I tried 100+ beauty products this month: my Presidents’ Day sale picks start at $6

Since we lose moisture and elasticity as we age, the humectant hyaluronic acid, an ingredient which binds to water — and can hold a whopping 1,000 times its weight in water — is key to any quality anti-aging skin care regimen.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better hyaluronic acid serum than this award-winning version from Grace & Stella, especially at this discounted Black Friday price. 

I fell in love with this tinted balm the moment I held it to my lips. It's made with hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturizer and skin plumper, and it left my mouth not only an ideal burnt berry shade, but smoother, more supple and younger-looking.

While this hue is not an exact 1:1 replacement for Clinique's iconic Black Honey lipstick, it's super close. And the addition of sun protection and natural emollients like castor oil make it a worthy foil.  

This four-pack of super-emollient, ultra-pretty tinted lip balms from Nivea is not only nourishing for the tender lip skin, but the selection of punchy, sheer colors means there's something for all moods and occasions. 

I myself am partial to the "Strawberry" shade, which seems to me the ideal pop of sheer red, but the deeper berry tones are excellent as well. Even if I didn't want this for myself (I do!), the packaging is so cute and the price is so good I'd stock up on a handful or so of these sets now — they'd make a great stocking stuffer or holiday gift later in the year.

Differin's adapalene gel was the first prescription-strength retinoid to become available over the counter. It's also dermatologist-recommended and clinically proven to tighten and brighten skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines. 

"I've been a Differin user for over six years at this point, and I swear by it," wrote an in-the-know user. "Most things that work as well as Differin are prescription-only. It actually works in a similar manner that some of the prescription-strength treatments do: by increasing the rate at which your skin cells turn over. This helps decrease the pore blockages that cause acne to develop."

This is the cream you want if you're, like, "I think tightening creams are BS but I also want to believe they are true because I currently hate my neck." The Gold Bond firming cream is no frills but gets the job done (the job being tighter jowls and a less reptilian neck). The formula is lightweight and on the thin side, but the product absorbs well and is gentle enough not to irritate sensitive skin. 

Note: You'll need to use it consistently for about a month to see results, and it won't, of course, magically make you appear 25, but being able to snag this ample size for less makes this product worth a go.

This uber-popular, social-media famous multi-use hair tool rarely goes on sale, and while it's certainly not cheap, it's currently down to one of the lowest prices we've ever seen. 

With attachments for curling, smoothing, shaping and more, this luxurious device will make you feel like you have your own little handheld salon. Not sold? Check out our full Dyson Airwrap review. 

Crest Whitestrips rarely drop in price unless it's a big sales event, and as far as we can tell, they haven't been cheaper than this since Black Friday. Brighter smile, here you come.

"I did notice after 3-4 consecutive uses a difference in the color of my teeth," said this pleased user. "They weren't so white they looked fake, but white enough for others to notice a change. They did cause a bit or gum sensitivity on my top gums, but that didn't last long or was unbearable. I definitely recommend these if you're wanting to start slow in the whitening process or your teeth don't have much discoloration."

This LED light collar uses clinically proven red light and near-infrared wavelengths to build collagen, reduce the appearance of lines and crepey-ness and help soothe neck pain and stiffness. 

You rarely see any significant sale on at-home LED devices. They're expensive in part because (when designed thoughtfully) they actually work. At $125, this collar is an unheard of 50% off, and we all know that sum is a drop in the bucket compared with going under the knife.

Fine or thin hair tends to tangle more than thicker 'dos, but many brushes can add to thinning or shedding by tearing and damaging the strands you have left. Enter this wildly smooth and effective brush, which is a breeze to use on wet or dry hair and gentle enough for even those of us who are balding a bit. At this Presidents' Day price — more than 60% off! — it's also a major value. 

"I have very thin hair that tangles easily. Other brushes hurt and pulled out my hair," wrote this reviewer. "This was certainly a pleasure to be able to brush my hair painlessly. I convinced my 6-year-old granddaughter to let me use it on her tangled baby-fine hair. Guess what? No tears! She hugged me and said that I was the only one she wanted to fix her hair."

It's not just industry experts recommending you shop beauty appliances this month — I invested in this gold-standard at-home microcurrent device during Presidents' Day last year. It's a noninvasive way to tone and firm sagging skin on the face and neck — and, if used consistently, it's clinically proven to work. 

"I have been using it for only three days and the results are unmatched," said a fan. "Everybody asks me if I have done buccal fat removal because my face looks so snatched. If you have the money, buy it. It is totally worth it."

Every once in a while, an internet-famous product comes along that I think will never in 100 years work, and then I'm pleasantly surprised (okay, more like shocked) when it does. Such was the case with this strange little tube of the TikTok-famous collagen and protein hair mask from Elizavecca.   

It's a repairing treatment that's meant to render even the driest, most straw-like hair into silky strands. You work it into your hair after shampooing and, after five to 15 minutes, the before-and-after is seriously profound: My thin, dry, longtime dyed-blonde mane was bouncy, soft and smooth as a satin sheet and, best of all, didn't feel weighed down. Though it does make your hair slightly greasier than normal, the conditioning impact is worth it — my results lasted for weeks. 

My beloved snail mucin from CosRx is excellent for evening skin tone and making your face look softer and brighter overall. It's won multiple awards, has over 55,000 five-star Amazon reviews and impresses most beauty editors I know.

After using it the first time, my face was noticeably dewier, and other users have boasted about its ability to hydrate, repair and improve dullness in the skin — all of which helps wrinkles look less deep and crepey. When I tried it again after a medi-spa laser treatment, I found it soothed and calmed my skin as it healed, lending a healthy sheen. 

This skin-soothing, color-correcting cream is made specifically for disguising angry, red post-blemish skin (essentially the period between when you pop a pimple and it heals), but I find it works well for any redness or dark spots on my face — especially broken capillaries around my nose, my weird red chin and brown-ish sun damage too. 

It has the texture of a lightweight, silky serum, absorbs fast and leaves areas where you want a "color correction" primed for your normal foundation or concealer. I can't guarantee it will work for your skin as well as it does mine, but at $6 (half off!) it's certainly worth a try.

Incredible deal alert! These gilded, Jessica Alba-approved, No. 1 best-selling eye masks incorporate hyaluronic acid, amino acids and sea moss to hydrate the delicate under-eye area, reducing dark circles and puffy bags and blurring fine lines as they go — and right now, they're 30% off.

They're also paraben- and sulfate-free, vegan and gentle enough for most skin types. The luxe packaging makes them an excellent gift. 

The folks behind this sleek flat iron say it delivers two times less damage and five times longer color than other brands. I don't know about this very precise math, but the device does have a lot going for it, including easy-glide ceramic plates, a heat-monitoring sensor that automatically adjusts if the temperature becomes too hot and an infusion of keratin oil to help condition your hair while you straighten it. 

If you're looking for waves, Remington makes an equally well-reviewed Color Care Multi-Styler for twists and curls.

While we're talking retinol, this Sarah Jessica Parker-favorite brand is a drugstore skin-care legend for a reason: It's proven. In a clinical study, 97% of those who tried RoC's Retinol Correxion night serum reported smoother skin after just a single night. Users said their skin was 63% more hydrated after a week and visibly firmer after a month. 

RoC's retinol serum is also recommended and tested by dermatologists. And, it's among Amazon’s highest-rated skin care products with more than 13,000 five-star reviews. 

If your lashes have become fine and thin due to aging or hormonal changes, it's worth checking out the wildly popular Grandelash, which has been a favorite of aestheticians and makeup artists since it appeared on the scene in 2008.

Since, both Grandelash (and Grandebrow) have become the go-to for those looking for reliable, efficient, affordable hair-growth solutions. The "lash enhancing serum," which is 30% off for Black Friday, has racked up more than 35,000 5-star reviews, all along the lines of "This product works GREAT for me — and FAST!!!" and simply "Wow!!!!"

There are loads of pricey treatments and potions meant to decrease facial puffiness, promote collagen growth and improve the texture of aging skin, but the ancient art of face rolling is the easiest, least expensive and arguably the most relaxing. 

This high-quality jade roller and face massager tool set has over 27,000 five-star reviews and, right now, it's more than half off.

Sunday Riley's Good Genes is one of the most effective beauty products I've ever tried, and this six-month supply will last you. Honestly, I like this skin rejuvenating serum so much, if I had to pick one desert-island beauty product (outside of sunscreen), it would be this. The lactic-acid treatment gently yet effectively exfoliates dull surface skin, promoting cell turnover and giving even the dullest, dreariest complexion a healthy, vibrant glow.

It also smooths and plumps rough texture and clarifies an uneven tone. My skin never looks better than when I use this every night and, while this sale price still isn't cheap, a little goes a long way.