Best Beauty Products For May 2015 | Spring Summer Shopping
What Real Beauty Editors Are Buying This May
April showers are gone, May flowers are blooming, and we beauty junkies are prepping our bods for Memorial Day. That means we need to revamp our beauty routines to be oceanside ready. Before you wear a little less makeup, let your hair air-dry, and expose your bare legs, make sure you have the best beauty products to make you feel confident. To help you get started, we've rounded up the new launches our edit team is loving, buying, and using all month long!
Spring and Summer are the ideal time to invest in a new signature fragrance — wearing a lighter scent can instantly put you in a sunny mood. Chic boutique Calypso St. Barth just revamped its perfume packaging ($40-$70) while launching two new scents, Figue and Casablanca, as well as bringing back cult fragrance Mimosa. The copper-topped bottles with elegant tassels look minimalist and luxurious at the same time, and Figue (with its mint-green accent) is by far my favorite. The eau de toilette is a sexy combination of Mediterranean wild fig, heliotrope, violet petals, tonka wood, and vanilla. I anticipate tossing it in my getaway bag for weekend trips to the Hamptons.
— Lauren Levinson, Beauty editor
I hate to admit it, but my daily form of SPF application is pretty minimal aside from my foundation. According to dermatologists, this is not enough to protect you from the risks of skin cancer, let alone signs of aging. You need to wear sunscreen in addition to foundation. But my biggest deterrent from consistent use is that disgusting sunscreen smell. Not only does Tarte's new SPF formula ($32) lack that gross odor, it's fragranced with a subtle sea-breezy lily perfume that makes me actually look forward to applying it. And if you didn't have cabin fever before, seeing the fluorescent, rubberized packaging will make you ready to drop everything and hit the beach.
— Emily Orofino, Beauty editorial assistant
My Afro hair craves water. While I try to give it a spritz every day, pure H2O only creates frizz — #naturalhairproblems. The new Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray ($20) moisturizes my curly strands without ruining my style because it's packed with oils. Coconut, rose hip, and argan are all on the ingredient list. After a few pumps, my hair immediately feels like softer and smells like a Summer's evening in the botanical gardens (the scent is a mix of lavender, grapefruit, and patchouli).
— Jessica Cruel, assistant Beauty editor
Guys, BareMinerals's OG powder foundation is turning 20. I know — we're getting old. But I still plan on looking fabulous with the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition ($38). Packaged up like a gorgeous anniversary gift, the long-wear complexion-perfecting foundation also comes with what the brand calls a "beautiful finish" brush. The soft bristles buff the foundation into your skin like an airbrushed work of art, leaving you looking like you're celebrating the brand's 10th anniversary.
— Kirbie Johnson, Beauty reporter
Usually, I find that foundation makes me look older. I personally love the look of fresh skin with a sheer bit of coverage. The new La Mer Reparative SkinTint SPF 30 ($95) has me singing a different tune. It makes sense that the geniuses at La Mer would develop a tinted skin care formula that, I swear, makes my 30-year-old skin look younger (I'll go with 26-ish). It gives me that dewy, glowing smooth-skin look without feeling greasy. I've retired my other CC, BB, and tinted creams since I got it. This one is worth the price tag.
— LL
Like most '90s makeup-aholics, I had a Caboodle filled with frosted eye shadow, scented nail polish, and mood lipstick. Lipstick Queen's gorgeous green lipstick ($25) is a chic take on that old trend. It looks like something Kermit's mom would wear in the tube, but once applied, it mellows into a flattering pink perfect for any skin tone.
— EO
Every morning I start off my skin care routine with a spritz of L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Mist ($16). It may seem like I'm just dousing my face in water, but this can of floral water packs a lot of beauty benefits. It has even replaced my favorite rose water at the vanity. The spray provides a moisturizing base for my serums, moisturizers, and foundation. In fact, I could use another bottle for my laptop bag, oh, and my clutch, and my desk, too . . .
— JC
When I leave my house, my makeup always looks pretty good, but by 3 p.m., my energy isn't the only thing in a slump. Often, my foundation has wilted off my face, my concealer gone. That's why I am making Lancome Miracle Cushion Liquid Cushion Compact ($47) my new purse staple. It's a lightweight liquid foundation housed in a spongy compact form. Use it to touch up or even to conceal redness. So easy! Plus, the hydrating formula has a cooling effect, which comes in handy during balmy Spring nights.
— LL
I've never once yelled, "WHAT THE . . ." to my entire office before. (At least not polish wise. They definitely heard more where that came from when Zayn left One Direction.) But as I sat testing polishes at my desk one day, I couldn't hold back the sheer thrill I got after applying just one coat of SpaRitual GOLD Flexible Color ($18). The color was not only vibrant but opaque. That's my hand in the photo, and that's just one coat of each polish on each phalange! The Flexible Polish could easily replace gel manicures, given it dried on my hand within a minute of application and was hard to the touch — no smudges to be seen, even after opening a box within five minutes of applying. There's no heat lamp needed, and the lacquers are 5-Free and vegan. What isn't there to love?
— KJ
As soon as celebrity makeup artist Marni Burton coated my eyelashes with Japan's bestselling drugstore mascara, Miaray Fiberwig ($19), I became an instant fan. And I've been using it every day since. The newly formulated technology has tiny fibers (you can see them on the brush!) that form a tube around your lashes, defining and lengthening them. You can continue to layer it throughout the day. It's like getting falsies in a tube. And it won't dry your flutter out, thanks to natural ingredients like Vitamin E, royal jelly extract, apple fruit extract, and honey. The best part is the tubes slides right off with warm water.
— LL
I am very selective when it comes to perfumes, as I have a propensity for migraines. Anything vaguely powdery, patchouli, or vanilla is out. Add the fact that I'm a picky person into the mix, and you have a difficult-to-please fragrance customer. But the moment Tom Ford's newest eu de parfum ($215) crossed my desk, it was love at first sniff. It's a combination of crisp, citrusy top notes that fade into osmanthus flower and locust honey. The result is a clean, fresh floral that I'll be wearing all Summer long.
— EO
When I moved to New York, I had a bathroom crisis because my apartment has no bathtub. That means I had to give up my favorite bath salts, fizzy bombs, and bubble bath. My one attempt to use bath salts in the shower ended up in a clogged drain and a near-slip experience (although it did smell amazing). That's why the Amayori Shower Mochi ($21) is best innovation for city-dwelling beauty junkies. The pods let off aromatherapy scents that fill up the entire bathroom. I'm totally blaming my high water bill on these spa-like tablets.
— JC
After a certain age, it's not ladylike to rock a supershiny pout, but thanks to Rituals La Vie en Rose Lip Gloss ($15), there's a sophisticated option for the 30-plus crowd. This elegantly packaged pucker product offers a hydrating, slightly shimmery formula with just a hint of color. It's not too much, not too little. Love it for those "no-makeup" makeup days.
— LL
My friends know that when I travel, I pack more makeup than I do clothes. This makes for a seriously bulky beauty bag (and yes, I need everything in it!). MAC's 15-pan shadow palette ($85) is filled with every shade that I could possibly need for any occasion, whether it's visiting POPSUGAR HQ in San Francisco or vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
— EO
Some serums can actually fall closer to the moisturizer end of the spectrum. They are heavy and creamy, leaving your face with a sticky feeling. This Erno Laszlo Hydra Therapy Refresh Infusion ($100) is actually closer to an essence (but with way more antiaging ingredients). The liquid immediately disappears into your skin and leaves no residue behind. I love to add a few pumps to my foundation for a dewy, glowing finish.
— JC
I am pretty fussy when it comes to curling irons. If it doesn't give me beach waves and work fast (I have pretty thick hair), then I'm not interested. When I tested the new CHI Automatic Rotating Curler Professional Ceramic Curling Iron ($165), I was pleasantly surprised. You simply clip your hair in, choose the direction you want the rod to spin, and hit the "go" button. It gently twirls, curling the hair for you (a great option for lazy girls). A beeping noise alerts you that the hair is heated up and it's time to release the clamp (slowly!). Then, you're left with a perfectly loose wave.
— LL
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