At Allure, we pride ourself on our longstanding tradition of recommending only the products that we have now truly tested, loved, and deemed worthy of your hard-earned money — something we kept in mind throughout your entire 2023 Allure Better of Beauty Awards process. We all know the economy has been bananas these days (seriously, have you ever seen the worth of bananas?) which is why it feels more urgent than ever to sift through the hundreds of products flooding store shelves and scope out the brighteners, smoothers, lipsticks, and lotions that get the job done — beautifully — for less. The 33 winners on this page equal $331.50 total.
Even higher? By way of effectiveness, lightness, and elegance, they rival fancier products we have tried. Which means you’ll be able to construct a selective drugstore in your bathroom or simply experiment with latest colours and formulas without risking a dent to your budget and even the slightest a tug of buyer’s remorse. That is because every $15-or-less product featured here went through our same rigorous testing process and passed with flying colours — and that is a promise you’ll be able to take to the bank. Here, the most effective and brightest of the bunch.
When you’re done with this buck-saving category, make sure to take a look at all 391 products that made the official Allure Better of Beauty Awards list this yr. Now, all of us love a great beauty deal (see: all the brand new editor-loved picks on this page), but if you happen to just got paid and are feeling luxe, head to our Splurges category and peruse extra-fancy perfume, makeup, skin-care, and hair-care products to your heart’s content. Or, if makeup brushes and blow-dryers are more your style, please allow us to point you within the direction of our Tools winners. Wherever you go, whichever products you select, you’ll be able to be certain of this: If it’s on considered one of these lists, we really find it irresistible.
Better of Beauty Awards 2023: Steals
Jump to your favorite category or keep reading to see every reasonably priced skin-care product, palette, and press-on that won this yr:
Best Steals: Body
Why it won: The brand’s first (and will we are saying, best) of its kind, the skin-softening Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant Spray delivers a blast of odor-fighting ingredients, but with no trace of aluminum.
Why it won: The generous bottle of Olay Hyaluronic Body Wash accommodates enough hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to melt and brighten every inch every single day for weeks on end.
Why it won: The center-shaped Beloved by Love Beauty and Planet Cherry Blossom & Tea Rose Vegan Bar Soap positively pumps your skin filled with moisture, while the fragile rose scent is only a heartbeat away out of your all-time favorite designer fragrance.
Why it won: Cushioned in hyaluronic acid, the steel blades go easy in your skin, while the ergonomic handle goes easy in your wrist. Throw in a nifty magnet that holds Athena Club The Razor Kit upright and it is a wonder this kit goes really easy in your wallet.
Why it won: The lightweight Bliss Cloud 9 Almond Milk & Vanilla Body Lotion deposits a veil of moisture that absorbs in seconds. Which means you’ll be able to slather it on post-shower and walk straight to your bedroom without picking up dust like a human Roomba.
Why it won: With Italian bergamot and essential oils, the Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon Gentle & Clean Foaming Hand Soap smells fancy, feels indulgent, and sits at every sink in our homes.
Why it won: Designed specifically for melanin-rich skin but beloved by all our testers, the versatile Loved01 Face + Body Oil uses plant-based oils (rose hip, sea buckthorn, sunflower) to calm, hydrate, and protect against environmental stressors. A light-weight drizzle disappears into skin and hair, abandoning a supple finish and lovely glow.
Best Steals: Skin Care
Why it won: Combined with glycerin and squalane, the souped-up polypeptide in The Inkey List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF 30 gives your skin an amazingly dewy finish, even under makeup. “This sunscreen is a game-changer — it actually makes you want to wear sunscreen,” says shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis. “The glow is so good.”
Why it won: The ultra-gentle The Extraordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser dissolves makeup and protects your skin’s moisture barrier with only eight ingredients. Which means fewer opportunities for irritation and much more reasons to top off.
Why it won: Type of like cucumber slices — but a lot cooler. Pop the Nyx Skilled Makeup Face Freezie Reusable Cooling Undereye Patches within the fridge after which calm down because the squishy, gel-filled crescents take down bloat and perk up drained eyes.
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Why it won: The St. Ives Deep Cleanse Cream Wash could be very cool. Made with mint and tea tree extracts, the bracing wash controls shine, decongests pores, and gets circulation humming — for a song.
Why it won: The no-rinse Curology Micellar Makeup Remover is as innocuous as water and as effective as a cleansing wipe. The mixture of purified water and mild surfactants cushions skin while whisking away makeup.
Why it won: “Yes! I actually have a zit!” was one editor’s excited response to the prospect of attending to test the Good Light Luna Pimple Patches. Applied overnight, the disc absorbs the fluids on the core of each pimple, reducing swelling and redness when you sleep.
Why it won: Chockful of charcoal (to soak up oil) and micelles (to draw impurities), the bouncy Garnier Micellar Cleansing Jelly Water with Charcoal boosts moisture and lifts away makeup — no scrubbing or rinsing required. Easy, peasy.
Best Steals: Makeup
Why it won: The laser-sharp point on Maybelline Recent York Tattoo Studio Ink Pen is a cinch to maneuver, while the jet-black pigment refuses to budge. Not quite as everlasting as a tattoo — but close.
Why it won: The translucent formula in Sephora Collection Shape & Set Clear Brow Gel gives brows a healthy sheen, while the dual-sided brush fluffs, sculpts, and defines. “Looove the applicator on this one,” says deputy digital director Kara McGrath. “The flat side gives my brows a laminated look, while the bristle side fluffs them right up— it’s the most effective of each worlds.”
Why it won: There is a reason why TikTok cannot get enough of the luminizing E.L.F. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter. For the frost-averse, this radiant tint hydrates the high points of your face with hyaluronic acid and squalane, depositing a dewy sheen with no hint of shimmer.
Why it won: Soft enough to mix along with your fingertips, Makeup Revolution Ultra Cream Bronzer‘s creamy pigment renders such a believable bronze, your pals might scold you for sunbathing (the trademark of an incredible bronzer, and caring friends).
Why it won: The plush fan diffuses every type of powder (foundation, blush, bronzer) to provide a seamless, streak-free finish. And despite the unassuming price, we have now yet to see the Wet n Wild Powder Brush shed a single bristle.
Why it won: With kaolin clay to manage shine, the gossamer-fine No7 Flawless Ending Loose Powder blurs pores without sinking into lines. “No creasing or caking here,” says senior copy manager Dawn Rebecky. “And there is just something so fun about preparing with a loose powder. Poof. Magic.”
Why it won: A web favorite for its falsie-like effect, Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara‘s glossy-black pigment builds clump-free volume regardless of how much you glop on. And at $5 a tube, you’ll be able to afford to glop on so much.
Why it won: Y2K makeup is back in full swing. Exhibit A? The juicy CoverGirl Clean Fresh Yummy Gloss. Available in 12 transparent shades, the vegan formula delivers subtle color, a great deal of moisture, and a creamy texture that hugs your lips.
Why it won: Not your garden variety lip treatment: Each slim Flower Beauty Plump Up Gloss Stick delivers a touch of tint and a wallop of moisture (hyaluronic acid, castor oil, vitamin E), giving us bee-stung lips — minus the tingle related to other lip-plumping formulas.
Best Steals: Hair Care
Why it won: At first glance, we were convinced the Saltair Moisture Sure Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner duo belonged within the Splurges category. Honest mistake. Housed in sleek aluminum bottles and bubbling over with hydrating ingredients comparable to squalane, rice protein, and monoi oil, the whole lot about this shine-boosting pair is indulgent — except the worth tag.
Why it won: Constructed from extra-durable acetate, the metal-free Invisibobble Everclaw clip anchors your hair without snagging and rolls around the underside of your bag without breaking (even whenever you by accident crush it under your laptop).
Why it won: Because the story goes, the ultrafine L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Hairspray was once so highly prized within the States that stylists returning home from fashion week would try sneaking it past customs. Regardless that it’s now available in U.S. drugstores, that has done nothing to dim our love for the shine-inducing, brush-out formula.
Why it won: Together with ridding hair of day by day dirt, oil, and dirt, shampoos are infamous for stripping hair of the natural fats that give strands that super-shiny, camera-ready feel and appear. Pantene Pro-V Each day Moisture Renewal Shampoo, though, adds those lipids right back into the cuticles in the course of the rinse-and-repeat portion of your shower. The result? Business-worthy shine — without all of the production.
Why it won: One tube accommodates a trio of advantages: sugar crystals gently exfoliate; tea tree oil regulates sebum; rosemary extract helps to scale back irritation. Used once per week, the gritty Hask Tea Tree Oil & Rosemary Pre-Shampoo Scalp Scrub enhances shine and encourages lift on the roots.
Why it won: Our latest routine for achieving softer, fuller, more defined waves: 1. Spritz the Tresemmé One Step Wave Spray on damp hair. 2. Air-dry. 3. That is it.
Why it won: A favourite amongst our most color-treated and heat-styled testers, the detangling Marc Anthony Repair Bond + Rescuplex Leave-In Treatment also accommodates polymers that can assist restore frazzled hair’s disulfide bonds. Its nourishing oils (like rice bran and rosemary) are a beautiful bonus.
Why it won: It is the OG smoothing John Frieda Frizz Ease Extra Strength Serum with much more frizz-fighting muscle than before. A cocktail of fruit oils (like coconut and moringa) and omega fatty acids softens split ends and glosses over cuticles while a solid dose of dimethicone repels heat and humidity.
Why it won: The Planet Goody Ocean Rescue Palm Hair Brush glides through wet and dry hair without hitting a snag — and sits in our bag without eating up space. It’s the proper travel companion.
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