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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
Because a beauty routine that involves minimal effort and gives you actual results is always worth it.
Promising review: "LOVE these colors!! They are great for a no-makeup look but can be built up and is easily blended to be a bright or an evening look. This palette is especially great for blue eyes, as orange is the opposite of blue on the color wheel. I love the high pigment of the naked line, the last palette I bought lasted over three years and I wore it almost every day." —Shawna Hathaway
Get it from Amazon $29.
Promising review: "I love it so much I no longer use foundation. I spot conceal and use under my eyes after that it is powder and setting spray. It has a creamy feel which is great because it is thick enough to hide discoloration, bags under the eyes, and redness. The perfect blend between covering and letting enough skin shine through to look natural. I have very oily skin and it holds up wonderfully throughout the day. Never looks cakey or powdery and doesn't crease significantly. My favorite part is how it literally matches my skin perfectly and they have a wide shade range. It is quite a splurge however it is very worth it and I will definitely repurchase." —GabbieGabbie
Get it from Sephora for $30 (available in 30 shades and in a travel size).
Promising review: "This is a beautiful formula with rich pigmentation. My first purchase from her brand. I was looking for a good cream contour product for my neutral undertones without pulling too warm or gray. This popped up immediately in my search. The tone on this is just right and it blends right into the complexion like a dream. The pigment is so rich and it stays put all day. 5 stars! Fabulous high-quality product! Great price too for what your getting!" —Zoebear92
Get it from Sephora for $26 (available in 35 shades).
Promising review: "I’ve only been using unseen for a few days, but so far I’m really loving it. It’s truly a game changer, especially for women with darker skin tones. It goes on so smooth and velvety, and leaves no white cast! Hopefully, it doesn’t make my acne-prone skin breakout *crosses fingers*, or else it’s back to the drawing board." —Joy V.
Get the standard size from Supergoop!, Sephora, or Amazon for $34 (also available in a mini size).
I've used the Stunna lip paint many times and it never disappoints. The color lasts, the texture isn't drying, and it doesn't budge. Many neutral lip colors geared towards darker skin still require lip liners. This lipstick makes liner optional for me! A lot of times, I outline my lips with this to prevent satin lipsticks from going out of bounds.
Promising review: "I'm not a red lipstick girl, but every time I found myself asking what shade of lipsticks strangers were wearing on the street, they would always tell me it was this product. Finally, I had to try it for myself. I know we're past the trend because liquid lipsticks have their problems, but I still love them and have tried several brand's formulas. This is the best thus far. It is comfortable, long-lasting, easy to reapply, doesn't smear/ smudge, and is fairly transfer resistant. I am determined to get every color now and recommend this formula to everyone. Even if you don't like liquid lipstick. I will warn you though, if you start with this one no other liquid lipstick will compare." —RenRach
Fenty Beauty was created by singer and entrepreneur Rihanna to help everyone feel beautiful and included. Fenty Beauty was launched in 2017 to critical acclaim due to its range of 40 foundation shades. Fenty Skin aims to make skincare uncomplicated, clean, vegan, and gluten-free.
Get it from Sephora for $26 (available in nine shades) or Fenty Beauty for $26 (available in eight shades).
Promising review: "This is my second purchase of this palette, and the shades are beautiful and soft. I'm also going to try the warm palette. These shadows don't irritate my eyes or my contacts, and I love that they are cruelty-free." —mary jane l.
Promising review: "Love love love this mascara. the applicator is one of my fav parts- it makes it so easy to grab every individual lash. The formula lengthens and lifts and it will definitely stay on a while. it doesn't clump either. my new favorite mascara for sure. P.S. My dad even said that it looked like I had eyelash extensions." —Haymbee
Get it from Sephora for $27 (available in two sizes).
Promising review: "I bought this recently for my grad ceremony so the first time I used it I was in a rush but it really brought back the warmth to my face after doing concealer and everything else. I used it a second time and it worked really well; it was easily blendable, the color was good for me as it matched some of the reddish hyperpigmentation on my forehead and edges of my face and it felt weightless. My foundation shade is 420 ProFiltr." —Valerieee123
Get it from Sephora for $34 (available in nine shades).
Promising review: "I've been using this product since high school (when I would steal my mom's makeup) and I still use this product today. It's a splurge I am happy to make because it gives me the results I like. This product sets my makeup and looks flawless on the skin. My skin doesn't get oily or greasy until the end of the day or if it's sweltering hot. I use this to bake sometimes too and it looks great for that purpose. Highly recommend this product!" —MichelleT143
Get it from Sephora for $39 (available in two finishes and six shades).
Promising reviewer: "The butter face primer glides on super smooth and isn't super sticky its good for makeup to cling to but not sticky like you dumped syrup on your face definitely recommend this product and very cute packaging 😊." —Rhoda H.
Beauty Bakerie is a woman-owned, cruelty-free small cosmetics company founded by Cashmere Nicole, and it's mastered the perfect shade range for people of color.
Get it from Ulta for $24.
Promising review: "I have brows that are basically invisible without product, so I generally use three products: tinted wax, pencil and gel. My usual tinted wax was discontinued, so I gave this a shot, and OMG. I think it will replace the wax AND pencil. Powmade is super pigmented and provides filling and shaping. I just used the gel still to define the hairs, but wow. I am so impressed with this. Highly recommend." —ElizGB
Get it from Sephora for $20 (available in eight shades).
Promising review: "I have tried all the non toxic clean mascaras out there, from drugstore brands to high end, I even considered making my own diy mascara for a moment there. Most clean mascaras sadly just aren't great, so because I was desperate I compromised with less than clean mascara for the last few years. When I saw Ilia sells a mini version of their mascara I thought I would give it a go but I wasn't expecting much. Boy was I impressed! This mascara locks my lashes into place all day, no flaking, no smearing, no mid day racoon eyes! Just beautiful lashes all day, and cherry on top- washes off easily with face wash no makeup remover required. Seriously LOVE this mascara." —Jessica
Get the full size from Sephora or Ilia for $28 (also available in a mini size).
"I love a dark lip for the fall (my fave season). This lipstick is a beautiful deep cranberry color that I JUST CAN'T WAIT to pair with jewel-toned knit sweaters. It's from Mented, which is a Black-owned beauty brand. The lipstick is matte but it leaves a soft, comfortable feeling on your lips so I can't wait to order more of their shades! 💄" —Jasmin Suknanan, BuzzFeed Staff
Mented is a Black woman-owned small business whose lipsticks are all vegan, paraben-free, nontoxic, and cruelty-free.
Get it from Target for $16.50 (available in nine colors) or Mented Cosmetics for $16.50 (available in nine colors).
Promising review: "After reading and watching a few reviews, I decided to purchase this foundation. I grew up seeing the women in my life wear Fashion Fair and I wanted to give it a try now that they are back. Though I am partial to liquid foundations, this Créme to Powder foundation provides me everything I look for in a foundation. Its medium coverage but gives my skin a "my skin, but better" finish. It's perfect for my combination skin; it helps keep the oily areas at bay but provides enough moisture for my drier areas. After wearing it for nine hours, my skin looks just as good as it did when I first applied it." —barose
Get it from Sephora for $37 (available in 14 shades).
Promising review: "I love this palette so much! It has perfect colors, shadows are buttery and pigmented, it looks even better in person. I misplaced my original palette after I moved and as soon as I realized I bought another one ASAP! Shipping also was extremely fast and the packaging is beautiful. If you’re on the fence about buying this, let this review be a sign to place your order!" —Kara T.
Coloured Raine is a woman-owned small business started by Loraine R. Dowdy, whose goal was to create beauty products that embrace and include all skin tones.
Get it from Coloured Raine for $42.
Uoma Beauty is a small business founded by makeup guru and Nigerian-born Sharon Chuter who's on a mission to provide a variety of makeup products to suit all skin tones. During the designing of these foundations, they used something called the Fitzpatrick Scale, which determines how different skin tones react to sun. The formula of each shade is meant to mirror your skin's needs and complexion for a unique and tailored makeup staple.
Get it from UOMA Beauty for $39 (available in 51 shades).
Promising review: "Tried these for the first time and they are awesome! I need a little practice with liquid eyeliner because I'm used to a pencil, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I let the liner dry first and the lashes went right on. Turned the fan on and they did not blow off my eyelids. They're so light, I can't even tell that I'm wearing them. I previously had lash extensions and did not like that I could not wash my eyes properly. I'm very impressed with these!" —Christine Frries
Get it from Amazon for $18.98+ (available in three sizes).
"I use The Lip Bar's matte liquid lipsticks often and the formula is truly incredible. It hardly budges at all throughout the day, the pigment is bomb, AND it doesn't dry out my lips at all — which is really difficult to find in a matte lipstick." —Kayla Boyd
The Lip Bar is a Black-owned, woman-owned business. All of their products are vegan and cruelty-free — and they do so much more than just lipstick — check out all of their face and eye makeup as well!
Get it from The Lip Bar for $13 (available in 17 shades) or Target for $15.99 (available in 10 shades).
Promising review: "I had heard about this and finally decided to give it a try after going through many other prestige brands. This product does not disappoint at all. It goes on smoothly and is just the right amount of color. Also, it makes my brows stay in place all day, not just for the first hour after application. This will be a forever purchase." —Jessica
Get it from Glossier for $16 (available in five shades).
Check out why a BuzzFeed editor loves this in "Just 9 Glossier Products We Really Love" (#5 on the list).
Promising review: "I love this highlighter! It's so beautiful and easy to wear, you can also build this up to your desired level of shine without it looking like a stripe on your cheekbones. I highly recommend you try this out in store for the perfect shade though. I love Bobbi Brown products and this one was worth the splurge." —kenyshamarie
Get it from Sephora for $50 (available in six shades and a mini).
As far as gel cleansers go, this one's pretty great. I like the price point, I love the ingredients, and it hasn't made my skin freak out. I was inspired to try this line after watching Jessica's Go To Bed With Me episode. She really thinks about skincare as its own ritual and it shows in the products. Can't wait to test this out when I have a full face of makeup.
Promising review: "Amazing cleanser that doesn't dry out my skin. I've tried probably more than 50 cleansers and would definitely recommend this amongst one of my favorites. It smells pleasant but not overpowering, doesn't dry out skin and cleanses makeup and funk and sunscreen easily" —Mrsaylia
Get it from Target for $14.99, Ulta for $18, or Honest Beauty for $17.99.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.