As a fashion editor who enjoys dabbling in beauty content, I love trying out new products to tell you about. I would honestly be happy to try a new product every day if I could (but my skin would probably punish me for it). All of that said, I have a handful of products that I plan on wearing forever, or until they’re discontinued (which I desperately hope never happens). Some have been a part of my beauty regimen for years now, while some are newer discoveries.
Among the 18 magical, highly effective products below are mostly gems of the skincare sort, with a couple of holy grail body and hair products thrown in. If you haven’t tried them but are intrigued, all of them come with my highest recommendation, and I’m pretty discerning. Keep scrolling for the scoop and to perhaps add them to your own beauty regimen.
This is one of the only retinol products my skin can handle. In fact, I couldn’t even use retinol before I found Shani Darden’s, but at 36, I want to. My skin would burn and turn an angry shade of red that lasted for days. That hasn’t happened once with Retinol Reform, and it effectively smooths fine lines, so it continues to be the only retinol product that I’ll let touch my skin (which I guess is sensitive, given the aforementioned reaction).
All I can say is, believe the Sephora reviews for this new-ish face wash. The hype is justified. It’s packed with gentle rice powder so you get a little exfoliation, and it removed grime and makeup in one pass, without that dreaded tight feeling.
I don’t like to put many products in my hair, so I’m kind of picky, but I love a good hair oil. I’ve tried quite a few but none give my hair as nice of a smooth, shiny look as Gisou’s. It smells divine and while it’s pricier than a lot of other oils, a little goes a very long way.
Of all the beauty products I started using this year, Resurfacing Compound is perhaps the best. I think that some products on the market have a bit of a placebo effect on me, but this really works. It contains retinol, antioxidants, and AHAs to gets rid of flakiness, plump, brighten, and smooths wrinkles. If you don’t like layering on a lot of products, this is a must-buy. as it kind of does everything.
It’s surprisingly difficult to find eye creams with SPF (especially SPF 40), but Supergoop! is one of my favorite suncare brands, so I didn’t need to look any further. This one has a very sheer tint that brightens, and it doesn’t make my concealer crease. What more do you need, really?
Sometimes I just need a good overnight exfoliation, and that’s what you get with this. Farmacy (which is a clean brand) uses a moisturizing honey blend along with AHAs and Hyaluronic Acid, so it smooths without drying out.
Sometimes it feels like I’ve tried every lash serum on the market, but none have the kind of positive reviews that Dr. Lara Devgan’s has, so of course, I had to try it. It’s packed with peptides and vitamin B5, and the reviews did not lead me astray. Other serums have left me with lashes that grow in different directions (not cute), and some serums haven’t shown any results at all. This one leaves you with noticably long, healthy lashes, while encouraging new growth.
I know—it’s expensive. But other face oils just don’t compare to Vintner’s Daughter. It sinks in beautifully, so you never get that greasy feeling, and it calms my sensitive skin like nothing I’ve ever tried. Just look at the impressive ingredient list if you’re not convinced.
Tatcha can do no wrong in my book. I’m obsessed with everything I’ve tried by them, so there’s that. This is my go-to vitamin C serum. It doesn’t leave a sticky feeling like others I’ve tried do, so it’s great for wearing under makeup. I think my skin has become brighter and more “glowy” over the past year, and I strongly think this has something to do with it.
These pads are pretty powerful, so I can’t use them every night, but when I do, wow, my skin looks great the next morning. I wring them out a bit because they’re quite saturated, and I still have enough left on the pad for my neck and chest. Give them a try to find out what the hype is all about—they’re on Amazon.
This is the first physical exfoliant I ever tried on my skin (in my 20s) and it’s still my favorite. It really does give similar results to an hour-long facial, so that’s my ringing endorsement. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve bought it at this point.
I know that so many people wear this perfume, but that’s because it’s so heavenly. And because it has so many notes, it smells a little different on everyone. I prefer it in the winter, but it would be a crime to only wear it half of the year, in my opinion.
Yes, I’m biased to our sister brand Versed, but I really do love it. It has everything you could ask for in a sunscreen—a touch of dewiness, zinc, a very sheer tint, high SPF, a pleasant smell, and clean ingredients. Plus, the packaging is as cute as sunscreen gets.
Fresh makes my go-to nighttime lip balm. I’m averse to gloopy lip balms that stick to your hair, and this is anything but. That said, it’s rich enough to cure even the flakiest lip situations, and the taste is subtle sweet perfection.
I love a no-frills, fragrance-free body lotion, especially if it looks as chic on my bathroom counter as this does. Nécessaire sinks in without stickiness and is packed with vitamins your skin loves, so I have no desire to buy any other body lotion these days.
For the past few winters, I’ve been getting these eczema-like itchy red patches under my eyes. I hate to use hydrocortisone ointment on them every night so I went in search of the most moisturizing eye cream I could find, and decided on this legendary Kiehl’s one. It’s quite rich so I just use it at night, but wow, it works (yes, even on my lovely itchy red patches). A little goes a very long way, so get the mini size if you want to see if you like it.
I couldn’t leave you without a brightening face mask in the mix, now could I? Babyfacial has a lot of imitators at this point, but I’m loyal to the original. It definitely tingles a little (don’t use it in the shower if you want to avoid this), but I look like I just ran a mile in the cold (in a good way) after using it, so I’ll take the tingle any day. Just be sure to follow it up with a face oil.
I don’t use makeup remover—I use Bioderma Micellar Water. It’s very affordable for how long a bottle lasts, and it removes waterproof eye makeup in a swipe. I use it all over my face after cleansing and my skin feels instantly refreshed.
