21 Beauty Products To Try In 2015
favorite makeup products 2015
Call us crazy, but one of our favorite things to do as beauty people is offer up product suggestions. It's for good reason — we spend most of our days up to our ears in bottles and tubes, and our bathrooms are pretty much overflowing with liners and lipsticks a-plenty. So, whenever a friend calls us up and asks for a foundation recommendation, or a night cream that will turn their skin to gold, we always have a name in our back pocket.
So, we decided that we'd take all of these handy suggestions and hand 'em out to you guys. The timing couldn't be more perfect, either. Now is the time that all of our favorite brands are rolling out their new-to-market buys of 2015. Everything from hair care to skin care is represented here, which means you can make your list and know you're going to dig the things you pick up. We wouldn't lie to you — especially when it comes to something as important as your primping game.
Click through to see the picks we're already loving for 2015. Your new BFF for the next 365 days may be hiding in there.
Nivea In-Shower Hydrating Body Lotion
I'm going to go ahead and potentially hurt my beauty-editor street cred by dropping this primping bombshell: I don't use lotion. I know, massive beauty fail on my part. I know I should, my skin knows I should, but yet I can never put it on outside of the occasional coating here and there when I'm feeling virtuous. I just can't bring myself to stand naked and shivering in my tiny NYC bathroom, awkwardly bumping my elbow against the wall as I struggle to rub a greasy lotion into the small of my back. The struggle is real, y'all.
So, imagine my delight upon discovering this little gem from Nivea. It's a body lotion you usein the shower. No, not a hydrating body wash — this is an actual in-shower lotion. You apply it to wet skin, right after you've washed off your body wash. Then, you wash it off — that's literally it. Each formula contains a nourishing ingredient — like sea minerals, shea butter, or almond oil — that instantly sinks into skin, locking in moisture without any stickiness or greasiness.
I've been using it religiously for the past week and am feeling pretty smug with my newly hydrated skin. One thing to note: If you are the type of person who actually uses lotion, then you're going to notice that the hydration of this wash-off version is not really on the same level. Your skin won't feel as soft and supple as it does when you use your go-to body moisturizer. However, if you're like me, you'll definitely notice a big difference between using this and bare skin. Lotion delinquents, take heart: Your skin no longer needs to feel neglected.
Nivea In-Shower Hydrating Body Lotion, $5.99, available at Target.
------------------------------------------------------
Shiseido White Lucent All-Day Brightener
One of my go-to tricks for glowing skin is mixing a few drops of a liquid luminizer in with my moisturizer or foundation. It works gangbusters at adding a healthy luminescence to a fatigued face. Well, Shiseido has gone and stolen my stealth radiance move with its new brightening moisturizer.
The velvety cream features encapsulated vitamin C and a patented brightening ingredient, which helps break down existing dark spots and suppress melanin production. But, in addition to actually minimizing hyperpigmentation, it also has optical brightening effects. Infused in the cream is a micro-fine shimmer that helps illuminate dull, tired skin. It also has something called Light-Transformation Powder, which releases a fluorescent light when exposed to UV rays to instantly brighten the skin. Add to that a lovely, easily blendable texture, SPF protection, and a non-pore-clogging formula, and I've just found my new go-to moisturizer.
Shiseido White Lucent All-Day Brightener SPF 22, $57, available at Shiseido.
---------------------------------------------
Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick
While sitting at a recent launch event for her eponymous line, the always fabulous makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury immediately captured the attention of a roomful of beauty editors when she introduced her new Beach Sticks by saying, "Who doesn't need a holiday 365 days a year?" That's the aim of these brilliant new cream blush/bronzers.
Available in five shades, all named after beaches in her beloved Ibiza, what makes these sticks different than anything you've seen on the market is the addition of a smoothing filler called ceramidone. Says Tilbury, "My problem with a lot of creams is that they sit in pores and lines, and feel tacky. Ceramidone rolls on top of the pores and lines, and fills them so that the color doesn't sit in them."
She described the shade Moon Beach as "Gwyneth on the beach," which created such a covetable image of drinking goop-approved mocktails while sitting under $700 Stella McCartney beach umbrellas in my head that I knew I had to try it. The rose-gold hue was the perfect complement to my sun-starved skin — I feel like I'm one step closer to clinking glasses with Gwynnie at some remote Mediterranean resort.
Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick, $45, available at Charlotte Tilbury.
-----------------------------------------
Bare Escentuals BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream
In the winter, I struggle with my base makeup. I find my usual BB creams don't go on as smoothly as they do in the summer, when my skin is naturally dewier. This leads to me having to apply a moisturizer before the BB, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the replace-all-your-products BB cream. Thankfully, Bare Escentuals' newest, Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, is everything my skin has been missing and more.
This ultra-hydrating cream feels lightweight on the skin and provides light coverage like a BB, but, thanks to a formula enriched with squalane and mineral-infused water, it also provides some serious hydration. I apply this after my toner, and take care of both my moisturizing and base makeup in one silky swipe. I also really like its sheer coverage, meaning it provides just enough evening out and warming up of my pallid winter complexion, without smothering my skin in a heavy, matte finish.
Bare Escentuals BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, $29, available at Bare Escentuals.
------------------------------------------
Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème
Side note: Why is everything I love launching in February? It is clearly the most magical time of the year, at least if these lipsticks are any indication. Marc Jacobs is launching an entirely new lipstick collection next month, and I can barely contain my glee. Unlike its existing Lovemarc Lip Gel, the Lip Crème has a more buttery texture and boasts an incredible 10-hour long-wear claim.
I was impressed with the texture of the lipstick and how easily it glided on my lips. I also loved the feel of it — it delivered really lush pigment, without feeling heavy or tacky on my pout. And, those colors! Don't even get me started on the amazingness that is Blow, or how uniquely stunning Scandal and Magenta are. As for that 10-hour wear claim, well, let's just say it stayed put for as long as I needed it to, lasting through a donut delivery and an epic Thai food-fueled brainstorming session, and ending the day as a lovely, lived-in stain, which I loved almost more than when I first applied it. All of the clapping emojis for Marc — all of them.
Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème, $30, available at Sephora.
-----------------------------------------------
Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask
Until very recently, my only real concern with my skin was acne. But, somewhere between dancing all night with my friends at some LES dive bar and thinking that a glass of red wine and Gilmore Girls on Netflix was an ideal Saturday night, my skin has started its slow, inevitable march downward. As we age, our skin becomes thinner and a whole lot less resilient, which leads to that wonderful term, "sagging." While at 31, I'm still a long way from jowl town, I've noticed my skin could definitely use a little perking up.
Enter Fresh's new Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask. The latest addition to the brand's stellar anti-aging line, this moisturizing treatment pulls double-duty, hydrating parched skin and creating a "corset-like" effect on your complexion. Slather it on at night and wake up the next morning to firmer, more lifted skin — or so says the brand.
It has the same great tea smell, which I absolutely adore, as the rest of the line and feels super-hydrating on skin. When I woke up the next morning, my skin felt great. I wouldn't say it was lifted, but my complexion was definitely perkier. Which, at my age, is all I was really looking for in the first place. The brand claims you'll see the best lifting results after one month of use, so I'm going to keep at it, alternating this with my usual acne-fighting night cream. Sorry jowl town, but I don't plan on moving in anytime soon.
Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask, $92, available at Sephora.
------------------------------------------------
Clarins Teint Haute Tenue+
Long-wear foundations tend to scare me, mostly because, well, I’m a dude with a beard, and powdery, cakey formulas tend to give away my pretty little secret that I wasn’t #BornWithIt and didn’t #WakeUpLikeDis. Then again, my days typically start at 6 a.m. and end around 10 p.m., and I’d like not to have zits, redness, or foundation lines by my second drink with Eligible Bachelor #10,039. Thank you, Clarins, for creating a long-wear foundation that allows the light of your skin to shine through. (Mix it with a bit of a liquid illuminator, like Koh Gen Do’s, for extra glow factor.)
Clarins Teint Haute Tenue+, $40, available April at Clarins.
----------------------------------------
Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Sérum
I am all about products that impart dew and moisture, which can be a pretty tricky thing considering I have an oily T-zone and am pretty prone to mini breakouts. That’s why Chanel’s new serum is basically my dream in a bottle. It contains micro-droplets of crazy nourishing camellia-oil extract, which visibly plumps skin, except it comes in a water-light formula that doesn’t make you feel like you’re a total oil slick.
Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Sérum, $110, available at Chanel.
---------------------------------------------
Francis Kurkdjian À La Rose
Master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian was inspired by Marie Antoinette and Petit Trianon for his latest, an unabashedly feminine scent that marries a May rose absolute (consisting of 250 blooms!) and an essential oil comprised of 150 Damascena roses from Bulgaria. Translation: This is a whole lotta rose, my friends — and it’s beautiful. I wear it on days when I’m feeling damn unpretty.
Francis Kurkdjian À La Rose, $245, available at Neiman Marcus.
--------------------------------------------------------
Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield
In April, Murad is essentially poised to reinvent the entire game with its new invisible sunscreen — a broad-spectrum SPF 30 that acts as a makeup primer, of sorts, and doesn’t leave behind any kind of weird, chalky white cast. It’s a bit heavy, so I’m swapping it in place of a normal moisturizer and layering a hyaluronic serum underneath it, but its light-diffusing particles are great for underneath foundation, and I know I’m getting my daily dose of coverage.
Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield, $65, available April at Murad.
----------------------------------------------
Dior Cheek & Lip Glow
Just a kiss of pink is always my goal for the lips and cheeks — something that looks as though I’m fresh, healthy, and gorgeous, but not that I tried to look so. Enter the most luxe, beautiful, and weightless gel tint I’ve ever used.
Dior Cheek & Lip Glow, $37, available at Dior.
----------------------------------------------
Benefit Puff Off!
Whether I've overslept or stayed out way too late, the first place my sleepiness shows up is under my eyes — which is why I typically keep a set of spoons in my freezer. (Yeah, I kick it old-school.) So, when I first spotted Benefit's Puff Off!, with its adorable iron-shaped applicator, I knew I had to give it a shot. It looks like a gimmick, but works like a charm. The spout gets into your nooks and crannies, its metal-like applicator actually helps to cool, and the gel smooths away any lines or puffiness. Consider this your kitchy hangover miracle in a tube.
Benefit Puff Off!, $29, available at Sephora.
-----------------------------------------------
Maybelline Master Graphic
The plight of a gal who lives uptown, but parties and dates downtown? Lots o' makeup application in-transit. This used to mean forgoing a graphic-eye look and leaning heavily on the brows-mascara-lip combination. But, for giggles, I used Maybelline's Master Graphic on my way to drinks with a friend one day and pulled off an Alexa Chung-level cat-eye — on the subway. Its chubby, angled felt tip makes applying a breeze, and I've since decided that this product is a miracle. It has taken up permanent residence in my makeup case.
Maybelline Master Graphic, $6.94, available atWalmart.
----------------------------------------------
Bite Beauty Butter Cream Bullet in Pecan
Forget finding my perfect red (I'm already an expert) — my big feat is finding a nude that looks cuter than concealer. Luckily, Bite is releasing a line of nudes so beautiful, they look like a second skin. My favorite is Pecan — a delicate, peachy hue that slides onto my lips and gives them a subtle, flushed color. It goes great with that subway cat-eye I've been rocking.
Bite Beauty Butter Cream Bullet in Pecan, $28, available at Sephora.
-------------------------------------------
Eyeko Beatnik Black Mascara
I'm not really one for a smoky eye. But, there is something seriously rad about sooty, jet-black, kinda clumpy eyelashes. Think Nico from The Velvet Underground. That's pretty much the basis of my newfound obsession with Eyeko's Beatnik Black Mascara. The guitar-shaped brush (seriously, it was modeled after a guitar) distributes pigment over each and every lash — even the baby ones. It leaves you with cool-girl eyelashes — which I didn't even know were a thing until just now.
Eyeko Beatnik Black Mascara, $28, available at Eyeko.
------------------------------------------------
NCLA Orbit Ring Nail Wraps
I have a feeling that if my friends had to describe me, it would go something like, "Maria is great at a lot of things, but she is shit at nail art." It's true — for all the lusting I do after geometric lines and ombré designs, I can barely get a solid color looking not-crazy on my fingertips. So, NCLA's nail wraps are just up my alley. Its new Classics collection includes everything from the half-moon to the orbital mani (my favorite) in easy-to-apply nail wraps. Take that, friends.
NCLA Orbit Ring Nail Wraps, $11, available atNCLA.
----------------------------------------
Oscar Blandi Thickening Gel
One of my resolutions for this year? Learn how to braid my short hair. The only issue is, with my layers and texture, slippage is a serious issue (and, apparently, a technical term). That's why I'm so excited that Oscar Blandi's Thickening Gel came across my desk. It's a gel formula, which means it doesn't crunch or flake, and it adds instant thickness to my mane. So, everything that has to stay in place does. Heads up, though: It's unisex, so you may have to hide it from the men in your life.
Oscar Blandi Thickening Gel, $25, available atMacy's.
-------------------------------------------------
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation
Base makeup is notoriously annoying, and can be very much either a hit or a miss. I typically don't even bother, because it's either too heavy, too cakey, or doesn't match my complexion. But, this foundation from NARS has completely transformed my opinion. It's an oil-free formula, lightweight, and leaves you with a natural finish. It melts into the skin (it actually sinks into my makeup blender, rather than just sitting on top — I would recommend applying it with your hands instead) and stays on for up to 16 hours. Possibly the best part? It comes in a wide range of shades, which is an unfortunate rarity. All of this praise coming from a girl who is very much anti-foundation of any kind is saying a lot.
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, $48, available at NARS.
----------------------------------------
Dove Dry Spray Deodorant
Who out there actually likes deodorant? Don't raise your hands all at once. It's not only the least favorite part of my after-shower routine, but I also had yet to find a stick that actually works to combat both the sweat and odor factor of my pits (TMI?) — until I was gifted this glorious dry spray. Spray deodorant isn't necessarily anything new, but Dove has come out with a standout formula. It sprays on dry, so no more waiting for your underarms to air out while walking aimlessly around your room, and no more unpleasant white residue. Hear, hear.
Dove Dry Spray Deodorant, $5.49, available atTarget.
-------------------------------------------------
Armani Beauty Eye Tint
We've already included this standout product in one of our stories, but I felt it deserved an extra shoutout (ya know, in case you missed the first story). Armani's new fluid eyeshadow (which turns from liquid to powder rightbefore on top of your eyes) is not only extremely easy to apply, but — even for an oily-lid girl like myself — stays put for hours at a time while making your eyes look seriously glam. Ta-ta, powdered shadows: Your presence is no longer needed here.
Armani Beauty Eye Tint, $38, available atGiorgio Armani Beauty.