10 Indie Beauty Products You’ve Never Heard of but Have to Try
With so many brands coming out with their best-ever liquid lipsticks, it feels like not much else has been happening in lip-world. But if there was ever a place to hear about lipstick innovation, it was this convention—and I’m happy to say, this futuristic lip powder fit the bill. You spread the dust on, and watch as it transforms into a slightly moist, then matte tint. The best part? It has the wear-time of a liquid lipstick, without the “dry your lips into a flaky mess” side effects.
So many mascaras claim they work like a push-up bra for your lashes, and so few actually follow through. But pull this mascara wand from its tube, and the first thing you notice is the rounded brush. The second: the fact that after you sweep it through your lashes, they stay lifted—in the immediate aftermath, and until the very end of the day.
A straightener with infrared heat plates sounds super high tech, and thankfully, it’s not just a gimmick. According to the brand, the infrared light and ceramic plates tag team to leave your hair healthier. The duo create negative ions to bring your hair’s natural oils to the surface, which then attracts water from the air. This is all a scientific way of saying you’re going to see less frizz and a sleeker finish, without any product needed. I’ve gotta concur: every time I use it, my hair turns out smooth, shiny, and without any of its normal poof.
Listen: this water is incredible. I love a dark, dramatic dose of mascara, and one swipe of this cucumber cleansing water takes it all off instantly. Even just wiping a cotton pad of it across my skin makes the cotton come away seriously gray, even after I wash my face. It’s fascinating, addictive, and just slightly disturbing.
Barrier creams are the unsung heroes of the skin care world. Not familiar? The term refers to those moisturizing, mild creams that give your skin everything it needs, which can help treat acne just as much as drying spot remedies. The downside is that barrier creams are typically pretty heavy—great for people with dry skin, but less so for everyone else. K-beauty brand Goodal’s liquid does the job with a quick-to-sink-in serum texture, so now everyone can benefit.
It looks like a candle, it burns like a candle, and it smells like a very expensive candle. But against all the odds, this is actually a moisturizing body oil. UK-based brand Prismologie is working at the frontier of experiential skin care: featuring wild mango butter, coconut oil, and soybean oil, its Oud candle gives you this incredible, warm, fragrant dose of hydration. It’s hard to go back to normal moisturizer.
Liquid bronzers aren’t a gamechanger, with options aplenty at both drugstores and Sephora. But where most go on matte and dry to a realistically flat finish, Note’s Sunglow delivers the subtlest pearlescent sheen in a sheer, ultra-light fluid. You look like you could’ve been on a yacht. It’s that good.
To hear an aesthetician tell it, the benefits of dry brushing go on and on: improved circulation, smooth skin, and allegedly, it even gives your legs a slightly more firm look. The reality is a little more painful, since it involves giving yourself a rub down with a rough brush. This glove, on the other hand, is a delight. With a scratchy but bearable surface, it sloughs off dead skin and so I feel baby-butt soft for two weeks.
Sticking a spoon in the freezer for a DIY eye depuffer is something I always read about and never actually do, but after looking at the roll call of antioxidants in Votre Vu’s frozen push-pop serum, I’ve been making the freezer trip daily. After running it over my face every morning, I can attest: you see short-term depuffing benefits ASAP, and with long-term firming benefits, I rue the day my serum popsicle runs out.
The coconut water trend peaked two years ago, so its inclusion in MineTan’s self-tanner didn’t sell me. What did? The combo of a bronze, 0-percent orange color, and its unprecedented ability to last for literally a week and a half before showing any signs of wear. No maintenance required—it’s basically, a dream self-tanner come true.
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