There are certain “icons” in my beauty regimen that no matter how hard I try (or how long I’ve used them for) have proven themselves completely irreplaceable. In other words, regardless of how many new launches come along, or how many “dupes” claim to deem them redundant, they just work so perfectly well, that no other product—despite its objective fabulousness—stands a chance.
In very exciting news for anyone who loves to score A+ products for a fraction of their normal price, 20 of my all-time favorite products are currently on sale thanks to Dermstore’s super epic Summer Sale, which extends from May 22 to May 31.
Shop the sale and use code SUN at checkout, and you can earn up to 20% off (and/or double points!) on tons of the retailer’s most prestigious brands. (Think Augustinus Bader, Supergoop!, Olaplex, and more.) I might already own an unhealthy number of beauty products due to the nature of my always-testing job, but the deals are so great, and the products are so irresistible, that I’m still shopping and stocking up on all of my ride-or-die staples during Dermstore’s 2023 Summer Sale. Keep scrolling for my top recommendations.
I don’t get fancy with my cleansers—I like them basic, non-comedogenic, and skin barrier-friendly. I was influenced to try this formula from one of my favorite French brands Avène after seeing Sydney Sweeney use it (I am not above being influenced, even as a beauty director!) and have been a devout fan ever since.
Meet my best-kept secret for a 10/10 slick-back. If you experience rampant baby hairs, flyaways, or bangs, try this pomade in stick form (sheer brilliance, I tell you!), and thank me later.
Peter Thomas Roth’s Instant FIRMx line has gone perennially viral on TikTok. This new primer, however, is my favorite of the bunch. Wear it under foundation, and any pores and/or fine lines will vanish right before your eyes. So many primers and products these days claim to minimize the look of pores or give you an “airbrushed” finish, but this is one of the few I’ve tried to actually succeed.
Even though I might reach for a foundation to get a little more coverage, I still want my skin to look like skin. This iconic oil-free gel formula is frequently used on movie and TV sets (ahem, Euphoria) to ensure A-list peeps have flawless skin sans any product detection. It’s a splurge that you won’t regret, especially if you grab it while it’s on sale.
Everyone I know in the beauty industry (including makeup artists and various celebs I’ve interviewed) hoard this iconic French face cream from Embryolisse. It might be a controversial statement, but I liken it to an actually affordable dupe for Augustinus Bader’s famed formula, especially when it’s 20% off. If you’re after that ineffable dewy-yet-clean skin aesthetic, you’re looking at it, bottled.
I’ve been using this (now viral) brightening serum for years and plan on keeping it in my arsenal until A) my dying day or B) it’s discontinued. (By Terry, please, never!) Lightweight and sheer, it gives your skin the prettiest veil of moisturizing radiance thanks to elegant additions like rose stem cells and reflective pearl pigments. Use it alone, before your makeup, or mixed into your foundation. It’s become a nonnegotiable step in my makeup routine.
I have two worst nightmares when it comes to summer: sunburns and dry, chapped-looking skin. This glowy sunscreen from all-star SPF brand Supergoop! prevents both. Now’s the time to buy your summer bottle and nab it on the cheaper side.
To me, this is the only detangler-leave-in-conditioner-heat-protectant hybrid that will ever exist. It smells illegally good, and the smooth, soft, glossy results speak for themselves.I legitimately panic when I start to run out, so stocking up while the price is slashed like this feels like a duh moment if I’ve ever witnessed one.
I was influenced to try this lash serum after my boss, Who What Wear Editor-in-Chief Kat Collings, used it as a key part of her pre-wedding beauty prep. If you saw her super-fluttery lashes, you would have done the same! I naturally have decently long lashes, but this stuff (if you’re consistent with your application) makes me feel like Bambi, which I love.
If you’re going to buy or use one serum and one serum only, make it this cult-loved formula from Caudalíe. I’m extremely acne-prone, so I love that this formula is oil-free but still targets notoriously stubborn issues like dark spots, uneven skin tone, acne scars, and sun damage, with alarming efficacy. Oh, and your face will look radiant (as the name suggests) af.
After years and years of bleaching my hair, my scalp has been known to throw a tantrum or two, especially in the summer months. I’m not typically a scalp scrub type of girl (I despise the feeling of grittiness), but after a particularly itchy and flaky spell, I tried this scrub-to-foam scalp renewing formula from Alterna. You use it in lieu of shampoo and before you condition, and it took care of every last flake in just ONE treatment. It knocked my socks off and is an essential for anyone who struggles with scalp issues or wants better, healthier hair, point blank.
I don’t have a lot in common with Hailey Bieber, (sigh) but we do both love and regularly use this pretty eye shadow palette from Róen.
Nothing is more of a buzzkill come summer and lazy beach days than a painful, inflamed ingrown hair. With these handy little mitts from Fur on hand, however, the above is a nightmare of summer’s past only.
Would I even be me if I didn’t include some kind of magical lip elixir? U Beauty’s Plasma Lip Compound is an obsession. First things first, this stuff makes your lips look effing fantastic. And I mean fantastic. Pillowy! Plump! Shiny! It’s everything I want in a plumping lip treatment and then some. (Hot tip: Wear it over and under your lip products, and most definitely wear it while you sleep.) It has a unique 3D cushion effect that lends hydration, softness, and a noticeable lessening of fine lines and wrinkles. I love a product that delivers instantaneous results like this one, but I also appreciate that the more you wear it, the more your natural lips will benefit and look perenially plump and more volumized.
These dual-ended cheek and lip sticks from Nudestix have become my go-to on days when I just want a dab of makeup. (They melt so beautifully into the skin for that ultimate “I woke up like this” effect.)
Salt is probably the most-loved scent from nontoxic fragrance brand, Ellis Brooklyn, and spring and summer is the prime time to wear it. To me, it smells exactly how I imagine a mermaid would smell—read: salty skin, tropical flowers, and creamy, sun-kissed skin. I like to outdo myself by wearing the cult-loved scent in body oil form, so that my skin has an ethereal gleam to match.
I liken this face-grade body serum from Kayo to a skin-firming fountain of youth, bottled. Its MVP roster of copper peptides, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and omega-rich oils work in tandem to erase the look fo fine lines, wrinkles, stretch marks, crepey-ness, and any other type of visible skin damage.
Cellulite is pretty much a fact of life. I try to be as accepting of my body as possible, but I was curious to try this body oil after I saw it a few times on my TikTok feed. And man, it works! As the brand explains, cellulite develops naturally as the skin’s natural detoxification process slows down (this is why dry-brushing is also touted as an effective solution), but this body oil is strategically designed to throw all of that back in reverse and to kick-start a faster, healthier skin metabolism. It’s natural and utilizes key extracts from young birch leaves, rosemary, butcher’s broom, vitamin-rich wheat germ, and moisture-sealing jojoba. I love to dry-brush before I shower and lather this on after the fact when my skin is still damp.
I’ll admit that I don’t typically moonlight as a texture-spray type of gal, purely because I just hate the feeling that most formulas I try leave behind on my strands. This one is less gritty/sticky feeling than most, and the benefits are truly outstanding. It instantly revives lank hair with noticeable volume, thickness, and texture; it offers an impressive hit of heat protection; it absorbs oil; and the buildable hold lasts and lasts, even for someone like me who lives in a humid climate right by the ocean.
The internet has been blowing up over this new frizz-blocking smoothing spray from Virtue. Even though there are quite literally hundreds of other products with similar claims out there, this one is special (and crazy-effective) due to its impenetrable humidity-blocking, frizz-stopping, moisture-locking mist that works its magic for a full 72 hours. Created with humid climates, in particular, in mind, this alcohol-free, heat-activated spray is the only thing that can really stop frizz in its tracks.
