Laura Mercier Flawless Lumière Radiance-Perfecting Foundation
A pearl extract in this medium-to-full coverage base helps reflect light to give your skin an instant glow, regardless of whether you’re standing in front of a ring light or sitting under yellow-y office bulbs. But it doesn’t stop there: The lightweight, moisturizing formula (available in 30 shades) promises to stay put for up to 15 hours, keeping your skin looking flawless and feeling hydrated the entire time.
Alpyn Beauty PlantGenius Survival Serum
This all-natural multitasker is the true definition of a skin-care-makeup hybrid. The formula combines brightening vitamin C and licorice extract with a trio of acids (glycolic, lactic, and azaleic) to knock out dark spots and dullness, while squalene and hyaluronic acid pack a hit of hydration. So, yes, you could use this as your daily skin-care serum, but it also pulls double duty as a primer and/or highlighter, delivering the perfect amount of natural-looking luminosity. One makeup artist explained it as “the all-natural version of Becca Cosmetics’ Backlight Primer.”
Algenist Genius Sleeping Collagen
A vegan form of collagen — which is not usually the case in most collagen-spiked skin-care products — pairs up with the brand’s patented alguronic acid (a humectant that helps the skin retain moisture) in this bedtime treatment that promises to prevent overnight skin dehydration and increase moisture levels. So much so that 94 percent of people said their skin felt and looked more hydrated after using it just once. Beauty sleep, indeed.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Barriair Cream
As a general rule, creams promising to restore and calm your skin are usually, well, super thick and heavy. Not this newbie, which is packed with hard-working, skin-coddling ingredients, but it has an airy, whipped texture that feels more like a gel moisturizer than a heavy-hitting hydrator. There’s hyaluronic acid to moisturize the skin, colloidal oatmeal to soothe it, and ceramides and linoleic acid to help strengthen the skin barrier.
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum
Those looking to up their retinoid game will appreciate that this serum contains an impressive 6.5 percent blend of retinoids and retinoid-like botanicals for smoother, clearer skin. And those botanicals (namely hawaiian white honey, bisabolol, ginger, and prickly pear cactus) don’t just deliver wrinkle fighting benefits; they also help reduce the appearance of the redness, flaking, and other less-than-pretty side effects that can often accompany such a potent retinoid. So much so, that it didn’t even irritate our super sensitive skin.
