If you’re anything like us, you downright cherish some Margot Tanenbaum level me-time after a week’s worth of school drop-offs and presentation decks. Well, prepare to barricade the bathroom door—where else would you hide?—because the latest skincare-slash-self-care products hitting Sephora this month (Hello, VIB points!) are all about luxurious textures that beg to be slathered on and massaged in. Plus, while banana pigments, purple rice and melting butter may sound half-baked, there's some serious innovation behind these next-level cleansers, primers, masks and moisturizers. Made to treat a multitude of skin concerns, these products can target age spots, brighten dullness, and even firm up first signs of sagging. Whoever’s with us, say ahhhh.
TRY… Dr. Jart+ Focuspot Dark Spot Micro Tip Patch, $23/Pack of 6
This off-the-shelf beauty product is coming for micro-needling treatments that poke tiny holes in the skin to kickstart collagen and elastin production below the surface. Micro tip patches bear rows of soft, mini spikes comprised of dried vitamin A and C-infused hyaluronic acid. Leave on for at least two hours (or for a deeper treatment, keep on overnight). The safely formulated cones burrow and then melt, delivering actives deeper than topical creams. Reduces the appearance of sunspots and acne scars within two weeks.
TRY… Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser, $42
We know the feeling. You wash your face, stop to send a Facebook message, and by the time you’re back at the sink your complexion feels tighter than a drum on parade day. Enter Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser, here to melt away pollution, sunscreen—even water-resistant mascara. A gentle cleanser that transforms from a translucent oil to a soothing milk with the warmth of your skin, this antioxidant-rich formula soothes with fruit extracts, nourishes with marula and baobab seed oils, and softly exfoliates with bamboo and charcoal powder. Unlike many oil-based cleansers, it leaves zero residue behind.
TRY… Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Intense Moisturizing Cream, $48
Redness and irritation are signs that your skin is practically crying out for a calming, all-natural moisturizer like this one. Remember those headlines on the antioxidant power of a single glass of red wine? This pot of silky cream harnesses soothing grape water and protective grape seed polyphenols from the vine, along with the nurturing know-how of olive squalene. Caudalie’s clinical claims are impressive, too. Ninety percent of 21 volunteers noted markedly soothed skin after using the product for almost a month, while the vast majority among a smaller group noticed a 90 percent increase in skin hydration after just eight hours.
TRY… Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer, $46
The problem with spackling on more and more foundation when your complexion is looking like the sky before it rains is that it’s not going to mask that greyish cast. The answer, instead, is this genius product—a spinoff of the Beverly Hills-bred brand’s bestselling Banana Bright Eye Crème. Infused with brightening vitamin C, this illuminating primer delivers banana powder-inspired pigments that even skin tone while imparting a delicate, candlelight-like filter. Any little pocks and lines are blurred; plus, makeup goes on smoother and stays put longer—definitely worth the extra step.
TRY… Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask, $60
If your skin looks tired and is generally lacking in youthful lustre— well, first of all, join the club! Secondly, you’re probably dehydrated. Cut down on diuretic drinks like caffeine and alcohol, and level up on pints of water. Next, grab a hold of this delightful, two-step sleep mask. Step one has you applying a cooling gel infused with rosewater, damask rose extract and hyaluronic acid. (That last ingredient steals moisture from the air and holds 1,000 times its weight in water!) Step two locks in all that hydration with a silky water-cream mask that boasts a “time-release technology,” meaning it keeps pumping the plumpness all night long.
TRY… Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, $84
Given our collective obsession with wellness diets like keto and paleo, is it any wonder that skincare would be inspired by superfoods, too? Case in point: this rich, glow-inducing cream made with anti-aging favourites like ginseng. Key to this formula: Japanese Purple Rice, which is high in anthocyanin, an antioxidant aiding in skin’s recovery from the environmental stress that often leads to dullness. Okinawa Algae—a popular seaweed in Japanese cuisine—is blended with hyaluronic acid to help replenish skin’s natural moisture reservoir while boosting ceramide production (ceramides are key to skin’s dewiness and bounce). We’re not saying you can eat all the junk food you want, but what’s good for the inside is bound to be good for the outside, too.
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