The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
If you’re anything like me and are obsessed with beauty bloggers and influencers on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, then you are fully aware of all of the new beauty releases, the hottest products, and the trends. But, if you’re not like me, here’s a little breakdown of some of the best new and trending items on the beauty market right now that I think are great, and you might too!
This foundation comes in 36 shades, has medium coverage, and provides a natural, dewy finish that we all love. This foundation is perfect for those who love the “clean” makeup look that is trending right now, especially since everyone claims it feels and looks like “a second skin”. It doesn’t stop there, this is also a skincare foundation, meaning that its formula is built of 70% skincare products and meant to improve redness/uneven skin tone and your skin’s clarity. Don’t get me wrong, it is pricey but worth the money. NARS is kind of a cruelty-free brand, they don’t test on animals unless it is required by law*.
This concealer comes in 28 shades, has medium coverage, claims to be crease-proof, and similarly to the NARS foundation, also acts as a skincare product as well. This concealer doubles as something to hide the under-eye bags and the zits, a hydrating eye cream, AND a spot treatment. Crazy, right? This concealer works for all skin types as well: dry, combination, oily, normal. OH, and, Kosas is a cruelty-free brand! What more could you ask for?
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the CHANEL LES BEIGES Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream (SOLEIL TAN), which is a whopping $50. This Saie cream bronzer is here to save the day and your pockets, acting as a great dupe for the iconic CHANEL bronzer. It comes in 4 shades for fair, light to medium, deep, and dark skin tones, and leaves a lightweight, velvety finish. It is extremely buildable which is great for days when you would love clean-looking makeup, and then want to transform it into full-glam for a night out. Saie is also a cruelty-free brand!
- Rare Beauty “Soft Pinch Liquid Blush” ($20):
If you haven’t heard of these liquid blushes, I must ask… where have you been?! Miss Selena Gomez absolutely smashed it with this product, providing us with a pigmented, blend-able, and beautiful liquid blush in 11 shades, 7 radiant-finish, and 4 matte-finish. These blushes are meant to have medium coverage (so a little goes a long way) and long-wearing. Not to mention, Rare Beauty offers vegan and cruelty-free products that we all love. Plus, if you’re feeling fun, funky, and fresh, you could even use this as a little bit of a lip tint!
- MAKEUP BY MARIO “Soft Glow Highlighter” ($28):
Mario Dedivanovic, an incredible makeup artist, and is well-known for being Kim Kardashian’s MUA, is here to serve us a beautiful highlighter. This highlighter comes in 5 shades, ones that flatter various skin tones, and is a creamy-pressed powder formula. It is shimmery, absolutely gorgeous, and provides you with the ability to go for a more natural shine or build it up to a bright, blinding highlight. Plus, MAKEUP BY MARIO is a cruelty-free and vegan brand (However, if you prefer a liquid product, Rare Beauty highlighter is also great!).
- Benefit Cosmetics “24-HR Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel with Lamination Effect” ($24):
If you were, or are, a big fan of the soap-brow movement that’s been going on but couldn’t figure out how to do it right, or just didn’t feel right putting soap on your brows… I got you. Well, benefit does, I’m just here to tell you about it. Benefit’s 24-HR clear brow gel provides you with that laminated, soap-brow look, and is long-wearing. The applicator is similar to that of mascara, making it easy to use and making the eyebrows stay in place all day! Benefit, like NARS, is kind of cruelty-free, only testing on animals when required by law*.
- FENTY BEAUTY “Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick” ($28):
Now, this product has been around for a hot minute, but, with Rihanna’s FENTY BEAUTY now being available at Ulta Beauty stores, it is coming back around for another moment in the spotlight. This contour stick is a creamy, pigmented formula that comes in 7 shades, perfect for every skin tone. It’s medium coverage, so a little goes a long way, buildable and blendable. It’s everything you would want and need in a contour stick (plus, it is far cheaper than the Charlotte Tilbury “Hollywood Contour Wand” ($40) that has been sold out for months – this one is just as good, trust me).
This MAC mascara is changing the game right now. This mascara comes in two different types: macro and micro. The macro Macstack mascara is meant to work best on longer lashes, specifically on the top lashes. The micro Macstack mascara is meant to work best on shorter lashes and is useful for the bottom lashes. The whole purpose of this mascara is that you can add as many layers (“stacks”) as you want, and it will continue to make your lashes look fuller, more voluminous, but not look clumpy. It’s crazy, I know, but Mikayla Nogueira on TikTok loves it so it must be good. With all that being said, MAC is not fully cruelty-free, testing on animals when required by law*.
- Anastasia Beverly Hills “Matte & Satin Velvet Lipstick” ($23):
These lipsticks are new to the market, come in 18 shades: 12 satin-finish, 6 matte-finish, and are so beautiful. ABH has once again made its mark in the lip-product world after its reign with its liquid lipsticks. These lipsticks are oil and alcohol-free, so they aren’t drying, sit comfortably on the lips, and are super pigmented so the color is long-lasting. The packaging of the product is recyclable, and ABH is a cruelty-free brand!
- Glow Recipe “Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops” ($34):
I couldn’t list all these makeup products and not include a primer! These dew drops are all the rave right now, especially after Mikayla Nogueira said she swears by them (she just collaborated on a bundle kit with Glow Recipe, check it out!). This is primarily a skincare product, working as a hydrating serum that helps with hyperpigmentation, all while providing you with a beautiful glow. That being said, this also works as a great base under your makeup, providing you with that radiant, healthy, dewy look. It works on all skin types, and the packaging is recyclable! Glow Recipe is also a cruelty-free and vegan brand!
The products listed above are the ones I think are the best on the market right now, the ones most worth your money, and the ones that I think deserve the hype they’re receiving. They are all pricey, I will admit, and I do apologize for that, but you can find these same results with drugstore brands such as E.L.F (who just came out with a Dunkin’ collab, check it out!).
Before I go, let me explain the “*”. When I say “required by law”, I mean that there are certain countries, such as China that require beauty products to be tested on animals before they are available for sale. This means that while these companies may not test on animals in every factory, if they are producing products in China, which they most likely are, the items will be tested on animals.