Chinese New Year-Inspired Beauty Products for 2021

[Photo by Sahil Pandita]

Chinese New Year is a month away (February 12), which means that it’s time to let go of the past and celebrate new beginnings. The Chinese zodiac features 12 animal signs and 2021 is the year of the ox. The ox represents hard work, positivity, and honest, and those born in the year of the ox tend to be hardworking, reliable, and trustworthy. To learn your Chinese zodiac sign, click here.

Celebrate the Year of the Ox With Sugarfina’s Festive Lunar New Year Collection

Many beauty brands have released limited-edition products in honor of Chinese New Year and the year of the ox. From jeweled compacts to fragrances and cosmetics, read on to discover and shop our favorite Chinese New Year-inspired beauty products for 2021.

Chantecaille Year of Ox Bio Lifting Mask ($204)

For good fortune and an uplifted outlook: a special edition Bio Lifting Mask for the Year of the Ox. This unprecedented advanced treatment is infused with deeply moisturizing ingredients and botanicals that fight multiple signs of aging skin: dry skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and slackening skin tone. Powerful plant extracts and a revolutionary Anti-Wrinkle Hexapeptide virtually iron out the look of lines and wrinkles and soften the appearance of expression lines while soothing and calming dry skin with intense hydration.

Elemis Lunar New Year Pro-Collagen Marine Cream Limited Edition ($128)

The brand’s iconic anti-aging moisturizer just got a festive makeover in celebration of Lunar New Year. Clinically proven* to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles in just two weeks, this super moisturizing yet ultra-lightweight gel-cream delivers essential hydration for younger-looking skin. Formulated with powerful marine and plant-based actives, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream helps improve the feeling of firmness and elasticity for a radiant and rejuvenated appearance.

Estée Lauder Year of the Ox Double Wear Pressed Powder Compact ($200)

This limited-edition collectible compact is both refillable and filled with Double Wear Pressed Powder. The ox is a symbol of hard work, peace, and justice. Intricately designed, this one-of-a-kind compact is presented in an velvety pouch to keep it safe. Inside you'll find Double Wear Pressed Powder, featuring a silky, soft texture.

Fresh Limited-Edition Black Tea Firming Corset Cream ($95)

This visibly firming face and neck cream—now with a limited-edition Lunar New Year design—hydrates and strengthens skin for a tighter, lifted look. It delivers 24-hour hydration while improving skin elasticity and bounce with fresh's powerful black tea complex, goji fruit extract, and a firming peptide. Acting like a corset for your complexion, it helps to strengthen loose, saggy skin for a firmer, tighter, younger look.

Givenchy Lunar New Year Prisme Libre Setting & Finishing Powder ($58)

Unify, set, and perfect your skin with this loose powder featuring a color combination to even out skin tone and boost radiance while keeping shine under control. Upon application, imperfections appear diminished, skin is more even and makeup is set with a lasting matte finish. Its formula and pigments are treated with an exclusive, technological atomization process that creates a perfectly uniform and natural-looking result.

GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD Glow Stimulating Treatment Mask - Lunar New Year 2021 ($60)

Celebrate the Year of the Ox with a limited-edition YOUTHMUD. This skin-transforming mud mask helps exfoliate and lift impurities for younger-looking, baby-soft, glowing skin. It exfoliates to help smooth the appearance of fine lines and visibly soften skin's texture; helps lift impurities without disturbing skin's essential oils and brightens and smooths for visibly firmer, more glowing, youthful-looking skin. Key ingredients include volcanic pumice rock, natural clay blend, and Young Hyson green tea leaves.

Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating Powder Pearls Lunar New Year Limited Edition ($65)

A limited edition collectible of the illuminating powder made up of light-diffusing pearls that minimize flaws and brightens the skin for Lunar New Year. A common base of correcting and illuminating colors including pink for a youthful glow, yellow to combat dullness, and mauve to catch the light evens out the complexion. Diamond powder encapsulated in microspheres reflects light for a soft, flattering glow. These delicate and perfectly round pearls continue to be shaped by hand with craftsmanship mastered by only four people in the world. Nestled in an ornate red and gold reusable gold case.

LUSH Dragon Legend Bubble Stick ($8.25)

Celebrate Lunar New Year with a legend. This red bubbler is packed with jasmine absolute and ylang ylang oil to create a luxurious floral scent. Dragon fruit powder is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C to help soothe sensitive or troubled skin. Welcome Dragon Legend into the tub for good luck, knowledge, and mounds of skin-softening bubbles!

Maison Margiela Replica Lunar New Year Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette ($130)

This soft, summery scent features classic floral notes that convey the delicate sensation of freshly washed sheets in limited-edition packaging. Lazy Sunday Morning captures the feeling of silky skin, crumbled linens and the reassuring scent of clean laundry. Notes of pear, lily of the valley, iris and musk mingle to evoke a sense of ease and time that stands still. The silhouette of each Replica bottle is inspired by classic apothecary jars, allowing the collection to be instantly identifiable.

NARS Singapore Quad Eyeshadow ($52)

Fortune favors the bold with best-selling Singapore Quad Eyeshadow, specially decorated for the New Year. Four shades envelop eyes in a range of finishes, from buttery mattes and lustrous satins to multi-dimensional glitters. Includes: sparkling pale gold, sparkling metallic brass, shimmering deep rust red, and sparkling antiqued bronze.

NCLA Beauty Balm Babe - Year of the Ox ($16)

Look to this mandarin-scented, all-natural lip balm to celebrate the Year of the Ox, an animal sign known for its honest and earnest nature. This clean, natural, and vegan lip balm intensely soothes and nourishes lips. Formulated with shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado butter, and coconut oil, Balm Babe leaves lips smooth and hydrated.

Sugarfina 9-Piece Lunar New Year Mini Trunk ($115)

Spread good fortune in the Year of the Ox with this 9-piece Lunar New Year Mini Candy Trunk. This limited-edition candy trunk is dressed in red and is finished with luxe gold touches. Inside, your lucky recipient will find the following candy cubes: Lotus Flowers, Red Apple Caramels, Dark Chocolate Orange Peel, Peach Tea Bears, Green Tea Bears, Red Roses, Peach Blossoms, Gold Pearls, and Tangerine Slices.

Sulwhasoo Lunar New Year First Care Activating Serum ($150)

This essential first-step serum is formulated to promote a glowing, healthy look in limited-edition Lunar New Year packaging. It's formulated with a JAUM Balancing Complex, which is formulated from five carefully selected Korean herbal ingredients for concentrated, comprehensive skin care. Use is as the first step in your routine after cleansing to boost the absorption, usage and results of your skin products. This limited-edition bottle is inspired by the intricate beauty of Korean traditional patchwork quilts. The distinct geometric shapes are reinterpreted through a modern lens, delivering the happy, festive spirit of new beginnings filled with love.

[Images courtesy of brands]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk