Vogue's esteemed beauty editors have meticulously compiled a definitive list of their most cherished makeup products, offering a comprehensive guide to achieving flawless looks. From revolutionary skin tints that merge seamlessly with your complexion to versatile lip and cheek enhancements, this collection showcases a variety of formulations designed to cater to diverse beauty needs. These expert-approved selections promise to elevate your daily routine, providing both subtle enhancements and bold statements for every occasion.
Essential Beauty Discoveries from Vogue Experts
In the dynamic world of cosmetics, navigating countless options can be daunting. Thankfully, Vogue's beauty editors, including Kiana Murden, a senior beauty shopping writer, and Conçetta Ciarlo, a beauty commerce writer, have simplified this quest by sharing their personal favorites. Their recommendations span a wide array of products, each selected for its exceptional performance and unique benefits.
For a natural, second-skin finish, Chanel's Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch stands out as a top pick. Conçetta Ciarlo praises its lightweight, serum-gel texture, which offers impressive coverage without any heavy feel. Infused with hyaluronic acid and botanical extracts, it perfects the skin with an undetectable, radiant glow. Its barely-there sensation and buildable coverage make it ideal for those seeking a fresh, luminous complexion, though its subtle fragrance might not appeal to everyone.
For defining lips, the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil in 608 Limitless Brown is Kiana Murden's go-to. This versatile pencil, known for its creamy, blendable formula, doubles as a contour, eyeliner, and lip color. Its vibrant pigment and smooth application offer a tug-free experience, making it a makeup bag essential for achieving a polished look. While its multi-use functionality is a major plus, it's worth noting that it's not waterproof, although a waterproof version is available.
When it comes to enhancing cheeks, the Rhode Pocket Blush receives high marks. Conçetta Ciarlo consistently returns to this silky-smooth, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic stick. It glides on effortlessly, providing buildable color for a natural flush or a more dramatic effect. Its seamless application makes touch-ups a breeze, ensuring your makeup remains undisturbed throughout the day. While its hydrating formula and diverse shade range are celebrated, its longevity may be shorter for those with oily skin.
For a hydrating and glossy lip, the Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil is a must-have for Margaux Anbouba, senior beauty editor. She uses a hint of liner and then applies this oil for an instantly juicy pout with a pretty touch of color. Its cushiony texture and high-shine finish, enriched with vitamin E, avocado oil, apricot oil, and peptides, provide comfortable wear. While modern colors suit various skin tones, the large doe-foot applicator might require extra precision during application.
To achieve a filtered, airbrushed look, the Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder is Kiana Murden’s top choice. This clean-composition powder diffuses and blurs imperfections without feeling heavy or cakey, particularly under the eyes. It can be used as a standalone setting powder or over loose powder to create a soft, diffused finish. However, some users have noted that the pressed powder can be fragile and prone to breaking if dropped.
The collaboration between Augustinus Bader and Sofia Coppola on The Tinted Balm Trio intrigued Conçetta Ciarlo, making a perfect addition to her collection. These balms feel luxurious and impart beautiful pink hues, offering all the benefits of Bader’s classic lip balm with a hint of tint. While the shades are universally flattering, the color's long-wearing capability is not its strongest suit.
For foundation, Margaux Anbouba swears by Dior Forever Skin Perfect Stick Foundation. After trying numerous foundation sticks, she attests to its superior performance, noting how it consistently makes her look radiant. This full-coverage stick, enriched with Barbarian-fig blossom, sunflower seed wax, and candelilla wax, offers a natural, satin finish that blends seamlessly with the skin. Its hydrating formula is great for most, though it might feel too heavy for those with oily skin.
Arden Fanning Andrews, beauty editor at large, has relied on BareMinerals Original Loose Powder Foundation SPF 15 for years. She highlights its ability to make skin look naturally flawless, almost as if no makeup is worn at all. Containing bismuth oxychloride, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxides, this powder provides a natural, skin-like finish and is easy to apply. Yet, it's worth noting that it is not entirely non-comedogenic.
For a naturally sculpted look, the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick is Conçetta Ciarlo’s preferred product. Its cool undertones mimic natural bone structure, making it ideal for defining cheekbones and jawlines without appearing sun-kissed. Enriched with jojoba seed oil, raspberry leaf stem cell extract, kaolin clay, and vitamins C and E, this long-wearing, clean formula works wonders for sculpting, though it has a limited shade range.
Kiana Murden finds Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation wildly underrated for its natural luminosity. With an 89% skincare ingredient composition including squalane, glycerin, and plankton extract, it offers light to buildable coverage that feels undetectable. It is her choice for a tinted gel cream-like wear, hydrating dry skin while subtly covering imperfections. This cruelty-free and vegan formula, however, might not satisfy those desiring full coverage.
The Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm is a versatile product loved by Conçetta Ciarlo, who owns it in five different shades. Combining the benefits of a lip gloss, plumper, and balm, it provides a high-shine, pearlescent finish. Key ingredients like menthyl lactate, mango seed butter, and shea butter contribute to its hydrating and plumping effects, with a refreshing minty sensation. Its non-retractable tube design requires care to avoid twisting out too much product.
Arden Fanning Andrews' 'biggest secret' is Guerlain’s Météorites Setting & Finishing Pearls of Powder. These reimagined powder pearls provide a radiant, luminous finish that leaves skin looking like glass, giving the illusion of no makeup at all. Enriched with mica, silica, and cellulose, they offer light color correction and long-lasting wear. While it delivers a beautiful pearlescent finish, some users may dislike its strong fragrance, and it acts more as a finishing touch than a true setting powder.
The Fenty Beauty Match Stix Contour Skinstick is Kiana Murden’s top pick for contouring, especially for deeper skin tones. This cream-to-powder stick defines cheekbones, emphasizes the jawline, and warms up the forehead with its matte, natural finish. Its inclusive shade range and cruelty-free formula ensure a long-lasting, sculpted look, although its slightly dry texture might require extra blending.
For liquid eyeliner, Margaux Anbouba recommends MAC Cosmetics Brushstroke Liquid Eyeliner in brown. She notes that brown eyeliner offers a sexy, cat-eye effect without the harshness of black, being less noticeable if not perfectly applied. This smudge-proof, transfer-resistant, and humidity-proof formula promises up to 24 hours of wear. However, it comes in a limited shade range of only black and brown.
Conçetta Ciarlo uses Freck The Original Freckle Pen to add individuality to her beauty routine. After her full glam, she re-emphasizes her beauty marks with this pen, bringing life and a playful pop to her overall makeup look. This clean and vegan formula creates natural-looking faux freckles but is not water-resistant.
Kiana Murden, with her acne-prone skin, trusts Saie Slip Tint Radiant Concealer. Its lightweight, buildable formula is clean and free of pore-clogging ingredients. Enriched with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin, it offers medium coverage without creasing, perfect for covering imperfections and dark circles. Some users find it dries quickly, necessitating swift blending.
For an affordable yet high-performing lipstick, Margaux Anbouba is impressed by Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Lipcolor in Unrivaled. This product combines the long-wearing benefits of a lip kit with a super glossy finish, avoiding any dryness or cakiness. Its transfer-proof, highly pigmented shades offer an economical solution for vibrant, lasting lip color, though some may not appreciate its strong scent.
Kiana Murden, once skeptical of brow gels, now loves Merit Brow 1980. This pomade delivers fluffy brows with a soft hold, avoiding gooey, clumpy, or overly pigmented results. Enriched with panthenol, kaolin clay, and carnauba wax, it offers a subtle, natural-looking tint for fuller-looking eyebrows. While it provides a crunch-free hold, it might not be strong enough for very stubborn brow hairs, preventing a faux-lamination effect.
Conçetta Ciarlo’s makeup bag overflows with shades of Saie Dew Blush. She praises its acne-safe liquid formula, which offers a natural, dewy finish with hydrating ingredients like glycerin, elderberry fruit extract, and licorice extract. Its highly pigmented shades cater to all skin tones and can be blended over the high points of the cheeks and nose. Some users note that setting it with powder improves its longevity.
Finally, British Vogue's Ellie Davis uses Tirtir Glide&Hide Blurring Concealer, a dual-ended product with a silky balm for blurring pores and a traditional liquid concealer for blemishes. Featuring dimethicone, glycerin, propanediol, and hyaluronic acid, this concealer offers featherlight, buildable coverage with a natural, blurred finish, perfect for a no-makeup makeup look. The quick-drying formula, however, demands fast blending for optimal results.
These detailed recommendations from Vogue's beauty editors underscore the magazine's commitment to highlighting innovative and effective makeup products. Their collective expertise offers invaluable guidance, demonstrating how specific formulations can meet diverse needs while enhancing individual beauty. The emphasis on natural finishes, buildable coverage, and skin-friendly ingredients reflects a broader trend towards healthier, more personalized beauty routines. Ultimately, these selections serve not just as product suggestions but as an invitation to explore and embrace the transformative power of carefully chosen cosmetics.