia is a new-to-me Korean brand with some of the loveliest packaging I've ever seen. The Paradise Dual Palette is a lovely little pod with several compartments, containing eyeshadow, lip & cheek balm, highlighter, and concealer. You can buy them individually, but the real move is to purchase a set of five — after all, who can resist the fact that they look like mini marble macarons?

Farsali Jelly Beam Highlighter

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Farsali Jelly Beam Illuminator, $40, Sephora

Okay, okay: Farsali's Jelly Beam Highlighter isn't exactly a January launch — it was officially released on the brand's website in December, but it's available in Sephora in January. In other words, there's absolutely no excuse for you not to obtain this gloriously pigmented, easy to apply, jellified, amplified, ab-so-lute-ly incredible product. Beauty fanatics and editors rave about it constantly — wear it underneath foundation for a lit-from-within moment, or go to town on those cheekbones with all the golden jelly your heart desires.

Stila Sheer Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Stila Sheer Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Set, $20, Stila Cosmetics

Stila's Stay All Day Matte Liquid Lipsticks are a holy grail product for plenty of beauty queens, and I quite enjoy their new, sheer, on-trend interpretation of the formula. It's not quite as long-wearing as its matte counterpart (sheers and glosses never are), but the colors are rich and feel transparently comfortable on the lips.

Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick & Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick (available in six new shades), $46 | Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick (available in five shades), $42, Sephora The bestselling foundation now in even more shades to match a wider range of skin tones. Hourglass also released the Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick, which applies like a dream and comes in a travel friendly tube — AKA, all I ever wanted in a high-quality highlighter.

Cote Growth With Garlic Base Coat

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Cote Growth With Garlic Base Coat, $21, Cote Shop

There's no other way to put it: My nails are trash. I can't grow them, they're super thin, and I often panic and get gel extensions instead of fighting the good fight. I've been using Cote Growth With Garlic Base Coat for awhile now, and I have to say: I've noticed a difference. It doesn't actually smell like garlic, either: The garlic extract, according to the brand, has properties that helps nails grow while keeping them from turning yellow. I wouldn't actually if my hands smelled like garlic (Massimo Bottura vibes, y'all), but in the absence of that, I'll take the stronger nails.

LJH Grow Hyal B5 Ampoule & Toner

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

LJH Grow Hyal B5 Toner, $30 | LJH Grow Hyal B5 Ampoule, $33, Glow Recipe

Two of the newest curations on K-Beauty website Glow Recipe, the LJH Grow Hyal B5 Ampoule and Toner have every characteristic I love about skin care: Gel formulas, watery consistency, rapid absorption, and an extremely fresh scent. I layer these two bad boys under my heavier serums and moisturizers before I step out in to the winter cold, and my skin has never felt so protected and hydrated.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask, $62, Fresh

I'm skeptical of any mask that you only leave on for five minutes, but the instant brightening and evening power of this mask has made it one of my go-to morning staples. I like to think of it as a reset button for my skin: It truly improves its vibrancy in the five minutes between when I put it on and when I step in the shower. Magic.

Origins Original Skin Cleansing Makeup Removing Jelly With Willowherb

Photos: Ashley Batz/Art Direction: Brit Philips

Original Skin™ Cleansing Makeup Removing Jelly with Willowherb, $23, Sephora

I have extolled the gloriousness of the Origins Original Skin Willowherb collection before (at this point, I may be verging on Origins fan girl), so it's no surprise that I love the Makeup Removing Jelly. It removes makeup, yes — but it's also super soothing, which feels amazing after a long day of skin-suffocating makeup and pollution.