Very Good Light Editor's Picks June 2022

Good grief. It's June already?

It is, more or less, our job to try beauty products for a living and tell you what makes a lasting impression on us. Every month, we’ll sort through our bathroom counters and makeup bags to lay out the best of the best

Sponsored partner: Geologie Dark & Puffy Eye Cream
Sometimes eye creams are just regular moisturizers in very tiny tubs. Not this one. It has 1% caffeine which helps draw away water for reduced puffiness, 2% kojic acid to help brighten undereye darkness, and 2% hyaluronic acid to moisturize and plump pesky fine lines. Doesn't that sound nice?

AQUIS Hair Towel
I cannot explain how the technology of this hair towel works. All I know is that I blot my hair with, wear it for like, the length of a TV show, and when I take it off, my hair is already nearly dry. I’m sorry to the entire AQUIS team, but I have also used it to dry off my dog after a bath to reduce the amount of time a wet dog is running around my apartment. It works a treat. –Or Gotham

Tower 28 SOS Intensive Rescue Serum
It’s basically summer, which means it’s finally time for my rosacea to flare up and my face to get approximately three times as red. Fun! Tower 28 created an absolute holy grail for me with their SOS line. I slather this on every morning, and it keeps the redness at bay. –Nicole Swiggard

Nails INC. x Magnum Nail Polish in White Chocolate
In theory, I like the idea of white nail polish making my skin color pop. In actually, it feels very stark and cartoonish to me. Like poorly done veneers. This shade is an off-white nude color that gets gives me the brightness of a white polish that is infinitely more wearable. Plus — this polish is chocolate-scented. I get more of a chocolate-covered-banana thing from it, but still. –OG

Bath & Body Works Waikiki Beach Coconut Fine Fragrance Mist
Once it gets hot outside, I switch my everyday perfume to a body mist. I’m not sure if there’s a real reason other than because it just feels right. This one’s my current favorite for a light, refreshing summer scent. –NS
[Editor's note: I also bought this, separately from Nicole — a testament to just how creamy/summer/delighting this is. Stop sleeping on B&BW!]

Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil
Did anyone else here go through an Ancient Greek phase as a kid? If not: You’re missing out. Anyway, something I remember is that they used to cover themselves in oil and then scrape it off to cleanse their skin. It makes sense, really. Oil attracts oil — and this oil cleanser takes off all the sweaty grime of the day, emulsifies into a milky froth, and then washes down the shower drain. –OG

Oui the People The Sensitive Set
Strawberry leg-havers like myself, listen up. Less is more. This single-blade razor set has done something I thought impossible: no more little red bumps! If that wasn’t enough, the Sugarcoat Shave Gel-to-Milk has skincare goodies in it, like aloe vera leaf juice and dandelion root extract. This duo puts in the work. –NS

good light new moon balm
Brown people can get sunburns too! I’ve sung the praises of the new moon balm over the course of several hundred words in this story — but as of this weekend, I’ve been squirting a few ropes through a gentle body lotion and using it to help tackle some of my tender body sunburns. @David Yi: Can we make this in a Big Gulp size? –OG

Em Cosmetics Corselette Bronzer in Sensual
This is the first bronzer I’ve ever tried (and only one I’ve heard of) that isn’t red, orange, gray, or yellow — it mimics the natural olive undertone my skin takes on this time of year. I'm convinced Michelle made this specifically for me. –OG

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Lip Oil in Fruity Cereal
I’m not exactly sure where I said this, but those who follow along on VGL know I once said that having glossy lips makes me feel like Brian Fellows. Well, that’s still true. But I’ve been wearing this lip oil to bed, and by the time the morning sun yoinks me awake, my lips are still moisturized, unlike a standard balm. Plus, as the name implies, the smell is reminiscent of Fruity Pebbles.

D.S. & Durga Bergamot Superior
I’m not exactly sure I could immediately tell you what bergamot smells like. What I can tell you, however, is that this candle is a bright — almost fluorescent — citrus with a subtle aquatic “handsome man neck” smell to balance it out and take it into a summer-ready candle that burns like a waterside soundtrack. –OG