I Tried 150+ Beauty Products This Year – These 22 Were the Best

The Ziip Halo is my identity now. I use it diligently with the Ziip app, where I can choose from 17 treatments (from 1 minute to 12 minutes long). The Halo uses both microcurrent and nanocurrent, which allows wavelengths to reach various depths in the skin: While microcurrent is best for toning skin, nanocurrent supports the skin’s natural collagen production and cell regeneration. Whether you’re looking for instant or long-term results, Ziip Halo is excellent for supporting healthy, firm skin.

I am not usually one for celebrity skin care but The Outset is one of my main exceptions. This lightweight, yet skin-quenching serum is formulated to firm, brighten, plump, and hydrate. I love that it's gentle and fragrance free, but still leaves my skin looking glowing and refreshed. Plus, due to its fast-absorbing nature, it’s great for layering with other products like Vitamin C, moisturizers, and SPF.

It’s rare that a face cream *shocks* me with how good it is–but BARRIERfx did just that. It’s made with a patented Korean biotech compound that mimics the structure of healthy skin, in turn strengthening and smoothing the barrier, reducing inflammation, and supporting hydration retention. It’s thick enough to wear at night but somehow also lightweight and fast-absorbing enough to wear during the day (and beneath makeup).

I had a very hard time deciding which Medik8 product to feature here. I love this brand–from their Crystal Retinal to Liquid Peptides to the Press & Glow PHA Tonic. But I chose this serum because Vitamin C is hugely important in protecting skin and improving tone and radiance. Vitamin C is also notoriously fickle, so it can be hard to find potent, stable formulas that are pleasant to layer and show visible improvement in skin texture and evenness. This one is both. It contains 14% THD, which is less prone to oxidation than L-ascorbic acid, and a squalane base, making it a powerful hydrator and radiance-booster.

I hate using the phrase “anti-aging,” so forgive me, but I’m not sure how else to describe this powerhouse cream. Made with Klotho, an age-suppressing gene and protein that supports cell renewal and wound repair, it helps increase collagen production, decrease the breakdown of existing collagen, and can actually help reverse oxidative stress to skin cells. The Klotho protein is able to deeply penetrate skin via liposomes, which are the same kind of fats that form the outer layer of your skin cells. I’ve been so wow’ed by this product, using it with the KLOTHO SKIN Cellular Repair Face Serum for optimal results, and can’t wait to see how my skin continues to improve with regular use.

Ten years ago, a New York City esthetician told me to use Manuka honey as a face mask for its soothing, anti-microbial benefits. And now there’s AUNU: the new line of skin care that uses this high-end honey as their main ingredient. I love everything in the line (mask included), so I did not take lightly to choosing this essence. But damn, it’s good. If you want a shot of deep hydration to prime your skin for serums, moisturizers, and more, this fast-absorbing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-boosting potion is a must-have.

I still can’t believe how hydrated and supple this cleanser leaves my skin. It contains a proprietary L-Beauty Ferment, which includes fermented tomato, fermented beta-glucan-rich oats, kombucha, and lactic acid, so after each wash my skin feels unbelievably soft, bright, and balanced. A note about the scent: It smells like a vegetable garden, which I quite like. And even if I didn’t, the cleanser is so good I’d get over it. But a word to the wise for my sensi-scent people.

I love a face mist. Back in my Vogue days, I used to keep a popular beauty elixir on my desk to spritz throughout the day to combat dry office air. Though I work from home these days, I still find myself reaching for something to boost hydration, especially before I apply makeup. This Iris & Romeo spritz has four molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate within the skin and on the surface, as well as niacinamide, ceramides, and more. It’s the perfect luminous pick-me-up.

If I’d known how good this blow-dry brush was, I’d have tossed my drugstore version years ago. It contains temperature sensors, snag-free bristles, controlled airflow, and their Heat Air Xchange Technology™, which protects hair from damage (and maybe also the reason for giving my hair insane volume!). I don’t know that it saves me any time on blowouts, per se, but it certainly leaves me looking salon-fresh every time. (If a blowdry brush isn’t your thing, their Helios Hair Dryer is also one of my favorites.)

I included this balm in my waterless skin care story, but I had to give it more love in my top products because it’s been a game changer for the texture and tone of my skin. Alongside its hero ingredient, hydroxytyrosol, a molecule derived from olive tree leaves, it's packed with other antioxidant-rich ingredients that help even tone and soothe stressed-out skin. I use it as the last step in my nighttime routine to “lock in” all my other products.

At first glance, the Noble Panacea packaging looks…dramatic: A dome-like case envelops a series of individually packaged, single-dose serums. What’s all the fuss? you might think. But the fuss is real. Developed by Sir Fraser Stoddard, a 2016 Nobel Laureate in chemistry, Noble Panacea’s hero technology is Organic Super Molecular Vessel™. It’s 10,000 times smaller than a skin cell and can “house and protect ingredients at the individual molecule level to preserve ingredient freshness and potency while preventing cross-interaction.” This particular serum addresses cellular aging with eight peptides to help boost collagen and elastin, 4D hyaluronic acid for multi-depth hydration, and precise delivery of actives for +200% skin penetration. I love the way it makes my skin look and feel in the immediate and the long term.

Allies of Skin is all about using clinically proven actives in “supercharged concentrations,” which is one reason I love this serum (and this brand). They jam pack their formulas with effective ingredients in the right percentages. This peptide hero is full of lifting, hydrating, elasticity-giving ingredients that do double and triple duty on skin, as well as a growth factor complex that makes it truly unique. With regular use, I found my skin was brighter, smoother, and overall healthier looking.

Of all my blushes, I always come back to this one. My ride or die. My go-to color pop. I apply it on clean, makeup-free skin or on top of foundation for a night out. It’s perfectly pigmented, making it ideal for those who want buildable coverage, and it’s so creamy and easy to blend. I use it as my base blush even if I’m layering another shade.

I’ve never been a huge primer person, but on long days when I want my makeup to stay put, I like having this lightweight, cream-like primer. It’s a major multitasker, as it’s made with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, as well as light-reflecting pigments and soft-focus natural powders to prep skin for makeup (no line creases!). It helps strengthen the skin barrier, reduce the appearance of pores, and can help improve skin texture with continued use. It’s a primer on healthy-skin steroids.

I’m embarrassed over how much I love this product. So much so that I’d late-night text girlfriends about it or bring up as a conversation starter at a party. (Am I the only one who talks about sun care socially?) While I love everything ciele makes, this tinted SPF serum is my #1 makeup-free must have. It’s beautifully pigmented, blends seamlessly, offers buildable coverage, and lasts all day long without getting cakey or drying out my skin.

I have a few different red light masks, and like my children, I love each one for a different reason. But ever since I got it, this Solawave mask has been my go-to because it only requires 3 minutes instead of 10. You know how people say the best time to exercise is the time you’ll consistently do it? This is like that. With only a 3-minute requirement, it’s easy for me to throw on this mask while I multitask, even on my busiest mornings. (Sometimes I still have time to use my Ziip Halo!)

Yes, the buzz about Merit is real! While I am a fan of the entire line, this Complexion Stick makes the “best of” products list because it’s one of those must-have desert-island type products. It has a creamy, natural-looking, blendable texture and comes in 30 shades, which I love for all of us. (I wear Ochre, which matches my skin perfectly.) I love that it’s lightweight and buildable, and can be worn as either an undereye concealer or a full-face foundation. The versatility–and the usability–cannot be beat.

I have hooded eyelids, which means I have spent years struggling to perfect a sleek, slim cat eye. Every time, it either smudges, vanishes, or slides down my face. But not Soche. This is the first eyeliner I’ve ever used that stays put all day (or night) long and allows me to draw my lash line as thick or thin as I want (it’s got a 1.5mm tip).

Never in my life have I been so in love with a body oil. It’s the most lightweight, fast-absorbing, yet totally decadent oil I’ve ever used–and that’s saying a lot because I’ve been using body oils for 35 years. All I-N products are thoughtfully processed to preserve the potent benefits of their plant-powered ingredients. In this formula, think: organic safflower seed oil, blue tansy, and poppy extract to hydrate, rejuvenate, and support skin firmness and elasticity. I’m using it religiously this winter to keep my skin from drying out, but I can see how it will be an asset next summer as well. (The Liquid Green Face Oil is also a hydrating hero I’m loving right now.)

Show me a better body lotion. Seriously. Especially for $16. This never-greasy, fast-absorbing, super-hydrating formula is my year-round go-to. It’s formulated with omega fatty acids, shea butter, B vitamins and more, and even on the chilliest days of winter, it keeps my skin from drying out. I love that Naturium products are easily accessible, affordably priced, and pack a major punch. Don’t sleep on this one.

Iota is another one of those brands that cannot do wrong in my eyes. I specifically love Supercloud, though, for its light-as-air finish and visible results. This is my go-to when my skin needs a little “umph.” Full of niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, exfoliating acids, and more, this formula brightens, hydrates, smooths, and repairs for softer, firmer, more radiant skin. I like to use it on damp skin right out of the shower, and then layer with my Liquid Green Body Oil or Naturium Lipid Body Lotion.

You’ve likely heard the chatter around this mask. I had. While it’s been around for years, I’d never tried it, and now I’m doomed. Yes, it’s as effective as everyone (including Drew Barrymore) says it is. It creates a tightening sensation as it dries and within minutes, makes your face look like it's aged 30 years in the span of 10 minutes. But then! Once I wash off my mask, my skin is glowing. Formulated to brighten, tighten, lift, hydrate, plump, protect, and more (yes, more!), this mask actually is an all-in-one facial that’s worth the hype and the staying power.