For most people, November signifies the long-awaited beginning of the holiday season, but for those of us whose careers are based in fashion and beauty, this month happens to be one of our busiest. When we're not tackling our overflowing email inboxes or deep in a writing hole, we're taking note of the standout products that have defined our year. This time around, I've scoured the far corners of social media and took hints from Gen Z to pinpoint the beauty products that no doubt will by flying off the shelves as soon as this year's biggest holiday sales begin.
It's almost time for Nordstrom's Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings event, and I'm beyond excited to get my hands on some high-performing (and, dare I say, aesthetic) products by innovative skincare brands like Sunday Riley and The Ordinary and ultra-luxe makeup brands such as Westman Atelier and Hourglass. I've fully convinced myself that I want the 20 products below, and I'm more than willing to try to beat my fellow Gen Z members to the punch. May the shopping odds be ever in your favor!
This body lotion is perfect for nourishing and protecting your delicate skin during the chilly winter months. It's a soft, non-irritating, fragrance-free multivitamin moisturizer that absorbs quickly into the skin to support your natural pH and barrier function while promoting long-term skin health.
Calling all rose lovers! Salt & Stone just released a brand-new scent for its best-selling line of bodywashes: Blake Rose & Oud. It's a multi-benefit, refreshing gel body cleanser with ocean botanicals, antioxidants and natural hydrating ingredients, and it smells of blooming black florals, warm oud, and fresh vetiver.
One thing about me is I love a good everything shower finished off with a body oil for some extra glow. ALO's luxe, ultra-rich, and fast-absorbing body oil deeply hydrates and locks in moisture using a mixture of skin-loving ingredients such as vitamin C, turmeric, marula oil, and more for radiant glow.
Use this body scrub to buff and polish your skin with a formula that contains finely milled pumice and bamboo stem to combat dead skin cells and residual grime. It's also infused with essential oils of fir, pine needles, sage leaf, and clove for a spa-worthy aromatic experience.
Key Notes: ginger, saffron, coffee, patchouli (Spiritous Candle); cedar, rose water, cinnamon leaf (Broken Rosary Candle); nutmeg, orange citrus peel, and brushed suede (Incensorial Candle)
While you're at it, snap up Boy Smells' limited-edition Holiday Votive Trio. It includes three warm, festive scents that—according to the brand—are "designed to transport yourself into reimagined tradition." My favorite fragrance of the three is by far Broken Rosary, which combines fresh florals with warm, earthy spices.
Key Notes: pink pepper, lemon, rum absolute, clary sage oil, tobacco leaf absolute, and vanilla bean
While this fragrance is often marketed as a masculine scent, I'm here to argue that it's definitely versatile enough to be unisex (and the glowing five-star reviews agree). Recalling the cozy atmosphere of a private club, the cologne combines the scent profiles of heady cocktails with the woody notes of cigar boxes.
Key Notes: tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, jasmine, and marine accord
If you've never paired perfume with a matching hair mist, now is the time to give it a try and ultimately upgrade your fragrance game one spritz at a time. Diptyque's Do Son Eau de Parfum & Hair Mist Set is a good place to start this holiday season. Illustrating the memory of a childhood in Indochina, they mesh powdery florals with a smooth marine accord.
Key Notes: bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries, incense, pine needles, orris, amber, and sandalwood
It goes without saying that I'm not the biggest fan of this product's name, but I'm definitely enamored with the woody and aromatic fragrance it represents. Inspired by a nature-driven lifestyle, the eau de parfum draws from the scents of fresh soil, deep forests, and campfires.
Combat dull, uneven, and rough skin with the help of this daily exfoliating toner. Its powerful formula uses glycolic acid, Tasmanian pepper berry, ginseng root, and aloe vera to exfoliate and soothe from inside out while delivering visible radiance. If you have sensitive skin, don't worry—it's ideal for use on all skin types.
Retinol is one of those ingredients that many newcomers to the world of skincare tend to stay away from, but finding gentle products like this one can completely transform your skincare routine with little effort or risk. Balanced with blue tansy and German chamomile essential oils, it works while you sleep to improve the appearance of fine lines, radiance, and texture.
TikTok made me buy this (and I couldn't be happier with my decision months later). This anti-aging moisturizer uses hyaluronic acid to visibly plump and diminish the appearance of lines, leaving skin glowing. It was developed my world-renowned makeup artists Charlotte Tilbury to create a glow base to work on for her celebrity clientele.
Get all the benefits of the Blue Lagoon without having to book a flight. This volcanic black lava mask gently exfoliates and renews skin while promoting an even skin tone and texture, resulting in a smooth complexion. Ideal for all skin types, the mask harnesses the exfoliating properties of the bioactive Blue Lagoon Lava, removes dead skin cells, and regenerates cell turnover.
This mascara uses a lightweight gel formula full of tiny dimensional fibers that coat the lashes with intense color pigments for maximum volume and high-impact drama. The High-Def Wave Brush has wavy bristles that comb and disperse the fibers throughout the lashes and has a precision tip to easily catch and define small corner lashes with ease.
Westman Atelier's clean, creamy contour stick uses an intuitive trace-and-blend formula that won't interfere with other makeup and helps protect the skin against environmental stressors with soothing ingredients. It sculpts and defines the face for a natural satin finish that blends and builds seamlessly.
The second edition of Hourglass's best-selling Ambient Lighting Palette acts as an instant filter for a flawless complexion and multidimensional glow. Its powders capture, diffuse, and soften surrounding light to refine the appearance of skin. They also help manipulate light to disguise imperfections, pores, and fine lines.
This matte eye shadow stick has received Gen Z's stamp of approval via TikTok. It has a 24-hour, pigment-rich cream formula that glides across the skin for easy blending and building without tugging, flaking, or creasing. It layers easily over or under other shadows while providing high-impact, water-resistant wear.
Fight the frizz with this blow-dry and heat-protectant cream by Briogeo. It's a lightweight finishing formula infused with a nourishing blend of rose hip, argan, and coconut oils that smoothes hair, enhances shine, and protects your strands from heat up to 450ºF and free radical damage. It's also vegan, cruelty-free, and from a proudly Black-owned and -founded brand.
Ideal for all hair types, Olaplex's best-selling at-home concentrated treatment addresses compromised and damaged hair, strengthening and protecting it from inside out to restore a healthy appearance and texture. If you've been combating breakage, split ends, or brittleness, this could be the product your haircare routine has been missing.
Designed to create big curls and soft waves with a 1 1/4–inch large barrel and spring-activated lever, this curling iron features ultra-zone technology to deliver even heat to your strands while its advanced ceramic coating delivers a smoother curl. The ultra-zone technology maintains the correct styling temperature of 365°F with each section of hair.
This one has been all over my TikTok For You page (and for good reason). Engineered for multiple hair types, lengths, and styles, the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler works to curl, shape, and smooth your hair with styling attachments that have been reengineered with enhanced Coanda airflow for increased control.
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