7 Life-Changing Beauty Products You’ll Wish You’d Known About Sooner

Tried, tested, and loved by BuzzFeed editors.

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1. Peripera's Peri Ink is tattoo-like lip color that is honestly so damn cute both on your mouth and in the packaging.

Sarah Han / Via BuzzFeed

When I wandered into the Club Clio store (where they sell all K-beauty products), I got sucked into the employee’s whole “would you like to try these new products because they would look so good on you” ploy. It worked. And because of a weird combination of guilt and laziness toward returning, I didn’t try this lip tint for a long time. But when I finally did, OH BOY, I fell in love.

Obviously it doesn’t have the same intense staying power as matte lipsticks, but the color stays on pretty damn well for something that’s so liquidy — and I have consumed many messy meals to prove it. And I didn’t realize how insanely nice and comfy it is NOT to have my lips feel like the Sahara. Brilliant. Life-changing. 05 Soul Burgundy, the shade, is also the prettiest bright-but-not-too-bright pink that I basically wear every day because just seeing it makes me happy. The watery, tint-y formula also lets you build it up and control the boldness of the color, which is great because I need more control in my life. And as a hater of lip gloss (sorry, not sorry), I was so delighted to find that it wasn’t sticky at all and still dried relatively fast. The applicator is also so easy to use that I could ~probably~ put it on without a mirror. Probably. And the tiny bottle, eep, I will forever be a sucker for cute packaging!

What’s great is that Peri’s Ink also now comes in a velvet (matte) formula, so I can always go matte if I wanted. Or, as I’m doing now, just dip into both worlds of matte and not-so-matte. —Sarah Han

Sarah is wearing Shade No. 5, Soul Burgundy. Get it on Amazon for $9.66. Or, if it's sold out, you can buy it here for $14.

2. Overtone's Go Deep Weekly Treatment is a conditioner that slowly deposits color into your hair over time while you're IN THE SHOWER.

Claire de Louraille / Via BuzzFeed

I had never dyed my hair before getting my mermaid hair and was launched into a world of hair care I never knew existed. I bought two different kinds of very expensive, very fancy for-colored-hair shampoo and conditioner, only washed my hair in freezing cold water (which is a miserable experience), and got fancy hair oils to keep my color vibrant and my hair healthy, but even with all that effort, my lavender ends had faded away entirely within two weeks.

I mean, the fade looked really good for a while, but after a month it looked like it could use some help. I remembered the commenters in the mermaid hair post all echoing the same thing, "OVERTONE," like it was some magic chant that would cure all my hair problems. Overtone really pushes the idea that it's a ~conditioner~ and not a dye (even though it's kinda like a semipermanent dye) and that you can use it with any temperature water. That's right, NO MORE FREEZING SHOWERS. I was sold.

I went for the Go Deep Pastel Blue Weekly Treatment instead of the daily conditioner because I needed the more intense pigment boost. I clipped my hair into 1- to 2-inch sections and rubbed the conditioner on my dry, unwashed, very dirty hair because I didn't read the instructions that said to put it on "damp, freshly washed" hair. Oops.

After waiting 15 minutes, I rinsed out my hair and didn't see any dye wash out. It made me wonder if I had used enough of it, but I could definitely tell my hair was bluer than it was before. I was worried that it would leave a blue residue on my towel, but it was totally clean — this stuff didn't even stain my skin!

I let my hair air dry, and I was super happy with how it looked! I was scared it was going to look one-dimensional, or ruin the highlights my hair had, but I think it only made them look better. I'll definitely be using Overtone from here on out, and I'm mostly excited because I won't have to wash my hair in freezing water ever again. —Claire de Louraille

Get it here for $28.

3. Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel nail polish gives you a no-chip, gel-ish manicure that lasts way longer than regular polish.

Augusta Falletta / Via BuzzFeed

Generally, my schedule makes it so that I can paint my nails at home once a week, and my neuroses make it so that I remove my nail polish at the first sign of a chip. That being said, my bottom line is that if a nail polish doesn't last at least seven days, I won't use it. While most polishes theoretically should last a week (I have no need to be working with my hands past the usual washing dishes and peeling price stickers off of new things), I've found that only a handful last longer than four days without chipping. But Sally Hansen Miracle Gel lasts on my hands for eight days on average.

The formula is available in 75 shades and legit lasts eight days; sometimes it even lasts for 10. The application is forgiving, even, and un-bubbly, which means that I don't have to glop that shit on to smooth out bubbles and I don't have to worry about painting my nails while slightly intoxicated because it's very forgiving and still (magically) winds up looking nice. Also, it comes off with regular remover, which is a dream come true, because I hate having to do the tin foil talons of removal after a traditional gel manicure.

The one downside to the polish is that if you want it to last as long as possible, you need to also buy the gel top coat. BUT you don't use a base coat, so I guess you save on that if you're getting down to the nitty-gritty. Also, you can buy sets of a shade with the gel top coat to save some dollars. —Augusta Falletta

Get the shade Off With Her Red (worn above) here for $12.99. Get the top coat here for $6.71. Get the set of shade plus top coat here for $11.99—$13.96.

4. Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder helps to even out skin tone and texture over time.

James Harness / Via BuzzFeed

Before we get started, I just want to say I have very, very oily skin. So oily in fact that when I wake up it looks like I've collided with an oil truck. That said, I'm not too worried about premature wrinkles on my face, but I do like to take care of it regardless. This Turbo Booster C Powder is $27.22 and comes with a small spoon so you can mix the powder in with your favorite night cream or moisturizer. If you use a spoonful a day, it should last you at least six months. $4.50 a month for even-toned, bright skin? I'll take it.

It says it's ideal for day wear, but I think using it at night is equally effective. The powder blends nicely with my moisturizer and doesn't make my skin look more oily than it is. Instead, in just a week, I've seen better texture, higher moisture retention, and more even tone. When I wash my face at night after wearing the booster all day, I notice that my skin not only looks younger, but feels younger. I live in New York, and my skin can look really dull in the summer without proper oxygen flow. So this is a perfect powder to protect your skin in extreme hot or cold temperatures.

Pro tip: Tap it into your face to increase blood flow to the skin and promote better absorption. Tapping the skin also helps pump oxygen into pores that are probably really in need of some air! —James Harness

Get it here for $27.22.

5. These lip patches are basically a sheet mask for your mouth: hydrating, anti-aging, and very ~Insta-worthy~.

Daniela Cadena / Via BuzzFeed

I love wearing matte lipsticks, which isn't a good look when you have dry lips. I often wear ChapStick, and if I ever plan on doing a bold lip color, I try doing one of those DIY lip scrubs beforehand. But this time I wanted to try something different in my quest for smooth lips.

I saw these lip patches on Instagram and was intrigued. They're lip-shaped and sparkly, and they smell amazing. Each patch is covered in this magic juice made with moisturizing ingredients that claim to deliver anti-aging benefits and hydrate your lips.

Since they are covered in the aforementioned magic juice of goodness, they're slippery, but once you get them in place you'll be good. Pro tip (based on a true story): You look ridiculous with them on, so don't wear this around your friends, because you will lose your shit laughing at each other. As soon as you take off the patch, your lips will feel nice and smooth. I usually wear it while I do my eye makeup and take it off right before putting lipstick on.

They are $50, which might seem steep, but each container has 24 patches, so you're paying about $2 a patch. —Daniela Cadena

Get a box of 24 here for $50.

Daniela Cadena / Via BuzzFeed

Here's an up-close look at the process!

6. Dove Volume Amplifier Mousse gives you massive volume without making it feel like there's any kind of weight or gunk in your hair.

Augusta Falletta / Via BuzzFeed

Recently, I (unwillingly) cut about 6 inches off of my fine hair. While I'm emotionally stable about it now, I do have a lot of hangups about how limp my hair looks on a regular basis, especially now that there's less length. Besides popping twice-a-day Viviscal in the hopes that I'll somehow grow Blake Lively hair overnight, I've been experimenting with different kinds of products that will help my hair look good — even if it is 6 inches shorter than I would like. The winner? A mousse from Dove.

Stick with me, because I know that most of the general population writes mousse off as that weird foam that teeters on the edge of making your hair look like a Crunchwrap Supreme (read: crunchy, not beefy). This is NOT the mousse hairstylists use to make moms in ’80s sitcoms look done up. This is a mousse that magically gives your hair volume and your style staying power, all while making itself completely invisible to the eye and the hand. What I'm trying to say is that it feels like there's nothing in my hair besides hair itself.

Here's how I use it: At night, I towel-dry my freshly washed hair. I use a golf ball–sized amount of mousse through my roots (with a motion like I'm massaging my head with my fingertips), another on the right side of my head (scrunching the product up into my hair from the ends), and another on the left. Then, I rake my fingers through my hair to make sure it's evenly distributed. You really don't need a lot of it! In the morning, when my hair's dry, I use a curling iron to make waves. I know this sounds like work, but I use a curling iron every other day anyway, and this mousse gives me by far the best volume I've ever had. Period. —Augusta Falletta

Get it here for $5.46.

7. This hair tie is a godsend for people who have thick hair that won't stay up.

Alex Vucetic / Via BuzzFeed

Thick-haired sisters of the world, raise your hands up to the hair gods and rejoice with me. The thin, weak-a$$ hair ties we've been held to have finally met their match. I haven't had to use three hair ties to hold up my pony since grabbing one of the Grab and Go elastic hair ties from France Luxe — these babies will keep your pony higher than anything.

What else makes this hair tie so special? It's so THICK! 😉 It holds all of my hair in place, no problem, and in the two months since my friend Gina gave me this tie to try, the band hasn't broken to expose raw elastic like other hair ties do. Miracles really do come true, y'all.

Since the elastic is woven with silk material, it glides right over my coarse hair without getting caught, too. There's zero pain or breakage, and that alone makes these worth the $18 for a tube of 15 ties, if you ask me. They come in all sorts of fun and neutral colors, so you can find one to match your hair or one to stand out! —Alex Vucetic

Get a pack of 15 hair ties here for $18.

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