It’s not a surprise beauty editors get a lot of samples. It’s important for us to try a product before we’re going to recommend you spend your hard-earned dollars on. Not every item that hits our desk (or, right now, our apartment floor), delivers the way we wish it would. But many do! Some of the best new beauty products for 2020 get us excited enough to want to tell all our friends and even replace them when we run out.
That’s why we started this new series, to give you a peek at what we can’t put down this week—and the week after that and the week after that. These range from at-home peeling masks to self-tanners to even dandruff shampoo and lip balm. You can shop them at Amazon, Sephora, Ulta or your next Target run. We get our beauty products anywhere and everywhere.
Shop some of our favorites this week and check back here for more reviews and new products you need to know about.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Image: INH.
Insert Name Here The Waver
Having lived through the ’90s, I wasn’t sure I needed a hair waver in 2020 but then this cute pink one from INH came into my life. It has the exact right barrel sizes—25mm—for the perfect medium waves that look more beachy than crimpy.
Image: First Aid Beauty.
First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Cream
Because my eyes are sensitive and water really easily, I usually use ultra-gentle eye cream without any active ingredients. But then I discovered this brightening one from First Aid Beauty. It contains niacinamide, pumpkin seed extract and caffeine to help reduce the appearance of undereye circles over time, as well as sodium hyaluronate to smooth and plump. I especially love the addition of peach micro-pearls, which acts as a subtle highlighter under your eyes. All of this and it doesn’t make my eyes burn.
Image: Walmart.
Revlon x Sofia Carson Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Forever Yours
Disney Channel star Sofia Carson is the latest celeb to partner up with Revlon on a vibrant lipstick and nail polish collection. One of my favorite shades is still available to shop. It’s a matte dark pink with the softest, cushion formula.
Image: Lorac.
Lorac LUX Diamond Eye Gloss Trio – Sunset
The glossy eye trend is going strong into fall. This gel-cream formula is one of the best I’ve tried. It’s shockingly pigmented so you don’t need to layer a ton, which can cause creasing. When blended with your fingers, it’s eye-catching and shiny without being heavy and sticky.
Image: Lawless.
Lawless Make Me Blush Talc-Free Velvet Blush
Clean beauty fans, listen up: this soft pressed powder feels like butter going on and lives cheeks looking naturally flushed. All seven shades are vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free and come in recyclable packaging.
Image: Gelo.
Gelo Refillable Hand Soap Starter Kit
If you’re anything like me, you’re going through hand soap faster than ever right now. This new brand makes me feel a lot better about the amount of product I’m using. The kit comes with a reusable, recyclable soap bottle (that can last up to eight years), plus eight refill pods. Simply pop in a pod and fill the bottle with water and you have a nourishing cleanser with essential oils and plant-based ingredients.
Image: Maybelline.
Maybelline New York Color Strike Cream-to-Powder Eye Shadow Pen
Although I like applying makeup, sometimes I get a little lazy with eyeshadow. I just want to swipe and go and these new pens make it so easy. They come in ten shades of bolds and neutrals. Use the cushion tip to apply color to your lash line or all over the lids—the choice is yours. The cream-to-powder formula has zero fallout.
Image: Sigma.
Sigma Complexion Air Brush Set
When you do feel like doing a full face beat with foundation, all you need is these three super-soft brushes. This value set gets you the F53 Air Contour/Blush for blush or bronzer, the F74 Air Domed Buffer for cream products and F80 Air Flat Kabuki for blending liquid and cream products. Each makes makeup look natural on your face, like your skin is just casually that flawless.
Image: Virtue.
Virtue Exfoliating Scalp Treatment
I’ve always liked the idea of scalp scrubs but sugar-based ones often left my dry hair feeling even more brittle. But this whipped cream actually conditions strands while detoxifying the scalp. It contains BHAs to slough off dead skin cells on the scalp, as well as coconut, jojoba and Kalahari melon oils for allover hydration.
Image: Tarte.
Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Trio
According to Tarte, these new lip trios sold out completely of their first shipment on QVC—a whopping 20,000 units. I can totally see why. This formula is equal parts lipstick and gloss and leaves lips feeling hydrated for hours. There’s a surprising amount of pigment and they even plump the lips temporarily.
Image: Algenist.
Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel
If you suffer from dark spots and hyperpigmentation, you know how tough it can be to lighten those areas. This resurfacing at-home peel features a unique blend of AHA, BHAs and PHAs, vitamin C and the brand’s Alguronic acid to reduce the appearance of acne scars and dark spots. Using just once a week, I found my skin looked brighter and smoother already.
Image: Ciate.
Ciaté London Dewy Blush
There are a bunch of blushes in tubes like this but I’m especially into Ciaté’s vegan and cruelty-free ones lately. The gel-like tinted balm makes cheeks looked flushed and natural—not overly made up. Even better, each shade smells like fruit.
Image: Jupiter.
Jupiter The “Gotta Get” Set
It’s so often that dandruff shampoo helps get rid of scalp flakes but isn’t so great for your hair—especially the color. This new line not only takes care of your scalp but also your strands, too. Zinc pyrithione is the active ingredient to banish flaking and irritation and decylene glycol helps control oil. The addition of coconut oil helps hydrate the hair and scalp. It’s sulfate-free and safe for color-treated hair.
Image: Haus Labs.
Haus Laboratories By Lady Gaga: Le Riot Lip Gloss
Lady Gaga came out with nine more shades of her Le Riot Lip Gloss, including this Barbie-pink in Diamond Heart that I cannot stop wearing.
Image: Kinship.
Kinship Mint Mud Deep Pore Detox Mask
This vegan and cruelty-free mask isn’t one of those mud masks that reduces oil by drying out your entire face. Instead, it uses Bentonite and Kaolin clays to clear pores, as well as lactic acid to exfoliate, Moringa to soften skin and Kinbiome to promote a strong moisture barrier. My skin felt clean and smooth with one use—not tight and overly dry.
Image: Dermstore.
SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum
Stylecaster Deputy Editor Alana Peden has seen serious results with this serum that encourages skin cell turnover and helps boost collagen and elastin levels. “If you can mentally overcome the sticker shock of this anti-ager, do so,” she says. “It’s worth every penny. A combination of growth factors and peptides provide a powerhouse of rejuvenation to your skin. It’s the closest thing to Botox in a bottle that I’ve tried, and let’s just say that strangers assume I was born in the ‘90s. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.”
Image: Fresh.
Fresh Sugar Lime Mint Hydrating Lip Balm
Peden also calls this newbie a “refreshing summer cocktail in lip balm form.” Make someone smile in these trying times and gift them this chic hydrator, or indulge yourself.
