28 Beauty Products With Results So Magical They Might As Well Be Magic Potions
A bestselling tightening cream so you can join the legions of reviewers who have given it 5 stars for its visible results and delicious scent. It's infused with caffeine, coconut oil, and guarana extract to firm and smooth skin while adding a little shimmer.
A lil' polar bear hydrating eye stick if your puffy, aching eyes feel like cinderblocks in the morning they're so heavy. Kickstart your routine with sweet, sweet relief thanks to this hydrating formula, which is blended with Iceland glacial water to help relieve puffiness, tighten skin, and tackle dark circles.
Or a fragrance-free CeraVe eye cream because you've seen this holy grail product evveerrryyyyyyywhere and wanna know what all the hullabaloo is about. Here's the deal — the non-greasy formula was developed with dermatologists and helps combat puffiness and dark circles with a nourishing combination of ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
A hydrating snail mucin repairing essence for soothing *all* skin types (reviewers love how gentle it is) with the potential to help heal acne scars, fade dark spots, and smooth fine lines...all for just $20!!
A pack of two dark spot corrector soap bars that are packed with all the skin-loving good stuff (vitamin C, turmeric, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and MORE) to help even out skin and diminish dark spots wherever they pop up.
A non-aerosol dry shampoo powder packed in a travel-friendly compact to prolong wash day and revive greasy locks so you can basically roll right out of bed and into the office and STILL have coworkers complimenting your fabulous hair.
A silicone-free L'Oréal moisturizing treatment if you want visibly healthier-looking hair FAST — like, eight seconds fast. This rinse-out formula works on any hair texture or length, delivering the proteins and amino acids necessary for a shiny, flippable mane.
A painless, mint-flavored teeth-whitening pen because traditional strips are expensive, take forever to see results, and can leave you with teeth sensitivity that is, in my professional opinion, NO fun. With this pen, you can get noticeable results fast. And the best part? No lingering sensitivity.
A pack of Skin1004's zombie masks that'll deliver skin-tightening, fine line-reducing benefits at the small price of looking like an extra in The Walking Dead for 15 minutes. It'll just make the post-facial reveal that much more sweet!
A vegan exfoliating body scrub for anyone who struggles with persistent KP. This buffs away bumps by combining the benefits of a chemical peel and microdermabrasion into one gentle, at-home treatment.
A bottle of nail and cuticle care oil you apply like a clear coat of polish to help your nails get all the cuticle-softening, nail-strengthening nourishment they've been craving.
Plus, a coconut-scented nail strengthening cream if you hate deciding between eye-popping manicure prices or sporting short, brittle nails that are constantly chipping. Fortunately, there's a third option! This non-greasy formula is packed with calcium, moisturizing oils, and vitamins to strengthen nails and condition cuticles.
An easy-to-use collagen-coating hair mask so it looks like your hair hasn't undergone years of abuse at the hands of bleach and blow-dryers without the pricey salon trip.
A powerful 2% BHA salicylic acid exfoliant if harsh scrubs haven't done your skin any favors. This helps to clear skin and unclog pores by gently sloughing away dead skin to reveal the texture-free glow hiding underneath.
A soothing piercing solution because you've been watching that bump growing on your new piercing for weeks and it's time to take action. This aftercare formula is designed to reduce the size of your keloid over time with 2–3 daily applications.
A hydrating lip-plumping gloss that'll have you doing a double take in the mirror. Are those my lips or Angelina Jolie's signature pout?! The set is complete with a minty sleeping mask, so you can give your lips the VIP treatment day and night.
A silky-smooth Huestick to layer under foundation as a color corrector or as a breathable, blendable, buildable pigment on lips, cheeks, and eyes.
A box of Mighty Patch pimple patches containing hydrocolloid so you can stop that zit dead in its tracks with gunk-absorbing powers that speed up the pimple healing process. The sticker format can also help prevent you from habitual picking or popping.
Plus, a pack of nose pore patches for making your skincare dreams a reality by expunging gunk and excess oil from your nose while you sleep. The hardest part will be resisting the urge to touch your post-treatment skin now that it's as smooth as a baby seal.
A wildly popular Bio-Oil because real-life magic (aka science) has gifted us this powerful blend of moisturizing oils and vitamins to help fade the scars and stretch marks you thought were going to stick around for the foreseeable ever.
An anti-dandruff shampoo for reducing scalp flaking and itching thanks to a little clinically proven ingredient called ketoconazole, which kills the fungus that causes dandruff. Now you and your favorite black turtleneck can reunite without fear!
A powerful glycolic acid gel peel enhanced with retinol that works as an exfoliant to resurface skin, smoothing out bumpy texture and helping to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You might just be tempted to cancel your fancy facial after giving this a whirl.
A cruelty-free intense-therapy lip balm to take even chronically irritated lips from dry and cracked to hydrated and smooth while protecting them from future damage.
An air-dry leave-in cream so you can get touchable, crunch-free curls, and enjoy less frizz without getting the blow-dryer or other heat styling tools involved.
A cruelty-free extreme hold eyebrow gel if midday fallen brows leave you crestfallen. All that fluffing work for nothing?! Try this nonsticky styler (transparent or tinted) for serious staying power that'll last up to 16 hours.
A budget-friendly E.l.f. putty primer for blurring pores, smoothing the appearance of wrinkles, and getting that virtually airbrushed look. Plus, this primer is mixed with squalane, which offers a whole host of hydrating skin benefits.
A tattoo aftercare salve so you can soothe, protect, and enhance your ink, whether you got it five days or five years ago. Made from just seven vegan and cruelty-free ingredients, this balm is sensitive skin-safe and will make both colored and monochrome tats POP.
A soothing SOS facial spray to calm down angry, stressed-out skin morning, noon, and night. The hero ingredient — hypochlorous acid — is found in our white blood cells and actually triggers an immune response, which signals your body to repair and heal irritated skin.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
This Affordable Moisturizer Is *Incredibly* High Rated
To make the claim that something is 'the best' takes a lot of consideration and research on our part. But, after several praises sung by experts in skincare, tons of positive ratings and some of the most convincing testimonies from people like myself, it's finally time for us to name the original CeraVe Moisturizing Cream as the best moisturizer out there to date. We've given this unassuming and ubiquitous hydrator this title for reasons such as its accessible price point and its truly all-purpose usage that's compatible with even the most sensitive skin types. However, after a dermatologist that we interviewed for a recent story said that the CeraVe cream was one of their 'favorite moisturizers in the entire world,' we knew it was more than just a good product. When board-certified and Texas-based dermatologist Dr. Seemal R. Desai at Innovative Dermatology previously spoke to HuffPost about the best products to manage crepey skin, he explained that moisturizers with thick emollients are what help to replace the ceramides and lipid concentration in the skin, which can help with overall hydration. And like all of the products in CeraVe's line, be it their cult-favorite face washes or targeted serums, this custard-like cream is formulated with three essential ceramides that are fundamental for not just hydration, as mentioned earlier, but for helping to maintain a healthy skin barrier. The formula also contains hyaluronic acid, a tried-and-true humectant that draws moisture into the skin. As a long time sufferer of this common skin condition, I can personally attest to how beneficial the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream has been to managing any irritation, redness and flaking that occurs. In fact, it's the only moisturizer I've continuously used on my body for the past decade because I know it won't exacerbate my incredibly dry and finicky epidermis. Other users of this $14 cream have made similar claims as myself and have even attributed the formula for improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and managing painful skin cracking brought on by the winter elements. Others state that it's the perfect priming layer to wear underneath makeup. As if these assuring words and endless endorsements from dermatologists weren't enough, you can read on to just a few of the promising reviews we found for the CeraVe cream, a product that might be one of the highest rated items we've seen on Amazon. Or grab yourself a long-lasting 8- or 19-ounce tub from any of the above retailers. Get it from Amazon for $13.52+ (available in two sizes).
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
33 Korean Skincare Products For Your Wishlist
Medicube's "Zero Pore" Pads containing lactic acid, salicylic acid, and a dual-textured surface to help control excess sebum while exfoliating dead skin and refining pores, all while keeping your glow game strong. If your skin is more on the sensitive side, a jar of Anua heartleaf daily toner pads made with PHA to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells while also helping to reduce blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts. The heartleaf extract helps to soothe and hydrate skin, leaving you with a glowy complexion. A popular pack of Skin1004 8-in-1 treatment masks ready to give you similar (if not better) results as the v expensive Hanacure, if you don't mind looking like a zombie for 15 minutes in exchange for (*takes a deep breath*): reduced fine lines, lifted skin, cleared acne, tightened pores, deeply hydrated skin, improved skin texture, balanced pH level, and a brightened complexion. A pore-clearing cleansing oil that visibly sucks out sebum from your pores and removes makeup residue and blackheads, leaving your skin looking clearer and feeling smoother. Reviewers of all skin types swear by it, including those with acne-prone skin (who say it doesn't cause breakouts)! And their deep cleansing foam, which dives deep into your pores, gently whisking away gunk and removing dead skin cells. Heartleaf extract is the magic ingredient here, and it's all about calming things down, reducing inflammation, and keeping your skin feeling soothed and pampered long after you've rinsed off. Mixsoon Bean Essence that hydrates and exfoliates your skin at the same dang time. 🤯 This thick (but not sticky) essence contains natural ingredients like fermented bean, barley, and pomegranate to remove dead skin cells and revitalize skin tone. A SeoulCeuticals toner mist made with 98% naturally derived ingredients like refreshing cucumber, antioxidant-rich green tea, tamarind, soothing aloe, and rejuvenating marine minerals for a perfect dose of dewy radiance. This powerhouse mist not only hydrates and plumps your skin but also works its magic on blemishes, helping keep those pesky breakouts at bay. A lightweight Cosrx mild gel cleanser — it's gentle enough for you to lather up and have that fresh face feeling every day. This pH-balanced face wash won't disrupt your skin, which could lead to all sorts of problems like dryness, oiliness, and breakouts. It also contains BHA (a type of exfoliant that unclogs pores) and tea tree oil (which has antibacterial properties that zip zits). And the viral Cosrx snail mucin power essence formulated with 96.3% snail secretion that's perfectly lightweight and hydrating for all skin types. This serum leaves a nice glow and keeps skin visibly smooth after a few uses — no wonder it has over 57,000 5-star ratings! The Saem hydrating eye stick, a perfect remedy for dehydrated skin. This eye treatment is made with Icelandic glacier water, giving your skin the fresh hydration boost it needs on days when you've hit the snooze button one too many times. And a beauty of Joseon eye serum to send your tired under-eye bags running for the hills. Made with ginseng, retinol, and niacinamide, it can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin elasticity, and enhance the brightness of your skin, giving you that radiant glow. The all-in-one Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Hydrating Multi-Balm for those dry areas on your face and body that could use a little extra love. Packed with collagen and a natural fermented oil straight from Jeju Island, this balm is like a loving hug for your skin, giving it a 48-hour moisture boost and lifting effect. An Elizavecca carbonated clay mask here to remove all the icky sebum from your face without stripping away your skin's natural oils. Reviewers say after using this, their skin feels super clean and irresistibly soft — you won't be able to resist touching it! A Nooni tinted appleberry lip oil if you ever wanted a lip product that's not too sticky or thick but still gives a subtle pop of color. Not only does this oil give you a beautiful tint, but it's also nourishing for dry, flaky lips. The Face Shop's facial foaming cleanser in case your skin is more sensitive than a toddler during nap time. You need only a tiny bit to create a rich lather that'll cleanse your face like a dream without irritating or drying it out. Plus, it's packed with rice water, which is amazing for brightening up your complexion. A Mizon snail repair cream made to reduce the appearance of fine lines and dark spots. It contains raspberry extract, AHA, and mugwort extract to help your skin feel smoother and more rejuvenated than ever. A bottle of goami rice toner if you need a little extra help with hydration. This toner gives the skin a lovely illuminating effect while also improving its protective moisture barrier. A Laneige water sleeping mask so incredibly moisturizing that one reviewer describes it as a "hydration volcano." It's infused with squalane and a probiotic-derived complex, which is just a fancy way of saying it delivers intense moisture without that greasy, heavy feeling. Plus, it helps to strengthen your skin's moisture barrier, making your complexion look brighter and more radiant. Also from Laneige: A glowy lip balm to instantly elevate your makeup look, whether you're going for a cute daytime vibe or a sultry evening allure — or just rock it solo with its amazing high-shine finish. The texture is smooth as silk, lightweight, and *not* sticky, so you'll feel like you're in lip balm heaven. A cute little Tonymoly octopus-shaped blackhead remover that rids your nose and chin of all the gunk that's built up throughout the day and exfoliates pores, making your skin look smoother and cleaner. The wonderfully potent SeoulCeuticals Day Glow Serum infused with 20% vitamin C, plus hyaluronic and ferulic acid, vitamin E, citrus stem cells, and centella asiatica to help with any little face things — think wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, etc. A Goodal vitamin C serum — packed with a whopping 70% green tangerine extract, this little bottle is like a brightening potion just waiting to tackle dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Reviewers can't stop raving about how it seemingly transformed their skin, even fading years of sun damage. Don't believe me? The proof is in the photos below! A pack of popular Cosrx pimple patches to shrink your problems overnight. Ok, I'm not talking student loans or awkward first date type of problems, but they do help with pimples! These patches not only cover up your zits, but they also suck out all the gross gunk, leaving your skin looking fresh and clear. A bottle of Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops packed with vitamins that help plump and brighten your skin along with hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing moringa seed oil for an instant dewy glow. ✨ A fast-working calming cream by Dear, Klairs with a natural extract from chamomile oil that hydrates the skin and helps relieve redness. It can be good to use after laser treatment, long-term sun exposure, or post-shaving. A TikTok-viral overnight collagen mask — it starts as a milky-colored hydrogel mask and gradually turns clear while it works wonders on your skin. It contains three kinds of probiotics along with low-molecular-weight collagen and hyaluronic acid, which penetrate deeply to improve elasticity, refine pores, smooth fine lines, and more. You can wear it overnight or leave it on for 3–4 hours as you go about your day! And Mediheal tea tree sheet masks you'll want to keep on deck for when your skin needs some serious TLC, because these little gems are like a mini spa day for your face — just 15 minutes of pure bliss! Infused with three types of tea tree extract, these masks work wonders to calm and balance your skin, helping to clear blemishes while keeping excess oil in check. And your skin will look absolutely radiant afterward! Cosrx Blackhead Power Liquid that will seriously clear those suckers out! Its formulation includes 4% BHA and 2% niacinamide, which will help dislodge the gunk from deep inside your pores. Torriden hyaluronic acid serum — this complex HA formula is designed to absorb super quickly and dive deep into your skin, delivering a mega-dose of moisture. With a lightweight, watery texture, this serum is all about maintaining that much-needed hydration and keeping your skin plump and smooth without any icky residue. An acne-fighting face and body wash containing the powerhouse micro-benzoyl peroxide (10%) to penetrate deep into your skin and fight off pimples on your face, back, and butt without leaving your skin feeling tight and dry. A Korean scrub mitt — the ultimate body exfoliation tool. It's made out of a plant-based fiber that's rough enough to visibly lift dead skin away but also buffs and smoothes, leaving your skin velvety soft. It's also great for pre- and post-shaving, helping to reduce ingrown hairs and trapped follicles, and reviewers praise it for effectively removing spray tan too! An Innisfree daily UV defense sunscreen reviewers are calling their "holy grail" sun protection. It has SPF 36, which is *chef's kiss* for everyday use. It's formulated with green tea for hydration, cica to soothe redness and irritation, and sunflower seed oil to nourish the skin. And the best part? It leaves behind a beautiful glow with zero white cast. And a pack of peptide patches — these look just like stickers, but they do way more: They block 98% of UV rays from reaching your delicate under-eyes thanks to their UPF 50+ rating, *plus* they're packed with hydrating and brightening peptides to give your skin that extra oomph. They're so thin and clear, they practically disappear on your skin, and they're water- and sweat-resistant so you can rock them all day without any slipping.
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
This Liquid Exfoliant Has Been My Holy-Grail Skin-Care Product for Years. Here's Why.
I'm a huge skin-care nerd, but whenever I'm feeling tired, sluggish, or lazy at the end of the day (which is, you know, often), it's a challenge to get through all the steps of my nightly skin-care routine. When that happens, I make a deal with myself: Just get to the part where you apply Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, which I do after cleansing and toning, and you're good. That's because this super-gentle yet super-effective formula — one of Wirecutter's picks for the best exfoliant — gives my complexion a noticeable glow and leaves my skin feeling moisturized and healthy every time I use it, even if I use no other products after it. Should I manage to perform all of my facial ablutions before bed, I'll follow up the Paula's Choice 2% BHA with a serum (Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment) and a night cream (CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, one of our recommended moisturizers). But if I had to choose just one product to care for my skin after cleansing, it's definitely this exfoliant. I haven't found anything else that's as enjoyable to use with such dramatic, pleasing results. This Paula's Choice 2% BHA contains just eight ingredients. Its main active ingredient is salicylic acid, which is a kind of beta hydroxy acid. BHA is one of three types of chemical exfoliants often used in skin care — the other two are alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), which is a smaller molecule, and polyhydroxy acid (PHA), which is a larger molecule. BHAs are known for being 'exceptionally efficacious at sinking into pores and breaking down the sebum that causes oiliness and cystic acne,' editor Rory Evans explains in our exfoliant guide. That claim proved especially true among our Paula's Choice 2% BHA testers. 'More than any other BHA serum we tested,' Rory notes in the guide, 'Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant made us feel like it was really getting in there to lift away oils and grime.' The brand recommends applying one or two shakes of the exfoliant to a cotton pad and swiping it all over the face and neck. The experts I talked to concurred that this is the best application method, because the pad helps physically remove the excess sebum and dead, flaking skin cells that the product is formulated to help treat. But I must confess: Sometimes I shake the exfoliant into my cupped hands and pat it into my face and neck with my fingertips, because I just love how it feels. Other times, as a treat, I press it in with a jade roller so I can also enjoy a little facial massage. The thing is, my love for Paula's Choice 2% BHA has nothing to do with how much gunk I see on my cotton pad after I've applied it. I am middle-aged (ish?), so my face isn't the sebum-churning machine it once was. I still experience congestion, but big blackheads or gnarly zits are much more of a rarity for me these days. When I use a cotton pad with Paula's Choice 2% BHA, I hardly ever see any telltale grime on the pad afterwards (although my 12-year-old, who's just starting her battle with blackheads and pimples, also uses Paula's Choice 2%, and she sure does). Instead, what I love most about this product is how it's formulated to address a wide range of skin concerns in addition to clogged pores. Only use Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant once or twice a week to start. Your skin might feel a little warm and tingly or turn a little red for several minutes after you apply it. If you have a stronger reaction than that, this product might be too concentrated for you. Otherwise, you can slowly work up to using it as often as twice a day. Rose Lorre/NYT Wirecutter 'A product is more than just its active [ingredient],' Mary Lupo, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of the Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology, said in a phone interview. 'The vehicle is crucial.' In other words, the overall formulation of a skin-care product can be just as important as the attention-grabbing ingredients that are usually highlighted front and center on its packaging. (Paula's Choice 2% BHA contains the fewest ingredients of any of our exfoliant picks, and the fewer ingredients a product has, the less likely it is to contain one that irritates your skin.) Of the five exfoliants we recommend in our guide, Paula's Choice 2% BHA is one of only two that contains green tea extract, an antioxidant-packed skin enhancer with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties. (The other exfoliant with green tea extract in our guide, Shani Darden Lactic Acid Serum, costs about $89 an ounce, whereas the Paula's Choice exfoliant, depending on the size of the container, is roughly $9 an ounce.) Paula's Choice 2% BHA also contains methylpropanediol, 'a humectant that will help retain moisture and help to combat any potential dryness from the BHA,' Pooja Rambhia, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at UnionDerm, said in a phone interview. Combined with the green tea extract's soothing properties, she added, 'This product is really beneficial for those dealing with breakouts and redness.' And though I don't have definitive proof, I swear that I can actually feel all of those benefits in real time after I apply the exfoliant. Initially, it delivers a temporary flush to my skin along with a warming tingle — but never an uncomfortable burning or stinging sensation, which 'could be a bad sign of increased risk of skin-barrier damage,' Rambhia said. After a few minutes, my skin is calm and feels replenished and hydrated, which is why, even though I know I shouldn't, I occasionally skip moisturizer before bed. Even without that final layer, I'm pleased with how my skin feels when I wake up the next morning. Swiping a liquid exfoliant onto your skin with a cotton pad (as I'm doing in the first pic) helps get all that gunk off your skin. However, I also love how the product feels and performs when I pat it into my skin with my fingers or when I press it in with a jade roller. Rose Lorre/NYT Wirecutter Though I love my Paula's Choice 2% BHA, on paper I should prefer AHAs over BHAs. This is because AHAs are known to improve skin texture, address uneven skin tone, and lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. (So, you know, old-people stuff.) These two types of acids are sometimes discussed as if they're opposites that serve different demographics: BHAs are usually said to be best-suited for younger people who worry more about acne and clogged pores, while AHAs are better for more-mature skin-care issues. In my experience, though — and according to the known science behind these acids and the experts I spoke to — your age shouldn't stop you from incorporating a good BHA into your skin-care routine, since clogged pores can be an issue at all stages of life. (In your later years, they may be more likely due to a pile-up of dead skin cells, as opposed to an overproduction of sebum in your earlier years.) Plus, if you use a BHA, you can still use an AHA, as I do. The serum I use after Paula's Choice 2% BHA in my skin-care routine contains AHA in the form of lactic acid. There's nothing that says you can't use the two in tandem, or even simultaneously, so long as they're not too irritating to your skin. (In fact, another exfoliating product we recommend, Pacifica Glow Baby Brightening Peel Pads, contains both.) But I often find AHAs a little too irritating for me to apply every day, and after years of use, I just feel that BHAs are more my jam. Turns out, I'm not the only one. 'If push comes to shove, I'd say that the AHAs are a little inflammatory to the skin, whereas the BHAs are anti-inflammatory,' Lupo said. Unlike many AHAs, BHAs are also lipophilic, she added, which means they're better at preventing transepidermal water loss — a concern that might be particularly acute as skin ages. Rambhia added, 'For mature patients, your skin isn't turning over as robustly as it was when you're younger, so things like dullness can tend to be more prevalent; that's where I think a BHA is really useful. It can help revive the skin and improve dullness by exfoliating the top layer of skin cells.' As with any skin-care acid, the only trick to using Paula's Choice 2% BHA is to make sure you're not using too much of it. Both experts I spoke to recommend applying it twice a week to start, to ensure your skin isn't irritated by it. If your skin can tolerate it, feel free to gradually start using it more often. The brand recommends up to twice daily, which is how often I use it, because sometimes, you really can't have too much of a good thing. I purchased my first bottle of Paula's Choice 2% about two and a half years ago in a trial size. Now I buy it in bulk, in the biggest size available, when it's on sale. I always have multiple bottles stashed away, waiting for their call of duty. Each one will get its turn atop my sink vanity, I know, because I am not moving on from this product anytime soon — quite possibly never. For smoother, glowier, healthier skin, it's the choice I make again and again. This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Hannah Rimm. For clearer, brighter skin, there's no quicker route than a few swipes of an exfoliant. We tested 22 and found five standouts in a range of effective concentrations and textures. If you're new to exfoliation, start with just once a week for one month. Then consider bumping that up to twice a week if your skin can tolerate it. The dermatologists we spoke with give hypochlorous acid the green light for face and wound care. We tested seven popular brands, but only three won us over. Retinol is a gold-standard ingredient for skin care. We tested 28 over-the-counter contenders to find five true standouts.
