When the highlighter is working with the blush is working with the mascara is working with the – well, you get it! – overall magic, you’re feeling your absolute best. And that’s the power of makeup. It transform you to become the best you.
With a gazillion beauty hair products out there, it’s impossible to find ones that do a fine job without being overly oily, drying, or leaving you with flakes behind. In today’s awards, we give the best makeup some love.
SEE ALSO: Lightning Awards 2017 Face Winners
As your trusted source, we took the Lightning Awards very seriously***. We went through all of the potions out there, testing concoctions for four entire months to see if their claims were real. The results? We’ve never had better, glistening, healthy skin from using the products we’ve deemed Best Of. We’ve named these products below and hope they work for you as much as they have for us. Now get going! Good skin can be yours – in a flash!
SEE ALSO: Introducing the Lightning Awards!
***It goes without saying, these are honest reviews and our opinions were not based on any relationship, monetary gain, or a pay for play situation. AKA we weren’t paid to write any of these we simply are obsessed over these products and hope you love them too.
BEST EYEBROW PENCIL: NUDESTIX Stylus and Gel
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Fill in your brows to its bushiest potential with NUDESTIX’s Stylus Pencil & Gel combo. On one end is an amazing pointed pencil, to fill in your brows. On the other is a gel that will coat and lock your fleeky brows. The best part may be that it’s waterproof, meaning, whether you’re caught in a storm or sweating it out at Crossfit, these brows won’t DARE budge.
BUY HERE
, $24
BEST BLUSH: Glossier Cloud Paint
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Makeup is, or should be, all about making a product work for you. Too many blush products on the market have one look—BOLD—that can turn off guys looking for just a little color. Cloud Paint allows you to pat and blend and layer until you achieve the color you’re looking for. Our favorite hue is Haze, which looks amazing on every skin tone.
BUY HERE, $18
BEST MAKEUP APPLICATOR: Tweezerman Blender
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There are so many sponges on the market, so why this one? Well, it’s because one sponge can beat your entire face. The rounded side is perfect for large areas like your forehead, the flat side is great for blending contour, and the tip is for those hard-to-reach inner corners.
BUY HERE
, $12
BEST LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER: Farsali Jelly Highlighter
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With new highlighters launching literally every other day, it’s rare for an illuminator to make a big splash. This one does. The texture really does feel like a creamy jelly, and applies with a crazy amount of pigment in one swipe. Our favorite way to use it is to apply a dab to our moisturizer for an all-over glow.
BUY HERE, $40
BEST HIGHLIGHTER: NUDESTIX Nudies All Over
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A 2-in-1 combination makes this incredible. On one end, there’s a soft highlighter that melts into your skin. The other end has a soft brush that will give you that lightly brushed glow that will last you all day.
BUY HERE
, $30
BEST CONCEALER: Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint
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Want something that smooths out your skin, hides blemishes while looking completely natural? We’re obsessed with Milk Makeup’s Sunshine Skin Tint as it gives us all-day coverage (plus, SPF 30!), a nice dewy glow, while looking like your skin. The smell of the product alone with its citrus and coconut oils, makes this a treat to apply on the daily.
BUY HERE, $42
BEST LIP TINT: Dear Darling Water Lip Tint
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This lip tint literally stays on for hours without fading. It’s smooth but not too glossy, so it looks like your lips are naturally a flushed-pink or red shade. Rumor has it it’s a K-Pop favorite!
BUY HERE, $5
BEST SPOT CONCEALER: Bobbi Brown’s Retouching Wand
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A blemish ruining your day? Fear not, IRL Photoshop it out. That’s exactly what Bobbi Brown’s Retouching Wand is. It’s an applicator that is a magical wand of sorts that applies a very natural concealer to your pores. Goodbye red spots, hello, flawless, blurred out skin.
BUY HERE
, $32
BEST EYELINER: Dr. Hauschka Eye Definer
[aesop_image imgwidth=”70%” img=”/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/drhaushka.jpg” credit=”David Yi/Very Good Light” alt=”Dr. Haushka” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]It’s rare for an eyeliner pencil to go on smooth without pulling at your eyelids, as well as stay on all day. This all-natural eyeliner does! We’re obsessed with the smudger on the opposite end for creating a smokey eye.BUY HERE
, $20
BEST SALVE: Make Beauty’s Marine Salve
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This is one of the most versatile products we’ve come across. Made from algae it’s not only environmentally friendly, it’s also completely hydrating without that sticky feel. It goes on smoothly wherever you use it: on your lips, cheeks, eyelids, for a glossy, glazed donut look that is long lasting.
BUY HERE, $20
BEST EYEBROW GEL: Anastasia of Beverly Hills
Anastasia Beverly Hills is known for stellar brow products, so it’s no wonder its Clear Brow Gel gets a 10/10 from us. It shapes and molds your brows without leaving ANY residue behind. (You know those dandruff-looking white flakes that happen!) It doesn’t feel crunchy, either. It won’t fill in your brows, but if you just want some help shaping, this gel is for you.
BUY HERE
, $21
