I am such a stickler when it comes to mascara -- my list of criteria is pretty steep. My motto would be, "go big or go home." For me, a mascara needs to give dramatic length and volume, without being clumpy. I like the consistency to be not too thick and not too thin. It needs to stay put all day but not be impossible to wash off. So many mascaras that I've tried possess some, but not all of these traits and tbh, it's pretty frustrating.

Recently a friend of mine recommended Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara, $15, and I've been wearing it since.

From the moment I first started applying the mascara, I knew it was special. The formula is superdark (just the way I like) and the perfect consistency to coat my lashes without forming any clumps. After applying two to three coats, my lashes explode in volume and length while managing to stay separate and clean. (Can I get an amen?) The shape of the brush even lends itself to catching those hard-to-reach, tiny lashes to coat them with product too.

Also, the formula doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. But best of all, I can go all day without flaking or needing a touchup and when I'm ready to wash it off, my face wash and warm water do the job.

I figure, if I'm going to wear mascara, it better be special -- and Mary Kay Lash Love creates the big, notice-me lashes that all of us crave.

To see more of my beauty favorites, follow me on Instagram @hannah_savin

I'm pretty ride-or-die when it comes to products that work for me. Case in point: I've been using Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil, $46 for almost two years now. Sure, I've strayed a few times -- but I always find my way back.

Just about everything about it is perfect, from its cheery bright pink bottle, to its ultra-moisturizing formula. It absorbs into my combination skin quite quickly, which means it works well for day and night. Antioxidant-rich rice bran helps protect against UV- and free-radical damage, so I feel good about layering it with my daily SPF. (Read more about why you need an antioxidant here.) And best of all, it imparts a subtle glow unlike any product I've ever encountered -- it's the kind of product that will have you itching to ditch your foundation, so you can show off your complexion.

Now, at $46, it may seem like an indulgent luxury -- but even using it twice a day, every day, one bottle lasts me well over a year. It's a multi-tasking workhorse, and one of the pillars of my skin care routine. --Rosie Narasaki

To see more of my beauty faves, follow me on Instagram @rosienarasaki

Plug "effortless hair" into a search engine and you'll find many images of gorgeous hair that very clearly requires a crap ton of effort. I don't know about you, but I've stopped waiting for the day that I'll wake up in the morning to find my hair in gently rumpled, voluminous waves and float out the door to work. Instead, I use Sachajuan Dry Powder Shampoo.

This is not my everyday, utilitarian dry shampoo -- the one that costs $6 a can in bulk on Amazon. No, at $35, this is one of my special-occasion products, one that lives under my sink so I remember not to use it on something as dull as a workday or lazy Sunday. It does more to hair than just soak up oil and add body -- it makes my hair practically double in size. And it gives that fluffy, texturized, pseudo-effortless look that always seemed to belong exclusively to Mélanie Laurent and Forever 21 models. --Katie McCarthy

I am diligent (OK, obsessive) about wearing sunscreen, but to really protect skin, we all know that's not enough. So, I'm crazy-obsessive about antioxidants, too. And I've interviewed enough derms over the years to know that vitamin C is one of the very best ones for protection -- and for brightening. Which is good because I have some brown spots and blotchiness that I am just not cool with. The big catch with vitamin C though is that it's unstable AF, so the key is finding one that won't degrade soon after you take it home.

For this reason, I was superpsyched to try No7 Youthful Vitamin C Fresh Radiance Essence, $24.99. It's an intensive two-week treatment with 5 percent pure vitamin C, but because it's designed to work in a short period of time, you use it all up before the formula has a chance to go bad. I also love that the vitamin C powder comes separate from the liquid base. When you open up the package, you push a button to release the vitamin C powder into the liquid, which activates it. Then the clock starts. You apply it twice a day and wait for the magic to happen.

And two weeks later, my report: I loved the feel of the product (superlight/barely there), it was beyond easy to use, and after finishing it up, my face looked noticeably brighter -- like someone had switched a light on. --Alyssa Hertzig

To see more of my favorite beauty products follow me on Instagram @alyssahertzig

Long before "treat yo self" became part of our collective vocabulary (thanks, "Parks and Recreation"), I was using body scrubs as a go-to indulgence. There's just something decadent about uncapping a bespoke-looking jar, letting the lavender or eucalyptus aroma envelop you and taking the extra three minutes in the shower to smooth and polish your skin.

However, when I picked up C. Booth Charcoal Foaming Dry Body Polish & Cleanser, $8.99, for the first time, it didn't look like it was going to deliver that experience I so treasured. For one, the plastic canister's understated gray and white design didn't exactly scream "luxury." Then there was what's inside. I'd grown accustomed to pastel-colored salt grains or bead-dotted jellies. This dry scrub looked like loose soot-colored sand.

But it turns out that there's some legit wisdom in that old cliché about books and covers -- because once I used it, C. Booth's scrub totally blew away my expectations. When mixed with water, the pumice- and charcoal-based scrub becomes a sudsy paste that has the perfect grain density for sloughing off dead skin. I don't know if my skin has ever felt so smooth. It works as a scrub or can be used as a body wash, and despite its appearances, it has a soft pleasant scent. Maybe most appealing, at less than $10, I could stock up several jars of this stuff for what I'd splurge on a single fancy-pants scrub. The moral of the story? There's more than one way to treat yo' self. --Mary Squillace

See more of Mary's favorites on Instagram @msquillace