Look, here at Refinery29, we’re beauty fanatics. It’s a bit obvious – we’re surrounded by products all day, every day, and we chat about new releases, collaborations and our favourite brands and looks a fair amount.
Beauty is playful and restorative, it helps you outwardly present your inner self, and taking your time applying it can be an act of self-care. Choosing a lipstick, cleanser or perfume is as fun as choosing which meal you’re going to cook, and finding the right product for you can be downright confidence-boosting.
How do we cut through the noise, though? How do we separate the bland from the brilliant, the sticky from the slick, the cheap from the cut above? Well, we’ve trialled a significant number of products in our time and we’re here to let you in on our eternal favourites – from the classics we’ve been loyal to since youth and the new releases living up to the hype, to the picks that just do the job well.
Click through for a peek into the minds of 10 Refinery29 women, all with their eyes firmly on the beauty landscape, and get the lowdown on the products we’re shouting about right now.
Sheloa Nichols, Director of Content Production
"This scrub is a wondrously heavenly mix of vitamin E and non-abrasive sugar particles that keeps your skin feeling moisturised and smooth long after you've used it. If you love scrubs but have been buying 'whatever' until now try it - the difference is like lying between polyester sheets vs Egyptian cotton - suffice to say you'll notice a difference. Hero product."
Jo Malone Vitamin E Body Treatment Scrub, £22, available at Jo Malone.
"If you have curly or wavy hair that tends to get dry on the ends then use this stuff once or twice a week (depending on your 'wash' cycle) and see miracles occur! It actually restores moisture. Some people LOVE the smell (I've gotten a lot of compliments from men actually) and some people just tolerate it because of the effects. I personally think it smells really nice - regardless it is one of my must have products all year round but especially in the summer. It's particularly great for when you are wearing an up-do or braids as it can hold a style and work moisture magic at the same time!"
ORS Olive Oil Lotion, £2.90, available at Boots.
“I have tried every curl product on the shelf and always come back to this – why don't I just stay loyal? I waste a small fortune on the rest that are never as good. I'm a bad curlfriend.”
Boots Essentials Curl Creme, £1.99, available at Boots
“Fresh, gently exfoliating, pore-minimising, smells great and never dries out my skin. The perfect face wash.”
L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection Gentle Exfoliator, £4.49, available at Amazon
“I have a lot of hair on my head – and not much any place else, including my eyebrows. However, I am honestly addicted to my brows being seen and this provides one of everything you need. Can someone please tell them to make a refillable Swiss Army Knife version that has all four elements? It would be SO rad.”
Benefit Defined & Refined Brow Kit, £31.50, available at Debenhams
“Best mascara EVER for long lashes that aren't super-thick. Provides excellent separating infrastructure to get those bad boys into their own lanes and fanning out like falsies.”
L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Mascara, £9.99, available at Boots
“Reminds me of the old version my great aunt used to buy down the lane, it was green in the tube but went on pink and STAYED on. This is the millennial woman's version (and so a little pricer than 69p) but I love it. I'm a big fan of going natural on my lips so I can be more adventurous with my eyeshadow.”
Dior Addict Lip Glow, £24, available at Dior
Alice Casely-Hayford, Fashion & Beauty Editor
“I am obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury's makeup line. I'd go so far as to say I have the biggest collection of Charlotte Tilbury products bar the makeup artist herself. I've gone through three Dolce Vita palettes over the past few years as I wear it pretty much all the time. The brown shade is perfect for everyday eyes, while the red and glitter gold work beautifully for an evening beauty look. The light pearly tone is a great highlight and pigment/ payoff of the glittery gold is unparalleled.”
Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Dolce Vita, £39, available at Charlotte Tilbury
“I like scaring the living daylights out of my boyfriend every Sunday night and slathering this on when he's not expecting it. Frightening face aside, this mask draws out all the impurities thanks to the activated charcoal, and is the perfect way to wind down on a Sunday and ensure my skin is tip-top for the week ahead.”
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, £24, available at Origins
“This was a recent discovery that Cult Beauty founder, Alexia Inge, actually recommended me a couple of months ago. Alexia told me that it would transform my skin and when a beauty pro tells me something, I listen. Now I spray it on liberally, morning and night. It has evened out my complexion and reduced any breakouts. I'm hooked.”
Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Toner Mist, £48, available at Cult Beauty
“I've used this Kiehl's concentrate for a number of years and no matter how many late nights, early mornings and boozy evenings I have, this little blue bottle saves my skin. I always wake up with brighter, smoother, plumper skin if I've massaged this in the night before and always have a spare bottle in my bathroom cabinet.”
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, £38, available at Kiehl's
Jess Commons, Health & Living Editor
"As someone with thin hair, powders like this are legit the only volumising product I've ever found to have tangible results. Just a few sprinkles on your roots under the top layer of hair and you're good to go. Check out Batiste's version too."
Schwarzkopf got2b Powder'ful Volumizing Styling Powder, £4.19, available at Superdrug.
“It doesn’t cost the earth, and it’s legit the only serum I’ve ever used that’s made a marked difference – my skin less blotchy and smoother overall.”
The Ordinary Buffet Serum, £12.70, available at Victoria Health
"Again, one of the few things I’ve used on my skin where I’ve noticed a difference. Plus, it smells delightful. It is spenny but it does take ages to get through.”
Aromatherapy Associates Anti-Ageing Overnight Repair Mask, £62, available at Aromatherapy Associates
“If you’ve got oily skin, this is your dream. It doesn’t slide off, makes your skin matte, and goes on super-smoothly.”
L'Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Foundation, £7.99, available at Boots
“I always wear nail varnish to stop me biting my nails. This is the only one I’ve ever found that can go more than a few days without a chip.”
Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish, £15, available at Nails Inc
“It’s not expensive or fancy, but it does a really good job of going on and staying on until you need it to come off. Which it does really easily with an oil-based makeup remover.”
Seventeen Tattoo Me Semi Permanent Liquid Eyeliner, £3.99, available at Boots
Anna Jay, Art Director
“This is my go-to everyday face moisturiser. It lets the skin breathe, helping to keep breakouts at bay and isn't too heavy, but keeps the skin really well quenched.”
Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream All Skin Types, £42, available at Clarins
“I'm only on my first bottle of this foundation but I know I've found The One. As someone who doesn't wear much makeup, I love how the formula is really light and gives a radiant glow – while still giving great coverage and protecting the skin with SPF.”
Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation, £32, available at Charlotte Tilbury
“If you like your products to sit pretty on your bathroom shelf, & Other Stories has a great range. I love their body wash, with unusual, seasonal scents and a handy pump top for the shower.”
& Other Stories Moroccan Tea Body Wash, £7, available at & Other Stories
“This perfume has been my absolute favourite since I asked a stranger on the tube what it was – and since then I've converted three colleagues. The crisp cucumber and citrus bergamot of Earl Grey makes for the most refreshing of scents. Runner-up to this (one I keep at home and one on my desk) is Miller Harris' Tea Tonique.”
Jo Malone London Earl Grey & Cucumber Cologne, £44, available at John Lewis
“This brow product is my favourite for a lot of reasons. It comes in a variety of shades, so you’re not stuck to ‘dark or light’, and the amount of product the brush holds is really scant, so you can go over your brows a number of times without getting too heavy on the first stroke. Because of this it also lasts longer, and the shape of the brush doesn’t just define but also grooms brows really well.”
Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touch Up, £18.50, available at Bobbi Brown
Natasha Slee, Social Media Manager
"I'm loving Konjac sponges at the moment! After I've removed my makeup at night, I give my face a good massage with just warm water. In the morning, I use it after cleansing with Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser."
The Konjac Sponge Company Pure Konjac Puff Sponge With Bamboo Charcoal, £8.99, available at Cult Beauty.
“I was resigned to tight, sensitive and flaky skin until I tried these Avène products. They’re so soothing and my skin feels insanely soft. I hated wearing any kind of foundation before, because it clung to dry patches, but now I can step out with confidence in my coverage. I keep it pretty simple: cleanse, a spritz of thermal water, moisturise, and use the mask on weekends.”
Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser, £10.50, available at Boots
“I occasionally get dry patches on my cheeks during my period. I find that applying this thickly on the area and letting it set while I get ready for work does the trick.”
E45 Dermatological Cream, £2.35, available at Boots
“I use these every few days when I feel like my skin needs a deeper clean. They’re one of those 'glycolic acid' wonder products people can't stop talking about: exfoliating your skin by removing the outer layer of dead cells. I use it only where it's needed: my chin, around the creases of my nose, and forehead. I don't break out very often, but it's always here when I do. It makes my skin feel super-fresh and clean. Make sure to incorporate an SPF afterwards though, as it makes the skin more susceptible to sunburn.”
Pixi Glow Peel Pads, £24, available at Marks & Spencer
“I go through a lot of this. It makes my natural curls super-soft and defined with minimal effort. Then I smooth them with whatever serum is available at home!”
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Dream Curls Shampoo, £3.99, available at Boots
Sarah Raphael, Editor
"I was recommended this face wash at my first facial last year and it’s transformed my face. It’s not cheap, but the bottle lasts for ages (over three months when used twice a day) and it’s by far the best product I’ve ever used on my skin which is sensitive, uneven and sometimes gets little dry patches. The cleanser is soft, gentle, easy to apply and easy to wash off, and feels so lovely on my skin that I actually really enjoy washing my face every morning and night.
Another SkinCeuticals product – Phyto Corrective Serum – is really pricey at £52 a pop, which was manageable until I introduced my boyfriend to it. Now he douses himself in it and I don’t say anything because I don’t want to discourage his newfound interest in skincare. The product has been particularly good at evening out my complexion.
I’ve fallen out with a lot of moisturisers over the years. Every one I tried (from budget Simple Boots moisturiser to Crème de la Mer) made my face sting for the first few seconds after applying and usually irritated the dry patches I get. And then I found this SkinCeuticals Daily Moisturiser (also recommended by that dreamy facialist, I must send her flowers). It’s not too light or too thick and it never irritates my skin. I don’t bother with night cream as it just gets so expensive so I slap this on morning and night.”
SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser, £27, available at SkinCeuticals
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’ve been using this product since I was 13 and it’s never let me down. The nib is the perfect size and it’s really easy to apply – it’s very forgiving, as liquid liners go. I’ll usually use pencil first, then sort of seal the pencil in with liquid liner, otherwise my pencil smudges.”
Rimmel Liquid Eyeliner, £5.29, available at Boots
“I have black hair and black eyes which often produces heavy, full eyebrows but unfortunately mine are very sparse – you can see my skin underneath. I don’t want to pencil them in as I don’t like to look too made-up, so I just put some of this gel on to make them a bit darker and more defined. Countless makeup artists I’ve interviewed over the years have reaffirmed my view that eyebrows are a game-changer.”
Benefit Gimmie Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel, £20, available at Benefit
"At £3.33, this is where I save on skincare, and the bottles are so big they seem to last forever. Micellar water is a miracle worker that takes off my eyeliner and mascara in like, four seconds. I used to scrub my eyes with makeup wipes – until I got told off by every woman, ever – and I tried all the high street makeup removers and they just felt like paint strip and made my eyes hurt. Micellar water has no perfumes and is so gentle it’s basically an eye bath, which is perfect for my sensitive skin. It’s also suitable for contact lens wearers.”
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, £3.33, available at Boots
“I wasn’t blessed with Bambi eyelashes so the “faux cils” effect appeals to me. I’ve tried so many mascaras over the years and I still can’t beat this one. It doesn’t even last very long – it dries out pretty quickly, which is really annoying and expensive but despite that, it’s the best I’ve found.”
Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils, £25.50, available at YSL Beauty
“ I’ve worn the same makeup for 10 years: pencil eyeliner, liquid eyeliner, mascara, and a stain of lipstick. I never bother with foundation or bronzer or anything because of aforementioned sensitive skin and because I have freckles which I really like and I don’t want to cover them up! So I keep it simple with a pencil eyeliner – lately I’ve got into Tom Ford eyeliners as they have a lovely array of colours and this one is a shimmery brown that I just can’t find anywhere else. I used to wear heavy black eyeliner every day but as I get older, I prefer a softer shade. I do have to trek to Selfridges to get it, though, as they’re not stocked in that many places.”
Tom Ford Eye Defining Pencil, £27, available at Selfridges
Meg O’Donnell, Picture Assistant
"This is legit Unicorn Eyeshadow and as much as it pains me to admit, this will be on my eyelids for the majority of summer."
Topshop Eyeshadow Mono in Milky Way, £7.50, available at Topshop.
"My absolute favourite pastime is a bath and this wonderful creation from The Body Shop is my go-to addition. I love how soft it makes my skin, both during and post-bath! It smells quite similar to how I imagine heaven smelling, and lasts for ages as you only need a small amount. The Almond Milk and Honey collection includes plenty of lovely smellies like body butter, a cleansing bar, hand cream."
The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Calming & Caring Bath Milk, available at The Body Shop
“This smells, again, how I imagine heaven to smell. It's a really nice consistency and it absorbs quickly (win). It then leaves you smelling like a goddess for the rest of the day (win win).”
Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Body Cream, £19.50, available at Rituals
“I got given this as a tester by a friend and now I'm hooked! I would never usually buy products like this (I am quite lazy with my appearance) but will be using this one forevermore. It's almost primer-like and gives a lovely glow when applied. I usually focus on my under-eyes.”
Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme + Global Anti-Aging Wake Up Balm, £46, available at Estée Lauder
“My mum added this little beauty to my Christmas stocking and unfortunately I'm already very nearly out. I'm really lazy when it comes to my hair as well, so this dry oil is perfect for making it seem like I've actually brushed my mane after washing! Plus, anything left over I can use on my body. Brill!”
NUXE Dry Oil Huile Prodigieuse Splash Bottle, £17, available at John Lewis
Georgia Murray, Fashion & Beauty Writer
"This one is pricey, there's no two ways about it. It's also a cult hit, and for good reason. My skin has never felt so pillowy soft, bright and youthful. Plus, it now has added SPF, which is an essential on a day-to-day basis."
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF 30, £82, available at Elemis.
“I can’t hype this concealer enough. It comes in a huge range of shades, has a gorgeous soft and easily spreadable texture, and doesn’t sit on top of your face or make blemishes more obvious (unlike a lot of other concealers). It hides under-eye darkness, the reddest of spots (a saviour for my fair skin, on which hormonal blemishes appear 1000x angrier), and can be subbed for a lick of foundation come 3pm when you need a top-up. Also, its narrow wand and shade variety mean people use it to contour. As soon as I found this gem I haven’t looked elsewhere, and I have one at home and one for on-the-go.”
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, £23, available at Nars
“This is a recent discovery. I’d used scrubs for years but always felt like they were aggravating my sensitive skin rather than buffing the face and shedding dead skin. But with this beauty, you rub over a dry face for about 20 seconds and wait for...stuff...to ball in your hands. Yeah, pretty weird, it’s all dead skin cells. Wash off thoroughly and once you’ve patted your face dry, you look like a newborn baby. It’s that good. I like that it doesn’t feel like dragging rough scrub across my skin, but you still get the super-fresh, bright peel feeling. Only use up to 3 times a week, though, not every day.”
The Body Shop Drops of Light Pure Resurfacing Peel, £18, available at The Body Shop
"Masks aren’t just a beauty treatment for me. They signal a bath, an evening alone, a glass of wine, a book, a treat, self-care, indulgence. So as you’d expect, I’ve tried hundreds. I think I currently have nine Lush masks in my fridge, so I’ll shout out to Mask of Magnaminty, Ayesha, BB Seaweed, Oatfix and this guy. I first heard of this thanks to Drag Queen Detox on RuPaul’s podcast What’s the Tee? If it works for a drag queen... It’s a super-fun colour (Smurf blue), smells like lemon heaven and washes off into a scrub, revealing a super-bright complexion.”
Lush Don't Look At Me Fresh Face Mask, £7.25, available at Lush
“I’ve always been terrified by super-bright colours in makeup. I also never thought that anything beyond mascara was for me, eye-wise, because I have small, hooded eyelids (come at me, boys). But thanks to the wonder of YouTube tutorials, I learned to work colour just above the socket contour, and voilà! You can see colour on my lids. Since then, inspired by Instagram’s makeup pros, I’ve gone wild with brights, and this palette from Sleek is one I return to time and again. Super-pigmented, staying power that lasts 'til a sweaty 3am, and they make my blue eyes pop.”
Sleek I-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Snapshots, £8.99, available at Sleek
“If you’ve ever been lucky enough to see me without makeup on, you’ll know that my eyelashes and eyebrows are nonexistent. It’s not that they’re not there, it’s just that they’re see-through. Transparent, clear, non-ex-is-tent. So you can understand that the thick brow aesthetic hasn’t looked favourably upon me. I get them shaped and tinted every month but when the colour has faded, I look a bit like a newborn mole. Enter Laura Mercier. I could wax lyrical about all of her products but I’ll stick with this: simply use the pomade to set your brows, and pat the powdered colour on with an angled brush, and bam – look alive, people.”
Laura Mercier Sketch & Intensify Pomade & Powder Brow Duo, £20, available at Space.NK
Natalie Gil, News Writer
"Luckily my teenage problem-skin years are behind me, but I still get the odd spot or patch of redness every so often. I apply this moisturiser most evenings (mornings, too, if I’m having a skin crisis) after cleansing, and it magics away most of my problems overnight. If only its reach extended beyond my face!"
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Anti-Blemish Cream, £15.50, available at Boots
"My skin is a bit of an attention-seeker and likes to shine bright like a diamond, so on the rare occasions I wear foundation, it must be mattifying. This one by Nars offers full coverage while still letting you show off your natural complexion. I only need one pump to cover my whole face and, unlike all the other foundations I’ve tried, it doesn’t slide off after two hours!"
Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, £34, available at Space.NK
"Bored of having to reapply lipstick every five minutes, I hopped on the lip pencil train a few years ago and bought many of the shades touted by beauty bloggers (MAC’s Soar is still a favourite). But it was a Sunday Times article by India Knigh t that got me hooked on this Nars pencil. Its universally flattering colour, non-drying consistency and sheer staying power make it pretty much perfect."
Nars Dolce Vita Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, £20, available at John Lewis
"An unoriginal skincare pick, I know, but Pixi Glow Tonic has a cult following for a reason. The glycolic acid gently exfoliates and gets rid of dry patches but doesn’t dry out my skin. After just a few weeks of using it, my skin was transformed – teenage spot scars had faded and my skin’s texture was much more even. Now I won’t go a day without using it."
Pixi Glow Tonic, £18, available at Marks & Spencer
"I only really wear powdered eyeshadow for evenings out, and when I do, it’s usually MAC’s Woodwinked. It’s a warm, browny gold that makes greeny-blue eyes (like mine) pop, but beauty bloggers say it complements most eye colours. Being relatively low-maintenance when it comes to makeup, I usually wear it alone, but apparently it looks great blended with MAC’s Cranberry. Apply them both with a MAC 217 brush and you’re (browny) golden."
MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked, £13, available at MAC
Sadhbh O’Sullivan, Social Media Assistant
"Sodium Laurel Sulphate is sensitive/acne-prone skin's foamy nemesis, so I recently branched out into gel cleansers. This is a big investment but it is worth every penny, from how clean it makes my skin to the smell which is heavenly. A little goes a long way too, so this isn't going to run out any time soon."
Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser, £55, available at Cult Beauty.
“I used to use the whole kit until recently, when I got prescribed a new cleanser for my acne, but I still use this moisturiser. It's perfect for my oily and acne-populated skin because it's very moisturising (good to reduce redness), non-greasy, mattifying and non-comedogenic (no ingredients that can cause spots). You only need a small amount, luckily, so it goes far.”
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions All-Over Clearing Treatment, £21, available at Clinique
“This is my lifesaver! I use this on my overly oily T-zone and it makes me matte without being cakey. Again, only a tiny amount needed. I use the Instant Bright one because the coloured ones are too dark for my pale skin.”
Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfector, £21, available at Clinique
“This helps soothe areas with lots of acne, redness, and hyperpigmentation. It really reduces the redness (so I don't make it worse by putting on makeup), is non-comedogenic AND is SPF 25, preventing any more pigmentation.”
Eucerin Anti Redness Concealing Day Cream, £20.50, available at Boots
“The greatest liquid lipsticks known to man. I basically rotate Lolita II and Exorcism depending on my outfit, but I also highly rate Double Dare and Nosferatu. There are more coming out this year and they look incredible, too.”
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick, £17, available at Debenhams
“A little bit of this on my cheekbones brings me to life. The colour is really flattering and because I don't wear any other skin makeup, I'm a fan of cream highlighters.”
Benefit Watt's Up! £25.50, available at Benefit
"If you don't have a Hyaluronic Acid (HA) product in your skincare routine, you need to revaluate. HA is key for keeping skin hydrated and this version is low-molecular meaning it's far more easily absorbed by the skin, helping to retain moisture skin more efficiently and effectively. I wouldn't be without it."
Hylamide Low Molecular HA Booster, £18, available at Hylamide.
"I usually start my skincare routine with this toner. It contains zinc so it helps to reduce the redness and inflammation of my hormonal break-outs, plus the cooling sensation of a spray is ideal when it's warmer."
La-Roche Posay Serozinc, £8.50, available at Boots.
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