Gold: FaceShop Eco-Therapy Extreme Moisture Organic Cotton Mask.* Many Korean women, including Associate Editor Sharon J. Yi, rely on these individually packaged masks and wear them nightly to achieve complexion perfection,. "Waking up to flawless skin has never been so easy," says Yi.
Silver: Darkness False Eyelashes Glue.* You'll never have to worry about your falsies falling off during a sweaty dance session again. "Once it sets, the glue will hold for good. The only downside is that it also takes some coaxing to come off," says Editorial Intern Christine Lee.
Bronze: Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus BB Cream, $28. For the best BB Cream look no further than Korea's bestselling company: Skin79. "They have a variety of BB Creams, each tailored to a person's skin type, but I'd recommend the VIP Gold Plus," says Lee. "It gives just the right amount of coverage to cover your flaws, but not look cakey, and leaves you with a warm glow."
* Not available in the U.S. Great excuse to fly to Korea.
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USA
Gold: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, $146. SkinCeuticals got its start when a bunch of chemists came together to create the best vitamin C serum. And they succeeded. This serum has no equal and all our editors are obsessed, especially Yi: "I never realized my oily skin didn't need a moisturizer but just an antioxidant-rich serum. This is hands down the Cadillac of serums."
Silver: Moroccanoil Treatment, $15.80. This has quickly become a cult-classic. Despite all the oil copycats out there, Associate Editor Alexis Finc says nothing beats Moroccanoil's original formula. "It's the only hair oil that doesn't add build-up. And it defines my curls without leaving them crunchy."
Bronze: DevaCurl No Poo Cleanser, $18.95. The woman who founded Devachan has crazy curly hair that could not be tamed. So she created products that would, and anyone with similar waves can't stop raving about them, including Executive Editor, Meghan Rabbitt: "This leaves my hair feeling squeaky clean, and gives me curls that are defined and smooth. It's one of those life-changing products for women with curly or wavy hair."
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Australia
Gold: Australian Gold Sheer Coverage Faces, $10.49. It's only fitting we give the medal to our favorite sunscreen from down under. Mayall-Traglia says she likes its "lovely vanilla scent that makes me want to put on sunscreen. Plus the formula absorbs more quickly than others."
Silver: Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, $31. This is perfect on a hot summer day, says Davis. "It's refreshing, and it smells fantastic. It's meant for your face, but I like to use it as an all-over refresher."
Bronze: Lipstick Queen Invisible Lip Liner, $18. "I'm obsessed with Poppy King's liner," says Senior Associate Editor Cinya Burton. "This is truly one of the only lip liners that is actually invisible. It's essential for keeping your lip color in place all day."
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Latin America
Gold: Agua Maravilla.* This is a cure-all even though it isn't really meant to be. Senior Art Director Paola Gonzales says, "You can wash your face with it, you can use it as a toner and some people even drink it -- like my grandma."
Silver: Lacio Lacio.* This is a leave-in conditioner that Carrillo calls "amazing." "It stands for 'straight straight,' and it really delivers on its name. It makes your hair super shiny and soft and controls frizz."
Bronze: Agua de Violetas.* While it's marketed for children as a hydrating spray, Gonzales says it's the absolute one thing every adult needs when you're in the Caribbean. Why? "Because a spritz from this is the only thing that'll keep you feeling fresh and hydrated in the heat."
* Not available in the U.S. Great excuse to fly to the Caribbean.
We always love pitting products against each other --bronzer against bronzer, lipstick against lipstick, etc. -- to see which rates highest and comes out on top, -- victorious! And, now, with the Summer Olympics poised to captivate the world, we thought it would be fun to take our product pitting to the next level and figure out which country's beauty products deserve the most accolades .
So while the rest of the globe is gearing up to watch the fittest people on the planet compete, we're exercising our product savvy by putting the best beauty products to the test in our own "Beauty Olympics."
And, though we may not be former world-class athletes (and didn't have NBC standing by to cover our competition), we're convinced that as judges, we merit a few medals of our own. As beauty editors and makeup artists, we're uniquely qualified for the task, having tried nearly every hair, skin, nail, and lash product out there -- and, as with the best in the Olympics biz, we're ruthless with our critiques. A broken palette, a rough brush, or a polish that chips after three days would all be sent to the showers.
So, to find out which products defeated the competition and went home with the gold, silver, and bronze medals, we say, "let the games begin � "
