By now, you’ve probably surmised we test-drive a lot of beauty products here at Who What Wear. From nail polish and makeup to hair and skincare, we’re eyebrow-deep in all things new, exciting, and wish list–worthy. That said, due to the number of products we come in contact with, we’ve become very nitpicky beauty consumers. Within seconds, we can tell if a new hair oil is too heavy, and we’re quick to ignore a serum that yields disappointing results.
The good news? We’re far more often impressed than unimpressed after trying out a new product, and usually, we can’t wait to spread the word to all of our fellow beauty lovers (that’s you!). Therefore, we’ve decided gushing over our latest fave products should become a monthly ritual. You can expect a full report every 30 days or so that details the highlighters, hair wands, and overnight skincare saviors we’ve fallen head over heels for.
For the most part, we’ll be covering buzzworthy launches, as those typically take up most of the action atop our product-filled desks, but we won’t dismiss new-to-us products, either. Sometimes, our best discoveries are found on a friend’s vanity or on someone’s face at the bar (true story). Ahead are the best beauty products we tried in July! Grab your game face and wallet because you’ll need both.
In some kind of freak, out of body experience this month, I got not one, not two, but three, bad body burns. (I know, completely deplorable behavior for someone who talks about the importance of daily sunscreen application on a practically hourly basis.) Suffice to say, this new launch from Koh Gen Do has been a true life-saver, and a permanent fixture in my beauty lineup this month. It’s an after-sun miracle! Not only is it incredibly soothing and hydrating, but the cooling gel formula absorbs easily so you’re not left feeling sticky or tacky post-application. (Something I hate, especially during the hot and sweaty months of summer.) In addition to Okinawan and Nori seaweed plus aloe leaf extract and juice, it contains the brand’s signature mineral-rich Japanese hot spring spa water. This is not your average aloe gel, and I am obsessed. A little goes a long way, so even though it’s an investment, just one bottle will last you.
I love absolutely everything Crown Affair does, and this new scalp serum is no exception. As I’ve gotten older, my scalp has become so much more persnickety and volatile about my bleach and tone habit, and since I stubbornly refuse to cry uncle and go darker, I’m having to be extra, extra dilligent about my scalp and haircare right now. I love the light and elevated fragrance this serum has (think bergamot, yuzu, and lemongrass), and I also appreciate that it doesn’t just do one thing. Instead, the combination of aloe, hyaluronic acid, and tea tree oil work together to not only soothe the scalp and stave off flaking and product buildup, but also boost blood flow and skin cell turnover for healthier hair in the long run, too.
I freaking love a body spray. (Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing taking me back to my days of dousing myself in Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works?) Anyway, these new ones from EWG Certified fragrance brand Henry Rose are really hitting the spot for me. They’re water-based and come in three addictive new scents; Blonde Barry, Boys of Summer, and Mustang Sally. I hate playing favorites, but Blonde Barry has to be my number one—Italian blood orange, blackcurrant bud, nectarine, blackberry, cosmo fruit, sensual musk, Virginia cedarwood, and patchouli. It’s positively bewitching, and I love that the name was inspired by a boy Michelle Pfeiffer (the founder) had a crush on as a teenager.
I am someone who does believe in the power of a really great eye patch, but I know from experience that not all patches are created equal or deliver truly noticeable results. But, I guess if anyone could make a truly transformative patch, it would be Augustinus Bader. (And yes, they of course contain the brand’s iconic TFC8®, Trigger Factor Complex TFCTM.) I applied these as a last-ditch effort before a night out and after a night of barely sleeping, and they really performed a nice little miracle under my eyes. My dark circles were notably less haunting, my skin looked all around brighter and more taut. Big big fan—these have officially replaced all of my other old faithfuls. They are expensive, so I’ll be reserving them for emergencies only!
There is something extremely satisfying about becoming obsessed with a product before it blows up on social media. I’ve been using Armra collostrum for about a year now—before it was all over IG and TikTok—and can vouch for its borderline eerie healing powers. (Immunity, gut, hair health, energy, it literally does everything.) Collostrum is often touted as “liquid gold” and is an incredibly special superfood produced by all mammals 48 to 72 hours after giving birth. (It’s the first nutrition babies receive and contains every single thing they need to survive and thrive!) Anyway, the unflavored sachets have been a staple in my supplement lineup for a while, but this new vine watermelon situation is to die for. Its the superfood version of a watermelon jolly rancher, and I truly look forward to mixing it into ice cold water as a treat each morning. (Just be sure not to mix it into anything hot, as this can degrade the natural, bioactive compounds!)
This is not a new product, but it IS a product I used a few years ago when it launched and for some reason (probably laziness), I stopped taking. Well, I’ve recently started taking it again in conjunction with SuperHair, and let me just say this stuff works, and fast. I kid you not that within days (DAYS!) my skin looked significantly brighter, clearer, bouncier, and more dewy. The brad says you can expect to see results within four weeks, but I swear it started working after just one. (As a caveat, I’m sure someone’s lifestyle and skincare habits also play into this.) So, consider me re-infatuated! Think of this as a supercharged dose of daily antioxidants and vitamins, as it contains glutathione (which is considered the “master antioxidant”), vitamin C, astaxanthin, adaptogenic schisandra, and last but not least, silica.
I’ve mostly ignored the shine spray category over the years simply because they usually tread too greasy and heavy for my fine hair. This one from Unite is new to my routine, and I’m extremely addicted. I don’t know why it doesn’t get more attention! It delivers mirror-like glossiness but is ultra lightweight and almost impossible to OD on. (But still, if you’re on the finer side, start slowly.) It’s an anti-humectant so will keep everything smooth and flyaway free, and it even has thermal and UV protection. I like to spray it on after my hair has air dried and before I go in with an iron or waver.
I quite literally gave away all of the other purple shampoos I owned after I tried this one from Dae recently. So many have turned my hair too ashy, silver, and even purple, but this one toes the line beautifully—it immediately nixes any unwanted brassiness while still delivering lots of hydration, body, and shine. I’ve never liked purple shampoo, until I tried this one. Don’t bother with any others!
Speaking of Dae, this pre-shampoo glossing treatment is hot off the presses, and completely transformative. I prefer pre-shampoo treatments and masks to your typical post-shampoo formulas because I find my hair is less likely to be weighed down. Stargloss has tons of yummy ingredients like shea butter, plus moringa and prickly pear seed oils. Use it to slick back your hair instead of whatever else you’re using right now, let it marinate for however long you want (the longer the better, though) and then be amazed by how shiny, smooth, and hydrated your hair is after you wash. And, because Amber Fillerup Clark is so tuned-in to the details, the treatment even has a subtle shimmer to it.
If you love Cloud Paint as much as I do, you absolutely need this new shade called Soar in your life. It’s just the prettiest, happiest shade of pink, and I can’t stop patting it over my cheeks and nose for an instant pick-me-up.
Again, not a new new product, but one that’s new to me! Or rather, a new-to-me shade, because MAC’s iconic Lipglass has been in my repertoire ever since I started wearing makeup. I’m almost exclusively a clear lip gloss kind of gal, but this champagne shimmer called Very Go Lightly is the prettiest thing that has ever happened to my lips. (I’m wearing it in the pic above.) I can’t stop wearing it either alone or on top of 90s nude-pink lip, which I’m extremely partial to right now. This gloss is so, so pretty. Buy it now, and thank me later.
“I never thought I would use or love a cleansing device, but here we are! This device leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean without irritating it. This is huge for me since my skin is so sensitive and it helps so much with any persistent breakouts!”
“I’ve recently fallen in love with Osea products and can’t believe I hadn’t tried them until now! The brand’s new body polish has such a luxurious texture. It’s like a milky gel that leaves your skin feeling so soft and smooth. It’s also incredibly gentle so it never irritates, either.”
“Another recent favorite from Osea is the brand’s Cleansing Mudd. It has powerful acne-fighters like tea tree and peppermint oil, but it also hydrates and leaves your skin feeling really refreshed. My worry with cleansers containing any kind of clay is that they’ll usually be too drying, but not this one! I’ve been using it along with Osea’s Hyaluronic Sea Serum and have been obsessed!”
“I’d been hearing so many incredible things about this brand and this formula in particular, so I had to give it a go for myself! If you deal with chronic bloating, this formula is absolutely for you. I couldn’t believe what a difference I noticed after just a few days of using it. The brand’s Bloat Banisher also works wonders when used alongside it. This is now a nonnegotiable supplement in my routine.”
“If you also find that you have a lot of pesky little grey hairs here and there, this serum is definitely worth trying. It helps to repigment your strands over time and has worked really well for me the past month or so!”
“This is literally the most random thing, but this is one of the best electric toothbrushes I’ve ever used so I had to give it a shoutout. I’d been looking for a new electric toothbrush for ages and couldn’t find a good one under $200, but this one cleans your teeth so well and has so many different modes. I love it and am so happy I finally found one that I love.”
“I’ve been loving so many different lip oils lately, but nothing compares to this beautiful limited edition duo from Saint Jane and Favorite Daughter! They’re so hydrating, add just a touch of color, and even plump your lips a tad to give them some extra oomph.”
“Sometimes when I try to use a texture spray, I end up with a tangled mess of hair and no discernible added texture at all. I typically steer clear of them for that reason, but this texture spray completely changed the game for me. I used it on my natural texture (2C waves) to try and amp it up a little. I think this product must be infused with some kind of magic, because it takes my hair from whatever to amazing in 5 seconds flat (and it’s never crunchy). It’s been my go-to product this summer—I’m already almost through my bottle.”
“I trust everything celebrity makeup artist Jo Baker does, and her newest launch is proof that I’m right to. Tarantulash is a wildly bold mascara—it gives you spidery, ultra-long, and super-voluminous lashes. It has a unique, eggplant-shaped brush that helps customize your lashes however you want them, and the spiky bristles help fan out your lashes for tons of volume.”
“I don’t often make claims like this, but this product is genuinely like a lip blush and filler in a bottle. Thanks to improves circulation, it enhances your lip color and defines your lips while plumping them and smoothing lines. It’s also not harsh and tingly, which is what I dislike about most lip plumpers. You can use this as a treatment, but it can also stand on its own as a gloss.”
“I’m a red lipstick person. You’ll rarely find me without red lipstick, and I cycle through many different formulas. Since I tried Armani’s new Matte Power lipsticks, however, I’ve only been using their classic red shade. It’s matte but still comfortable and hydrating, and lasts for hours.”
“My main qualm with body oils is that they’re too heavy. This dry oil is the exact opposite—it’s lightweight and sinks in super easily. It’s infused with vitamin C to help brighten and nourish skin.”
“I always have lip balm around, but I rarely rave about it, because so many of them feel and function the same. This one is different. It’s from the South Asian-inspired lip care brand, Ghlee, which uses ghee (clarified butter) as its star ingredient. While all of the varieties are great in their own way, I’m personally obsessed with the mango-papaya one. It smells incredible—like summer in a tube—and it smooths and hydrates my lips better than balms that are double or triple its price. I’ve already told all of my friends to buy it, because I’m that excited about it.”
“I have celebrity beauty brand fatigue like everyone else, but these brightening pads from Ciara’s skincare brand totally wowed me. With four different types of vitamin C, plus vitamin E and green tea extract, they’re singlehandedly fading my sun damage. I use them in place of serum both morning and night and after two weeks, I can already see a major difference in the brightness and tone of my complexion. I’m obsessed.”
“I have to be honest. I’m not a fan of most mineral sunscreens. They tend to leave my face feeling slick and looking shiny, not to mention the white cast that so many of them leave behind. So, when this one came across my desk, I didn’t have the highest hopes, but I was wrong (and I should have known because everything Dr. Loretta makes is good!). It blends into my skin easily, dries to a satin finish, and has a slight peachy tint so there’s absolutely no white cast. It’s become my new go-to sunscreen, and that’s saying a lot.”
“To achieve a perfect bronzy glow (and streamline my beauty routine) I’ve been reaching for these iconic bronzing drops every single day. They deliver that warm, sun-kissed radiance that completely negates the need for foundation and bronzer in my opinion. They’re very easy to use: I just mix a few drops with my sunscreen, blend it in, and you’re good to go. I also am quite impressed by the unique ingredients that this has, like cocoa extract and platinum peptides—I’ve literally never seen those in any other product. PS: I’m super excited to try the new B-Goldi Bright Drops (basically the golden version of these), which are coming out next week.”
“If you want to smell like you took one of those luxurious rose petal baths, this body wash is for you. The main ingredient is rosa rugosa flower extract, which gives it the most heavenly rose scent. The lather is 10/10, but it’s actually sulfate and paraben free, which I love! Instead, it has natural moisturizers like oatmeal and glycerin, so it doesn’t make my skin feel stripped whatsoever. This leaves me feeling clean and fresh as a daisy.”
“Hailey Bieber brought back the vanilla peptide lip treatment, and I am simply overjoyed. I’m a bit of a Goldilocks when it comes to lippies: most are too greasy, too goopy, or too drying. This one is just right, and it’s my all-time favorite lip product out of the dozens I’ve tried. It moisturizes with cupuaçu and babassu, plumps with peptides, and tastes like sweet vanilla cake. What more could you ask for?”
“I love all things pretty and pink, so I have been living for everything Barbie this summer. The adorable Barbie x Kitsch collab has stolen my heart, and I’ve been reaching for this claw clip daily. It’s the perfect accessory: the white marble is chic, and the hot pink rhinestones add a little bit of girly personality to all of my outfits. They also have a heatless curler, silk pillowcases, scrunchies, and more cute clips. Of course, I wore this when I went to see the movie and I received a lot of compliments.”
“This candle is everything. It has a delectable berries and cream scent and the most adorable packaging. It smells so nostalgic to me, like those strawberry candies that you’d get at your grandmother’s house. For some, this may err on the side of sickly sweet, but for me, I’m simply obsessed. It makes my tiny room smell like a Barbie dreamhouse.”
“I would without a doubt buy Westman Atelier makeup for its packaging alone—in fact that’s precisely how I ended up with my first item from the brand—so it’s really just a bonus that the products are actually incredible. The latest in the lineup is Super Loaded which are illuminator drops that come in three shades. The press release for the launch promised a “you-look-well” glow, and as someone who will do anything to avoid dull skin in favor of a dewy appearance, I could not have gotten my hands on this product fast enough. While it can also be used as a highlighter, I prefer mixing it in with my foundation for an allover glow. It’s replaced Charlotte Tilburry’s Flawless Filter (which sadly breaks me out) in my beauty routine. I’ve worn the Peau de Pêche shade everyday since I’ve received it and will be ordering the Peau de Rosè to try next.”
“I can’t go on TikTok or Instagram or into the Who What Wear offices without seeing blueberry milk nails so I finally decided to try the trend during my most recent visit to the nail salon. This shade is technically just a milky, pastel blue but I found it surprisingly challenging to nail down (get it?) the perfect polish amongst a sea of blue bottles. After much sifting, I landed on Essie’s Find Me an Oasis and couldn’t be happier with the results (pictured above).”
“I love a good drugstore find but it’s been a minute since I’ve discovered something worth adding to my beauty routine. Cut to me picking up a few items in the travel section of my local CVS and stumbling upon these tanning drops from Tanologist, a brand I wasn’t previously familiar with. Because of the under-$20 price tag I figured the stakes were fairly low—worst case I end up a bit orange for a few days. Luckily that didn’t happen and I’ve since been adding the drops to my body lotion a few times a week. Warning: while the clear formula is initially invisible on the skin and doesn’t transfer onto clothes, it’s easy to forget to wash off your hands after applying and end up with brown patches between your fingers (learn from my mistakes please).”
“I am not one to branch out and try new mascaras. However, I recently got my makeup done using all Bobbi Brown products, and immediately fell in love with the way this mascara made my lashes look. It’s the perfect option for those of us who want a super natural, fluttery lash with zero (and I mean zero) flaking or smudging.”
“She’s glossy, she’s hydrating, she’s $10. If you haven’t tried this lip oil yet, you’re in for a treat. This product rivals any high-end lip oil I’ve tried and has quickly become my go-to for when I want a juicy, low-maintenance lip.”
“I officially have a new favorite glowy sunscreen, thanks to RMS. It’s super lightweight, doesn’t pill at all, doesn’t have that “sunscreen” smell, and comes in three pretty shades to complement different skin tones. (I use the lightest shade for every day and the medium when I want a bit more of a bronze glow.) Perhaps the best part is that I feel like I need less makeup on days that I use this sunscreen.”
“Styling my curls has been a major challenge for me in the past two years but I’m finally finding products that nourish and strengthen my hair. I love using this conditioner after I take out a slick back bun because it immediately defines my curls and brings them back to life after being tucked away for a few days. This product helps detangle, add shine, and reduce frizz.”
“I recently had box braids and one of the most important parts of maintaining them is making sure the scalp is hydrated. I added drops of this serum to the parts of my braids and gave myself a mini scalp massage every night. It feels super cooling and refreshing to the scalp. I love that it’s fragrance-free, too. I’ll continue to use this product even after I take my braids out because of its amazing hair growth properties.”
“Despite having pretty full lips, I love plumping lip glosses! You can visibly see the plumpness after just one swipe, and paired with the high-shine formula, this lip gloss is actual perfection. I love the angled doe foot applicator, which makes for easy application without a mirror. It’s rare for me to get through an entire tube of lip gloss because I have so many, but I’m already on my second tube of this one.”
“I go through body lotions like water and this one is my latest obsession. One thing I really look for is a product that my skin can soak up easily and that is exactly what this one does. Some body lotions require me to reapply throughout the day but when I put this on once in the morning, I’m all set.”
“I don’t like to shampoo my hair too much because it gets super dry so discovering this co-wash was an absolute game-changer for me. In between deep and heavy washes, I like to use this hydrating and cleansing product. Once you smell it, you’ll understand the hype.”
“Summer means that I’m all about the natural look and this skin tint from YSL beauty has caused me to push all of my foundations to the side. It’s super hydrating and gives off a light finish that also provides a good amount of coverage. My bare skin looks better when I wear it consistently.”
“I think everyone would agree that NARS makes some of the best blush, and this formula is no different. It has a silky, creamy texture, is lightweight, and adds the prettiest natural-looking glow to skin. The shade Wanderlust is the prettiest soft lilac—I love that it’s unexpected.”
“This feels like a glossy lipstick even though it’s technically a glossy balm. The color payoff is perfect—it’s not as intense as a lipstick but has more of an impact than a tinted balm. It’s shockingly smooth and creamy and really glides onto the lips, leaving such a nice high-shine finish.”
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve used a moisturizer as luxurious as this. I could notice a difference in my complexion even after using it for less than a week. It’s formulated with lipids and ceramides to help repair a weakened skin barrier. The texture is indulgently thick and what I would call heaven.”
“I’ve never found an eye cream that has made me want to be monogamous, but this comes close. I can honestly say that it’s helping revive my under eye area. My skin looks more smooth and firm, the darkness and puffiness is less visible (at least to me), and I kind of feel like I want to be in a committed relationship with it.”
