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Hundreds of products land on the beauty editors desk every week. From make-up and tools to invites for treatments and super-spa’s, we test them all – someone has to!
We’ve buffed and bathed our way through countless skin, hair and body potions and have found some products miraculous, others outrageous; some that can really change your skin, and others that are just a waste of change. So we’ve whittled down our arsenal and have compiled our ultimate edit for our IMAGE Hot 100 in partnership with L?Oreal Paris best beauty buys of all time.
Some of the entries are new launches, some are classic products that have withstood the test of time, others are the best beauty pitstops to book for treatment and our go-to entourage for when we need to dazzle at a party. They are all unrivalled in performance, packaging, value and service, and really are the cream of the crop.
Here are our favourite picks from IMAGE Beauty Hot 100:
Best False Lashes – Bourjois Corner Lashes
These clever corner falsies adhere to just the outer quarter of your lash line, with minimum fiddling or skill level, and give a feline flick without any nasty nylon lines that give the game away.??6.99
Best Palette – Stila in the Light Palette
Like a capsule wardrobe for eyes, this has become our go-to palette for subtle, sexy or smouldering looks. The pigments also have enough ?grab? to make lids pop with minimum product and blending.??31.25
Best Mascara – Maybelline New York The Colossal Volum’ Express Cat Eyes Mascara
It’s the engineered curve of this wand that gives this mascara its edge. In one swoop, it manages to grab all your lashes, yet disperses more product along the outer corners for a feline effect. It’s easy to layer up without caking or clogging and won’t end up all over your cheeks by’midday.??11.99
Best Gel Liner – L’Or?al Paris Gel Eye Liner
Glides along lash lines like butter, yet stays put like glue. Apply thick or thinly to add depth to lashes or to define eyes without worrying about blips, as they can easily be smudged out before the formula dries.??9.99
Best Hairspray – L’Or?al PAris Elnet Satin Catwalk Hairspray
You’d be hard pushed to find a session stylist without an iconic golden can in their kit. Its cult status is due to the patented nozzle that delivers the finest and most evenly distributed mist, which brushes out without struggle.??7.98
Best Mask – K?rastase Nutritive Masquintense
No matter how many new formulations the people at K?rastase make, they’ve still not topped this classic. It contains a glucose and protein mix that makes hair feel cashmere- soft and restores a megawatt shine. Sleep in it overnight for maximum impact.??26.44
Best Hair Colour –L’Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss, Preference Ombre
This simplified balayage kit makes light work of creating dip-dyed tresses. You just brush the colour onto mid-lengths, wait as instructed, and wash out. The result is a well-blended, devil-may-care finish, which even our in-salon colourist had to admire.??12.20
Best Eye Cream – Lancome R?nergie Yeux Multiple Lift
We’re weary of eye creams with preposterous promises, but this formula hydrates all day long, culls crow’s feet from within, and the light- reflecting concealer covers up dark circles.?49.50
Best Cleansing Wipes – L’Or?al Paris Triple Active Renourish Cleansing Wipes
Unlike most wipes, which strip the skin of its natural oils while whipping off make-up, these infuse pores with ceramides as they cleanse, so skin is left feeling soft, not scratchy, after use.??6.19
Best Cleansing Oil – Shu Uemur Skin Purifer
Perfect skin is a national obsession in Japan, the home of Shu Uemura, and this cleanser, after 51 years, is still the brand’s bestselling product. It gently clears the complexion of excess oils and dirt without damaging the skin’s barrier function or natural pH.??72
Best?Anti-Wrinkle Cream – Bio Retinoid Anti Ageing Cream
If you can’t tolerate – or are searching for an over-the-counter alternative to – a prescriptive Retin-A cream, this cream, inspired by dermatological protocol, will deliver similar results, over a longer period of time, without the worry of harsh side effects.??50
Best Facial Spray – La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water
One member of our beauty team won’t let tap water near her skin, and will only cleanse with this spray and cotton wool. The less high-maintenance among us mist it on when on holidays, or while flying, to keep skin hydrated and cool.??4.00
Best Foundation Range – CHANEL?
No matter how many times we deviate, we always return to Chanel’s family of foundations. Why? The sheer, satiny finish; the redness-neutralising yellow undertones; and the variety of finishes, from long wear to barely there, which we switch to suit skin’s needs through the seasons.
Chanel Vitalumi’re Satin Fluid foundation,??43; Chanel Vitalumi’re Aqua foundation,?34.48; Chanel Perfection Lumi’re foundation,??44; Chanel Vitalumi’re Aqua Compact,?49.
Best BB?Cream – Skin Perfection Skincare BB Cream
Just when we thought we couldn’t take another BB launch, L?Or?al discloses their trump card. This feather-light formula gives you the skin you should’ve had at 21 – namely radiant, refined and ready for a selfie in fewer than five seconds.??19.99
Best Beauty Tool – Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System
Think of this as the skin equivalent of using an electronic versus a manual toothbrush. This facial brush uses gentle sonic micro-massage to purge pores without harsh abrasion or chemicals, cleansing so effectively, we swear you’ll never wash your face without one again.?200
Best Serum – L’Or?al Revitalift Laser Renew Super Serum
Mimicking the effects of a course of very expensive laser?treatments, this serum target?the lower dermal layers to stimulate fibroblast and thus?collagen production, which translates to plumper, less lined and a more cushiony-looking complexion.??37.50
