I Just Realized Every Beauty Item I Told My Friends to Buy in 2023 Was Under $50

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(Image credit: Collage by Ally Quirk)

As a beauty editor, I'm lucky enough to test dozens of new skincare, hair, and makeup products each month. I'm constantly surrounded by them, and it's literally my job to judge them, so I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what's good, what's great, and what's, well, not worth using. It's only when I personally recommend a product to my friends that I know I really love it. 

Two of my closest friends (hi, Ella and Hansi!) love swapping beauty news, info, and recommendations. I can't even count how many times they've gracefully listened to my never-ending monologues on the subject. So when they came to visit over the summer, I naturally told them all about the products I'd been loving as of late, and they did the same. A week later, they left with a list of products to buy (and it's only grown since). It wasn't until recently that I realized every product on the list was $50 or less. Ahead, see all the products that I've recommended to them and learn why I love them so much. 

Kaitlyn McLintock
Beauty Editor

Kaitlyn McLintock is a Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. She has 10 years of experience in the editorial industry, having previously written for other industry-leading publications, like Byrdie, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and others. She covers all things beauty and wellness-related, but she has a special passion for creating skincare content (whether that's writing about an innovative in-office treatment, researching the benefits of a certain ingredient, or testing the latest and greatest at-home skin device). Having lived in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, she has since relocated back to her home state, Michigan. When she's not writing, researching, or testing beauty products, she's working through an ever-growing book collection or swimming in the Great Lakes.