The 40 Best Makeup Products of 2026, Tested by 101 Beauty Experts

With the influx of complexion products hitting the U.S. from Korea, it can be easy to forget that CC creams were one of the original Korean beauty imports—and that they still do a fantastic job at covering, correcting, and caring for skin. Erborian is one of the OG in the K-beauty scene, and this cica-infused formula is proof of why it endures. Available in three tints, it smooths, blurs, and evens out skin tone and texture as it delivers a radiant finish, while skin-healthy botanicals hydrate and soothe. MC Beauty Director Hannah Baxter calls it a classic, lauding it for being a “great tint that doesn't pill with time and is comfortable on the skin for hours on end.”

Product development expert Sarah Creal created her line with women over 40 in mind, but this under-eye corrector has a formula that works on pretty much everyone. Available in five shades, the correctors feature pink, peach, and orange undertones to help visibly brighten dark circles while providing depuffing, energizing, and smoothing benefits. The cushiony texture ensures it won’t settle in lines or uneven texture, providing hydration without creasing. Apply it before concealer and you’ll find you have to use less cover-up to hide any darkness or hyperpigmentation on the skin. “As someone with stubborn dark spots, I found this corrector to be easy to blend as well as long lasting,” says pro makeup artist Jonet Williamson. “I also love that it's self-setting and that the range of shades is inclusive to all skin tones.”

Pro makeup artist Jalessa Jaikaran calls this serum concealer from Ilia “a truly slept on formula.” It’s made with encapsulated caffeine, peptides, and sea fennel extract (a retinol alternative) to brighten, firm, smooth lines, and depuff under-eyes. It’s crease resistant and glides on smoothly, self-setting to deliver 12 hours of smooth, even wear. “Ilia does really well with neutral and olive skin tones,” notes Jaikaran. “It blends really nicely and I love all the skin care that’s infused and how it improves the skin over time.”

The latest trend in blush isn’t about where you place it or an unexpected color—it’s about good-for-your skin ingredients that enhance your juicy flush. Nobody does that better than Summer Fridays with its peptide-infused Blush Butter Balm. With six diverse shades, it combines the aforementioned peptides with ceramides to plump the skin and nourish your skin barrier, plus a trio of essential fatty acid-rich plant butters and hydrating hyaluronic acid. The dewy hues are buildable and long-lasting while locking in hydration for a healthy glow.

Celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo is legendary for his ability to create luminous, radiant complexions, and he brings that talent to his signature makeup line. This sculpting bronzer balm eschews the ultra-shimmery finish, instead relying on silica microspheres to create a blurring effect. The natural bronze shades create a sun-kissed effect, and vitamin E nourishes even the most parched complexions. Use it as a bronzer, a contour cream, or both—-with eight shades that range from fair to rich, there’s something for everyone.

With clients who include Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, and Hailey Bieber, Mary Phillips has perfected the sculpted visage by using her signature “underpainting” technique—applying contour, bronzer, blush, and highlighter underneath foundation to create a more natural contour without the cakey finish—and this palette helps bring the technique to those of us that aren’t A-list celebs. It has two contour colors, two highlighters, and a color corrector, plus all the tips you need to mimic the method at home. Celebrity makeup artist Tobi Henney loves it, calling it a “brilliant palette. I haven’t stopped using it on myself and my clients,” she raves.

There’s nothing we love more than a creamy luminizer—except a creamy luminizer that comes in an easy to apply stick. Boosted with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, Youngblood’s mineral highlighter glides across the skin, creating a lit-from-within glow that smooths uneven texture and provides a subtle lift to your look. Available in five pretty hues—each with a gilded shimmer—it’s endlessly blendable and buildable. Pro makeup artist Dominique Lerma loves the skin-nourishing ingredients in this formula and the pretty bronzing effect it creates.”It leaves your skin hydrated, radiant and bouncy,” she says.

Exosomes aren’t an ingredient you usually find in your makeup, but leave it to Gucci Westman to incorporate these cellular messengers into her newest foundation. A smoothing and perfecting medium-coverage foundation, the liquid formula helps to boost skin renewal while peptides smoothe and brighten skin. Its high-tech skin care meets everyday glamour. “This foundation is great for those needing a bit more coverage than the OG Westman complexion drops and less coverage than the foundation stick,” explains Lerma. “I absolutely loved how blurring it was!”

Saie has consistently made some of our favorite products over the years (we could write an epic poem about how transformative the Glowy Super Gel is), and this fluid blush is no exception. Available in 11 radiant hues that range from pop-art pink to understated mauve, it comes in a lipgloss-esque tube with a convenient applicator that makes targeted application so much easier.. Infused with plant-derived glycerin to plump and hydrate, plus blurring silica and brightening licorice root, it builds up seamlessly, ensuring everyone from natural flush seekers to blush-maxxers will find their ideal look.

Simihaze calls this liquid highlighter “sunshine in a bottle,” which we think is an apt description for how this luminizer lights up even the most vitamin D-starved skin. It uses soft-focus pearlescent particles to add radiance instantly and is versatile enough to be worn as a highlighter, a blush, a bronzer, or mixed into your foundation for an all-over glow. Available in three captivating shades, we also loved the cushioned tip that lets you dot, swipe, and blend with ease.

Of course a makeup artist would be the one to create the most perfect makeup brush. Celebrity makeup pro Patrick Ta—whose clients include Gigi Hadid and Kim Kardashian—debuted this dual-ended blush brush in his signature line and it’s quickly become a staple in our daily routines. It works for both cream and powder formulas, perfectly diffusing color and adding dimension to create a natural glow that’s worthy of the red carpet. It’s easy enough for makeup newbies to master and is a pro favorite for how consistently it deposits and blends color.

Often duplicated, never replicated, the Beautyblender has had makeup lovers in a chokehold since it first hit the scene in 2005. The bouncy, egg-shaped sponge creates a seamless, airbrushed effect for liquid and cream formulas that can work around all the contours of your face without getting patchy or overloading in the creases and crevices. “This product is groundbreaking in every way,” says celebrity makeup artist Vincent Oquendo. “It was an absolute originator, and I think it deserves all of the props. Even years later, it stands up against all the makeup sponges in its category.”

This French pharmacy staple straddles the line between makeup and skincare, delivering both correction and comfort. It primes the skin for your complexion products while also hydrating without pilling or sliding. The mint green hue helps reduce redness of all kinds—from rosacea to pimples—for an overall more even tone. “This is one of the best moisturizers I've used,” says celebrity makeup artist Dani Parkes. “I have this product in my kit and use the regular version on all of my clients. The green color correcting aspect is a really smart ingredient to add in to soothe the face and neutralize the complexion.”

You may already know and love the OG cream version of Glossier’s Cloud Paint, but we’re here to tell you the powder iteration is just as good, if not better. The powder is a more user-friendly than the cream, as there is less risk of overdosing on pigment, but it has a plush texture that is easy to apply and creates a long-wearing, pore-blurring finish that won’t dry out skin—in fact, it uses powdered ceramides and botanical glycerides to soften and hydrate your complexion.

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty has been the, well, rare surprise in the cluttered celebrity makeup line landscape. The products are not only user-friendly but they genuinely compliment a wide variety of tones, textures, and habits. This matte powder bronzer is a fab example of wh —it’s easy to layer, has natural undertones that work for a variety of skin tones, and the texture actually looks like skin. It has a cream-like feel that is buttery soft, but is weightless enough to build without getting cakey or feeling heavy. The result is added warmth and dimension that looks like you’re naturally bronzed, rather than wearing a bronzer.

Powder highlighters tend to get a bad rap compared to their cream and liquid cousins, mostly because many relied on chunky glitter to get that same strobed effect, and could settle into any texture on the skin. Innovations in product formulation have helped powders deliver the same pearlescence as the fluid options, with less potential for glitter wrinkles. Kosas’ Shiny Objects took that concept and ran with it, creating a unique “wet” pressed powder that won’t look or feel chalky over top of your liquid or cream-based products. Instead, you get a powder that melts into skin while still holding onto moisture for a glistening (not glittery!) effect.

Blurring primers have become the status quo in recent years as everyone chases that soft-focus finish for their beat. We love what Iconic London has done with this skin-makeup hybrid to join the trend—it does everything a primer should do to keep your makeup in place, while also delivering instant and long-term benefits to the skin. If that wasn’t enough, it blurs pores, uneven texture, and tone for a filtered appearance, and is infused with champagne pearls to visibly illuminate the complexion. All that for just $34? Inconceivable, and yet, here we are. “I love this product,” raves Parkes. “It’s on the cheaper side and is a great alternative to other products with the same benefits that charge a lot more.”

Does this look like pastel matcha? Yes. It is an incredible way to blur, set, and correct? Absolutely. The talc-free powder from makeup legend Laura Mercier is infused with hyaluronic acid to hydrate—giving the skin its signature cooling sensation—as it locks makeup in place for up to 16 hours. The mint version of this pro-staple not only blurs and reduces shine, but also neutralizes redness instantly. “LOVE this powder already, so I'm excited to see it in a green tint,” says Marie Claire contributor Michelle Rostamian. “I typically use a green color corrector for my redness/rosacea, which is mild, but putting this on top of the corrector has made a huge difference—it sets the corrector, makes it long lasting, and makes my skin more even-toned.”

This setting spray went certifiably viral and has reached sellout status at Sephora. Yes, it’s that good. Beloved by makeup artists, beauty editors, and anyone who hates looking in the mirror halfway through the day to see their cosmetics smeared, it really does lock your look in for hours. It mattifies and absorbs shine and oil without drying you out, ensuring skin still looks and feels fresh. Its breathable polymer film formula is waterproof, sweat-proof, smudge-proof and won’t feel sticky or tacky. “This spray is amazing,” says Oquendo. When you want to lock in your this is the one to reach for. “Just make sure that you are happy with everything before you spray this because once you lock it in it is set for a long night ahead.”

Rihanna turned the makeup category on its head back in 2017 with the release of Fenty Beauty’s historic 50 shades of foundation. She brings that same energy to the skin tint category with the Eaze Drop, a lightweight, blurring tint in 25 shades. It maximizes skin comfort without sacrificing on coverage. It’s the epitome of your skin but better, with a barely there feel that still filters out dark spots, blemishes, and dullness. “I love the texture of these,” says Oquendo. “They feel luxurious and also have excellent pigmentation.”

Brow gels are arguably the easiest way to add a little oomph to your arches. This clear setting serum from Privet Beauty boosts your brows by both taming unruly hairs and infusing a blend of growth encouraging peptides, botanicals, and vitamins to help create a thicker, fuller appearance. Perfect for those days when you just want to swipe and go (but still look polished), with the benefit of the more frequently you wear it, the better the benefits for your hair.

There are brow pencils and then there is whatever magic brow queen Anastasia Soare conjured up to create this logic-defying detailing pencil. It’s the absolute thinnest tip we’ve ever seen at just 1.2 mm, meant to mimic the blades used for professional microblading services. It delivers 12 hours of smudgeproof, water-resistant wear and gives you the ultimate precision to craft and build your ideal brow with its easy glide formula. “Love the shape of this brow pencil,” says LA-based makeup artist Sean Harris. “Creating believable hair-like brows has never been easier!”

In addition to being a national treasure (RIP, icon) Dolly Parton knew a thing or two about cosmetics. Her Dolly Beauty line is full of unapologetically girlie (Pink! Crystals! Bows!) products that work as fabulously as they look. Her Dolly Eyes Mascara in Brown Sugar delivers, as Dolly tells it, “lashes that enter the room before I do,” in a warm brown that defines without overpowering your natural coloring. The injection-molded brush grabs, curls, coats, and defines even your tiniest lashes, lifting and lengthening with a long-wearing formula that will take you from your 9 to 5 (sorry, had to do it) and into the night.

Armani debuted its long-wearing liquid eye tint way back in 2015—a simpler time when our biggest concerns were which Snapchat filter to use and why we were all so obsessed with Left Shark—and while we’ve moved on to other deep questions (Heated Rivalry or Off Campus?), our love for Armani’s groundbreaking eye tint remains strong. The crease-proof long-wear shadow, which comes in both shimmer and matte finishes, is lightweight and buildable thanks to a unique that suspends pigments in a water base, delivering high-impact color without the heavy feel on lids.

If you’re looking for an eyeliner that’s waterproof enough it could stand up to a flood’s worth of drama-fueled dating show waterworks, Make Up For Ever has just the tear, sweat, and pool-proof eye definer for you. Tested to last up to 24 hours of extreme wear, it delivers the long-wear you need with an easy glide formula that won’t tug or pull on delicate lids. Available in glitter, shimmer, metallic, and matte finishes, you can choose from subtle neutral hues like taupe and chocolate, or go bold with electric blue or vivid purple. “Make Up For Ever really nailed it with the color intensity, impact, easy application, and longwear,” says Lerma. “This is the type of pencil that you purchase backups of and always have an extra handy. I highly recommend this for the summer months and warmer temps and especially for anyone who is combo or oily skin. It does not move!”

There’s a reason we can’t shut up about these eye pencils from Victoria Beckham Beauty—they really are that girl. They’re longwear but ridiculously easy to smudge before they set, allowing you to manipulate the shape and intensity of your line before it locks in and will. Not. Budge. The secret to its glide and its high-impact pigment is its kohl base, which allows the formula to be creamy and easy to spread without smudging off. We’re also obsessed with the range of colors that include the continuously sold out Cinnamon, a shimmery warm brown, and the platinum sheen of Silver Glaze. Between pastels, nudes, brights, metals, and jewel tones, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Celebrity makeup artist Emily Gray agrees, saying, “[I'm] obsessed with these liners. The color payoff and the unique colors, it’s easily put in the waterline or blended out on the lid. These liners are perfect and I love them.”

Many of us learned the hard way (during the height of the Naked palette craze) that there is such a thing as too many nudes. But, thanks to celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic and his ultra-popular Ethereal Eyes palette, we’ve recovered from our nude eyeshadow palette aversion. That’s because this 12-shade stunner features a ridiculously flattering mix of nudes for every mood. They skew more neutral than cool or warm to help flatter all tones, plus contain a mix of wet-effect shimmers, sueded mattes, and true metallics to customize your eyes to whatever vibe you want to create. “The eyeshadows in this palette are formulated so well that even a novice can master a gorgeous eye look,” says Marie Claire contributor Danielle Jackson. “I found myself grabbing this for a pop of glitter, which is so special and unique to Makeup By Mario. I also really love the buttery matte nude shades.”

Bobbi Brown’s Cream Eyeshadow Stick is one of the handful of classic products that have hit legendary status for makeup lovers. The formula debuted in 2013 and has been going strong ever since. The color payoff is intense enough to use as a liner, but creamy enough to be blended out into a soft shadow that still packs a pigment punch. The color palette is more on the natural side, with a range of pinks, taupes, browns, greys, and purples in shimmer and matte finishes.

We’ve tried myriad ways to make our lashes fuller, but after countless growth treatments, we can say this lash enhancer by Grande Cosmetics is the clear winner. In just four weeks it adds noticeable length and thickness to existing lashes for an overall plusher fringe. But what really seals the deal is that it has 11 safety studies and is opthamolagist tested, so we know it won’t irritate even the most sensitive eyes. Combine that with a formula that can be used with contacts, extensions, lash lifts, and false lashes and you’ve got the making of a hall of fame lash serum.

From the moment you pull it from the tube, you can tell Pradascope mascara is not like its competitors. Instead of cylindrical lash distribution, Prada Beauty opted for a one-sided comb made from nylon-fiber bristles. This allows it to sweep through your lashes to fully separate (like a hairbrush) and coat even the tiniest hairs. It spreads the hylauronic-infused, micro-film formula evenly and without a clump in site, building without caking or weighing down the lashes. Even the sparsest lashes will experience a gravity defying, fluttery fringe.

Settle in and let me tell you the story of the days when liquid liners tormented all of us oldsters. There was a time, long ago (the ‘90s) when those of us who loved liquid liner were forced to use brush-on applicators, which, if you had shaky hands, led to a lot of fixing with cotton swabs dipped in makeup remover. Then Stila released their now iconic Stay All Day Liquid Liner, one of the very first liquid definers with a felt tip applicator. Suddenly, we could draw on smooth, even lines without poking ourselves in the eyes or getting it all over our lids. Stay All Day continues to be the gold standard for liquid liners, delivering smudge-proof, budge-proof, waterproof, pigment with the precision application of a marker. “This eyeliner allows you to draw a thick or thin line, and the formula comes out highly pigmented,” says Marie Claire contributor Brooke Knappenberger. “It delivers on its ‘stay all day’ name with a finish that doesn't budge or smear until I go to remove it at nighttime.”

Boasting a whopping 14x more volume, UD’s Tube Job will deliver the kind of before-and-after photo that will have people thinking you got lash extensions. According to the brand, the formula took four years to perfect, resulting in a lash-nourishing blend of peptides, castor oil, and hyaluronic acid to keep hair soft, not stiff as it lifts, defines, and plumps your lashline. It also uses bristles that are two times thinner than standard brushes, for an ultra-precise application. Available in five shades, it coats each hair to extend and thicken, but can be easily removed with just warm water. “It is one of the few non-waterproof mascaras that truly keeps my lashes lifted, curled, and lengthened throughout the day without smudging or transferring beneath my lashline,” says Parkes. “Whenever I wear it, I’m frequently asked what mascara I’m using, which speaks to how well it performs and how noticeable the results are.” Pro tip: The Platinum Blonde shade can be used on your arches to create a low-fuss bleached brow look—a good way to try the trending style without the long-term commitment of full-on bleaching.

The original Diorshow has been a constant in our makeup kits for as long as we’ve been wearing makeup. But when we want a high-impact look that is as dramatic as it is plush, we reach for this ultra-volumizing iteration. It magically combines mega volume with precise definition, so you get thicker lashes but don’t lose that fanned-out look. Waterproof for up to 48 hours (but please don’t wear it that long), it’s the wand you reach for when you want your eyes to do the talking. “The formula delivers instant volume upon application and separates lashes nicely,” says Harris.

We’re not sure if Tarte knew they had a juggernaut of a franchise on their hands when they launched the Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm back in 2020, but that’s exactly what the Maracuja Juicy Lip family has morphed into. With everything from a lip oil to a pencil, there’s an MJC for everyone. Our favorite version is the click-pen Lip Gloss, which delivers a mirror-like shine alongside 12 hours of hydration with its peptide-packed formula. Available in three endlessly wearable nudes, it’s giving early aughts shine mania without the sticky, tacky feel of lip glosses past. “I love how glossy it leaves the lips while hydrating them as well,” says Dresher. “The shade range is great and the little charms are so fun!”

Just as there’s no such thing as a universal skin tone, there’s also no such thing as a universal nude lip. We’ve all got different undertones and shades in our lips, meaning if you want to match your natural hue, you need a liner that has an option that actually matches. Yves Saint Laurent hit a homerun with this sculpting liner—its creamy glide formula glides over lips with ease, but won’t smear or feather into lines. It comes in 10 shades from espresso brown to a light pinky nude, allowing you to line, overline, and fill in your pout without creating a too dark or too light base. It has jojoba oil and vitamin E to condition and despite the buttery texture, is transfer-resistant, so you don’t need to worry about it slip sliding off your lips.

Does this lip oil cost $365? Yes, it does. Is it the best lip oil to ever caress our lips? Without a doubt. It features Chanel’s premium Sublimage L’Extrait formula, which uses polyfractioned vanilla planifola from Madagascar and Himalayan swertia to create a supercharged strengthening peptide that not only hydrates, but visibly restores and regenerates the lips. It has a custom sculpted metal applicator that hugs the curves of your pout to deliver exactly how much you need, leaving lips smoother, plumper, and glowier. It’s a true luxury experience for the lips.

It's a surprise to no one that Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs would be behind our favorite bold lip stain. Mother Monster gives good lip, after all. The Atomic Shake blends high-pigment with a vinyl finish, delivering intense color without the dried matte look. It’s got all the impact you want from a stain, but a vinyl shine that would make your glosses weep. Flexible film-forming polymers give it a weightless feel while marine algae extract smooths and conditions. It’s got an ultra-thin feel and is transfer-resistant for up to eight hours. “I'm someone with very dry lips and love a gloss, but they're not long-lasting and I hate the way liquid lipstick feels,” says Rostamian. “This product gives me the best of both worlds—a long-lasting gloss with incredible color payoff and longevity. I wore it through eating, drinking, talking, and I put it through multiple tests of blotting with a tissue, drinking from a water bottle, kissing my hand and it lasted.”

Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury is the woman to go to if you want a lush, full-looking pout. Her Matte Revolution Pillow Talk is a unicorn of a lipstick that suits an expansive range of skin tones. It’s both nude and pink, the very definition of “your lips but better.” Due to its extreme popularity, Tilbury expanded the Pillow Talk range to include Fair, Medium, Dark, and Deep spin-offs of the original. The matte formula gives a sueded finish to your lips but softens and hydrates with vitamin E and lipstick tree extract (yes, that’s a real plant). “One of my favorite lipstick formulas ever,” raves Gray. “I’ve had these in my kit for years. Charlotte just does lipstick so well, and I’m especially partial to her nude shades. The matte formula is light and thin on the lips, while still delivering the best color payoff. My lips feel hydrated, which is hard to do with a matte formula!”

Having a lip wardrobe of hues you can choose from to fit the occasion, your outfit, or your mood is one of the many fun parts of wearing makeup. Pulling together the right mix of colors, however, can be a trial-and-error process that takes many years, a few frustrated tears, and a lot of wasted money. Which is why we’re so obsessed with this curated lipstick palette by Bodyography—not only does it have one of the best satin-finish formulas we’ve ever had the pleasure to swipe across our lips, but it contains eight gorgeous shades that can be worn as is, or mixed up to create a hue that is uniquely you. Inside you’ll find everything from hot pink and classic red to an earthy nude and soft mauve, all featuring the brand’s hydrating squalane- and sodium hyaluronate-infused formula to keep lips soft and smooth.