Best Skincare Products December 2018
The Hands-Down Best Skincare Products Editors Want You to Give Yourself This Month
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Between the party planning, gift shopping, egg-nogging, and gingerbread house making-then-ignoring (not to mention the whole giving yourself a hemorrhoid from the stress of A through D), there is one minor thing you mustn't forget about this December: you. Now more than ever, practicing a little self-care is the difference between keeping your cool and crying into Santa's beard at the mall — and it starts with your skincare routine.
But because we know the last thing you need is someone giving you yet another task to complete (you hear that, mom!?) we've asked editors to share the best new moisturisers, face masks, and more hitting shelves this month. Read it and (please don't) weep, ahead.
L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Vitamin C Facial Treatment
"Listen, I'm tired — both from skimping on sleep and also stressing about skimping on sleep — and you can tell by my skin, especially during the holidays. The only difference is that growing up, the idea of Santa made my face instantly light up, whereas today not even the joy of a wrapped Céline handbag could hide my sad, sallow skin. Luckily the dermatologist-backed L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Vitamin C Facial Treatment ($24) just launched, and it has already worked miracles in brightening up my overall texture. Not the Christmas miracles you see in movies, to be clear, but the you-can-skip-concealer-today kind." — Kelsey Castañon, senior beauty editor
Glamglow Good in Bed Softening Night Cream
"The Glamglow Good in Bed Passionfruit Softening Night Cream ($54) sounds like a product for your, erm, nether regions, or maybe even a personal lubricant, but I assure you it isn't. It's a sleeping mask that I've been loving because of how transformative it has been on my dry patches. It's really emollient when you first apply to your face (some might call it heavy, but to me, there's nothing more soothing on my irritated cheeks). By the time I wake up the next morning, it's completely absorbed, leaving my face feeling bouncy with moisture and my dry areas nowhere to be found." — Jesa Marie Calaor, assistant beauty editor
FlashPatch Illuminating Eye Gels
"For years, I've been hiding my chronic insomnia with a combination of concealer and under eye patches. I have tried every variety on the market, and was intrigued by these FlashPatch Illuminating Eye Gels ($15). Each morning, I've been popping these babies under my eyes and watching my puffy allergy-induced bags disappear. I especially like that they are formulated with brightening ingredients like vitamin C and mulberry extract and a slight shimmer to reflect away from my dark blue circles." — Sarah Siegel, assistant beauty editor
Purlisse x Kandee-Luscious Body Collection
"I'm not just saying this because Kandee and I joke that we're long lost cousins, promise. But her latest collaboration with Purlisse made me enjoy putting on body lotion again. I consider moisturising my vessel a necessary evil in that it often makes me hate putting on clothes afterwards, but her Kandee-Luscious Body Collection ($20) has become my new ritual. I especially like it after a week-long spray tan: I use the wash to prep my skin, then the body scrub, which massages away old tan residue. It buffs the skin beautifully, which is a great primer before applying the body butter afterwards. Kandee says she is obsessive about moisturising, which frankly is probably why she looks as amazing now as she did her first day on Youtube. And duh, the scent — an orange creamsicle fragrance — is just as comforting and sweet as she is." — Kirbie Johnson, senior reporter and host
The Lanshin Pro Gua Sha Tool
"Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese massage technique that improves circulation and reduces inflammation — or in other words, reduces puffiness. With the edges of the Lanshin Pro Gua Sha Tool ($125), I'm able to reach and massage every single crevice of my face. I just held the desire edge against it and scraped it along. I focus on my jawline when I use it, and swear mine looked leaner one after just one use." — JC
Clinique iD Active Cartridge Concentrate for Uneven Skin Tone
"Clinique's Dramatically Different Lotion has always been an OG staple in my skin care routine, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? That's what you might think, but I assure you: the brand's new Clinique iD Active Cartridge Concentrate ($39) is the brilliant booster this face cream has been missing. Screw on any of the brand's 15 options of concentrate — I chose the formula with a potent dose of glycolic and lactic acids, plus caffeine, to treat my tired, uneven skin tone — onto your Clinique moisturiser of choice, and you'll get 10 percent in every pump. While I've only been using it for about a week, my skin is already five times smoother." — KC
Guerlain Orchidée Impériale The Imperial Oil | Nordstrom
"As a beauty editor who tests and receives countless products, it's rare that a product really takes my breath away, but the Guerlain Orchidée Impériale The Imperial Oil ($330) is the exception. It's a lightweight oil that truly makes me feel like a fancy-pants adult woman, in a bottle that I envision would top Joan Crawford's vanity. It moisturises my oily skin without making matters worse and has a faint scent I can't get enough of — probably due to its 20-plus botanicals found in the bottle. While it's definitely a splurge, I can't get enough of it." — SS
Kate McLeod Daily Stone
"I was wooed by the packageing for the Kate McLeod Daily Stone ($45): a reusable bamboo canister with a magnetic latch that could be a stash box in its next life. But just as innovative is the moisturising "stone," which looks like soap but is actually lotion. The stone gently glides lotion onto the skin, and because of its shape, it also serves as a self-massage that feels great on sore muscles. I use it after a shower, and it keeps my very dry Winter skin moisturised all day. Plus, the rose, frankincense, and neroli fragrance is warm but not overwhelming." — Nancy Einhart, executive editor
Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus & Spearmint Body Lotion
"I gravitate toward products with eucalyptus in them — it might have to do with the smell or tactile sensation that comes with it — and Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus & Spearmint Body Lotion ($14) is no different. I use it right after my evening shower, and spend extra time rubbing in on my shoulders. As the name says, it relieves stress with its fresh scent and cooling effect, leaving me unwound for the next morning." — JC
