Editor's Picks: The best beauty products of the year

Stephen Knoll Madison Ave & 58th Multi Stick Balm, $19.90

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Great for taming stray strands without weighing down hair. Glide the stick directly over your tresses to keep floating hairs in check, or apply it on a brush before combing through your locks. For textured strands, rub it between your palms to warm it up before working it into your hair.



 

C5 Super Boost Eye Cream, $59, Paula’s Choice

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Look well-rested and bright-eyed with the newest addition to Paula’s Choice’s popular vitamin C-infused C5 Super Boost range. It’s powered with vitamin C, antioxidant-rich ginger extract (zerumbone) and peptides to refresh puffy peepers. This lightweight formula also benefits from a shot of hyaluronic acid to deeply moisturise the skin.

Mini Glam To Go Palette, $51, Anastasia Beverly Hills

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Glam up on the go with this mini eight-pan palette. It comes with a variety of pink-leaning shimmery hues and matte, neutral shades that will help you create both subtle, wearable looks and bold, partyready smoky eyes.

Rewind Colour Protect Conditioner Mask, $65, Papilla Hair

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Designed for chemically treated locks, this antioxidant-infused (glutathione, coenzyme Q10 and ascorbic acid) mask keeps your hair colour fresh, while protecting the scalp and hair from free radical damage and oxidative stress. Camellia oil helps to prevent hair breakage and tame frizz.

Bio Lifting Serum+, $460, Chantecaille

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Slather on this hydrating serum from Chantecaille to plump, lift and brighten the skin. It has sustainably sourced peptides and plant stem cells to reduce the look of existing fine lines and fill creases, while protecting skin against environmental aggressors such as blue light.

Wind Flowers, $450, Creed

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Inspired by the grace and strength of a ballet dancer, it features top notes of jasmine, orange blossom and peach. As it settles into the skin, hints of musk and sandalwood emerge to give the scent a richer and more sophisticated quality.

We Stand/For Regeneration Hair & Body Wash, $32, Davines

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Housed in a bottle made of recyclable bio-based plastic, this moisture-replenishing shampoo is silicone-free and 94.2 per cent biodegradable. All of the carbon produced from the making of this vegan shampoo is offset through two reforestation projects in Ethiopia. It also doubles as a body wash, which is great if you’re travelling and trying to pack light.

Bykurahome Oasis Reusable Skincare Facial Round, $12.90 for a set of five

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Just one of these antibacterial and antimicrobial circular pads replaces up to 500 single-use makeup wipes. Not only are these pads made from sustainable organic bamboo, they are also soft enough to use on your face, neck and eyes. They come in a mesh laundry bag, so simply toss them in there, and pop it in the washing machine to get them squeaky clean.

Daydream Screen, $58, Ultra Violette

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While it comes in 15 shades, this skin tint can adapt to two or three skin tones. Perfect for achieving that coveted “no makeup, makeup look”, it imparts a natural, barely-there finish. Pat it onto your skin with your fingertips for hassle-free application.

Original Milk Tea, $68, Naked Blend

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Vikki Tear, founder of home-grown milk tea brand Naked Blend, wanted to create “supplements (that can) be enjoyed and easily blended in daily routines”. The milk tea is a tasty beverage designed to boost skin health and fight environmental aggressors. It contains plant-based milk and is packed with skin-loving nutrients such as vitamin C and zinc.

The Luminizing Face Enhancer in Golden Galaxy, $140, Cle de Peau Beaute

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This finely milled powder melts into skin to softly illuminate the high planes of the face. The best part? It’s made with nourishing ingredients like argan oil that help improve your skin condition with regular wear, so you look radiant and well-rested even when you don’t have the powder on.

When The Rain Stops Eau De Toilette, $185, Maison Margiela Replica

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That crisp, earthy scent that lingers in the air after a downpour gets bottled into this aquatic fragrance. Bright, citrusy patchouli is mixed with sweet rose petal and bergamot oil for a delicate finish.

Probiotics Firming & Brightening Eye Serum, $75, Jung Beauty

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That crisp, earthy scent that lingers in the air after a downpour gets bottled into this aquatic fragrance. Bright, citrusy patchouli is mixed with sweet rose petal and bergamot oil for a delicate finish.

Look bright-eyed (even when you’re running on empty) with this K-beauty eye serum. A combination of probiotics, niacinamide, caffeine and superfoods hydrates and smooths the delicate eye area. It also has a lightweight, non-comedogenic formula that prevents the formation of milia seeds.

Pommisst Hydration Spray, $55, Jane Iredale

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This face mist not only helps your makeup stay on all day, it also imparts a healthy glow, thanks to antioxidant-rich ingredients like pomegranate extract.

Parure Gold Skin, $150, Guerlain

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A luminous formula that’s worth its weight with gold. Infused with 24K gold and white peony extract, this liquid foundation blends seamlessly into skin to nourish and hydrate, while offering a buildable light to medium coverage.

Essential Hair Kit (AM), $109, June Silk

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Incorporating silk or satin haircare products into your routine is the easiest way to tame your mane. While cotton can pull moisture out of your hair and make it frizzy, silk retains your hair’s natural oils and prevents your strands from getting tangled or dry. This silk hair set includes a silk scrunchie, dual silk and microfibre hair wrap, hair claw clip and detangling comb.

Everlasting Hyperlight Liquid Lipstick in Bloodflower Wand, $34, KVD Beauty

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This cult-favourite liquid lipstick is newly reformulated to include hydrating ingredients like raspberry stem cells. It’s one of the most flexible, long- wearing formulas you’ll come across.

J’Adore Parfum D’Eau, from $192, Dior

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With its alcohol-free water base, this makes for an uplifting, fresh fragrance. The scent features sweet neroli, heady jasmine sambac and sparkling Chinese magnolia.

Optimal Hydration Refreshing Eye Serum, $25.90, Cetaphil

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Designed to refresh puffy, tired peepers, this serum combines the brand’s soothing Hydrosensitiv Complex with hyaluronic acid to create a targeted yet gentle product. While it has a heavier and more viscous consistency compared to other eye serums, it absorbs quickly without leaving a sticky residue.

Skin Conditioner Essential Mask, $55 (8 sheets), Albion

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Perfect for blasting away signs of fatigue, this thirst-quenching mask has the same key ingredient – anti-inflammatory Job’s tears – that’s found in the J-beauty brand’s iconic Skin Conditioner Essence. Pro tip: Refrigerate this mask before applying to quell ruddy cheeks.

Brow Genius, $99, Anastasia Beverly Hills

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This brow serum is powered by red clover extract, Korean red ginseng, panthenol, biotin and castor oil to give thin, patchy brows a boost. Don’t just take it from us: 86 per cent of users surveyed in a clinical trial said that their brows no longer looked sparse in just 12 weeks.

The Essence, $162, Tatcha

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A potent blend of Japanese superfoods – Akita rice, Okinawa algae and Uji green tea – delivers instant hydration and plumps up skin. Apply this lightweight, watery formula after washing your face and before moisturising to combat any tightness from your cleanser and add luminosity.

Hyaluronic Hydra-Balm in #2 Nudissimo, $49, By Terry

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Enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid, this lippy will keep your pout juicy and plump all day long, while imparting a natural wash of colour. Swipe it on for a “justbitten” sheer look or build it up for a bolder colour. Comes in six wearable shades.

Fleur du Desert, $565, Louis Vuitton

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Famed perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud evokes the spirit of the Middle East and whisks wearers off to the desert with this hypnotising blend of jasmine, orange blossom and rose.

Seanik Shampoo Bar, $25, Lush

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As part of its ongoing zero waste effort, more than 50 per cent of the brand’s offerings, including this shampoo bar, are now “naked” (packaging-free). Upgrade your shower routine with this plastic-free, waterless shampoo that’s packed with Irish moss seaweed, Japanese nori seaweed and sea salt to detangle, add volume and clean your mane.



 

Triple Strengthening Neck & Decollete Serum, $164, Kew Organics

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Thanks to a cocktail of ingredients such as skin-plumping Liftiss (fruit extract from the baobab tree), complexion-evening chlorophyll and healing aloe vera, this hard-working formula from Kew Organics helps to rejuvenate skin from within. With consistent use, it promises to make your neck and decollete area appear firmer and smoother.

Sublimic Airy Flow Mask (for thick, unruly hair), $66, Shiseido Professional

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Powered by a thermo-shaping complex technology, this hair mask takes well to heat – leave it on for three to five minutes before rinsing off, then proceed with heat-styling. When it comes in contact with heat, the formula repairs hair cuticles to tame the common unruly symptoms of coarse, thick tresses. Be gone, breakage and frizz!

Pony Dessert Box Eyeshadow Palette, from NT$799 (S$37.43), FreshO2

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Taiwanese brand FreshO2 teams up with South Korean Youtuber and makeup artist Pony Makeup on this palette featuring 10 pigmented, long-wearing shades that run the gamut from soft neutrals to delicate pastels.

Secret Multi Balm, $46, Su:m37°

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Whether you want to hydrate chapped lips, nourish dehydrated skin or add a healthy
sheen to your cheeks, this multitasking balm does it all. Standout ingredients include the brand’s patented cedrol (extracted from cedar oil), alpha-bisabolol and mortierella oil – each work in tandem to moisturise and strengthen skin.

Moonlit Camomile Cologne, $240, Jo Malone

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This new fragrance from Jo Malone pairs invigorating blue moonflowers with earthy English chamomile leaves and crisp, fresh white musk to replicate the smell of a leisurely evening stroll in the garden.

Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen, $54, Glow Recipe

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This broad spectrum sunscreen from K-beauty brand Glow Recipe combines zinc oxide with chemical filters to protect skin against harmful UVA and UVB rays. It’s also enriched with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe and watermelon extract to calm and moisturise skin. Not only does it feel weightless, it leaves behind a subtle, healthy sheen with no trace of white cast.

Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain, $38, Fenty Beauty

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The unique oil-in-water formula imparts vivid, glossy colour, while squalene keeps your pout hydrated and plump. If it’s good enough for Riri, it’s good enough for us.

Flawless Finish Perfecting Loose Powder, $49, Bskin

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Apart from perfecting your complexion, this hard-working formula goes way beyond what you might expect from the product. It’s made with thirst-quenching ingredients like royal jelly and honey to ensure a luminous, non-cakey finish. Titanium dioxide is also included for extra sun protection.

Tattoo Pencil Liner Waterproof Long- Wear Gel Eyeliner in Azurite Blue, $33, KVD Beauty

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This cobalt blue hue works on all skin tones, and looks good worn on its own as a graphic statement, or smoked out to create a diffused wash of colour. Highly pigmented and longwearing, this vegan pencil is one you’ll want to collect in all 10 shades.

Immortelle Reset Serum, $98, L’Occitane

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There’s a reason why one bottle of this overnight serum is sold every minute. It works overtime to hydrate and nourish your complexion with antioxidant-rich organic immortelle essential oil, as well as meadowfoam seed and sunflower seed oils. Best of all: It absorbs quickly and doesn’t weigh skin down.

Bio-Age’Luxe Super A.C.E Serum Shot, $59.90, Bio-essence

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In addition to bringing dull skin back to life, this cocktail of skin-loving vitamins A, C and E is a real tour de force when it comes to addressing unwanted signs of ageing.

Beauty Elixir, from $24, Caudalie

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This reformulated mist is great for hydrating thirsty skin throughout the day, thanks to its blend of rose, rosemary, lemon balm and mint, and delivers a subtle glow for an added pick-me-up.

Luna Play Smart 2, $145, Foreo

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Featuring 24K gold-plated skin sensors, this facial device is worth its weight in gold. This nifty wizard analyses your skin’s moisture levels to determine the best cleansing routine for you. It also calls on Foreo’s patented T-Sonic pulsations to gently yet effectively cleanse (95 percent of dirt, oil and sweat) and massage the face.

All 1N One Serum, $69, Illumia Skin

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Created by beauty entrepreneur Kim Lim, this powerhouse serum contains a potent blend of healing niacinamide, moisturising hyaluronic acid, smoothing adenosine and calming centella asiatica extract. Use it morning and night to prevent moisture loss, even out your complexion and keep skin supple and plump.

M.A.C Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in Devoted to Chili, $43, M.A.C

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Made with vitamin E and emollients, this flexible whipped formula coats lips with a creamy colour without ever feeling or looking cakey.

Flower by Kenzo Poppy Bouquet Eau de Toilette, from $85, Flower by Kenzo

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The fragrance itself – a fresh, floral scent with a hint of musk and cedar – is captivating, but our favourite part of this EDT is the brand’s commitment to sustainability. For starters, the fragrance is made without any animal-derived ingredients. Plus, its packaging is made from responsibly sourced FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper.

Wonderwild Miracle Butter, $55, Drunk Elephant

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Thanks to a nourishing blend of marula butter, shea butter, coconut oil and meadowfoam oil, this hard- working SOS salve treats and relieves irritation such as rashes and sunburns. An essential in any makeup bag, it can also be used on cracked heels, chapped lips and dry, dead ends.

Purifying and Regulating Powder Shampoo, $39.90, The Powder Shampoo

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This vegan water-activated powder formula sops up dirt, oil and debris in hair with refreshing peppermint essential oil and exfoliating papaya extract. One bottle of this powder shampoo is equivalent to five bottles of liquid shampoo (which requires up to five litres of water to produce). This not only makes The Powder Shampoo easy on the wallet, but also on the environment.

Kisskiss Bee Glow in #775 Poppy Glow, $55, Guerlain

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Made with 98 per cent natural-origin ingredients such as propolis, beeswax and shea butter, this tinted lip balm softens lips and imparts a subtle wash of colour. Comes in three wearable shades.

Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 6 for Face and Body, $105, Anastasia Beverly Hills

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Go bright or go home with the 25-pan palette that’s filled with vivid purples, blues, greens and more in matte and shimmery finishes. These finely milled shadows pack a pigment punch and can be swept on with your fingers or a brush. The possibilities are endless.

Declaration Eau de Toilette Haute Fraicheur Spray, from $104, Cartier

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Inside this instant confidence-booster sits a concoction of zesty citrus leaf, spicy cardamom and woody cedar. It’s a scent that’s both fresh and comforting.

Radiant Cushion Foundation in Natural N, $139, Cle de Peau Beaute

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Skincare meets makeup in this glow-inducing compact. Its water-gel texture instantly refreshes skin, while giving you natural, buildable coverage. The hydrating formula that features emollients such as rosemary leaf extract makes it perfect for dehydrated and mature skin types.