8 Life-Changing Beauty Products You Should Try Right Now

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 from the links on this page.

1. Mario Badescu Facial Spray instantly quenches your dry, tired skin for a physical ~and~ mental pick-me-up fueled by soothing ingredients like rose water and aloe.

Sarah Han / BuzzFeed, Emma McAnaw / BuzzFeed

I'll admit it: I, Sarah Han, have finally fallen for the facial spray craze. I will say that I'm still a little weary of things like mineral water sprays, but when a facial spray actually contains other good-for-you ingredients and smells as good as this insanely popular Mario Badescu one does (hellooo, rose water!), I'm game. It's an inexpensive way to treat your skin: a ~super~-express spa treatment, if you will.

Once midafternoon hits, things get a little rough in the alertness department. But (usually) instead of downing another cup of coffee, I turn to this little babe and give myself a healthy succession of sprays at my desk. I do this almost every day, but as the air gets drier and drier (JSYK, I hate you, winter), this bottle will be in much higher demand. It's cool and refreshing, aka the perfect wake-up call for my drooping eyes and fading brain cells. It also makes my skin look the slightest bit more dewy, and, very importantly, doesn't irritate my skin. But in all honesty, why would it? It has soothing ingredients like aloe vera, bladderwrack (yep, that's a thing), gardenia, rose, and thyme. It almost sounds like one of those hyper-healthy smoothies I never drink. The nozzle distributes the product really evenly and finely, which, as silly as it is to point out, is not the case for all spray bottles! Afternoon aside, I use this to give my skin some pep literally any time of the day, and sometimes even to set my makeup if I'm just wearing concealer. It's always mist o'clock somewhere! 💨

Bonus: I really appreciate the fact that it has a 24-month shelf life because you use so little each time and it's nice to know I don't have to go batshit-spritzing-crazy in order to use it all up before it gets introduced to Mr. Trash Can. Anyways, I'll leave you with a very appropriate meme that accurately sums up my emotions about this little wonder. Because BuzzFeed. —Sarah Han

Get it from Amazon or Jet for $7+ (available in 4 oz. and 8 oz.).

2. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is the lazy nail polish lover's dream because it combines bottom coat, top coat, and color (plus strengthening and chip-resistant benefits!) all in one, for nails that ~last~ minus all that extra time and product.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

I am by no means low maintenance, but I detest having to rely on someone else for routine beauty tasks. So that means I do a lot of things myself that I ~could~ pay other people to do, like color my hair, pluck my brows, and paint my nails. Fortunately, I’m pretty OK at all these things, but I ~excel~ at painting my nails. (Thank you, five years of after-school art lessons!) However, I’m pretty lazy about actually using base coat and top coat.

Due to that laziness, I’m going to have “Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure” engraved on my tombstone. It costs less than $10 a pop and comes in a multitude of colors. I grabbed a bottle in Dark Hue-Moor (a deep navy) years ago at a drugstore and it’s managed to not get gloppy nearly as fast as my pricier nail fave, OPI. My current obsession is Hooked on Onyx (available for a cheaper price at Target). As you can see in the first photo, my nails still look pretty good after three days of ~brutal~ wear with neither a base coat nor top coat. Even if you’re not a nail-painting pro, you’ll find that the flat, wide brush makes the task significantly easier than the fatter shape of normal nail polish brushes. —Elizabeth Lilly

Get it from Walmart for $4.69+, Amazon for $5.99+, or Jet for $6.65. Available in 56 colors.

3. St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer acts as your line of defense against fine lines and wrinkles, and areas you typically forget about but that still need lots of love and moisture, like your neck.

amazon.com

A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a St. Ives product that I had never seen before — the Timeless Skin Facial Moisturizer (only $4!) made with safflower seed oil and collagen elastin. It promises to reduce fine lines and wrinkles (which I don’t have...yet), while making your skin as smooth and as soft as a baby’s bottom. Anyways, I finally tried it and here are my thoughts.

You get a LOT of product for what you pay. Like, a full tub of moisturizer with a light, pleasant scent. I applied this right after taking a shower and was initially not impressed because it seemed to leave a sticky feeling. However, that feeling quickly went away once the product really sank in, and my skin felt super moisturized the next day. Plus, it didn’t result in any breakouts, which, you know, hallelujah.

I’ve found that I actually like using this moisturizer more for my neck than my face. (On my face, I tend to go with Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich because I love the smell of it — and it really helps calm me down before bed? It’s weird.) My neck gets SO dry during the colder months and I often neglect it during my post-shower moisturizing rituals. This has definitely become one of my holy grail products. I’m not sure I could live without it now, to be honest. —AnaMaria Glavan

Get it from Amazon for $4.27, Walmart for $5.44, or Jet for $5.97.

4. BaBylissPro 3000 puts all other flat irons to shame and straightens a head of wavy-to-curly hair in 10 minutes.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed, @em_dash3 / Via instagram.com

I have a lot of thick, frizzy hair, and honestly, I just don't have the patience or know-how to style my damn mop every day. (So much so that I actually have a membership to DryBar because their stylists do!) When I do style it myself, I have just one specialty: straightening it with a flat iron. It requires zero skill and you need only one tool to do it. I've purchased more flat irons over the past two decades than I can count — some good, some great, and some the work of the devil. But hark! My journey has culminated with the holy grail of hair straighteners: the BaBylissPro 3000.

First off, this thing is efficient AF. After turning it on, it seems like not even 30 seconds go by and it's already at a temperature that's ready to get down to business. Second, I'm accustomed to using a flat iron at or near the highest heat setting, but I regularly use this at medium (there are five temperature settings that range from 300ºF to 465ºF) and it takes me approximately 10 minutes to finish my entire head! This, my friends, is major and unheard of. After I've dried my hair, I only have to go over each section two or three times instead of my usual five or six to make it straight. I have no idea what the heck ion multiplier technology is, but it's my new BFF because it works to make my hair smoother and shinier than I've ever seen it before, outside of fresh from the salon. It also has a super-long cord (in case outlets or mirrors are at a premium) and a lock for easy storage.

The caveat here is its $129 price tag, but if I've learned something over many long years of fighting my hair, it's that quality doesn't come cheap. I've tried plenty at more than half the price of this BaByliss, only to have them not work efficiently and thus fry my hair in the process — or just stop working completely shortly after buying them. (Also worth mentioning: I've read a lot about counterfeit BaByliss products being sold across the internet — so if the price is wildly less than what it sells for on Jet or Amazon, or if it ships directly from China, there's a high chance it's not the real deal and can likely damage your hair, or worse.) Whether you want to treat yourself or put it on your holiday wish list, I'm going to be bold enough to say you'd be doing your hair a disservice to straighten it with anything else, tbh. —Emmy Favilla

Get it from Jet for $129.12 or Amazon for $179.95.

This product was provided to BuzzFeed free of charge, but we were not obligated to positively review it.

5. Fenty Beauty Starlit Hyper-Glitz Lipstick in Sci-Fly gives your lips a lustrous, jewel-toned sheen of pure Rihanna realness.

Katy Herman / BuzzFeed

I don’t wear makeup, except for the occasional hit of bold lipstick to add a pop to my outfit. And for the most part, I have my favorite brands that I stick to — so I ~don’t~ freak out about big beauty releases. But, ladies and gentlemen, Fenty Beauty was different. Rihanna is one of my biggest style icons and I love her Fenty Puma clothing line, so I was totally seduced by the promise of a beauty line and knew I would find something I wanted. I was disappointed when the initial collection didn’t include lipstick, my beauty weapon of choice, but all that changed with the Galaxy Collection. Finally, I got my hands on a RiRi-approved lipstick — and I love it.

I chose this glittery purple shade, Sci-Fly, which really makes my eyes pop. It’s bold, but not so bold that you can’t wear it every day. With just a couple swipes, this lipstick is almost light enough to pass as a gloss or tinted balm, but lay it on thick and it makes a great statement. My favorite thing about it — besides the fact that it’s cruelty free — is the pretty bulletlike packaging and the Rihanna-ness of it all. It’s really skinny, so you can be really precise when you apply, and it’s the perfect size to cover my lips without having it smear all over my face. The lipstick feels really lightweight once it’s on, too. You definitely need to reapply throughout the day, but honestly I find reapplying to be really fun because it goes on so easily and makes me feel like I’m actually good at putting on lipstick! —Katy Herman

Get it from Sephora for $19 (available in four shades).

6. Amika Touchable and Headstrong Hairsprays are not only attractive AF but really and truly keep your curls intact without any nasty or painful side effects, so you can slay the VS runway (of your dreams).

Alexandra Licitra / BuzzFeed, Amika / Via loveamika.com

As someone with pin-straight hair, I’ve spent an excessive amount of time and effort trying to perfect the fierce AF Victoria’s Secret model curls. I’ve found that using a curling iron is the best way to get the curls, but how to actually keep them is the million-dollar question. I used to spend hours meticulously curling and spraying my hair only for the left half to fall flat before I even finished the right half. I have tried and hated more hairsprays than I am willing to admit. Each one had a deal breaker: either it had a bad chemical-y smell, gave me sticky or crunchy hair, created monster knots that I literally had to cut out, or, plain and simple, just didn’t work. Then finally the clouds parted, the sun beamed down on me, and angels played harps when I discovered Amika hairsprays.

I wish I could say that some serious thought and research preceded my purchase, but basically I bought it because I loved the pretty bottle. This hairspray is more than just a pretty face, though — it’s strong enough to hold my curls but gentle enough that my hair still feels silky and smooth. Amika has two types of sprays and I swear by both. Touchable is great for holding loose, soft curls you can run your fingers through. My curls have lasted two to three days using the Touchable spray. Headstrong will keep your hair in place through anything, so it’s great for wrangling baby hairs into sleek ponytails or finishing off an updo for an event.

Although $24 is more than you’d spend on drugstore-brand hairspray, a 10-oz. bottle lasts a long time. I’ve had my two bottles for close to a year now and I use either Touchable or Headstrong just about every day. The sprays also contain vitamins that promote strong, healthy hair and reduce breakage. They are free of sulfates, sodium chloride, parabens, and artificial colors, so they’re safe to use on color-treated, Brazilian-treated, and keratin-treated hair. If you’re struggling to find a hairspray you love, I highly recommend you try one (or both) of Amika’s. —Adrianna Licitra

Get Touchable and Headstrong from Amazon for $24 each (Headstrong is also available in a travel-size bottle for $9) or get Touchable on Jet for $14.08 and Headstrong for $17.50.

7. Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil clears acne breakouts and supports overall pore health, thanks to a potent formula of 1.5% salicylic acid, tea tree oil, and black cumin seed oil.

Jennifer Tonti / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

This face oil is absolutely a ride-or-die product for me. Yes, it's pricey, but trust me — it's worth the investment. It lasts a very long time as you really only need one to two drops a day when you're having a breakout. You might be skeptical about using an oil to treat acne, but let me assure you, it works. It's formulated with 1.5% salicylic acid, which helps to prevent breakouts and treat any pimple party currently happening on your face. For the best results, I use this after I cleanse my face and before I moisturize. That way the product has time to really soak into my pores and get things done. Every time I've used this oil I've actually seen a visible clarifying effect on my skin! —Jennifer Tonti

Get it from Sephora for $80.

8. Benefit's Precisely, My Brow Pencil makes sparse brows come to life and helps you get a more defined, full-browed look in two shakes.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

Once upon a time, in the late '90s and early '00s, I came of age and overplucked my previously very full brows because the razor-sharp-eyebrow trend was cool and I just wanted to be cool, okay? It's been an uphill battle ever since, trying to shape them into some semblance of what they once were. (While I realize they're not ~super~ sparse, parts are little patchy, and I prefer that they have a more defined shape.) I've tried a handful of powders, pencils, and crayons over the years, and they've mostly worked okay, but I never found something I could, in good faith, recommend to anyone else. Until...I was introduced to the love of my life, Precisely, My Brow.

This pencil shapes and fills easily without enlisting the support of any other item from my arsenal of misfit eyebrow products. It's available in six shades — "warm" and "cool" versions of light, medium, and dark — and I find #4 (medium to dark brown/neutral-cool) to be a perfect match for my medium-brown hair. It also includes a lil' spoolie brush on one end that helps to blend color, and each tip conveniently comes with a different shaped cap, so you know which end is which and aren't surprised by a brush when you were looking for a pencil. (It's the little things.)

The product's packaging touts its ability to create "natural-looking, hair-like strokes," and since using this pencil, I've actually gotten compliments from strangers on my eyebrows (!!) for the first time ever in my life. Do you know how much effort it takes to summon up the strength to talk to a damn stranger in New York City?? 2003 me could never. Anyhow. I like my brows a bit on the full side, but if you're looking for a less dramatic (or even more dramatic!) effect, the ultra-fine pencil allows you to easily shape and fill 'em to the definition and volume of your heart's content. It applies super smoothly, and it's easy to fix any screwups with a quick swipe of a cotton swab. Despite this, unless I'm furiously rubbing at my eyebrows for some weird reason, this stuff stays put all day. — Emmy Favilla

Get it from Sephora or Benefit Cosmetics for $24.

Go ahead, admire yourself in the mirror for a little while longer.

Paramount Pictures

Feeling ~parched~ for more? Check out our other recommendations here!

Do your holiday shopping with BuzzFeed. Check out all of our gift guides here!

Alison Krausman / BuzzFeed