7 Game-Changing Beauty Products You'll Love Upon First Application

A snazzy lip color, setting powder, after-sun lotion, hair mask, and more — all tried, tested, and loved by BuzzFeed editors!

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

1. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Weightless After Sun Gel Lotion wraps sunburnt skin in a coconut-and-papaya-scented cocoon, so it gets the proper protection and care that it should've gotten pre-burn. Peeling? Don't know her.

AnaMaria Galvan / BuzzFeed

Okay, truly, this stuff is amazing. It smells like actual heaven (that is, if heaven smells like coconut and papaya), soothes my skin, and doesn’t feel greasy at all. It seriously disappears within seconds, meaning I don’t need to wait three hours after application before putting on my clothes. It’s also super moisturizing and hydrating, and the aloe formula? It helps A LOT with sunburn and peeling. I had a pretty terrible sunburn on my shin (LOL, weird, I know) and it did not hurt or peel at all because of this after-sun lotion. Plus, this product is free of oxybenzone and octinoxate. In English? That means that it’s reef-safe.

PRO TIP: Stick this in the fridge before using it. Cold, moisturizing aloe on sun-tired skin? Indescribable. Euphoric. —AnaMaria Glavan, Market Writer

Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

2. Coco & Eve Like a Virgin Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque is used to being met with gasps of astonishment — it magically reverses signs of heat and styling damage, so you're only left with extremely shiny, touchable, knot-and-fray-free strands. Drink up, hair!

Maitland Quitmeyer / BuzzFeed

You guys have heard me talk about my hair before, but idk if you even RECOGNIZE it in this pic. I have frizzy, super coarse curls that I *also* get heavily balayaged, so my hair is basically like "lol, good luck Mait" at all times. When I saw the before and after pics advertised by this Coco & Eve mask, I was both dubious and intrigued. While I've grown to love the lightly bonkers texture of my hair and truly just love enormous hairstyles, I also do NOT want my hair to break, and sometimes I *do* dream of having silky, run-my-hands-through-it hair. So one shower I decided it was time. I detangled pre-shower like usual, thoroughly shampooed with a sulfate-free shampoo, then coated my strands in this incredibly delicious smelling goop. The mask also comes with a detangling brush to make sure ever hair gets coated, but I just used my fingers to really work it in. Then I let it sit while I had a karaoke session (Florence and the Machine's new album, if you care to know), shaved my legs, and scrubbed up. Then I turned the water off and let it sit for a few extra minutes while I just ~hung out~.

I let my hair air dry most of the way, then blew it out with a blow dryer and round brush. The next morning I tossed in some hot rollers (again, because I love me some volume) and touched it up over the next few days with a tapered curling iron. AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS SHINY HAIR. Whomst is she?? I have never ever had such results blowing out my own hair. Idk if I've *ever* seen my hair so shiny. Look at how it catches the light! I could not stop touching my hair, twirling and running my fingers through it without catching on any knots, frayed bits, or fried bits. AND THE SMELL. You guys, when I first used this, I would literally wake up in the middle of the night to adjust my pillow, consciously think "wow my hair smells so good" and then go back to sleep. My hair looked healthier, felt healthier, and styled surprisingly easily. And while I have a lot of hair, I've used it a couple times and still have several uses left in the jar. Almost $50 might seem steep, but wow wow wow, this is the most effective hair mask I've tried to date.—Maitland Quitmeyer, Market Editor

Get it from Amazon for $49.90.

3. Flesh Beauty Swipe Flesh Lip Color looks like a thumbprint reader that unlocks the secret to flawless makeup — so, pretty darn cool — and it smoothly deposits *bold* pigment that actually feels comfortable (bye, drying mattes!), plus you can easily control the intensity of the shade with your fingers or brush.

Daniela Cadena / BuzzFeed

This Swipe Flesh compact from Flesh Beauty has been my go-to lately. Every time I go out, I bring it with me and people are fascinated when I put it on, lol. I love it because the formula is ~buttery soft,~ and you can use it as a light tint, or layer it for a ton of pigment. It has a satin finish that looks matte, but doesn't feel drying at all. I'm currently OVER matte lipsticks, so this is the perfect alternative for someone who loves bold lips.

To apply it, you can use your finger, which is great if you don't mind washing your hands every time you put it on, but if you're more of a perfectionist, you can use a lip brush. Personally, I'm a hot mess, so I've been using my fingers, but I like it better that way because I can control the intensity of how it goes on.

Daniela Cadena / BuzzFeed

I swatched it so you could see what it looks like when you apply it lightly vs. when you layer it. I'm really into "Shiver," "Firm," and "Swollen" at the moment, but can't wait to try more shades. —Daniela Cadena, As/Is Writer

Get them from Ulta for $24 (available in seven shades).

4. Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder follows the footsteps of Hourglass's cult-status Veil Mineral Primer and seals in all of your makeup handiwork for the whole day, not that you'd be able to detect it — the only effect you see is a luminous, silky glow made possible by diamond powder.

@hourglasscosmetics / Via instagram.com, Anna McCarter / BuzzFeed

This powder has quickly become my favorite item in my makeup bag. It’s basically the FaceTune blurring function, but for real life. Before I discovered this powder, I’d found it hard to find a setting powder that could both set my makeup *and* leave a luminous finish. This powder gives a candlelight glow to your face without looking shimmery. I have tried other translucent setting powders by Laura Mercier and It Cosmetics but neither give a “lit from within” look like this one. (If you prefer the ultra-matte finish look, this product may not be for you!)

I don’t know if skin can feel velvet-y, but that’s the only way I can describe the finish of this powder. It’s smooth but not powdery. If you’re into luxe packaging, this will not disappoint. Not only is the packaging beautiful, it has a really functional sifter so you can’t pour out too much product at a time – something that always bugged me with other loose powders. Plus, the powder sets my makeup so well that by the end of a work day, it looks nearly as good as it did in the morning. No touchups required. (In the photos, I just have foundation and powder on my face. No bronzer or highlight.) —Anna McCarter, Freelance Writer

Get it from Sephora for $18+ (available in mini and standard sizes).

5. BareMinerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow + Primer in "Woke" imparts a touch of vibrant orange *in addition* to ensuring your eye makeup stays put and gorgeous all day long — we love a multitasker, yes we do!

Kayla Suazo / BuzzFeed

I love trying new products so it’s becoming rarer and rarer that I find something I genuinely use often. This BareMinerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow + Primer has, indeed, become a staple in my makeup. As the name implies, it’s a primer AND an eyeshadow, so it essentially takes one step out of my routine — the actual application of a transparent primer. I love the orangish one (Woke) because I regularly wear more bronze-y, browns, and oranges in my eyeshadows. I apply this eyeshadow primer first and it immediately adds a pretty, vibrant color to my eyes, meaning I don’t have to spend minutes blending and building to get an orange tint I am happy with. It basically does all the work for me!

Kayla Suazo / BuzzFeed

All I do is swipe a little on my eyelids with the applicator and dab with my finger until it’s evenly blended. Then I go over with some shimmers, and boom — I am done! And yes, it does truly last ALL day. The richness and vibrancy remains in tact until I get home. No smudging, no fading, no creasing. This Gen Nude line also comes in other shades, so hopefully you can find one that works well with your own routine, so you too can shave off some time in the morning! —Kayla Suazo, Market Writer

Get it from Ulta for $20 (available in eight shades).

6. Peach & Lily Matcha Pudding Antioxidant Cream helps bear some of the burden of everyday stress and pollution, so you can live your life knowing your skin is protected by a crazy hydrating and protective layer that feels weightless, but is packed with supercharged antioxidants like matcha.

Sarah Han / BuzzFeed

I recently met up with Peach & Lily founder and all-around boss lady Alicia Yoon for an early morning facial (yep, she's an esthetician too!) with her new line of in-house skin care wonders, including this delightful moisturizer that looks, and feels like, exactly like a cup of delicious matcha pudding. Ever since moving to the wonderfully polluted streets of NYC, I've become obsessed with antioxidants — whatever helps protect my skin/form a literal barrier between my skin and free radical damage, sign me the hell up! I'm not super concerned with ~signs of aging~, but living in a city can certainly speed those sorts of things up without you even noticing, so prevention is king (and queen). My crazy anxiety and lack of sleep also exacerbates any environmental damage (yay me!), and this cream is my new hero in helping combat the ongoing struggles of life.

Similar to my other fave moisturizer, Missha Waterfull Clear Cream — I reviewed in it in this roundup (#4), which also has 10 other BuzzFeeder-approved picks — it sinks in immediately, which is basically my KEY priority. Absolutely no heaviness. In the morning, I'm always in a time crunch and slapping on my eye cream, sunscreen, and foundation pretty much in rapid succession, and at night, I like to dive straight into my bed and pillow. My face feels instantly plump, bright (thanks, niacinamide!), but also matte upon application, which is how I know the cream has seeped deep down into skin cells beyond just the surface. It sits wonderfully underneath makeup too, or honestly, I've been going without foundation some days, because I want to reap the ~full benefits~ or this, and the Glass Skin Refining Serum I've been using in conjunction with it. —Sarah Han, As/Is + Market Writer

Get it from Peach and Lily or Ulta for $40.

7. Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighter in "Ray of Light" (pictured in the center of the lineup below) lends you that ~lit from within~ glow everyone covets without going totally disco-ball-overkill, so you can be a ✨rose gold vision✨ every single day.

@toofaced / Via instagram.com, Caelan Hughes / BuzzFeed

Too Faced's Love Light Prismatic Highlighter in "Ray of Light" (which is a rose gold) is truly life-changing: never before have I had a highlighter that pops AND looks natural at the same time.

I use it to highlight my cheekbones and mix it with my peachy blush (Editor's note: Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso" is a great option!) to give off the perfect, matching sparkle. I've also recently learned the trick of putting a tiny bit of this highlighter at the tip of your nose, and it creates the cutest "pearl nose" effect. Best highlighter HANDS DOWN. —Caelan Hughes, Commerce Social Media Strategist

Get it from Sephora for $30 (available in three shades).

Be prepared for everyone admiring your spectacularly stunning glow like:

Around Us Entertainment / Via youtube.com

Some products were provided to BuzzFeed free of charge.

And if you so please, check out allllll of our past roundups!

And for more recs based on the specific products in this roundup, check out the following posts:

-18 Beauty Products That'll Basically Save Your Summer

-33 Ways To Stop Your Hair From Frizzing

-21 Tips And Tricks For Helping Your Makeup Last All Day Long

-20 Gorgeous Lipsticks That'll Actually Stay On All Day

-17 Moisturizers That Actually Help Control Oily Skin

-21 Of The Prettiest Face Highlighters Ever

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed