Celebrate Chinese New Year With These Limited-Edition Beauty Products

Chinese New Year is fast approaching, which means a lot of major brands have already released their limited-edition collections to celebrate the event. Makeup labels in particular have a penchant for Lunar New Year lines, and we’ve seen some standouts that make celebrating the year of the metal rat a really pretty one! 

But before we tell you our favorites from this year's collections, let us tell you a few Lunar New Year beauty traditions that maybe many of you haven’t heard of yet.

Coming from a girl whose only New Year’s tradition is cleaning out her makeup bag, I am fascinated with the rituals associated with such and important holiday. And to my surprise, some of these rituals can also be applied to my beauty routine!

It’s a popular belief in southern China that pomelo leaves can get you super clean from the outside-in, according to an article published on NPR. To cast evil spirits away and bring good health, it is in their tradition to boil the pomelo leaves and rinse your body with the water or add it to a bath. 

Additionally, it is also a common superstition that washing your hair on the first day of the new year will rinse away your good luck for an entire 12 months. And the bad luck doesn’t stop there when it comes to your hair. While we know so many beauty junkies get a fresh cut on New Year, chopping your hair on Lunar New Year, in Chinese culture, runs you the risk of cutting your own life short, an article on CNN says. 

If the ancient Chinese tradition isn’t rooted in your heritage, there are still ways to honor Chinese culture and infuse your year and beauty routine with good fortune. Enter: these pretty limited-edition Chinese New Year beauty products! Scroll further to see our picks! 

Make Up For Ever Lunar New Year Limited-Edition Collection

MUFE’s limited-edition line comes in a packaging specially designed to represent the most significant Chinese colors: red for luck and celebration and gold for wealth and fortune. The collection consists of an Ultra HD Loose Powder, a Powder Kabuki 124 Brush and an Artist Face Colour Refillable Palette that you can stock up with all your favorite eyeshadows, blushes and highlighters. Buy it here.

Becca Cosmetics Year of the Rat Pressed Highlighter

Becca is one of the few beauty brands that usually recognizes the Chinese New Year. While rats may not be the prettiest of muses, the label has managed to come up with an adorable version to imprint in its top-rated Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter. Buy it here.

NARS Lunar New Year Collection

Not only does the NARS collection arrive in a stunning red and gold packaging, but it also contains a brand new product that we’re loving—the Natural Radiant Long Wear Cushion Foundation in cushion compact form! Buy it here; also available at Mega Fashion Hall.

Pat McGrath Labs Golden Opulence Palette

You can always count on Pat McGrath for a gorgeous eyeshadow palette and its Lunar New Year version is no exception. Named Golden Opulence, the six-shade palette consists a mix of shimmer and matte hues in browns, golds, pinks, and yellows. Buy it here.

Clinique Cheek Pop Highlighter in Gold Celebration Pop

This precious limited edition highlighter in commemorative design from Clinique is too cute to handle! What we also love about this is how it can give our skin a natural golden glow that can make anyone shine in the new year. Buy it here.