I know, I know—there are now CC creams and even DD creams, but I come back to this Dr. Jart Black Label Detox Beauty Balm every time. It’s just perfection. I’ve been using it every day for over two years and it has definitely improved my skin’s texture and tone. It’s soothes and smooths, with active plant extracts that work to calm skin and combat environmental nasties. Over time, it fades dark spots. With key ingredients like caviar, green tea and aloe, along with healthy, broad-spectrum sunscreens and the potent natural antioxidant arbutin—this light, multi-tasking formula hydrates, protects and camouflages. But that’s not even the best part—the best part is the radiant finish: it’s a little big magical.

My Dr. Jart is suitable for all skin types, even sensitive skin. Admittedly, there are a lot of very good BB creams out there, but they tend to have dimethicone, an emollient (found it many primers, foundations and skin care creams) that makes me break out. Dr. Jart has no dimethicone and it’s also blissfully free of parabens, sulfates or phthalates. I do not leave the house without my Dr. Jart on. It’s like my facial shield, with it’s excellent SPF and antioxidant protection. I either wear it alone or add some foundation on top when I want a little more coverage.

P.S. Don’ t let the universal shade give you pause—it really does self-adjust to the right shade.

I’m pretty loyal when it comes to beauty products I love. Some products are so great that my radar for the competition simply goes down. Such is the case with Bare Minerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser—I’ve been using it for years and I continue to repurchase it without blinking. Kind of like toothpaste or deodorant.

Using it is simple—pat some water on your face, pour about a teaspoon of powder into your palm and rub a little bit of water into it, transforming it into a light froth. This activates the mineral complex that empowers the supreme cleansing and exfoliation action. It’s a little bit grainy, but it’s gentle and can be used daily. You can play around a bit with the consistency to your liking, but it’s super easy to use.

There’s no other cleanser that makes my face feel as clean or bright.

Perk: It also can be used as an exfoliating mask.

I haven’t put a gooey, messy mask on my face for years. It’s not just that I’m lazy—because I am lazy when it comes to beauty regimes that require me to get my hands dirty and stay still for any amount of time. It’s because once you experience the amazingness that is the Liquid Ice Mask, you can never go back to putting a layer of goop on your face.

The Non-Messy Part: prefabricated cloth face mask comes rolled up in tiny pod. Pour Liquid Ice activator into pod and let mask absorb the magic. Unroll mask and apply to face. Revel in soothing, cooling sensation.

The Miraculous Part: ten minutes later, pores are smaller, complexion is calm and wrinkles are smoother, lines diminished.

How it Works: The Liquid Ice Mask contains a powerful cocktail of vitamin C, aloe vera, several moisturizers and a unique “liquid ice” technology that combine to provide intense hydration and a deep cooling effect that reaches several layers down, into the facial ligaments. It feels a little bit like eucalyptus on your face in a blizzard. But in a good way, I swear.

The best part is that you can use this mask over makeup. I usually use it before an evening out, prior to touching up. It’s the fastest way to look tighter and brighter after a long day, or banish a puffy face in the morning.

(It can also be used to frighten your children, which you can’t say about a lot of beauty products.)

Pregnancy may have left me with a permanent outie belly-button, newfound allergies and flatter feet, but I managed to dodge stretch marks, despite my “healthy” weight gain and a bump so large it begged the speculation of twins.

I credit Mamma Mio Tummy Rub Oil for this miracle.

Stretch marks occur when your skin’s collagen and elastin give way to the prolonged pressure of stretching— usually on the belly, boobs and hips. While it’s true that some of us are more genetically programmed to get stretch marks, increasing the skin’s elasticity can really, really help. Mamma Mio’s potent blend of Omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids give your skin the ammo it needs to stretch out and shrink back down less stressfully. With it’s proprietary blend of argan, coconut, avocado, and rare seed oils from the Amazon I can’t spell or pronounce, plus vitamin E and a host of other natural oils, Tummy Rub smells divine and absorbs quickly.

It’s not only important to use while pregnant, but also for a few months after you give birth as your body reverts back.  I used Tummy Rub religiously and generously from my first trimester until four months postpartum. Bonus: Tummy Rub also prevents the crazy-making itching that can happen as your bump grows.

Liquid Palisade is a brush-on film that creates a barrier to nail polish. Apply it around your nail bed and fret no more about coloring outside the lines—it simply peels off when you’re ready, leaving you with a gorgeous manicure. Truly.

I tend to like really bright or really dark nails that I could only get done at a salon because my right hand would look like abstract art after my left hand had a go at it. Liquid Palisade totally solves that D.I.Y. problem of having one dominant hand. What’s even cooler is that you can also use it to create nail designs. Since the brush is so thin, you can create nice lines or curves—think half-moon tips, geometric patterns, kitschy shapes and letters.

I’m not so artsy, I’m just happy I can change my polish on a whim. And lately, I have many whims: like this perfect dark brown, this bright coral, this beautiful true red, this delicate peach cream, this pretty pastel, this opaque beige, the deep, dark oxblood I never tired of.  Oh, and this is the metallic I’m trying next.

File this one under Genius Product Inventions.

P.S. The 30 Best Nail Designs for the 30+ set

My friend V. has such amazing skin she looks backlit. Even tone, no discernible pores and a radiance I’ve only ever seen achieved with airbrushing. When she told me that she swears by a toner called p50, from a legendary French company called Biologique Recherche, I ran to do my research.

p50 has been a cult beauty product for decades in Europe and has been quite the sleeper product among skin care gurus here in the United States. Turns out Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are obsessed with the brand, too. Im almost ashamed I didn’t know about it. 😬

After road-testing p50 for two months, I can attest to its power. I definitely saw a boost in radiance almost immediately. My t-zone was more balanced and the dry patches that began to plague me this harsh winter were eradicated. I even think my pores look smaller.

p50 uses a combination of lactic, salicylic acids, glycolic acids and sulfur, among other key ingredients like onion and horseradish extract to exfoliate, hydrate and balance the skin’s pH, which is crucial for healthy cell turn over. Use it after cleansing and before your other skincare.

I should warn you: p50 has a strong odor. My husband says I smell like an anatomy lab after I use it, but I think the scent leans more toward auto fluid. Also, it mildly stings when you apply it, but I promise—both the smell and the stinging dissipate in minutes.

p50 is hard to find in the U.S, but it’s always well stocked at Rescue Spa. It comes in three formulations—I recommend the original p50 over p50V (for sensitive skin) or p50W (for mature skin).

As we head into Spring, I think p50 is a great way to renew your complexion. Let me know what you think!