Product monogamy can be tough for a beauty editor. With hundreds of products crossing my desk every year, sometimes even the buzziest launches fail to sustain my attention as soon as something shiny and new comes along. Then, there are the products that are so special they bring my wandering eye back into a laser-focused loving gaze. Marc Jacobs Beauty Air Blush Soft Glow Duo, $42, in Flesh & Fantasy is one of those products.
This shimmer-laced two-toned blush delivers a natural-looking flush (thanks in part to its light-as-air texture) and a glow so ethereal, I can bench my highlighter altogether. I can't even keep track of how many people have complimented this blush or asked what I was wearing. Plus, it's buildable. The graduated striped pattern of pigment and highlighter allow me to decide how much color or radiance I want. I can sweep my brush horizontally for a rosy, glowy look, or I can concentrate my brush vertically to opt for either more of a pop of color or a heavier dose of luminosity.
If I were told it was the only blush I could wear for the rest of my life, I'd gladly comply -- which is no small feat for this commitment-phobic beauty-product hoarder. --Mary Squillace
See all of Mary's favorites on Instagram @msquillace
This shimmer-laced two-toned blush delivers a natural-looking flush (thanks in part to its light-as-air texture) and a glow so ethereal, I can bench my highlighter altogether. I can't even keep track of how many people have complimented this blush or asked what I was wearing. Plus, it's buildable. The graduated striped pattern of pigment and highlighter allow me to decide how much color or radiance I want. I can sweep my brush horizontally for a rosy, glowy look, or I can concentrate my brush vertically to opt for either more of a pop of color or a heavier dose of luminosity.
If I were told it was the only blush I could wear for the rest of my life, I'd gladly comply -- which is no small feat for this commitment-phobic beauty-product hoarder. --Mary Squillace
See all of Mary's favorites on Instagram @msquillace
I am a die-hard lip balm lover. Slick and moisturizing products are just my ideal. That said, I do love the look of a good matte lip -- so long as it doesn't leave my lips parched. I've tried so many matte lipsticks that flake -- giving lips an unflattering, molting appearance. I've even tried some that led to allergic reactions. For those reasons, I end up removing most matte products by midday.
That is, until I discovered L'Oreal Infallible Lip Paint Matte Liquid Lipstick,$9.99. It's become my go-to matte lippie. The six ultra-flattering mattes come in the cutest little paint tubes in neutral shades from light to vampy. The enclosed applicator has a slight hooked design, which makes application easy and precise. The smooth formula evenly coats my lips, giving me a minute or two to perfect my look before it sets to its budge-proof soft matte finish. The product stays put through most of the day (though a little touch-up never hurts), and it even holds up to eating and drinking. The best part: no peeling, dried-out or irritated lips. Thanks to these pretty little tubes, I no longer stick with only glossy lips -- I can now can rock a matte lip comfortably, too.
To see more of my beauty favorites, follow me on Instagram @hannah_savin
That is, until I discovered L'Oreal Infallible Lip Paint Matte Liquid Lipstick,$9.99. It's become my go-to matte lippie. The six ultra-flattering mattes come in the cutest little paint tubes in neutral shades from light to vampy. The enclosed applicator has a slight hooked design, which makes application easy and precise. The smooth formula evenly coats my lips, giving me a minute or two to perfect my look before it sets to its budge-proof soft matte finish. The product stays put through most of the day (though a little touch-up never hurts), and it even holds up to eating and drinking. The best part: no peeling, dried-out or irritated lips. Thanks to these pretty little tubes, I no longer stick with only glossy lips -- I can now can rock a matte lip comfortably, too.
To see more of my beauty favorites, follow me on Instagram @hannah_savin
Matte lips may be in, but there's nothing I love more than a subtly glossy lip. As such, hybrid products like tinted balms and glossy lipsticks reign supreme in my makeup bag -- and there's a newcomer of late that's taken over the top spot: Catrice Aqua Ink-in-Gloss Lip Stain, $5.99. It's richly pigmented (while still letting a little of my natural lip color shine through), lightly glossy and it wears gorgeously for hours. In other words? It's pretty much my platonic ideal. So much so, in fact, that it's caused me to set aside my former favorite: the Dior Addict Lipstick, an (admittedly gorgeous) product that clocks in at almost six times the price.
There are many reasons to love it -- there's the aforementioned pigmentation, subtle glossiness and wear time. Then, there's the fact that it's quite comfortable and adds some shine without the heavy stickiness often associated with glosses. It has a unique, watery gel texture that's quite breathable, and once the gloss fades, it settles into a beautiful, even stain.
Right now, it only comes in four colors, but that's more than enough. My personal favorite is Let's Mauve to the Beach, and the other three options are vibrantly flattering as well. --Rosie Narasaki
To see more of my beauty faves, follow me on Instagram @rosienarasaki
There are many reasons to love it -- there's the aforementioned pigmentation, subtle glossiness and wear time. Then, there's the fact that it's quite comfortable and adds some shine without the heavy stickiness often associated with glosses. It has a unique, watery gel texture that's quite breathable, and once the gloss fades, it settles into a beautiful, even stain.
Right now, it only comes in four colors, but that's more than enough. My personal favorite is Let's Mauve to the Beach, and the other three options are vibrantly flattering as well. --Rosie Narasaki
To see more of my beauty faves, follow me on Instagram @rosienarasaki
I own 10-ish highlighters; 15-ish shades of blush; and 25-ish balms, lipsticks and stains in some variation of the color pink. But I never have more than one brow product at a time -- that is, one particular/i> product. I find a favorite that meets my standards (it's hard); then, my scarcity mindset takes over and I invest in multiples, like I'm a Costco shopper buying toilet paper. Which is why I'm pumped that my new favorite brow product is also cheapest one I've ever used: Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara, $3.
Make Me Brow is a phenomenal dupe for Glossier's best-selling Boy Brow and about 80 percent cheaper, too. Applying it takes a fraction of the time I used to spend on filling and setting my brows with pencil and gel. What I love most about Essence's product is the rock-star pigmentation; you need just the tiniest bit for each brow. And the blond shade (Blondy Brow 01) is a neutral, natural-looking hue -- with none of the brassy or green-ish tones that are common in drugstore brow products. --Katie McCarthy
Make Me Brow is a phenomenal dupe for Glossier's best-selling Boy Brow and about 80 percent cheaper, too. Applying it takes a fraction of the time I used to spend on filling and setting my brows with pencil and gel. What I love most about Essence's product is the rock-star pigmentation; you need just the tiniest bit for each brow. And the blond shade (Blondy Brow 01) is a neutral, natural-looking hue -- with none of the brassy or green-ish tones that are common in drugstore brow products. --Katie McCarthy
After getting burned one too many times by subpar natural deodorants, I've been a longtime skeptic. (I've done way too many trial runs of naturals where all seems to go fine for a few days, then suddenly it fails, and you notice at work or in a crowded place, and that's ... embarrassing.) But after hearing rave after rave about Schmidt's Natural Deodorant, $8.99, I decided to give natural one more go. And, wow. You guys, this is the first natural deo I've ever tried that really, really works. Now, if it's really hot or I'm working out, I can sometimes feel a little wetness creep in. When that happens, I reapply and then I'm pretty much instantly fine. But I've never been had any issue with odor while using Schmidt's and that's what really matters, right? Plus, they have the most amazing, appealing scents. Bergamot + Lime -- a zesty citrus -- smells like a mojito and is my ultimate favorite. --Alyssa Hertzig
Ever had a beauty product you love so much that you shook, hacked, scraped or squeezed its container until you were absolutely positive you had expended all of its precious contents? Rare indeed is the product that elicits that deliciously desperate feeling, especially in beauty editors. So when our team of beauty mavens encounters a rave-worthy product, you know it's the real deal. Herewith, our editors rattle off their "beauty empties," aka the best beauty products that they can't help but use until the last drop. Read on for their best nail polishes, hair products, skin care products and makeup now.