Just In: The Best Beauty Products You Tried in 2020
Sponsor Content Created With Ulta Beauty
By now, you're probably well aware that we test-drive a lot of products at Who What Wear. From skincare and makeup to haircare and tools, we're always deep in a glorious sea of creams, powders, gels, and glosses, looking for the very best items to share with you. But we also want in on what you all are loving, too.With that in mind, we turned to our Instagram followers and asked them to share the best beauty goods they've tried this year because new-to-us products are just as exciting as newly launched ones.
The best part? All items listed would make great gifts. So if you still have some people to tick off your holiday list or just want to indulge yourself, Ulta Beauty will make it happen.
Skincare
Sunday Riley is a Who What Wear–reader favorite, so if you're new to the brand (or a fan) this skin-brightening set comes with three of the brand's best-sellers: Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum, and Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream. Trust us when we say this powerful trio will give your skin a vibrant, healthy-looking glow.
Can you really say your skincare routine is complete if you don't have this anti-aging serum? It works to keep your skin radiant, firm, and smooth.
We're just going to say it: The Ordinary is one of the most affordable and effective lines out there, and this serum is no different. This formula, in particular, is made with a combination of 8% Ascorbic Acid and 2% Alpha Arbutin, which work together to brighten skin and minimize the appearance of dark spots.
Our Instagram followers mentioned the Moisture Surge hydrator a number of times so it only made sense for us to include a full set from the product line. It comes with: a full size of the Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, the Overnight Mask, Lip Hydro-Plump Treatment, and the Eye 96-Hour Hydro-Filler Concentrate. Your skin will be ready to take on winter.
This serum is full of good-for-skin ingredients like chia-seed oil, vitamin-C complex, and lactic acid to firm and smooth skin while also defending against free-radical damage.
This stuff is a miracle in a bottle. Not only does it protect and improve skin from environmental stressors, but it also provides 72-hours of hydration with hyaluronic acid to combat dryness. Really all you need is one dropper to make your skin look more radiant, youthful, and plumped with hydration.
We all have a favorite coconut oil, but how about a coconut oil body wash? This one combines coconut oil and coconut milk, leaving skin soft, nourished, and super clean.
Undaria seaweed is infused with a powerful blend of seed oils, like acai, babassu, and passion fruit to firm skin and reduce the appearance of stretch marks without making skin feel greasy or sticky.
If you struggle with breakouts, this is a great product to add to your lineup. It's the first prescription-strength retinoid that became available over the counter. It expedites cell turnover faster than retinol but is gentler than other prescription-grade retinoids. Tip: If you have a particularly bad blemish, use this as a spot treatment, but it also can be used for lightening existing marks. Be sure to spot-test it first, though, because it can be irritating.
Let's be real: This year has been an exhausting one. So it only makes sense that these cooling and firming eye gels were touted for being a must-have. Add a gel patch to your each under-eye area, and within ten minutes, Icelandic glacial waters and concentrated doses of peptides and botanicals will improve blood flow and help de-puff, tone, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. This is an especially great option for when you need a quick fix!
Like to double-cleanse? Then you need to make this soothing cleansing oil your first step to dissolving makeup and impurities on the skin. Once you slather it onto your face with water, it emulsifies into a hydrating milk that easily rinses off. Oh, and it has the loveliest rose scent, which adds another level of comfort.
Come winter, our skin always needs some extra TLC, and this cream is up for the task. It's made with colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, and ceramide 3 to sooth and visibly improve parched, dry skin. It's thick and luxurious and will keep your complexion looking and feeling its best.
Clinique Happy is a cult-classic fragrance, so it's a no-brainer to swoop up this set featuring three uplifting Happy fragrances in purse-sized sprays: Clinique Happy, Clinique Happy Heart, and Clinique Happy in Bloom. Whenever you're feeling a bit down, consider this a quick and easy way to perk yourself up.
Makeup
Anastasia is basically the brow queen, so we're not surprised that Brow Wiz made the cut. This set doesn't just give you the standard fine-tipped brow pencil, but it does come with a mini clear brow gel, so you can craft the perfect set of brows with detail and precision.
Too Faced has such good lip products, and this one will not only add a glossy sheen to your pout, but it'll also hydrate, nourish, and plump your lips—just in time for some mistletoe action.
This full-coverage foundation will give your complexion a flawless finish that will last all day long. We recommend applying this with a Beautyblender sponge to build up coverage based on your personal preference.
Nars has one of the best lineups of makeup, with its orgasm shade being its most universally flattering of all. So obviously, everyone needs this handy travel set that includes a deluxe makeup bag, a mini orgasm blush to be used on the apples of your cheeks, and a mini multiple stick that can be applied to eyes, cheeks, lips, and body using your fingertips.
We all love a budget-friendly mascara that gets the job done and gets it done well. Not only does this formula layer beautifully and give your lashes lustrous volume, but it won't smudge or flake during the day. The cute pink tube is just an added bonus.
With cold weather upon us, it's essential to keep a healthy glow in your cheeks, and this is the blush that'll do just that. The lightweight formula will blend in seamlessly and give your complexion a lit-from-within glow.
If you're looking to achieve a subtle, lit-from-within glow, here it is.This creamy bronzer lets you build a natural, sun-kissed glow on any skin tone. Not only is it buildable, but the buttery texture melts into skin and makes application easy.
This CC cream is a favorite and for good reason. It hydrates and protects your skin and visibly diffuses imperfections, and the formula is infused with collagen, hyaluronic acid, niacin, peptides, and antioxidants, so it's basically an anti-aging serum, full-coverage foundation, and sunscreen all in one.
Hair
If you want a tool that'll create any type of curl, from polished to defined to voluminous, this should be your next purchase. It includes three barrels that let you create tons of different looks that work for any hair length. The interchangeable barrel design is also really versatile as you can purchase additional T3 barrels to create even more looks.
This quick-drying dry shampoo mist is formulated to absorb oils, eliminate odor, and clean and refresh oily strands, thanks to white bamboo extract and silica. What's more, it's formulated with UV filters to help protect hair from the sun.
The hair dryer to end all hair dryers. Not only is it made for all hair types, but the Supersonic also dries hair incredibly fast, but it does so with heat control to protect hair against extreme heat damage. But arguably the best part? There are a few styling attachments, like the smoothing nozzle and diffuser, which makes it easy to style your hair in different ways depending on your mood.
Infused with rice protein, this weightless texture mist will add hold and volume to your hair while giving it that effortlessly chic, undone style that never gets old.
Next up: 12 seriously good holiday beauty gifts under $100.
Caitie Schlisserman is an L.A.-based executive director with over a decade of branded content and editorial experience. She joined Who What Wear in 2014 as the first branded content editor and has worked her way up to overseeing a team of talented branded content editors and the beauty department of the media revenue team. Before Who What Wear, Caitie helped launch FabFitFun's first subscription box and worked at a beauty startup where she assisted in successfully launching the editorial department.
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