Each key ingredient is sequestered in its own chamber — niacinamide keeps vitamin C company, though, since they work so well together to boost radiance — letting them mix for maximum potency right before you apply. The ingenious balance and timing of the combination make this an effective and non-irritating way to work toward multiple skin goals.
Shiseido Urban Environment Sun Dual Care SPF 42 Sunscreen
The last thing you need to worry about when it comes to wearing (and reapplying) sunscreen is the possibility of fresh breakouts forming. Consider an oil-absorbing formula like the Shiseido Urban Environment Sun Dual Care Oil-Free Hyaluronic Acid SPF 42 Sunscreen. This hybrid part-chemical, part-physical SPF doubles as a face primer and minimizes shine all at once, but that doesn’t mean it skimps out on moisture. (Because, yes, oily skin needs moisture to thrive. It’s all about balance.) For that, hyaluronic acid and spirulina lend a radiant, soft-matte, but never greasy finish to your skin.
Moroccanoil Hand Wash
If you’ve ever taken a sniff of a Moroccanoil Hand Wash, you know just how lovely the woodsy scent is. But that’s not all — it’s rich in vitamin E and antioxidants to hydrate and nourish the skin as you wash your hands.
Clinique High Impact Mascara
The Clinique High Impact Mascara formula is a classic that’s known for its dramatic results, but you can expect the same thickening and volumizing finish on a slightly more modest scale from the original version. Its buildable, no-budge formula also means that you can layer this shade on without finding any flakes or smudges around your eyes by the end of the day.
Bobbi Brown Longwear Cream Shadow Sticks
There may be no three words as calming as “mirror-free shadow.” But the failproof nature of the Bobbi Brown Longwear Cream Shadow Sticks isn’t the only reason we always wear ours down to a nub — the extensive shade range of 26 hues is versatile and works on almost everyone.
Nars Light Reflecting Foundation
Makeup and skin care come together with the Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation. This medium-coverage formula comes in 36 shades and has a 70-percent mix of skin-care ingredients to improve clarity over time. Key ingredients include biomimetic oat (to reduce redness), a plant called Japanese lilyturf (to maintain moisture), cacao peptides (to boost skin resiliency), and milk thistle (to minimize the negative effects of environmental stressors).
Paula’s Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel
When it comes to uncovering fresh skin, Paula’s Choice Skin Perfective 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel has you covered. This multi-acid at-home treatment will get you pretty close to a spa-level facial. In just 10 minutes, a combination of glycolic, lactic, mandelic, and salicylic acids goes to town decongesting clogged pores while simultaneously smoothing away dead skin on the surface.
Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powder
Each of the seven shades of the Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powder doles out an ethereal flush that won’t fade away as the day progresses. When applied, the semi-matte pigment sticks to skin without settling into pores or caking up. The compact is also refillable, so you can feel a little better about inducing less packaging waste.
Lancôme’s Cils Booster XL Enhancing Lash Primer
In the same way that you apply a makeup primer before your foundation to create a smooth finish, Lancôme’s Cils Booster XL Enhancing Lash Primer does that for your lashes. Tiny microfibers in the formula build up thin lash hairs, while vitamin E conditions. If it’s loads of volume that you’re after — minus clumping, that is — add this primer to your mascara mix.
Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder
Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder raises the bar high for setting powders. Beauty enthusiasts can attest that not all setting powders are created equally, but this silky, long-wear option glides onto skin, doesn’t cake up throughout the day, and eliminates light flashbacks when you’re taking pictures. It also helps tone down the shine on oily skin — but the formula won’t make drier skin types look ashy. Plus, it’s available in 10 luminous shades.
Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Magnet Extreme Lengthening Mascara
Benefit Cosmetics took its award-winning original They’re Real! mascara and gave it a volumizing boost that’s pretty incredible. The Magnet Extreme Lengthening Mascara has magnetic minerals in the formula that, with the help of the extender brush, pull your lash hairs up and out for a thickened, lifted look.
Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix
Whether you fill your arches in first or prefer a more natural groom-and-go look, Charlotte Tilbury‘s Brow Fix is an ideal topcoat for both. The clear gel gives your arches staying power for the day, and the brow glaze has silk proteins to condition and strengthen your arches as it sets everything in place.
Living Proof Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil
Smoothing Living Proof’s Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil over a fresh blowout or dry curls instantly gives hair a glossy refresh. The product replaces silicones with moisturizing and shine-enhancing oils, including jojoba, moringa, and babassu. Apply it after styling or on damp hair before drying.
Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner
Bond-repair treatments are a great help to hair just before a coloring session — but you can also get many of the same repairing benefits every wash day with Olaplex’s No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. Like the other Olaplex bonding products, this moisturizing conditioner fills in weak spots in the hair with disulfide bonds. This helps repair broken bonds within the hair cuticle and with continued use, reverses the damage.
La Mer The Eye Concentrate
La Mer is a little sliver of luxury that we all should treat ourselves to in this lifetime. The products are pricey, but also really good. The Eye Concentrate has the brand’s signature Miracle Broth, consisting of seaweed, sesame oil, and sunflower oil, which deeply hydrates the eye area. There’s also caffeine in the luxurious cream to deflate puffiness and reduce the look of dark circles. The metal ball applicator also provides a cool sensation to soothe this delicate area of the face.
Readers’ Choice Award Winners
Beautyblender Original
Ah, the good ‘ol Beautyblender Original. With so many sponges on the market, this OG just had our hearts. Just drench it in water, ring out the excess and blend in all your favorite liquid and cream products — you’ll blend out flawlessly every time.
Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel
The mini-microfibers in the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel are the key to what makes sparse brows seem fuller. This is a tinted brow gel that tames, provides hold, and is even water-resistant — in case you want to take a quick dip.
First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub
Keratosis pilaris, a.k.a. the little acne-like bumps some of us have on the back of our arms, will be minimized after using First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub. This exfoliating scrub contains alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic and lactic) which work together to deeply penetrate and unclog pores.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Using Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is the way to get smooth, less textured skin. Just add a few drops of the beta hydroxy acid-based formula to your hands or cotton round and pat it into your skin. By using it consistently, you’ll notice a serious improvement in your skin.
Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer
Similar to all of Ilia’s complexion products, the True Skin Serum Concealer has skin-nourishing ingredients and just seamlessly melts into the skin. This product has vitamin C to brighten up dark spots and undereye circles, and moisturizing glycerin to keep the area soft and hydrated all day.
Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Let us start by saying this: You don’t have to have blonde hair to use Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo. Now that that’s off the table, hear us out. This treatment (and its conditioner contain a novel set of molecules that buffer against breakage, making damage a thing of the past for all hair types.
Supergoop Play 100% Mineral Lotion SPF 50 with Green Algae
Supergoop’s Play 100% Mineral Lotion SPF 50 with Green Algae is a blendable, invisible formula that works great on sensitive bodies and faces. The tube contains tucuma butter that moisturizes and nourishes skin every time you reapply (which should be every two hours, by the way).
Briogeo Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo & Conditioner
If you want your hair to smell like a banana smoothie and feel like silk? Briogeo’s Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo & Conditioner is for you. This fruit-smelling duo is loaded with hair-strengthening potassium and vitamin E to promote growth, so hair will feel stronger after each use.
MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick
For over 20 years, MAC’s Ruby Woo Lipstick has been gracing the lips of so many people with its bold, works-on-everyone, cherry-red hue. It’s a soft-matte formula that’s never drying on the lips and is simply just a power color for everyone.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo
Hate washing your hair? Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo masks dirty hair in a flash. Made with powders like rice starch to absorb all those oils and debris, this refresher leaves you with the look of freshly washed hair without even stepping in the shower.
Nécessaire The Body Wash
The Nécessaire The Body Wash formula is loaded with niacinamide and a handful of vitamins like vitamin C and E, so you’re nourishing your body while you wash away the day. Available in scents like sandalwood and eucalyptus, it’ll make your shower experience feel spa-like and your skin feels like butter.