Every Editor I Know Blames Their Good Skin and Hair on These On-Sale Beauty Gems
There are lots of things I love about being a beauty editor, but one of my favorites is how often I'm able to connect with other writing pros within the industry—whether they're fellow WWW colleagues, freelancer beauty writers, or editors at other iconic print and digital communications. (My 12-year-old self would literally scream.)
Due to how frequently I mix with other peeps in the biz—and sip and spill tea about the best (and worst) products—I could easily spend a full five minutes reciting hundreds of unanimously loved formulas. That being said, I've tried the beauty staples every single person I know seems to agree are the absolute shit. These are the product you'll often find WWW Beauty's stories brimming with, but right here and right now, I'm sharing 20 specific editor-beloved products that are fortuitously on sale thanks to Nordstrom's always-epic Anniversary Sale. Keep scrolling! A handful of must-try product gems that really make our skin and hair sing are just below.
Beauty editors aren't the only ones who swear by the pimple-erasing magic of Mario Badescu's iconic drying lotion, celebs are also big fans—including Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who told us she doesn't go a night without it! Oh, and thanks to the Nordstrom gods and goddesses, you'll also get a pack of the brand's inflammation-sloughing drying patches as well.
"This product has gained a cult following for a reason," says our associate beauty editor, Shawna Hudson. "I use it and can confirm that my acne and dark spots improved within a matter of weeks. It has become a staple in my routine due to the powerful (yet gentle) blend of salicylic acid and green tea." If you grab it on sale, you'll get a full size and a travel size, so you'll never have to go without!
"My weekly facial has this treatment at the center," reveals contributing beauty writer, Bianca Lambert. "I've been using this for over a year, and it has continued to smooth my skin without overstimulating."
Makeup artists love to use Sisley Paris's Black Rose Cream Mask on celebrity clients before red carpets, Sydney Sweeney and I both use the brand's Eye Contour Fluid daily, and Executive Beauty Director of Bustle Digital Group, Faith Xue, adores the Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream: "If you have $210 to spend, you won't find a better or more luxurious feeling moisturizer than this one. I have tried every moisturizer under the sun, and this one is by far the best in terms of texture and hydration. Plus, it's really a sensorial experience that's a pleasure to use. I have oily-combination skin, and this moisturizer keeps it balanced and lightly hydrated. It's one of the few products I use to the last drop every single time." Lucky for you, this Nordstrom deal allows you to dabble in all three.
Beauty Writer and Co-Host of the podcast Gloss Angeles, Kirbie Johnson, is one of the most discerning formula and product critics I know within the editor circuit. So, when she recommends a go-to staple like this cleanser from Fresh, I recommend buying, no questions asked. "I've been using this product for years due to the fact that it removes all my eye makeup without making me feel like I opened up my eyes in a chlorinated pool afterward. It doesn't strip the skin, it has a delightful-yet-light fragrance that gives a relaxing sensorial experience for morning or evening, and I simply can't find a better cleanser."
Our associate beauty editor, Katie Berohn, got her hair to grow four inches in six months, and prioritizing these no-crease pure silk scrunchies from Slip is one of the ways she gamed the system.
And, like every other beauty editor we know, she also swears by the brand's beloved silk pillowcases: "Silk pillowcases are a great investment if you want the best hair possible. They make sure you don't wake up with bedhead (no frizz here) and also don't absorb as much product as traditional pillowcases do, so your hair stays hydrated while you sleep."
My former supervisor and Senior Editorial Director at Byrdie, Hallie Gould, loves Too Faced's Full-size Lip Injection Maximum Plump Extra Strength Lip Plumper so much, that she wrote an entire article about it. In short, she says it "plumps lips to the heavens," and if you act fast and buy it during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, you'll get the brand's equally popular Full-size Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper, too.
Out of all of La Mer's very iconic products, I'd say this trio features the most-loved and recommend formulas. That said, I've heard multiple editors wax poetic on The Concentrate, in particular, including contributing beauty writer, Marie Lodi: "I once had a roommate who would steal her mom’s near-empty jar of Crème de la Mer just so she could have a smidgen of cream to use herself. That’s how I am with The Concentrate. Nary a speck goes unused with this precious gold! It contains a concentrated form of the brand’s proprietary Miracle Broth, which helps with inflammation and irritated skin, so when my face is pissed off at me, I whip this baby out. It's like hitting a reset button for my skin. I haven’t found anything else quite like it, TBH!"
And, when it comes to her hair, Lodi also swears by this ultra-high-tech flat iron from T3: "I’m a hard-core devotee to all things T3. There’s probably not another styling tool brand that I use as much. The flat iron and curlers are always great on my overly processed hair, giving it perfect waves, ringlets, and sleekness without ever damaging it. T3’s smart flat iron, the Lucea ID, takes our relationship to a whole new level. You can program the tool according to your hair’s length, texture, and whether or not it's color-treated, so it will know exactly how much heat to deliver to your hair so it will be protected against damage but still make you look like you stepped out of the salon."
"If there is one tool that has been consistently recommended to me over and over again by other beauty editors, it's the NuFace," Berohn confirms. "If you ask someone in the beauty industry with truly amazing, airbrushed-looking skin what their secret is, it’s almost always the fact that they religiously use their NuFace. It lifts, tones, contours, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles."
Considering my frequent in-salon bleach and tone habit, I'm pretty sure all of the hair would have fallen off of my head by now if it weren't for Olaplex's cult-loved No. 3 Hair Perfector (the most transformative hair treatment I've ever used) and the brand's equally satisfying shampoo and conditioner. I have about 20 different shampoo and conditioner duos sitting in my designated hair cabinet, but I still keep re-buying and re-buying this threesome simply because my hair noticeably suffers when I try to do life without them.
Okay, so she might not be an editor, per se, but Sephora Beauty Director Melinda Solares definitely knows a thing or two about A+ skincare finds. "We are moving into fall, which means the weather will be cooling down. The sudden change can stress out our skin, and the cooler temperatures can dehydrate. My point? Our skincare needs to work a little harder. This steamer's micro-steam technology not only creates a deeper clean but also promotes better absorption and effectiveness of the skincare products you apply afterward. Think of your skin as a sponge. When a sponge is damp, it absorbs a lot more than when it is dry. The same is true for your skin."
"I'm a sucker for a hydrating product, and this one isn't just potent—it's super potent," says freelance beauty and fashion writer, Stephanie Montes. "A morning massage with this hyaluronic acid–infused serum leaves my skin feeling bouncy and moisturized all day long."
If you take your summer foot aesthetic as seriously as our editors do here at Who What Wear, you'll add these exfoliating and smoothing foot-peel treatments to your Nordstrom cart, no questions asked.
"I've written about my love for these hair gummies before, as they just really work for me," shares our beauty and wellness editor, Sarah Yang. "After a few months of use, I noticed fuller, thicker hair, and some baby hairs growing in. They also taste really good, which is a nice bonus."
For the softest skin ever, Higgs recommends 54 Thrones' gorgeous body butters. "This luxe body butter is made from Ugandan and Ghanaian shea mixed with avocado and sweet almond oils to seriously soothe and moisturize the skin. Swipe it onto skin still wet from the shower and prepare to be amazed at how soft it feels."
Beauty editors go absolutely nuts for Tata Harper's divine array of cleansers, and this unbelievable set offers two of our all-time faves (the Clarifying and the Regenerating) plus a chic little kabuki brush that enhances your cleansing ritual for even better results.
You'll find these best-selling brow boosters in the makeup bags of most beauty editors, and this epic set is a known fave within the fashion industry too. For instance, model, former fashion editor, and founder of Henning, Lauren Chan, says these are a must for channeling the ultimate bold brows.
According to Who What Wear senior fashion editor, Kristen Nichols, this is one of the only irons that can effortlessly style her fine, naturally curl-defiant strands. In fact, she says it's so good, that multiple friends of hers have purchased it after taking it for a spin.
Next: Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale Is On—18 Beauty Steals to Grab Before Everyone Else
Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.
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