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BEST TREATMENT CREAM

The texture and moisturizing power of this cream is enough on its own. The possibility that it might actually help reduce wrinkles and various splotches is icing on the cake.

BEST SKIN TRANSFORMER

Derived from human platelets, this serum delivers high-potency antioxidants to the deep layers of the skin to reduce redness and puffiness and encourage the production of more collagen, elastin, and elastic tissue.

BEST FACE CLEANSER

We’ve heard rumors that the La Roche-Posay cleansers inspired many a copycat, and for good reason. This foam cleanser doesn’t strip skin of moisture, adding shea butter, glycerin, and niacinamide as it cleans. It also works brilliantly on the body.

BEST LIP BALM

Want to avoid the dry, cracked lips that arrive with cold temperatures and indoor heating? Apply this every night. It looks and smells like crushed strawberries. Sweet dreams!

BEST SHOWER GEL

Combine this invigorating scent with a bracing cold shower and you have the ideal wake-up call. It smells refreshingly of green mango with a distinctive, gentle balance of grapefruit, orange, peony, and incense.

BEST BODY TREATMENT

This is as easy to apply as any body lotion, but it transforms rough, dry, flaky, crepe-y, blotchy skin with the most reliable ingredient: retinol. It also has glycolic acid for extra oomph. It’s a winner.

BEST BODY SCRUB

Bringing a sexy Brazilian vibe to the shower, this fine-textured scrub is mixed with coconut oil, cupuaçu seeds, and guarana to leave skin smooth and gleaming. It has the sweet, warm scent of cookie dough.

BEST BATH SOAP

This bar soap is deliciously creamy and smells faintly of honey. It also has an appealing heft. A staple in France, it’s a breeze to buy on Amazon.

BEST SCENTED BAR SOAP

With the spicy, powdery pomegranate scent of the classic Melograno cologne, this lovely bar soap comes from the Florentine apothecary that was founded by Dominican friars in 1221. Historic.

BEST FOUNDATION

A favorite of makeup artists and beauty editors, this medium-coverage, oil-free foundation feels absolutely weightless on the skin. The result looks like skin, not like a coating of spackle.

BEST CONCEALER

If you have something to hide—and who doesn’t?—Shape Tape is your co-conspirator. The full-coverage concealer makes dark circles, blemishes, dark spots, and red dots disappear. The moisturizing formula doesn’t turn cakey or settle into creases, meaning your secrets are safe.

BEST MULTI-PURPOSE MAKEUP

Most highlighters are too glittery, too shimmery, or too dry. But this one is the finest on the market. We love the way the neutral shades make our skin look juicy and ripe even on our dullest days.

BEST BLUSH

This rich, practical, and entirely desirable balm is sheer and versatile. Dab it on your cheeks, forehead, neck, lips. Skim it on your legs. One jar lasts pretty much forever, so apply liberally.

BEST OVERALL MASCARA

The antidote to raccoon eyes is, logically, waterproof mascara. But this formula is truly smudge-proof and makes lashes look long, lifted, and separated. It stays on through tears, rain, and sweat, but, unlike a waterproof mascara, doesn’t require muscle to remove.

BEST LENGTHENING MASCARA

There’s a reason this mascara wins just about every popularity contest among beauty editors and influencers. It makes lashes look believably longer and bushier without clumps or spiky separation.

BEST BROW PENCIL

This pencil, by brow queen Anastasia Soare, has a fine point to draw natural-looking hairs and comes in 12 excellent shades, including one for redheads. It strokes on quickly and easily but isn’t so pliant that it smears or looks fuzzy.

BEST BROW GEL

Comb this through your brows to lock them in place and set any pencil underneath. It may seem entirely unnecessary but is surprisingly magical.

BEST EYELINER

A perfect, classic eyeliner that’s soft enough to run over your lids but not so soft that it smears. It works equally well on the waterline for definition and on the lid to create a smoky effect

BEST CLASSIC RED LIPSTICK

Yes, we love the handsome striped tube with its magnetic cap. Yes, we love the way Hermès is debossed in the bullet. But all of that would be moot if the red weren’t the clearest, purest, densest we’ve seen.

BEST POWDER EYESHADOW

You know those eyeshadow palettes where you use one shade to the last crumb while the others remain virginal? These four impeccable neutrals have different finishes and are everyday and every evening workhorses.

BEST CREAM EYESHADOW

These metallic shades go on quickly with a finger. They’re luminous, like candlelight, not sparkly like a disco ball. They also last for hours and hours without creasing. We love the aluminum tube and the key that squeezes out every speck.

BEST CLASSIC NAIL POLISH

Have you heard that water is wet, grass is green, and Essie Ballet Slippers is the best sheer pink nail polish? It may not be revolutionary, but it’s an undeniable truth.

BEST RED NAIL POLISH

This deep red lacquer has blue undertones and an ultra-shiny finish. If you’re into a dramatic, sophisticated look on your fingers and toes, consider this your secret weapon.

BEST FLORAL FRAGRANCE

It’s the name of a perfect novel, a fine movie, and an intoxicating fragrance that smells completely distinct. It combines patchouli, frankincense, and sandalwood with Turkish rose, delightfully.

BEST INTENSE FRAGRANCE

When we break out the cocktail dress, high heels, and our best jewels, Black Orchid is always on our pulse points. It’s a luxurious, heady mix of amber, patchouli, gardenia, dark plum and a touch of warm vanilla. It’s not for wallflowers.

BEST SCENTED CANDLE

Trudon fragrances are heaven to look at, but this one has a celestial scent, too. With notes of incense and lily of the valley, it turns an ordinary apartment into a grand cathedral (if you close your eyes).