Cult-Favorite Beauty Products 2016
9 Rock-Star Beauty Products That Deserve Way More Hype
Product Credit: Everlane T-Shirt
As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Every once in a while, you come across a product that's so good, so fundamental to your routine, that you can't believe other superfans aren't running into the streets to gush about it. Sure, these formulas tend to reach cult status in tight-knit communities, but they're not widely discussed in big-name glossies or on websites that garner millions of readers.
After years writing in this industry and frequenting smaller online beauty communities like MakeupAlley, Reddit's r/MakeupAddiction, and more, I've tracked down nine absolutely indispensable items. Though some might prefer to keep their top picks a secret, I'm sharing my list of Holy-Grail products with you. After all, they're worthy of serious acclaim.
1 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
While sifting through your local drugstore's cosmetic displays, a giant white eye pencil may not seem an intuitive purchase. However, watch YouTube videos or scroll through photo tutorials and you'll see this coy little product make a quiet appearance on the regular. Makeup gurus use it as a primer for any brightly colored eye shadow, as it creates a clean, stark base that makes any color applied on top really pop.
2 Holy Snails! Shark Sauce
Holy Snails! owner Chel Cortes — who refers to herself as a "skin care hedgewitch/disco snail" — whipped up a batch of Shark Sauce after she couldn't find a simple, effective serum. Reddit's r/AsianBeauty community got a whiff of the stuff and, as a whole, became instantly obsessed. Contrary to the name, it doesn't contain shark. It does, however, contain niacinamide, n-acetyl glucosamine, vitamin B5, hyaluronic acid, sodium lactate, sea kelp bioferment, licorice root, and green tea extracts. You'll notice a softer, brighter, more even complexion after using Shark Sauce for just a few days.
Holy Snails! Shark Sauce ($29)
3 I Love Nail Polish in Birefringence
This multichrome nail polish should come with the following warning: you will find yourself distracted throughout the day, and you will distract anyone you talk to while wearing it. ILNP somehow captures a full spectrum of color in a tiny bottle. The mesmerizing hue shifts from purple to blue to green to gold and every shade in between! Bonus: it's completely opaque with two coats.
4 IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream
Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream is one of those products that's (sadly) rarely talked about, but incites an excited reaction any time it does come up. The tiny jar's contents magically erase any trace of redness on your face by not only hiding it with powerful pigments, but soothing skin with ingredients like colloidal oatmeal and aloe. Most use it as a concealing treatment, but YouTube makeup artist Stephanie Lange also swears by applying it all over the face as a foundation alternative.
5 Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Smoky Suedes Eye Shadow Palette
Ciaté London is heralded for its inventive nail polishes, so people are sometimes surprised to hear the brand makes cosmetics, too. It offers an assortment of lip products and eye shadow products, and the Smoky Suedes palette — a collaboration with style star Olivia Palermo — deserves way more attention that it receives. It contains a dreamy array of suede-inspired colors ranging from ivory shimmer and matte aubergine to a pearled olive.
Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Smoky Suedes Eye Shadow Palette ($39)
6 Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream
This Japanese moisturizer is often gushed about by fans of Asian skin care, but it's relatively unheard of in the mainstream market. It contains a superconcentrated amount of glycerin, so it's especially effective at softening, conditioning, and locking in moisture. Apply it to dry, rough spots like your elbows, knuckles, or heels.
7 CeraVe SA Renewing Cleanser
Here's a cleanser that has it all. It's gentle, it's superaffordable, and it's backed by the members of the r/SkincareAddiction subreddit (where troubled skin gets turned around in a matter of months). The SA stands for "salicylic acid," a powerful ingredient that helps keep acne and oil at bay. CeraVe is known for its gentle formulas, though, so while this cleanser fights breakouts with the fierceness of Rocky Balboa, it also soothes and moisturizes at the same time.
8 Lanolips 101 Ointment
People use this multipurpose product for everything from nourishing dry lips and cracked elbows to taming brows-gone-rogue. In fact, the "101" in the ointment's title is a nod to how many different ways you can use the formula. It consists of medical-grade lanolin, a completely natural ingredient found in sheep wool that keeps the fuzzy creatures safe and dry year round. When the sheep are sheared, the substance is "harvested" from the wool, making this product animal friendly.
Lanolips 101 Ointment ($19)
9 The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer
If you thought The Balm only produced lip formulas, you're seriously missing out. Unfortunately, the brand can be harder to find, but makeup-lovers will go out of their way to buy The Balm's products, especially Mary-Lou Manizer. This coveted, honey-hued shimmering powder creates a subtle glow and highlighting effect at the same time.
