I’ve Tried 53 New Beauty Products in the Last 2 Months, and These 7 Are My Favorites

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Hi, everyone! It’s time for another installment of my favorite oh-my-god-she-tries-a-LOT-of-beauty-products story! This time, I culled the list from a mind-blowing 53 new products—all of which I’ve personally experimented with over the past two months—down to my seven absolute favorites. Also wanted to update you all that my white-T-shirt review story (inspired by the jeans story I did a couple of months ago) is still in the works, and if you have any favorites you want me to include or styles/brands that you’re curious about, please let me know in the comments below.

U Beauty The Plasma Lip Compound ($68)

I’m annoyingly into U Beauty products—annoying because they’re pricey, but honestly so good I can’t stop buying—but I will be honest, I paused when I saw founder Tina Craig’s newest addition to the lineup: The Plasma Lip Compound. “It looks like a Juicy Tube but is priced like Tom Ford, and color isn’t even involved,” I grumbled to myself when the package arrived. But then, I tried it. And tried it. And tried it some more. And I kept going back to it because it’s actually really smart.

The compound is a topical treatment for your lips that moisturizes, softens, and plumps. Plus, you can use it at night on those fine little vertical lines you get around your lips, which are the bane of my existence. I don’t have lip filler—not that there’s anything wrong with it—but after two weeks of using it, I noticed my lips just looked fuller but in a super-natural way. I keep thinking of it as a really lovely eye cream for your lips, and I’m unfortunately really into it. Thanks a lot, Tina.

Lawless Conseal the Deal Full Coverage Concealer ($26)

You’ve probably heard me mention that I don’t wear concealer. It’s not because I don’t get under-eye circles or pimples; it’s because I mostly just don’t care about them. And also because I think concealers are unflattering. If you have any fine lines around your eyes—all of us, let’s be honest—it invariably seems to settle into those grooves and then crack when you smile. While I adore Anne Bancroft as Miss Havisham in the 1998 version of Great Expectations, I don’t particularly want to emulate her beauty look. #iykyk

But when I heard Lawless was coming out with a new concealer, I have to admit I was curious. The brand is a favorite of mine (it has the playfulness, color, and full-on-ness of ’90s MAC but with clean formulations, plus the founder, Annie, is a wonderful human with a cool backstory), and I’ve been impressed historically, so I gave it a shot, and honestly, it’s a 10/10 for me. The coverage is medium-to-full, but it disappears into your skin, and best of all, IT DOESN’T CREASE. And no, I don’t use a primer because, as I’ve said before, I’m lazy.

Live Tinted Huestick Corrector ($24) in Origin

I am embarrassed to admit this, but sometimes I find beauty products in unusual places in my house, and I have no idea how they got there nor have any recollection of getting them. Live Tinted’s correcting stick is one of those products—in this case, discovered in a basket my daughter uses to transport her Paw Patrol dogs around the house?—but I am so GLAD I found it.

At first glance, I just thought it was an awesome orange-red fat lip crayon, and that was great enough for me. The color is excellent, the formula glides on, and it just feels excellent in your hand. But then I realized that it’s also an Allure Best in Beauty award winner (2020 and 2021!) because it also is excellent for cheeks and on your lids, and it can be used as a color corrector for dark circles or spots, like melasma or hyperpigmentation. And then it hit me: This is the viral product by Live Tinted’s founder, Deepica Mutyala, that I knew about but hadn’t tried myself.

Anyway, while it’s new to my makeup drawer, it’s obviously a legendary product and absolutely worth it. Honestly might be the hardest-working multitasker I’ve come across in years. Definitely worth your money.

Virtue Flourish Volumizing Styler ($42)

The brilliant celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel—he’s Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Garner, Charlize Theron, and more’s go-to talent—is also the creative director of this excellent haircare (and beyond) brand, which has won tons of awards and is beloved by so many. I’m a fan of the brand’s Full Shampoo and Full Conditioner (another 2020 Best in Beauty award winner) but have recently also started using the Flourish Volumizing Styler, which has helped my fine hair tremendously. (On that note, if you have postpartum hair loss, stress-induced hair loss, or thinning hair, you should definitely check out Virtue’s whole Flourish category, which is drug-free and pretty remarkable.)

And if you have a chance, I very much recommend listening to the recent episode of the Who What Wear podcast I did with Adir, in which we discussed Kristen Stewart’s epic award season hair, where he gets his inspiration for all his A-list clients, and an incredible story about having to do Jessica Biel’s hair for an overseas premiere when his hair kit went missing.

Supergoop Every Single Face Watery Lotion SPF 50 ($34)

I’m the Goldilocks of sunscreen—picky to the max—until I met Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40, which has been my go-to for a while now. So when I heard the brand had a new option on the market, I was intrigued because I like so many of its products. (The CC Cream is another one I use on a very regular basis.)

In terms of texture, the new Every Single Face Watery Lotion really lives up to its name; it’s very lightweight, blends into my skin in seconds with no white cast, and might be the thinnest-feeling sunscreen I’ve ever used. It also doesn’t sting my eyes if I sweat while wearing it. (I put it on before doing one of my Ness trampoline cardio classes and didn’t cry once, which is a big bonus for sensitive-eyes me.)

While I still really love my Unseen Sunscreen, I do appreciate having a more traditional texture in the Every Single Face Watery Lotion; Unseen has more of a velvety gel consistency, which took some getting used to, tbh. The new one also protects against pollution, which Unseen does not, which I like. All in all, I absolutely recommend this sunscreen without reservations!

Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick ($26) in L’Avenue

I have always been a lipstick person, and when I say I love it all, I mean that. Give me anything from the faintest balm-like color to a full-on pigmented hue, and I’m happy. That said, while I will always have a tube of Charlotte Tilbury’s perfectly bold red-orange Tell Laura lipstick in my bag, I’ve found myself drawn to easier, lighter formulations over the past couple of years. I want color and comfort, which can be tricky to get just right.

Enter Merit’s new Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick. It’s the opposite of drying, the colors are all buildable, and the formula is so forgiving you can put it on without a mirror while running after your spirited 2.5-year-old, and it will still look excellent. My inner ’90s middle schooler is partial to the berry brown of L’Avenue, but the neutral pink Baby and more fuchsia-forward berry Fashion are also top picks.

Kora Organics Noni Glow Sleeping Mask ($50)

Are you stressed? I’ve been feeling it more than usual lately. Maybe it’s because the U.S. is going through its Pluto Return (happens approximately once every 250 years, usually signals the end of an empire), or perhaps it’s because my Uranus Opposition is happening this year (usually happens in your early 40s, it’s when Uranus is in the opposite sign of when you were born and is typically associated with classic midlife-crisis behavior), or the cumulative effect of a global pandemic, a war and genocide in Europe, and having two small children, but everything is taking a toll, and that toll is showing up on my face.

My skin has been a little blah lately, so when a tube with the words “glow” and “sleeping mask” showed up at my house, I was like, yes, immediately yes. It’s meant to be used as your last step before sleep—and not on nights you use retinol—and is a super-thin gel mask that gives you bouncy, glowy skin in the morning. As always with masks, I don’t really use it on my chin, which still is prone to delightful breakouts, instead focusing the products on my mid-to-upper face. I try to put it on at least 30 min before I go to sleep and haven’t had any pillow transfer or issue with this process.

As always, thank you for being here, and thank you for sticking around. If you have any questions or concerns, or want me to touch on any topics in particular, I’m all ears. Leave a comment on Hi Everyone’s Bulletin or DM me on Instagram—I’m @hillarykerr—my inbox is always open!