People are always interested in hot new products. Some are more interested in skincare, haircare, or whatever your preference, one of the hardest tasks is actually selecting a number of products that are the best of the best and whittling them down to a top 25. The past twelve (12) months alone had a staggering number of launches. In this feature, I will be spotlighting or more like expertly curating an edit that is brimming with essential skincare, makeup, hair, and more.
- Drunk Elephant-Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum
The name sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But never mind that we are here to talk about this serum! This beauty is a mega-strength exfoliating serum that can be used both AM and PM. It visibly improves skin’s texture, tone, radiance, and bounce with 10% lactic acid and 11 signal peptides. This serum is best for all skin types and focuses on skin concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles, dullness, and uneven texture.
- Lys Beauty-Triple Fix Serum Foundation
Let me just start off by saying Lys Beauty is black-owned. This beaute made it to my top 25 because it is a luxuriously clean (vegan) skincare-infused serum foundation with buildable, light-to-medium coverage in an array of shades, contains Hyaluronic acid, and is great for dullness and uneven skin textures.
- SheaMoisture Papaya & Neroli All Day Frizz Control Shampoo & Conditioner
If you are a lover of tropical scents, you are going to love this Shampoo and Conditioner! It is a paraben and sulfate-free shampoo & conditioner best for dry hair and wavy and curly hair. The shampoo helps to reduce frizz, while the conditioner locks in moisture and smooths out strands bringing your kinks and curls back to life.
- Tatcha – The Essence Skincare Boosting Treatment
This Japanese beauty brand has really been making waves over the past couple of years. Suitable for all skin types, this is a skincare-boosting treatment of 100 percent Hadasei, a trio of fermented Japanese superfoods proven to hydrate, resurface, soften, and plump skin and addresses skin concerns such as fine lines/wrinkles, dryness, and dullness, plus who doesn’t love a good facial essence?
- Fenty Beauty by Rihanna- Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream
The Fenty brand easily became a staple in my makeup drawer since its launch back in 2017. I could not have a top 25 and exclude one of my favourite brands. They have some of the most innovative products and continue to really shake things up when it comes to black representation. One of my favourite products from them right now is the Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream. It is definitely a cult-fave lip gloss, with pure, creamy colour and incredible shine, that instantly leaves your lips looking smoother and more voluminous. The formula is free of parabens and phthalates. It is also gluten-free, and cruelty-free.
- Dyson – Airwrap Styler
Have you ever wanted your curling wand to have multiple uses? Well, Hallelujah to the Beauty Gods! This is a styler that is engineered for multiple hair types yes girl this includes those kinks and styles, featuring Coanda air styling and propelled by the Dyson digital motor so you can curl, wave, smooth, and dry with no extreme heat whatever your sweetheart desires.
- Danessa Myricks Beauty – Twin Flames
One swipe from the doe-foot of Danessa Myricks Beauty Twin Flames delivers a holographic, multidimensional gleam. You all know aunty Danessa does not come to play! her products are highly pigmented and the colour payoff from one swipe will leave your knees weak. I can’t even describe how her products take your breath away, all I can say is, buy it and try it! I had to put this product on my top 25 list because Danessa Myricks’ makeup is so revolutionary that she leaves me speechless every single time! Tick!
- Patrick Ta- Major Sculpt Creme Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo
I love a good bronzer! I have been obsessed with this bronzer since I got my hands on it, the only thing is that I wished is the colour spectrum had more selections for my deep dark skin sisters, however, this is a luminous cream-and-powder duo that compliments each other. The lighter creme shade shapes and defines, while the talc-free powder finishes with a hint of warmth that effortlessly shapes and defines for a beautifully dimensional look and if you are a bronzer love me, you are going to love the colour pay off.
- Lancôme -Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Primer
When I saw this product on Instagram, I was gagged! I have always been a big fan of Lancome, even though the pockets don’t run that deep sometimes, I selected this primer to make my top 25 list because it is by far one of the best mascara primers that I have used to date. It contains Vitamin C that contributes to conditioning your eyelashes. It is without sulfates SLS & SLES, formaldehyde, phthalates. Just one coat of this primer, and you can give the appearance of a major lash lift and the appearance of longer, thicker, and more volumized lashes.
- OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Eye Crème
Infused with Vitamin C, Collagen, great for dark circles dullness and uneven texture, this banana bright eye crème is a black girl’s dream come true when it comes to having brighter and bouncier skin and it provides a beautiful base just before applying your makeup.
- Luna Mini 3
After committing to my fitness journey I had to gain some knowledge on how to pack a gym bag, as a beauty and makeup lover. I remember when I saw this Luna device ad and it really caught my attention, anyone who spends a good 30 minutes to 1 hour in the gym doing HIIT knows how unclean you can feel after all that sweating. This is a compact, gym-bag-friendly cleansing device that offers a 30-second glow boost. It was specially designed to be transported and to care for active skin. Gentle yet powerful T-Sonic pulsations and extra-soft touch-points work together to effortlessly remove dirt, oil, and sweat for fresh, visibly glowing skin. Just one use and you are going to fall in love with it! Is it really necessary? Not really, but who doesn’t love a good facial?
- Lancôme – Clarifique Exfoliating & Hydrating Face Essence with Glycolic Acid
Please do not google the price of this! We already know Lancôme is a high-end brand, so should we really be surprised? I had to add this face essence to my top 25 because the two key ingredients glycolic acid and grapeseed oil, specifically focuses on nourishing the skin while minimizing the appearance of large pores for smooth and radiant-looking skin.
- Saie – Sun Melt Natural Cream Bronzer
Did I say that I love bronzers? Saie (pronounced say) is a hot new brand that quickly rose to the top and even received an Allure best of beauty award for the dewy skin tint moisturizer, however, I am in love with this bronzer it is a lightweight, creamy balm that gives a natural velvet finish that melts into skin for an easy, sun-kissed glow.
- Glow Recipe – Watermelon Glow AHA Pink Dream Body Cream
I have chronically dry skin, I sometimes wish I can take some of the oils out of my face and just lather it all over the rest of my body that is forever dry, I always have to look for body creams that have the labels hydrating or moisturizing. When I saw the GR had their own body creams, I got pretty excited and I had to try it for myself and I had to add this to my top 25 list! It is a lightweight body cream that hydrates and smooths, in Glow Recipe’s favourite watermelon scent.
- Maybelline New York Falsies Lash Lift Ultra Black Mascara
I have at least 10 of these mascaras in my makeup drawer ! I kid you not! I was searching for the perfect mascara to wear to work daily that gave me some volume and some thickness. I instantly fell in love with this baby . It concentrates colour at the roots and curls your ends to the high heavens, mimicking the surreal appeal of fluttery strips. I swear by it, and it is among my top 5 blackest mascaras I own. Every time I wear it, I am constantly asked if I am wearing lashes and I always reply ‘”no girl these are mine!”
- Saie – Dew Blush Liquid Cheek Blush
Saie it isn’t so! Yes another Saie product has made my list! And why? I could not leave this amazing liquid blush off my list that has so many skincare ingredients in it and I want to highlight some of them that are in this clean beauty brand – Mulberry: Known to help brighten skin and fade pigmentation. – Elderberry: Fights free-radical and environmental damage and last but not least Evening Primrose: Helps moisturize and soothe dry and irritated skin. This liquid cheek blush is a water-based gel blush with a creamy, blendable formula that gives skin a healthy flush of seamless color.
- Pound Cake – Cake Batter in Maraschino Cherry
The name alone makes you want to break your diet and go get a slice of cake, right? This baby is so pigmented that just one swipe of Pound Cake’s Cake Batter in Maraschino Cherry delivers instant opacity — and a hint of badassery — with shine-free carnation colour. It is the classic red lipstick for dark skin beauties.
- Tower 28 Beauty – BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush
Beach, please! Please read that line again, but slowly this time. Tower 28 BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush had to make my top 25! I do believe this is probably my third blush that has made this list, but I did say it was a hard task chopping this list down to only 25 selections. This beauty is a multitasking tinted balm for ultra-glowing lips and cheeks—minus the cakiness and harsh lines and who doesn’t does love a multitasking product? let me highlight some of the main ingredients – Green Tea Extract: Calms skin and contains a natural antioxidant.- Aloe Vera Extracts: Hydrate and soothe skin. This product is vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free.
- Benefit Cosmetics-POWmade Waterproof Brow Pomade
Anybody who knows me, know I don’t particularly reach for pomades, I can’t stand a pomade, however, as of recent, I found myself searching for them and I ran into this one and I have to say, although I am still not quite there with pomades yet, I think I have a love/hate relationship with this one, the POWmade waterproof brow pomade from Benefit. What I love about it most is that it is waterproof and I love the beach so on days when I want to zhush up just a little before I meet my boo, I always add just a tiny bit of this and it would hold up throughout the day. It is a creamy-feeling, nondrying pomade that allows you to fill, sculpt, and define your brows with a natural-looking depth and dimension that apparently is supposed to hold up for 36 hours, but who wears make up that long?
- TOCCA – Florence Hair Fragrance
Yes, you read that right. It is a hair fragrance! I love braids, I wear braids a lot, and just as much as I love my body smelling good I want my braids smelling good too- So when I saw they had fragrances for hair, I had to jump on that bandwagon and get a fragrance for my hair. This one the Allure best of beauty back in 2020 and has the most subtle floral scent you can even wear it on your body.
- Sephora Collection- Pro Blush Brush #96
A multipurpose brush, and again, I love anything that can be used for multiple things, this brush is perfect for applying and building color on the cheeks I also use it to apply translucent powders. It has a rounded brush head with soft bristles that allows me to easily apply and build color to the apple of my cheeks, leaving the perfect deposit of color. Just a side note, this brush is from the PRO Brush Collection which is made up of 30 brushes with the highest-quality, hand-shaped vegan synthetic bristles.
Kosas – Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel
Have you ever wanted just a little bit more volume to your eyebrows without having to use an actual eyebrow pencil? Girl me too! Then allow me to introduce you to this tinted mousse gel. It gives the illusion of light airy, feathery brows, boosted by haircare actives that condition and support full brow health, it is especially for persons who have thinning hair. It has no silicones, is vegan, long-wearing, gluten-free, and cruelty-free, and contains – Castor Oil: Nourishes hair for naturally lush, shiny brows.
– Panthenol Pro-Vitamin B5: Helps revive brows and Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1: Supports healthier, fuller hair.
- Shiseido- Synchro Skin Soft Blurring Primer
Every oily skin girl has to have a hydrating primer! I know it probably sounds counterintuitive, but, the reason why our face is so oily is because it lacks that balance of moisture that is needed to control our natural oils. I started using hydrating primers and I have noticed a significant difference in how my makeup holds up throughout the day. I fell in love with this primer because not only does it blur my very large pores but it also hydrates the skin. It is a weightless, water-based primer that is suitable for all skin types, visibly mattifies, refines pores, and blurs the skin with light-diffusion technology.
- Bite Beauty- Agave+ Weekly Vegan Lip scrub
Exfoliate! Exfoliate! Exfoliate those lips! Scrubbing your lips before you apply your lipstick or gloss is actually a thing, for those of us in the back who did not know this. I love this lip scrub from Bite Beauty because it is a three-in-one lip scrub to cleanse, exfoliate, and condition that leaves you with smooth, soft lips, and has a delicious vanilla flavor. I decided to add this to my top 25 because it is the best lip scrub I have used to date.
- Youth to the People- Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid is like a superfood for my oily skin, pun intended. I never thought I would be using kale and spinach on my face, but I love using them in my breakfast smoothies– it dawned on me that kale is rich in vitamins so it has to be good for my face. This moisturizer is lightweight and suitable for combination and oily skin types with antioxidant-rich superfoods, cross-linked hyaluronic acid, and essential phytonutrients. Also, it addresses skin concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles, dryness, and loss of firmness and elasticity with its active ingredients -Kale: rich in skin-loving phytonutrients and vitamins C, E, and K.- Hyaluronic Acid: A natural hydrator is known for its incredible moisture-retaining properties.- Green Tea: This plant powerhouse is packed with nourishing antioxidants.
On a final note, when I debate about skincare and beauty, I always reiterate the fact that skincare does not just stop at your neck. Love all of you and take care of all of you!
xoxo
Editor’s Bonus Picks
- Asevida – Daily Zen Radiance Cream
I recently caught up with Shannon Cann, founder of this brand. She is absolutely one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs you would ever want to come across. If you are looking for the best in clean beauty and also would like to support Caribbean-owned brands at the same time – Asevida Skincare is it. Their Daily Zen Radiance Cream makes every day better.
- Yany Beauty Moisturizing Lipstick
What I love about this pigment-rich lipstick is that it makes your lips pop every time! What’s even better is that it also doubles as a moisturizer, leaving your lips soft and supple with each use. Despite the richness of the colors, it is super lightweight and applies smoothly and evenly. This lipstick brand also works for all skin tones. So, you can always find the perfect shade for any occasion.
- B Fragranced Embellish Perfume + Lotion Bundle
This fragrance set screams elegance and glam! The set is the perfect size for the sophisticated woman on the go, as it fits perfectly in your purse to take along with you.
This fragrance set screams elegance and glam! If you like a light yet alluring scent, then you’ll love the B France Embellish Perfume. The lotion has a similar underlined scent and feels very soothing. This set is the perfect size for the sophisticated woman on the go.
- Koko Rose Baby Face Formula
The Koko Rose Baby Face Formula works wonders if you struggle with skin blemishes like regular breakouts or dark spots. If you wear makeup, this is definitely a powerful yet gentle wash that can help to thoroughly cleanse your pores and even your skin tone.
- Koko Rose Magic Stick
As the name suggests, this is literally like magic. The Koko Rose Magic Stick is perfect for getting rid of razor burns, ingrown hair, and other skin blemishes. So, those dark spots under your arm, on your knees, or other sensitive areas won’t be a problem for too long if you start using this. Moreover, if you suffer from hyperpigmentation or uneven and rough skin, you’ll see a dramatic difference not long after using this. I absolutely love it.