I Tested So Many Celeb Beauty Brands This Year—These 24 Items Earned My Stamp of Approval
As a beauty editor, I test skincare, makeup, and hair products for a living, and I'd like to think I deliver discerning analyses of them. Over the last year, I've tested hundreds of products from hundreds of brands, including celebrity ones. While I've definitely experienced a sort of celebrity-beauty-brand fatigue (like so many other people I know), I'll be the first to say that some of the A-listers' products are legit. So legit that they've become staples in my personal beauty routine. That's the highest praise I can give to a product.
I thought I'd share my favorites, hoping they would help you sort through the ever-burgeoning celebrity beauty market. Keep scrolling to see them all, from creamy eyeliners that come in the best shades to a signature scent–worthy perfume, an acne-clearing serum, and beyond. Consider this my definitive list.
Victoria Beckham — Victoria Beckham Beauty
In the realm of celebrity beauty brands, I'll back Victoria Beckham's first and foremost. In my opinion, her products are chic, functional, and effective, and this eyeliner pencil is no exception. It has a creamy formula that glides across the skin without skipping or pulling. Each stunning shade (there are so many to choose from) is highly pigmented and on point. They're also smudge-proof, waterproof, and long-lasting. Oh, and they come in three finishes—velvety matte, high-shine shimmer, and sparkling jewel. I'm obsessed.
Victoria Beckham Beauty's Lid Lustre Shimmering Eyeshadow Pots are so luxe. Each one has a silky, fine-pressed powder formula that glides onto the skin like a dream. (I usually just use my finger to apply them as a result.) They're infused with real crystals for a shiny, shimmery, ethereal effect.
Next up, I want to gush about this highlighter stick. It has a glass-like, pearlescent glow that's free from glitter. Translation? It makes my skin look chic and angelic. I either swipe it on straight from the stick or apply it to my fingers and tap it onto my nose, cheekbones, and Cupid's bow for a celestial glow.
Most contour sticks are big and chunky, which makes it difficult to use them with precision. This one is different. It feels like a pen when you hold it in your hand, and it delivers ultra-targeted color where you need it. For me, that's under my cheekbones, along my jaw, and down the sides of my nose. I always look natural yet sculpted after I use it.
Leave it to Posh Spice to create a lip product that's so, well, posh. The Bitten Lip Tint has a unique, cushiony, gel-like texture that sinks into the lips and provides a stunning, sheer wash of color. Thanks to a hydrating formula, it never, ever dries out my lips. I like all the colors, but I use Poupette—a soft melon shade—the most. It's actually the exact lip color I'm wearing in the picture above.
This fragrance was inspired by a trip Victoria Beckham took with her husband, David, to the Italian coast in the '90s. It was made to capture the excitement of a new romance, the fresh sea air, and the scent of greenery wafting into the room. It's citrusy and woody with notes of bergamot, amber, and vetiver. While it's admittedly more of a summer scent for me, I'll always keep a bottle of this close by.
Miranda Kerr — Kora Organics
This two-in-one product can be used as an exfoliating scrub or detox mask. I use it once a week, and when I say it gives me the smoothest, brightest, and softest skin, I mean it. It's the closest I've ever come to having skin like the brand's founder, supermodel Miranda Kerr.
It's all thanks to ingredients like turmeric extract, mineral powder, and Aspen bark that target discoloration and skin texture. Truly, my at-home spa nights and Sunday resets wouldn't be complete without this product.
I keep this hydrating face mist on my desk so I can spritz my face with it every so often to hydrate and refresh my skin. It's formulated with micro-algae, aloe vera, and sea water. The first is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants. The second is hydrating and soothing. The third is mineral-rich and glow-boosting. I love that it has a refreshing mint scent thanks to the addition of peppermint and palo santo essential oils. It reenergizes me sans caffeine.
Scarlett Johansson — The Outset
I recommend this face oil to everyone—even people who say they don't like face oil. That's because it's moisturizing without being heavy and smoothing without being greasy. Ingredients include a plant-based hydration complex, abyssinian oil, and avocado oil. Together, they deliver long-lasting moisture, essential fatty acids, and protective antioxidants to the skin. This is my winter skincare secret weapon.
Michelle Pfeiffer — Henry Rose
I don't even know where to start when talking about this perfume. I just love it so much. If I could personally thank Michelle Pfeiffer for creating it, I would. It's a warm, sweet gourmand scent that centers on vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. The last time I wore it, I had three people compliment me in the span of a few hours. My boyfriend loves it, and my 25-year-old sister and 62-year-old mom are both vying for a bottle. Enough said.
Lady Gaga — Haus Labs
Leave it to Lady Gaga to create such a flawless-looking foundation. The medium-coverage formula disguises dark circles, redness, blemishes, you name it. It has a featherlight feel and even offers skin benefits. Fermented arnica reduces redness and protects the skin with antioxidants.
The matching concealer is just as good, if not better. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it's my favorite concealer of all time. Yep, I said it. The creamy formula is imperceptible on my skin, yet it covers everything I want it to. I can't recommend this enough!
If you like a powder blush, let me introduce you to one of my favorite ones—Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush. The pressed powder is so light and silky that it applies like a dream over foundation and concealer. I just tap a fluffy brush into the compact and whisk it across my skin for perfect color. But be warned: This is highly pigmented. You just need a touch of it to achieve a flushed look.
Combine a lip gloss, balm, plumper, and oil into one product, and you have Haus Labs' PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze. The four-in-one formula is so innovative, and the shades are stunning. I always get asked what my lip combo is whenever I wear this.
Selena Gomez — Rare Beauty
This is one of the best highlighters on the market. While I usually prefer a more subtle shine, the high-impact effect of this highlighter looks incredible when placed precisely on my cheekbones or the inner corners of my eyes. Be careful, though. The powder can break easily in the compact, so try not to drop it!
I love this blush. It has a liquid-cream formula that melts onto the skin and provides a "soft-focus" color. It makes my cheeks look like they belong in a Renaissance painting, and I love it.
Rihanna — Fenty Beauty
There are many Fenty Beauty products worth your time and attention, but I want to focus on this lip stain. It has a unique oil-in-water formula that quenches the lips in moisture. It goes on glossy, and after some time has passed, leaves behind a soft tint of color. It's the lip product I reach for when I want an unfussy and low-maintenance yet high-impact look.
Hailey Bieber — Rhode
Lip balms and glosses tend to fade off my lips quickly, so when this one lasted for over an hour the first time I tried it, I was hooked. I love how thick and cushion-like it feels on my lips. I also love how moisturizing it is with ingredients like shea butter, peptides, and babassu. There are at least three of these littered around my house at any given time.
This moisturizer brought my skin back from a dry, irritated, rosacea flare-up, and I've been using it on and off ever since. The rich yet lightweight cream softens my skin, while shea butter, squalane, peptides, açaí, and niacinamide go to work to hydrate, soothe, protect, and plump it.
My friend practically begged me to try this blush. Thinking I didn't need any more cream blushes in my collection, I put it off. Eventually, I couldn't ignore her glowing recommendation any longer, and it was love at first swipe. Not only is the formula super creamy and blendable (it melts into the skin), but the colors are stunning. This one, called Toasted Teddy, is my absolute favorite. It never fails to make me look bright and sun-kissed, like I just got back from a beach vacation.
Drew Barrymore — Flower Beauty
I love how Drew Barrymore's brand, Flower Beauty, is so affordable and accessible. While I have multiple makeup products in my collection, I've been loving this silky powder blush recently. The shades look even prettier on the skin than they do in the flower-shaped pan.
Lili Reinhart — Personal Day
I had the opportunity to interview Lili Reinhart about her new skincare-meets-mental-health brand, Personal Day. The passion and personal experience were palpable, and I've been a fan of her acne-clearing products ever since. This one uses salicylic acid to clear breakouts, azelaic acid to reduce redness, and niacinamide to even the skin tone. The best part? It's non-irritating. That's something other acne treatments can't say.
I know so many people with acne-prone skin who fear using too much or the wrong kind of moisturizer. This one is safe for acne-prone and sensitive skin, so you don't have to worry. It's formulated with mevalonic acid, which is a new-to-market ingredient that's known for skin repair. It provides deep hydration without pore-clogging side effects.
Halsey — About-Face
I've already waxed poetic about Halsey's beauty brand—more specifically, these Matte Fluid Eye Paints. They pack a punch of pigment and have a budge-proof finish so the color stays put all day long. The creative shade range is just a bonus.
Kaitlyn McLintock is an Associate Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. Although she covers a wide range of topics across a variety of categories, she specializes in celebrity interviews and skincare and wellness content. Having lived in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, she recently relocated back to her home state of Michigan where she works remotely. Prior to Who What Wear, she freelanced for a variety of industry-leading digital publications, including InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, Hello Giggles, and Coveteur. Before that, she held a long-term internship and subsequent contributor position at Byrdie. When she's not writing, researching, or testing the latest and greatest beauty products, she's working her way through an ever-growing book collection, swimming in the Great Lakes, or spending time with family.
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