I’m so excited to announce that for the 3rd year in a row I had the pleasure of being one of the judges of the Glamour Magazine’s Beauty Awards! I was in charge of The Best New Makeup of 2018 and The Best Skin Care Products of 2018 categories and I am so honored they published so many of my quotes. As most of you know from social and my unboxings and daily Instagram stories (@prettyconnected), you know I’m always going to launch parties and trying everything! Which is why being able to judge and also share so many products I love with all of you and in this issue puts me on cloud 9! I wanted to take a moment to highlight my favorite products in each category and talk about why I love them.
Glamour Beauty Awards: The Best New Makeup of 2018
The Best Primer
Becca Backlight Priming Filter – Becca wrote the handbook on glowing skin, and this primer is chapter one. It’s water based and contains three unique Filtering Luminescent Pearls that works to blur out imperfections and has you glowing even before you put on your foundation.
The Best Concealer
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer – This concealer works overtime! The tiniest dab does everything from hide acne scars, discoloration and dark circles. It’s compact and perfect for touchups when you’re on the go. Use this before your eyeshadow application as a primer, finish with a powder and your eyes will stay intact long after you’re ready to call it a night.
The Best Highlighter
Kevyn Aucoin The Neo-Highlighter – I feel like a Greek goddess when I use this palette. This highlighter blends three of their best-selling Celestial Powders, Candlelight, Starlight and Sunlight that offers the most beautiful, multi-dimensional, highlight with just the right amount of shine.
The Best Eye Shadow or Palette
Urban Decay NAKED Heat Palette – Urban Decay literally turned up the heat when they launched this palette and set forth the crazy of warm tone, orangey-bronzed eyeshadow palettes. I love everything from the color way to how deeply pigmented the shades are and how easily they blend.
The Best Mascara
Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara – I haven’t regretted giving up lash extensions since using Lancome Monsier Big Mascara – it curls, thickens and lengthens in the blink of an eye.
The Best Eyeliner
Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner – When it comes to eyeliner, I want it to be super-pigmented and waterproof enough that it can withstand me watching The Notebook. This one not only delivers but also comes in matte and shimmer finishes. It has a retractable tip so you never have to sharpen, and makes it easy to create the perfect line or you have about 10-15 seconds to smudge and smoke the shade out before it sets and doesn’t move for the rest of the day.
The Best Lip Color
NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment – There’s something so satisfying about applying these lip pigments! From the wand that makes it so easy to perfectly line and fill your lips to the rich pigment of each shade, it offers such dimension and lasts all day.
Glamour Beauty Awards: The Best Skin Care Products of 2018
The Best Lip Treatment
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask – I wake up with perfectly supple, kissable lips everyday in the winter, said no one ever until this mask. Go to bed with dry lips, wake up with them filled in and feeling so soft. And I totally reapply during the day when I’m dry. Why wait for beauty sleep when it feels so good to be awake in this product.
The Best Cleanser
Eve Lom Gel Balm Cleanser – There’s something so satisfying about gently rubbing this product onto your face and watching all of your makeup loosen up and dissolve away in the sink. The original balm is a classic and favorite of mine and their latest cleanser form leaves skin utterly cleansed and feeling so hydrated!
The Best Toner, Essence, or Mist
Caudalie Vinoperfect Essence – I’m a big fan of Caudalie’s Vinoperfect line, so when they added the essence to the collection, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! This essence is light and feels so lovely and refreshing. I use it every morning after washing my face and within a week my skin was noticeably brighter and more even.
The Best Oil
Caudalie VINE[ACTIV] Overnight Detox Oil – This overnight oil is a game changer. It’s lightweight, calming, and great for all skin types. I use it alone or under a moisturizer if I’m feeling super dry and wake up to hydrated more even tone skin.
The Best Moisturizer
Sisley Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream – This cream is a tall glass of water for your skin, you can literally see your lines getting plumper in within seconds of using it. And longterm makes it look so hydrated, bright and filled in.
The Best SPF
Shiseido Sports BB Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ with WetForce Technology – This product proves you can have your cake and eat it to. It’s the perfect blend of SPF and makeup so your skin looks flawless with a healthy glow. I’ll even use it on my hands to make them look 10years younger for Instagram photos when I’m holding products.
The Best Exfoliator
Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant – After a long day, washing my face (post cleanser) with Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant makes my skin feel amazing and so smooth and soft. The little scrubbers exfoliate my pores and take all the NYC pollution and general yuckiness out of my skin.
The Best Eye Cream or Treatment
SK-II RNA Power Eye Cream – I’m always tired, but you’d never know it within minutes of using this eye cream. It instantly firms and hydrates! It’s like an invisible girdle, it tells my fine lines to suck it in and hide.
The Best Mask
Tatcha Violet-C Radiance Mask – Conquering dull skin is easy when you have two types of Vitamin C, superfoods, clay, and some AHA from fruit hugging your face. This mask is the cheat sheet to brighter skin in just 15-20 minutes.
The Best Tool
Clarisonic Smart Profile Uplift is like a workout and skin tightening treatment in one. With minimal effort, this gadget targets 15 signs of aging and is a total game changer!
The Best Brush
It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Superhero 4-in-1 Eye-Transforming Super Shadow/Liner Brush — I felt like a magician pulled a rabbit out of hat, when I saw this brush. From performance to convenience, this dual sided adjustable brush the job of a liner, smudge, crease and all over shadow brush. I’m always traveling and on the go so having a four in one brush that flawlessly does it all, is such a time and space saver!
The Best Self-Tanner
St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Face Sheet Mask – this multi-tasking sheet mask hydrates while giving you your desired level of tan in 5 (light tan), 10 (medium tan) or 15 minutes (dark tan). Just make sure to rub the excess serum into your hairline and neck after you remove your mask for an even glow! Make sure to follow the directions to avoid any blotchiness.
The Best Body Product
Sisley White Ginger Contouring Oil for Legs – For anyone that heavily works out or is on their feet all day, you know the struggle is real by the end of the day. Sisley introduced this body oil to counteract the discomfort of heavy legs and swollen ankles by energizing them and stimulating blood circulation, while hydrating and toning legs. Plus it smells like citrus and is so enjoyable and relaxing to massage in after a long day.
While I can’t take credit for all the winners since I didn’t judge all the drugstore and a few other categories, I did want to shout out the wins by Aveeno, Maybelline, Covergirl, Essie, Physician’s Formula, Pixi, Differin , Vintner’s Daughter, Estee Lauder, Tom Ford, Beautyblender and so many more in my photo below.
I may not have had the opportunity to vote for these products but they are all in beauty closet/vanity and definite winners in my book. See the full list of winners at glamour.com/story/beauty-awards-2018
Congrats to all the winning brands and products!