Photography by Daniel Harrison
The Best Beauty Products of 2018: Here Are the Winners of Our Beauty Awards
By
FASHION Staff
Date February 4, 2019
Our juries divided and conquered, tirelessly slathering, sniffing and spraying all 477 entries in skincare, body care, hair care, makeup, nail polish and fragrance to select the winners based on performance, quality, packaging and ease of use. Here are the best beauty products of 2018.
Fragrances
Fragrance is a subjective category so we enlisted global fragrance expert, Marian Bendeth, to balance our personal opinions with objective critiques. She joined beauty director, Lesa Hannah; the editor in chief of Weddingbells, Allison McGill; and FASHION Magazine reader, Caroline Patel in choosing our top three.
Beauty Products of 2018: Fragrances
Best Women’s Fragrance (Under $100) of 2018
Best Women’s Fragrance (Over $100) of 2018
Best Women’s Fragrance Innovation of 2018
“An innovative pen with wax concrete, which is a great idea as it brings us back to the distillation and origins of perfumery.”
—Marian Bendeth
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Cosmetics
With new, hyped-up products launching seemingly everyday, makeup is a big bracket. Luckily, we were able to narrow it down to 21 winners with the help of freelance beauty writer Souzan Michael; makeup artist Diana Carreiro; influencer Stephanie Valentine; manicurists Gabrielle and Julia Bautista; and Mélanie Viger, a FASHION Magazine reader.
Best Beauty Products of 2018: Cosmetics
Best Lipstick (Under $15) of 2018
Best Concealer (Under $25) of 2018
Best Eyeshadow (Over $20) of 2018
Dress Code 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette
($40, Lise Watier)
Best Brow Filler (Over $15) of 2018
24-Hour Super Brow Long-Wear Pomade
($20, Kat von D)
Best Lipstick (Over $15) of 2018
Best Eyeshadow (Under $20) of 2018
Covergirl TruNaked Eyeshadow Palette
($11, Walmart)
Best Lipgloss (Over $15) of 2018
Best Nail Polish of 2018
Miracle Gel Nail Polish
($10, Walmart)
Best Lipgloss (Under $15) of 2018
Best Mascara (Under $15) of 2018
L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
($7, Walmart)
Best Highlighter (Under $15) of 2018
Best Concealer (Over $25) of 2018
Best Brow Filler (Under $15) of 2018
Best Eyeliner (Over $15) of 2018
Stay all Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Micro Tip
($22, Stila)
Best Eyeliner (Under $15) of 2018
Best Foundation (Under $20) of 2018
L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Makeup
($16, Walmart)
Best Foundation (Over $20) of 2018
Best Highlighter (Over $15) of 2018
Best Mascara (Over $15) of 2018
Best Cosmetics Innovation of 2018
Le Volume Révolution De Chanel
($45, Chanel)
“The applicator for this mascara is amazing. It really gave my lashes mega-volume.”
—Mélanie Viger
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Haircare
For this category, we tapped freelance beauty writer, Souzan Michael; influencer, Nelia Belkova; hair colourist, Brittney Banks; hairstylist, Jason Lee; and FASHION reader, Kristen Leonardelli. To test out all our entrants, the jurors washed their hair way too frequently, but these were the products that made it well worth it.
Best Beauty Products of 2018: Haircare
Best Conditioner (Over $15) of 2018
Redken All Soft Mega Conditioner
($26, Ulta)
Best Hairspray of 2018
L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Unfragranced
($11, Walmart)
Best Conditioner (Under $15) of 2018
Live Clean Mineral Clay Rebalancing Conditioner
($7, Walmart)
Best Shampoo (Under $15) of 2018
HASK UnWined Gloss Boss White Wine Shine Enhancing Shampoo
($9, Ulta)
Best Shampoo (Over $15) of 2018
Soothing & Softening Shampoo with Peony
($20, Klorane)
Best Styling Product of 2018
Luxury Hair Oil
($45, Voir)
Best Haircare Innovation of 2018
L’oréal Paris Hair Expertise Dream Lengths No Haircut Cream
($7, Walmart.ca)
“Great for those looking to preserve their length because it helps to smooth down split ends and give the appearance and feel of healthier hair.”
—Jason Lee
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Bodycare
We admit it: sometimes we forget to take proper care of all of our skin, but we couldn’t rate the best beauty products of 2018 without considering bodycare. From sun care to an “SOS spray,” our beauty director, Lesa Hannah; influencer, Jennifer Chiu; FASHION Magazine reader, Cat Forsley; and dermatologist Dr. Sonya Cook slathered on every type of lotion, cream, scrub and treatment out there. Here are the top seven.
Best Beauty Products of 2018: Bodycare
Best Body Wash of 2018
Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash
($10, Weleda)
Best Self-Tanner of 2018
Self Tanning Milky-Lotion
($38, Clarins)
Best Body Lotion of 2018
Goddess Euphoric Body Lotion
($17, Saje)
Best Body Scrub of 2018
Seed to Skin Scrub
($42, Céla)
Best Bodycare Innovation of 2018
“Designed to reduce the itching associated with many skin conditions and heal the skin barrier, this formulation is extremely easy and quick to apply and does not leave a sticky residue.” —Dr. Sonya Cook
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Men’s
To see what a man wants on his top shelf, we asked our features editor, Greg Hudson; influencer, Jonathan Cavaliere; hairstylist and makeup artist, Richard Jastrzebski; and Patrick Willoughby, a reader of Title Magazine to give their thumbs up on men’s fragrance and grooming products.
Best Beauty Products of 2018: Men’s
Best Men’s Hairstyling Product of 2018
Redken Brews Work Hard Molding Paste
($19, Ulta)
Best Men’s Fragrance (Under $100) of 2018
Best Men’s Grooming Product of 2018
Best Men’s Shaving Cream of 2018
Best Men’s Facial Cleanser of 2018
Best Men’s Shampoo of 2018
Best Men’s Facial Moisturizer of 2018
Best Men’s Beard Oil of 2018
Best Men’s Fragrance (Over $100) of 2018
Chanel Beu de Chanel Parfum
($165, Nordstrom)
Best Men’s Innovation of 2018
Peaceful Warrior Deodorant
($13, Saje)
“Men are (rightfully) suspicious of natural products that promise the kind of odour protection of your classic brands. In that regard, this is going to change a lot of minds. It’s honestly strong enough for a man but not so strong it will ruin your undershirts.” —Greg Hudson
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Skincare
With 18 winners in the skincare category, there is a product for every price point and every skin type. Luckily we had our jurors – beauty director, Lesa Hannah; influencer, Jennifer Chiu; FASHION Magazine reader, Cat Forsley; and dermatologist Dr. Sonya Cook – to test out every serum, moisturizer, mask, cleanser and treatment.
Best Beauty Products of 2018: Skincare
Best Cleanser (Over $20) of 2018
Best Acne Product (Under $25) of 2018
Best Moisturizer (Under $25) of 2018
Best Face Oil (Over $50) of 2018
Best Makeup Remover of 2018
Best Acne Product (Over $25) of 2018
Normaderm Acne Treatment
($30, Vichy)
Best Eye Cream (Over $35) of 2018
Best Exfoliator (Under $20) of 2018
Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial
($13, London Drugs)
Best Eye Cream (Under $35) of 2018
Best Mask (Over $35) of 2018
Best Moisturizer (Over $25) of 2018
Best Face Oil (Under $50) of 2018
Best Serum of 2018
Vinopure Skin Perfecting Serum
($59, Caudalie)
Best Exfoliator (Over $20) of 2018
the Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash
($15, Philosophy)
Best Mask (Under $35) of 2018
Best Cleanser (Under $20) of 2018
Best Skincare Innovation of 2018
“The formula is gentle yet powerful and quick (three to seven minutes on skin) and really delivers on smoothing and brightening without irritating or drying skin
at all.” —Lesa Hannah
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