14 Beauty Products From Sephora That We Truly Love

“I have very light eyebrows. So light that sometimes they don’t even show up in pictures and it looks like they’ve been shaved off. Tired of looking like the victim of a frat-party prank, I’ve turned to Milk’s Gel Brow for eyebrows that can be seen by both a camera and the human eye.

The oily pencil gives brows a prominent, matte look that appears natural but bold. It’s also super waterproof, so I can jump in the pool and come out without leaving my eyebrows in the water. The pencil comes in three colors: Pale Ale, Pilsner, and Dark Brew. I’m currently sipping on the lightest color, Pale Ale, but I might be brave and get the Pilsner shade next. I’m just so relieved to finally have natural-looking eyebrows that people can actually see. Applying takes only 30 seconds and it completely transforms my face. I really recommend this pencil for people who want to color in their brows once in the morning and then forget about them for the rest of day. It stays on so well!” —Rebecca O’Connell

Price: $18 (available in three shades)

“By now, you’re probably tired of hearing everybody scream about how outrageously magical Fenty Beauty is, but guess what??? You’re going to hear it again: Fenty Beauty is the best.

First of all, the Shimmer Skinsticks are MAGNETIC!!!!! They’re all homies that feel separation anxiety when they’re not together…hence the need to buy every single color. I only have three of them (Starstruck, Sinamon, and Yacht Lyfe) right now, sadly, but will very soon be adding to the collection. Although they are petite-sized, they pack a punch when it comes to pigmentation, just like all of the collection’s Killawatt Highlighters. Honestly, I broke up with all my other highlighters, eyeshadows, and blushes when I bought these because I can wear them all over my face. YES, you heard that right. I can put Sinamon on my lids or on my cheeks as bronzer and similarly I can put Yacht Lyfe on my cheeks and on my lips. They’re the chameleons of makeup.” —Christina Lan

Price: $25 (available in six shades)

“This Glass Glow Highlighter literally turns my face into ‘dewy dumpling’ status. Allow me to explain. It’s inspired by and borrows heavily from the popular K-beauty “glass skin” concept — which, if it isn’t inherent from the name, denotes ultra-smooth, pore-minimized, and glass-like skin. And wowowow, when I mix this highlighter with my foundation, I’m taken aback by the dewiness and glowiness of my own skin! I had a ‘is this even possible’ kind of reaction the first time. My foundations are typically matte because I want that full coverage, but I also want my skin to look dewy and glossy — and I never thought I could have both, tbh.

I wasn’t too sure about it at first, since I haven’t jived well with face glosses in the past, but for some reason — while this product is definitely a tad sticky — it wears more easily and naturally. It doesn’t feel like it’s really sitting there on my skin, and you can always set it a bit with a light mist. My favorite shade is Prism Rose just because it has a rosy (duh) finish and adds a little color/flush to my face to make it look like I don’t stay indoors all the time, but they also have a more ~sheer~ color called Crystal Clear that is also lovely! You don’t even need highlighter (I’m not wearing any in the first photo) but if you add some (as I often do), it pops **even more** on top of the Glass Glow. Consider me glowed up!! —Sarah Han

Price: $32 (available in three shades)

“Because my lips get extremely dry and flaky all winter long, I was previously devoted to medicated Chapstick and would need to continuously reapply it all day. I was on the hunt for a lip balm with natural ingredients that would keep my lips super hydrated in the cold, dry months. This Bite Beauty lip balm is now my forever go-to lip moisturizer! It is better than any lip balm I’ve ever tried. It is so soothing and comfortable to wear and it really feels like it penetrates your dry lips rather than just sitting on top. If you are an all-natural beauty lover, you will love the simple, plant-based formula that is free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates. Plus, the matte black tube is very cute and chic!” —Anna McCarter

Price: $18

“I truly don’t get excited about brushes often. I use them all the time and they do their job, but besides that, *shrug*. But that ends here! Because some brushes make applying makeup way easier and more enjoyable, and they deserve more credit! Such is the case with the Laura Mercier Glow Brush — it has just the right amount of brush hair density to pick up ample highlighter in one go, the contour hugs my cheekbones just right, and it disperses highlighter across a wider-than-usual area so it doesn’t look like you just have a ~strip~ of shimmer across your face. And after reading a bunch of reviews, it seems like it would be fab for powder blush and setting powder as well!” —Sarah Han

Price: $38

“I walk a lot since I live in New York City and don’t own a car, and, as pictured, this held up on a humid spring day. With other liquid liners I’ve experienced smudges and flakiness by midday — so the fact that this made it to my bedtime (14 hours AFTER application) without smearing is amazing to me. And washing it off is a total breeze, which I don’t understand at all, but there’s no fuss when removing it with makeup wipes or other cleansers.

It also survived a full workday and then a workout, so IDK, this must be some type of witchcraft because that never happens with my other liners.” —Kayla Suazo

Price: $20

“This stuff is so good that I can easily just wear this on my spotty problem areas and forgo my beloved BB creams. I’ll usually apply some to the back of my hand, warm it up with my finger, and dab it on any red spots on my cheeks, nose, and looooots of dark spots all around from my bad skin-picking habits (that my iPhone somehow makes look worse than it does IRL!!! FUN!!). If I’m in a rush, my clean fingers blend it in just fine, but I actually like using a small brush with this one (or Beautyblender, depending on my mood). The just-right creamy formula blends beautifully, looks super natural, erases pigmentation, and I barely feel it on my face! Wins on all fronts.

I’ve also been relying on this concealer whenever I feel like covering up my scar (from stitches). I’m not too self-conscious about it and I definitely don’t want to c a k e on product — the concealer simply hides the redness and makes it almost invisible, even though my brow area is a tricky, uneven surface. Some people even commented they didn’t even notice my scar until I pointed it out, so that’s definitely another win for me.” —Sarah Han

Price: $26 (available in 50 shades)

*This is due to orchid extract and a secret ingredient. WHAT IS IT, CHARLOTTE?

“I’ve probably mentioned that I’m 100% a liquid lipstick girl in many BuzzFeed product reviews in the past, but consider me a (kinda) changed girl! I still love liquids, but I’ve been wearing creamy, slightly more hydrating lipsticks more often to try and save my lips from being perpetually 3D-textured and chapped from this never-ending NYC winter — and specifically, Charlotte Tilbury’s Bond Girl has become my go-to. It wears super comfortably and smoothly, and definitely feels more like a demi-matte than a true matte, which is extremely fine by me. It has surprisingly decent staying power, so it’ll hold up through a medium-heavy meal, but the packaging is so pretty that I’m constantly pulling it out for retouches just because. It’s the perfect everyday color: not too bold, but still packs a pretty berry punch, and it ~complements~ my hair, which is always a bonus.” —Sarah Han

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that cold weather and matte lipstick are not friends. Why would you want to put something on that only emphasizes the fact that your lips are somehow even dryer than your scaly elbows? Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution Lipstick in Bond Girl is the answer for anyone who wants a matte lip but isn’t a fan of liquid formulas that tend to suck out any trace of moisture. It’s one of the very few ~pricey~ lipsticks I’ve ever bought — at $34 it’s considerably more expensive than my average drugstore buy — and it’s become a staple in my makeup bag (sorry @mywallet). Matte but moisturizing and with a buildable formula, this lipstick is the perfect neutral berry.” –Jillian Karande

Price: $34 (available in 12 shades)

“I’ve been OBSESSED with the Bare Minerals BarePro Performance Wear Liquid Foundation since it came out. It’s full coverage and hides imperfections and blemishes, but doesn’t feel cakey or heavy. I love that it’s a matte formula, but it doesn’t dry out my skin. Sometimes, I use it more as a tinted moisturizer and mix it with a priming moisturizer for a lighter effect.

The liquid foundation is super easy to blend and I honestly just use my (clean) fingers to apply it. It dries pretty quickly, so you have to blend kinda fast — but I’ve never had a problem with not being able to blend correctly. It also works well with pretty much any bronzer, blush, and highlighter I’ve tried — they never look patchy on top of my foundation.

It’s also so great for the summertime because it’s sweat-resistant — trust me, if it can stay on while I ride the subway to work in 90-degree heat, it works. Plus, it has SPF 20 built in, so it’s one less step for me in the morning. Bonus: I don’t get many breakouts when I wear this foundation compared to when I wear other foundations. It truly doesn’t irritate my skin and I have pretty sensitive skin. I totally hope they come out with more shades soon, because I’m completely in love with this foundation!” —Nikki Francois

Price: $34 (available in 33 shades)

“I have a love/hate relationship with matte lipsticks for two reasons:

1. They bleed like CRAZY, so you need to line the mess out of your lips to keep things in check.

2. They dry my lips out more than a sandstorm in the Mojave Desert!

However, on days where a matte lip is a MUST, this Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Longwear Matte Lipstick is basically the sweet, sweet music of cherub wings as they bless us with this gift from the lipstick gawds. My fave shade is Lady Balls…because…duh?” —Emily Erhart

Price: $21 (available in 22 shades)

“Summer living as someone who loves to wear makeup is brutal anywhere, but my skin is also oily; I sweat profusely, and most days I feel like my makeup is slowly melting into a sludge. One morning a few weeks ago I applied Sephora Rouge Gel Lip Liner in 02 Nothin’ But Nude as a prep for liquid lipstick when I realized it looked quite nice solo. I went with it and had to reapply a bit after lunch, but didn’t have to worry about any color bleeding or ending up on my chin while eating a sandwich. (Somehow I’ve mastered eating a cupcake while wearing red lipstick, but not a sandwich.)

The next day I stopped by my local Sephora and bought the same liner in 03 Rose Wine and 23 Pardon My French. The stuff is moisturizing, easy to apply, and comes with a built-in sharpener that, tbh, you don’t really need. It even works great as a base for lipstick, as intended! In short, it’s about as low-maintenance as it gets. I even wore it to a friend’s birthday party at a sweaty dive bar (like, a real one with bars on the window and no A/C) when I struck up a convo with my friend Katie, who has beautiful olive skin that tans way darker than I could ever dream of for my own. We realized we were both wearing the 03 Rose Wine alone as a mere coincidence and it looked great on BOTH of us. Sure, I’ll have to replenish my beauty arsenal faster than with a regular lipstick, but I don’t mind.” —Elizabeth Lilly

Price: $13 (available in 26 shades)