The Best New Instagram Makeup and Skin Care Products of 2017
Not a week passes that we don’t wonder what will come from Fenty Beauty. First, it was the foundation that sold out (and sold out, and sold out), thanks to its range of 40 shades. Then the glitter-filled Galaxy holiday collection, and now, the Stunna Lip Paint that’s turned the Internet upside down. A true red, we can personally vouch: It really does look incredible on everyone.
As the unofficial master of Internet Beauty™, of course Huda Kattan knows what the people want. While the Huda Beauty foundations were quick to sell out, we rarely open Instagram without seeing the Desert Dusk palette’s mix of rosy, wearable shades.
As we close out the year, we feel confident saying there’s never been a time when more stuff jiggled (and foamed, speaking of weird textures). Who’s complaining, though? The only thing better than sticking your finger in this Farsali jelly is tilting your face back and forth to watch it shine.
And in the polar opposite aesthetic, the Internet went bananas for Kim Kardashian’s first going-it-alone beauty product. Available in four sets, the creamy contour sticks sold out in two and half hours. No small feat—they were $48.
At first glance, this palette looks much like any other palette. But the under-the-radar brand has garnered a rabid following, because its shadows come packed with pigments so powerful, they read bright on every single skin tone.
If you’re not following the Twitter account Makeup for WOC, you’re missing out on a world of great product recommendations. The woman behind the account, who goes by Tiara, took her expertise and paired with MTF Cosmetics to create a highlighter custom tailored for deep skin tones. Unsurprisingly, it promptly sold out.
As a YouTube personality, Jaclyn Hill‘s got to deliver what people want with her own, original spin. For her mega-hyped collaboration with Morphe, Hill came up with a set of burnished reds, yellows, and blues that had just about everyone clicking “buy” (and all of the brands following suit). The only problem? Getting your hands on one to test IRL was next to impossible. Now it’s available in Ulta stores and online—along with the rest of Morphe’s favorite palettes and brushes. Ready your points.
Eighties babies will get the reference right away, but for the rest: Lime Crime came out with a collection of three palettes inspired by Polly Pockets. The real question is will there soon be a line of P.P. clothing and accessories to match? Stranger things have happened.
Yeah, we’ll take literally any Game of Thrones–channeling merch we can get these days. Especially when it looks like these gorgeous dragon-inspired lipsticks, coming in three different metal colorways. The brand is quick to note that these are original creations, not sponsored or endorsed by any specific HBO entity, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less pretty. They were slated to go on sale this fall, but thanks to a revamp, Storybook Cosmetics says that it’s hoping to have them out by the holidays—but that release date might turn into early next year.
If Too Faced does a mask, it’s going to be major. Founder Jerrod Blandino teased a glimpse of this sparkly concoction on his Instagram a few months ago, and the crowds went wild. And now that the mask has made its social media debut ahead of it widespread release in early 2018, we can all rest easy: the new Glow Job mask fully meets our expectations. Gloriously extra as ever, the brand infused the formula with real gold to exfoliate and brighten your skin (and get an Instagram in the process).
You didn’t think Too Faced was the only one to break the Internet with this concept, did you? Welcome to 2017, where we are at peak glitter and everyone is a 13-year-old girl. Not that we’re mad at it. This one features GlamGlow’s signature GravityMud technology, which makes your skin firmer and softer. The glitter floats suspended in the formula, too, so it doesn’t aggravate your skin.
Just take it in. Every single time I see a photo of the Naked Heat palette, I wonder why I’m not currently wearing the Naked Heat palette. Every single time, I have no answer, other than that I like variety (and eh, I’m lazy). It’s the eyeshadow-rut cure-all.
If you talk about Pat McGrath, it’s an unspoken rule that you have to preface her name with “legendary.” Because the makeup artist is just that—she dominates Fashion Weeks all over the world with her insane makeup skills, and her new line brings that magic to your vanity. Her lipsticks especially were a big-ticket drop, with a formula that feels like pure velvet.
With her frankly absurd 21.2 million followers, again, Huda Kattan knows what the people want. And earlier this year, that was Lip Strobes: Both a topper and stand-alone lip look, the metallic glosses were at the front of the metallic trend and basically brought gloss back.
The brand hit it big with its Harry Potter-esque palette last year, and it’s kept up the winning streak with its brush collections and the aforementioned dragon lipsticks (they know what the people want). Among the concepts are wands, quills, and arrows, but the brush set is almost too pretty to believe.
Organic products have come in leaps and bounds recently, but Rituel de Fille stands apart for its consistently beautiful colors and formulas. That said, it took a viral product to really kick the brand into Internet Obsession Land (you might remember the black pigment “anti-highlighter“). When this red take—that likewise pulls triple duty for your eyes, cheeks and lips—was released, it was everywhere. Literally, we were seeing red.
People the world over love ABH’s Modern Renaissance palette, so the sequel was one of the biggest deals in beauty this year. And while Claudia Soare, the brand’s president, acknowledged that the first batch’s formula had some kinks, the color choice left fans obsessing.
Hands down, one of the most beautiful lip balms in the land. Both in the tube and on your lips, because a quick slick turns into a pretty pink on your lips that’s customized to your pH.
Yes, true, there might be a person alive who doesn’t like Chrissy Teigen, but I ask you—how? Whether talking about post-partum depression or period zits, the woman is lovable. As is her collaboration with Becca, a quartet of glowy, shimmering, universally flattering hues.
What do you get when two of the biggest Internet makeup personalities combine forces? A collection to be reckoned with, thanks to indie brand Dose of Colors. For some idea of the hype, Kim Kardashian teased a video of herself opening up the package. People lost their minds, and it sold out almost instantly. Luckily though, it’s getting a second life in September.
It’s a nod to how thoroughly Kylie Jenner killed it with this palette that it’s still selling out and being restocked, even with newer collections joining the mix. But it truly is different, with a variety of mauvey neutrals and lust-inducing shimmers.
Behold: the sleeping mask that sold 5,000 units before anyone even knew what was happening. Glow Recipe nailed it with its watermelon-based formula, and it’s been on the sold out/back in stock/sold out grind ever since. You wake up glowing. It’s a good sell.
Not quite as buzzy as a highlighter or lipstick, but the Internet is in full-on, crazy, if you’re a bird I’m a bird, love with this concealer. Because truly, it goes above and beyond: It’s so unbelievably thick, it works just as well for highlighting and contouring, and even as a foundation replacement. The hype is big, but it delivers.
Feel how you may about crystals, this collection is genius. If you believe in crystals, you finally had beauty products that delivered; if you don’t, who cares, it’s frigging pretty. Since it’s themed around amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz, and aventurine, you can shop by promised “vibe,” or whatever will look best on your Instagram.
Going hand in hand with the unicorn trend (when something reaches coffee body scrub form, you know it’s everywhere), Wet n Wild took the same fun, fantastical approach towards highlighter with a rainbow medley. It’s not natural in the least, but it’s exuberant, pretty, and escapist—all things to love.
Nicki Minaj isn’t new to the MAC game, but when images dropped of her most recent collab, fans lost their minds. Understandably so, because where her Viva Glam is a true-to-form bubblegum pink, the two shades that dropped this year were gorgeous nudes. After that, stay tuned: According to MAC, big things are coming from the singer in 2018.