Tag: Beauty

“When it comes to drugstore essentials, the Balmain x L’Oréal collab lipsticks are right up there with Tylenol Migraine or melatonin: a necessity to get me through difficult times. The color range embodies all that is edgy, grunge, and glamorous—because, duh, Balmain—but the formula also has the creamy, smooth, long-lasting finish that L’Oréal is known for.” —Amber Rambharose, beauty editor

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“If there’s one thing I’m so glad I added to my skin care routine this year, it’s LED acne treatments. They’re no gimmick. After two minutes of blasting a zit with this thing—and some drying lotion left on overnight—my skin is calmer and less inflamed. And my need for concealer has gone way down.” —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

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“First thing’s first, these colors are so chic! Sepia browns and mahogany reds are my ideal fall palette. And the creamy highlighter, which I apply onto my cupid’s bow, seriously rivals my RMS Living Luminizer. But does it last through a grueling gym sesh? I’ll let you know as soon as I have one (please don’t hold your breath).” —Jennifer Mulrow, assistant beauty editor

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“Since I don’t like the feeling of things dripping down my neck while I stare at the ceiling, sheet masks and I haven’t had a stellar relationship until now. Garnier stuck a pair of what can only be called ear handles on its new sheet masks, so you can now watch TV while letting the hydrating formula sink in. Your skin ends up plump and moisturized, and you don’t feel like an immobile frog. Win, win.” —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

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“Love it or hate it, you have to admit that pizza cutter liner gets exponentially more exciting when it’s available at Walgreens. The latest from Revlon comes in enough cool, metallic shades to convince me that dexterity will follow after I buy two of every color.” —A.R.

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“My skin is like a cactus: no matter how much moisturizer I load on, it looks thirsty, so my standards for powder are high: it needs to be the least cakey formula in the world to avoid sitting visibly on top of my skin. Maybelline’s new loose powder fits the bill. It mattifies and softly evens out your coloring, but without any of the obvious, dry heaviness that comes with other powders.” —R.N.

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“Is this luminizing stick made out of actual stardust? All signs point to yes. The holographic, purple-blue glow transforms me right into Sailor Moon as soon as I swipe it onto my cheekbones.” —J.M.

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“Unlike a lot of super rich body products, this lotion actually smells fresh and light, with just a touch of the sea, and I love that it’s not thick and sticky. It sinks right in, with zero gloopy body butter layers on top of my skin.” —Erin Reimel, beauty assistant

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“Show me purple eyeliner and I’ll love it from afar. For myself, I pick ‘safe, but interesting’ every day of the week. That usually just translates to ‘boring nudes’, but this trio of Pixi by Petra liners brings enough life to basics to make them versatile (and so pretty). You get a shimmering, golden brown, metallic black, and frosty pink for $14—and you’ll use every single one.” —R.N.

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“Do you need another liquid lipstick? The answer is yes. Always yes. Especially when NYX is involved. Where are lot of the metallic shades happening right now are too much for me, these are just subtle enough. But the line comes with some golds and purples for anyone who’s more adventurous than me.” —L.S.

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“It’s back! Even if you don’t worship at the alter of PSL, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s not overly sweet, and the formula is that just-right mix of soft balm and moisture.” —A.R.

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“I’ve forever been a fan of Maybelline’s mascara, and its latest collab with beauty blogger Shayla Mitchell delivers that same quality with crazy volume. It’s thicc.” —L.S.

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“Cleansing sticks are a game-changer for me when I travel: no TSA trouble or fear of surprise leakage. This moisturizing cleanser glides right on, melts away my makeup and leaves my skin smelling like fresh berries.” —J.M.

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“When I see the word ‘weightless’ on a hair product, I typically hiss liesss under my breath because the product is usually lying to me. Not this time. I globbed several unnecessarily large palmfuls of this cream into my hair—totally dry and post-shower damp—and it melted in, weightlessly, every time.” —A.R.

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“I love smearing things on my face for the promise of a better life, so believe me when I say I’ve tried almost every clay mask out there. From the dirt cheap to super luxe, it’s hard to go wrong—but by the same coin, it’s hard to find one that’s truly exceptional. This one straight-up works: the clay sucks grime out of your pores, while green tea and Vitamin C soothe and dial up your glow factor.” —R.N.

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“There is nothing I want to slather all over myself more than this lotion. It’s fragrant without being cloying, kind of like stepping inside a person-sized humidifier full of lavender essential oils except, you know, you’re the humidifier.” —A.R.

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“At this point in my life, a silvery gray metallic is as close to a pop of color as my wardrobe gets, which is why I was excited about this at-home chrome kit. We’ve all seen the chrome trend all over Instagram, but this is a totally affordable mesmerizing finish.” —E.R.

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“Judging by the low-key packaging, I expected this to be your typical everyday mascara (not saying I’m biased, but most natural mascaras do tend to err on the understated side). But this thick formula delivers lashes that are dark and defined, pumps up both your length and volume, and while the effect isn’t fluttery, it’s dramatic and striking.”—R.N.

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“Somewhere out there, the makeup artist who told me to always apply highlighter gently with my fingertips is laughing, because you literally cannot apply these soft as warm butter highlighters any other way. Seriously, take a brush to one and you’ll ruin it, but with a light touch, you get a seriously soft—we’re talking the softest and most forgiving of Instagram filters—glow that won’t dry out your skin.” —A.R.

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“I’m a huge dry shampoo fan, but now that my hair is longer, I want a product that makes it look and feel clean—more like a real shampoo and less like a dry texturizer. This one feels refreshing because it’s not super powdery. I just spray it at my roots, rub it in a bit, and it disappears along with my grease.” —Erin Reimel, beauty assistant

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“If you, like me, have been waiting most of your life for soft pastel hair color in a can, it’s my duty to let you know our prayers have been answered, you can (and should) ombre the rose gold and the pink. Best part: it won’t make your hair crunchy.” —A.R.

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“Along with binge-watching, binge-masking is my favorite pasttime. This clay one is great for right before my period, when my skin’s a little oilier and more acne-prone, because it acts like a magnet to draw out dirt and grime. Plus, what’s better than curling up on the couch with a mask and Riverdale when you’re PMS-y?” —Lindsay Schallon, senior digital beauty editor

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“If I’m outside of my bedroom, I’m wearing lipstick so my lips get pretty dry and flaky. I try to do lip scrubs as often as possible but it doesn’t always happen. They’re messy and get all over my face. Revlon’s exfoliating balm is a totally different story. Just apply, rub your lips together until smooth, then leave the balm on for hydration.” —E.R.

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“I break this purifying cleanser out on mornings when I forgot to take my makeup off. (Whoops.) The clay-to-mousse formula keeps it from feeling super heavy on my skin, and though I don’t have oily skin, I love the mattifying finish, topped off with the lovely, lingering scent of eucalyptus.” —J.M.

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“The sheer number of shades in this palette (18!) is enough to make me go googly-eyed, but it’s the rich color payoff—especially with the shimmery metallics—that keeps me hooked. I know we all have eyeshadow palettes we’re fiercely loyal to, but for $22, this guy will give your favorite a run for its money.” —J.M.

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“Don’t talk to me about other primers because this is the only one that makes blemishes at every stage—redness, swollen, peak nastiness, and scabby aftermath—actually lie down and disappear beneath my makeup with zero flakes or obvious unevenness.” —A.R.

“I’ve been obsessed with the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer since it launched—it’s what made me fall in love with hyaluronic acid. So when the brand came out with a cleanser, I was legit thrilled. It’s a light gel texture that leaves my face super clean but also soft and hydrated. I can honestly never get enough moisture.” —E.R.

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“If you’ve been disappointed by the total lack of fall weather this year so far, good news: here we have fall embodied in an eyeshadow palette. With a mix of matte and shimmery finishes in slate, deep blue, and burgundy shades, the palette manages the difficult feat of being both accessible (these are earth tones, they can’t hurt you), and exciting (twists on red, greige, and green eyeshadow take care of that).” —R.N.

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“When it’s cold out, I like to pull out my pumpkin-scented candles, hop in a warm shower with a dessert-scented body wash, and just chill. (Seriously, I’ve done this since I was a pre-teen.) This body wash is like a grown-up version of the Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar that I used to love. It’s less sugary, but still warm, and my boyfriend can confirm that it makes me smell like a cookie.” —E.R.

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“I tend to stick to chemical exfoliants, like AHAs, because scrubs are usually too harsh on my sensitive skin. I love this one, though. It’s super-fine, and thus, less harsh. Just apply it gently in circular motions.” —L.S.

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