The best skin care, hair care, nail care, and makeup products of 2024 come from brands like Cosrx, Olaplex, and NuFace. Shop a beauty writer’s tested favorites from Amazon, Nordstrom, and more with prices starting at just $17.

Shop my definitive guide to the year's best skin care, makeup, hair products, and devices.

This year, I tested 768 beauty products. This number includes everything: hair care, body care, skin care, makeup, techy devices, tools, and more. I’m able to share that exact number with you because for a few years, I have been tracking my beauty experimentation in a detailed spreadsheet. I perused it to bring together this list of the 29 best beauty products I tried in 2024.

I probably could have put this list together without consulting the spreadsheet, though. I use the Cosrx toner every day; the Sofie Pavitt micellar pads are on my restock list; and I reach for my Westman Atelier concealer any time I wear makeup. Discover the rest of my favorites, below.

Make Beauty Lip Reset Overnight Lip Mask

$24 at Makebeauty.com

Best Editor-Loved Skin Care of 2024

Banished Blackheads: Cosrx Blackhead Power Liquid Toner, $17 (Originally $25); amazon.com Deserving of More Hype: Make Beauty Lip Reset Overnight Lip Mask, $24; makebeauty.com Dry Skin Must-Have: Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Hydrating Mask, $24; amazon.com Dr. Dennis Gross Blur and Repair Cream​ Moisturizer, $68; dermstore.com Sofie Pavitt Face Micellar Cleansing Pads, $24; sofiepavittface.com Soothes Redness and Irritation: Aestura A-CICA365 Calming Cream, $31; amazon.com Skinceuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Multi-Glycan Serum, $120; skinceuticals.com For Lip Blushing: Prada Moisturizing Lip Balm, $50; nordstrom.com

Last year, I played too fast and loose with my skin care. I tried anything and everything, then paid the price with breakouts and bouts of dermatitis. This year, I have been more careful and still discovered gems like Biodance’s mask that made my skin the most hydrated it has ever been and Prada’s lip balm that kept me from doing a $700 lip blush treatment. 

Sofie Pavitt Face Micellar Cleansing Pads

$24 at Sofiepavittface.com

I use these biodegradable micellar pads when I’m traveling and need a refresh, or when I’m experiencing a bout of depression so intense that washing my face feels like a herculean effort. I’m currently mourning my recently-emptied jar. 

Dr. Dennis Gross Blur and Repair Cream​ Moisturizer

Buy Now for $68

Buttery but lightweight in texture, this moisturizer has been a godsend for my oily, but increasingly dry, skin. It gives my skin an immediate dewiness that lasts for hours. And, per the name, it really does blur pores, lines, and imperfections so well that it’s a great makeup primer, too. 

Skinceuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Serum

$120 at Skinceuticals.com

Everyone’s right about their skin changing when they hit 30. I’m just a couple of weeks away, but I’m already feeling the transition. This Skinceuticals serum has been a huge help. Its key ingredient is Proxylane, a Skinceuticals patented ingredient that is designed to increase your skin’s hyaluronic acid production while plumping skin and smoothing out wrinkles. 

Best Editor-Loved Hair Care of 2024

Color Wow Money Hair Masque, $45; amazon.com Olaplex No.10 Bond Shaper Curl Defining Gel, $30; olaplex.com For Bad Hair Days: Kerastase Curl Manifesto Refresh Hair Spray, $46; amazon.com One-Step Hair Transformation: Altesse Studio Petite Repair and Shine Brush, $260; nordstrom.com For Increased Shine: Rōz Willow Glen Treatment Oil, $23; credobeauty.com

I’ve been bleaching my hair for a year now, so hair care—which used to be pretty straightforward for me—has become my Roman empire. Tricks like brushing Rōz’s oil through my strands with a boar bristle Altesse brush have been hair-saving. 

Color Wow Money Hair Masque

$45 at Amazon

Wow. I have not touched another conditioner since trying this Colow Wow hair mask. Two minutes on my strands, and my hair has untangled itself. It’s the softest it’s ever been, and it feels impossibly hydrated. Once my hair air dries, it’s frizz-free and so luxuriously shiny. 

Olaplex No.10 Bond Shaper Curl Defining Gel

$30 at Olaplex.com

Olaplex’s first curly hair product is incredible. The gel is smooth and moisturizing, doesn’t leave behind any crunch, and gives my curls pre-bleached definition. 

Best Editor-Loved Makeup of 2024

Full, Long, Non-Spidery Lashes: Lancôme Monsieur Big Volumizing Mascara, $26 (Originally $30); amazon.com A Jennifer Garner-Used Brand: Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Concealer, $48; credobeauty.com Unbelievable Quality for the Price: TirTir Mask Fit All Cover Pink Cushion Foundation, $25; amazon.com Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Duo, $42; sephora.com Half Magic Lip Snuggle High Pigment Oil Balm, $20; ulta.com

I love wearing makeup, and it’s the easiest product to test since it doesn’t require the long-term commitment of, say, a skin serum. As such, this was my largest testing category. I dwindled down the good to just the great, with picks like Lancôme’s inimitable mascara, and the $15 K-beauty foundation that humbled my expensive taste.

Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Duo

Buy Now for $42

Patrick Ta’s new eyeshadow duos have already sold out a couple of times and I understand why. This seems like a formulaic breakthrough. The different-sized glitter particles give a wet and glossy look that should be impossible. My favorite colorway combination is the champagne and copper duo, named ‘Talk to My Team’. 

Half Magic Lip Snuggle High Pigment Oil Balm

Buy Now for $20

This has been the year of the blurred lip trend, which is all about  getting a soft, diffused pigment with undefined edges. Many options are good, but Half Magic’s is the one I’ll spend five extra minutes looking through my vanity for despite having dozens of similar products. It’s buildable, moisturizing, and longer lasting than its competition.

Best Editor-Loved Body Care Products and Fragrances of 2024

A Must-Have: Eadem Smooth Slate Ingrown Relief Serum, $36; eadem.co Demi Moore Uses the Oil Version: Naturium the Glow Getter Whipped Multi-Oil Body Butter, $20; amazon.com My Sister Took Mine: Byredo Animalique Eau de Parfum, $225; nordstrom.com D.S. & Durga Fragrance Layering Set, $275; nordstrom.com Soft Services Microcrystal Exfoliant Body Buffing Bar, $28; softservices.com

Body care and fragrance products are so numerous, but the good ones are few and far in between. I’m nearing the bottom of Eadem’s serum stick, which helps to prevent razor bumps.And, I’m still a little peeved at myself for letting my sister take my Byredo Animalique perfume.  

Soft Services Microcrystal Exfoliant Body Buffing Bar

Buy Now for $28

Whenever I am unfaithful to this physically exfoliating soap bar, I pay the price in bumpy skin and worsened keratosis pilaris. It comes in a two-pack, which is well worth the price since one bar lasts months. Don’t worry about this being too rough on sensitive skin, though—my skin is always left feeling smooth and hydrated when I use this. The level of exfoliation I get is simply controlled by how much pressure I apply. 

D.S. & Durga Murder Mystery Fragrance Layering Set

$275 at Nordstrom

I’ve gifted this set at least three times in the last six months. It comes with the brand’s hero fragrance, I Don’t Know What, and five other scents you can wear alone, or mix and match. The result is 62 DIY combinations that will have people stopping you in the streets.

Best Editor-Loved Nail Care and Tools of 2024

Transforms Makeup Application: Ilios Beauty Ring Light, $259; amazon.com Dermaflash Luxe+ Sonic Dermaplaning Device, $199; dermaflash.com NuFace Fix Line Smoothing Device Starter Kit, $165; nordstrom.com The First Press-Ons I’ve Loved: Nail Reformation Press On Nails, $18; nailreformation.com The Best Nail Concealers: Manucurist Active Nail Care Set, $59 (Originally $80); us.manucurist.com Gua Sha on Steroids: TheraFace Depuffing Wand, $149; therabody.com

My nails and aging hand skin have been treated well this year. Manucurist’s nail concealers and blushes will have you loving your bare nails. TheraFace’s new wand depuffs and contours my face faster and more effectively than any other face tool I’ve tried. 

Nuface Fix Line Smoothing Device Starter Kit

$165 at Nordstrom

NuFace’s small device is perfect for someone like me. I use it to plump my lips (more drastically in the short-term, but subtly in the long-term, too),. It also massages my under eye area to lessen the appearance of my dark circles and eye bags. I use it to smooth out the very specific smile lines I’m concerned about, too.  

Dermaflash Luxe+ Sonic Dermaplaning Device

Buy Now for $199

This is an expensive dermplaning tool, but it’s also unlike anything else. The vibration setting helps snag my pesky matted-down hairs and tackle otherwise hard-to-exfoliate areas. I’m always surprised at how much peach fuzz it ultimately takes off without leading to any breakouts.