Claim to beauty fame: Celebrity makeup artist to Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez and Creator of Mally Beauty
Product:Dr. Brandt Lineless Infinite Moisture, $65
Why she loves it: "The hyaluronic acid in this light lotion plumps up my fine lines. Plus, it provides the perfect base for my makeup, keeping my skin super moisturized under my primer."
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Tracey Cunningham
Claim to beauty fame:Redken's Creative Consultant for Color and co-owner of Byron & Tracey salon in Beverly Hills
Product:Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil, $35
Why she loves it: "There are too many makeup products that I live by," she says, but this tops her list because she can put it on in the morning and have it "actually last all day," she exclaims. "My schedule is really hectic, so it�s important that I have something that I don�t have to worry about reapplying throughout the day," confides Cunningham.
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Ren�e Rouleau
Claim to beauty fame: Skin care expert, celebrity esthetician, and Founder of Ren�e Rouleau products
Product:Frederic Fekkai Protein Rx Anti-Breakage Treatment Mask, $29
Why she loves it: "Of course, I love all things French and this hair conditioner is the best I�ve ever used. As a fine-haired blonde with highlights, my hair is always so full of tangles after shampooing. This hair treatment takes out the tangles effortlessly and a little goes a long way. The directions say to use it 1-2 times a week since apparently the protein might dry out your hair if used too often, but I�ve used it seven days a week for years and my hair still loves it," she says.
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Linda Hay
Claim to beauty fame: Former model and Heidi Klum's current makeup artist
Product:Shu Uemura Nobara Cream Foundation, $42
Why she loves it: "I've used it for years on all my clients and it's the one foundation that works for me on all skin types, in all conditions. It stands up over long periods of time and can be layered and maintained as the day progresses. I apply it with a flat foundation brush after moisturizing. The brush gives me the control to apply as much or as little as needed," she says.
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Eva Scrivo
Claim to beauty fame:L�Or�al Professionnel Stylist and owner of Eva Scrivo Salon in New York City
Product:YonKa Fluid Optimizer Phytobio Moisturizer, $85
Why she loves it: It's "a firming and smoothing serum that contains hyaluronic fluid" says Scrivo, which helps her keep her skin hydrated and firm despite the stress of living in such a boisterous town. Adding it daily under her moisturizer "is perfect," she says and also pulls it back out midday to "freshen [up] makeup as well."
How can beauty products change your life? Well, that's a very astute question, and we're so glad you asked. Perhaps a lipstick or a face cream can't alter the fate of the universe or lead you down some divine path to righteousness, but most women agree that a-ha moments (as Oprah calls them) do occur with certain products. Those instances where you realize life would be a little harder if your favorite scrub/concealer/eye cream didn't exist.
In addition to discovering our own beauty product favorites, we also have a fascination in needing to know which products beauty pros, aka celebrity makeup artists, hairstylists and skin care and nail gurus, think are top notch. Hey, if these famous beauty experts use these certain products on themselves, or better yet, tout them as the products they are "obsessed with" or believe have "life-changing" capabilities when they can pretty much use whatever they want, they must be good.
Before we name these famous beauty authorities and share which products they are obsessed with and why, here are a couple end-all-be-all products a few of our editors would rather not live without:
Revlon Eyelash Curler, $5.99 "I have stick straight eyelashes and when I finally submitted to using the freaky-looking contraption I realized it made a HUGE difference in how my eyes looked. More open and awake and made mascara worth using. And now I use it every day, even if I don't apply mascara." - Sarah Carrillo, Senior Associate Editor
Shiseido The Makeup Matifying Veil SPF 17, $33.50 "When I competed at Miss America (yes, the pageant -- don't judge), I needed to find a product that was going to keep my makeup on all day and most importantly, keep the "slick" at bay. This product does that and makes my skin look smooth. I love it." -- Susan Yara, Associate Editor
Stila One Step Correct, $36 "Ever since I started using this serum, I've stopped having to pile on moisturizer, skin brightener, primer and wrinkle cream every morning. This one product is so revolutionary (a true "corrector"), and it seriously has evened out my skin tone in two weeks." -- Jane Kim, Assistant Editor