The Best Beauty Products of 2015
Now that 2015 is winding down, it’s time for reflection and gratitude. In that spirit, the Cut’s beauty team took a look at their makeup bags to identify their favorite beauty products released this year (or very close to it). If we were celebrities giving an acceptance speech at an awards show, we would include all of the items from this slideshow, from our favorite Korean beauty skin-care invention to our workhorse lipsticks to several items we appear to have in common with the Kardashians. Click through for our best picks of the year; may they help inform your last-minute Sephora wish lists.
"Not since the dawn of solar energy has the sun been harvested as brilliantly as it has with this highlighter. Exaggeration? Not in the slightest...
"Not since the dawn of solar energy has the sun been harvested as brilliantly as it has with this highlighter. Exaggeration? Not in the slightest. Anastasia’s Illuminators are the highlighters of choice for the Kardashian clan, but also for the Cut, because they are simply the very best. Available in four colors, the powder highlighter deposits a dazzling sheen on any complexion. Kim’s favorite shade is the sold-out yellow gold, So Hollywood, but the rose gold, Riviera, and Champagne shimmer, Starlight, are solid second choices. No matter what the shade, everyone seems to want them (I have the calls and texts to prove it). Don’t be the only dope left in the shade." —Ashley Weatherford
"A few weeks ago, I tried a foundation in its deepest shade and it was so light that it made me look like a phantom with dysentery. For black wom...
"A few weeks ago, I tried a foundation in its deepest shade and it was so light that it made me look like a phantom with dysentery. For black women like me, Black Up’s U.S. debut was a gift from the divine goddess of vanity. The luxury makeup brand designed for women of color offers a full suite of foundations, concealers, and powders in a fleet of shades. My favorite items from the line are the mattifying fluid foundation and the contour stick, which comes in six brown-girl-friendly colors." —Ashley Weatherford
"The legend of the miracle hair-strengthening product known as Olaplex has gone worldwide. When I was in Taiwan for a vacation, my Mandarin wasn’...
"The legend of the miracle hair-strengthening product known as Olaplex has gone worldwide. When I was in Taiwan for a vacation, my Mandarin wasn’t good enough to have a real conversation at a salon with my hairstylist, but I saw a sign for Olaplex and managed to utter, “That’s really good.” The ensuing 15-minute conversation was a pantomime of Olaplex’s benefits, with both of us wowing over the fact that it’s one of the first products that can actually, scientifically, make your hair (and Kim Kardashian’s) stronger. Its benefits truly transcend languages and cultures. Thank you, Olaplex, in advance for keeping my hair strong, even if I one day wake up and decide I want pink Fernanda Ly pink hair." —Kathleen Hou
"Jenna Lyons introduced us to these cute cheek cream blushes, the Pokémon of beauty products, which are so adorable, cheap, and effective ...
"Jenna Lyons introduced us to these cute cheek cream blushes, the Pokémon of beauty products, which are so adorable, cheap, and effective that you're going to want to collect them all. I ran into a friend who had bought the same ones and our collective verdict was 'So glowy!' 'So pretty!' Or, as Lyons says, 'a treasure.' Whether your skills in cheek cream blush are expert or 101 (here's how to use them), these pigments are super-easy to blend without looking streaky or melting down your face. The colors all magically seem to look good on everyone no matter the skin tone, and they fit into the tiniest of clutches." —Kathleen Hou
"Though separated by prestige and price, Maybelline’s Color Molten and Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre are two of a kind in a new crop of eye shadows e...
"Though separated by prestige and price, Maybelline’s Color Molten and Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre are two of a kind in a new crop of eye shadows equipped with a gel-meets-powder texture. They’re hopelessly fun to play with and the driving force behind my yearlong urge to wear eye shadow. The soft, blendable composition of the formulas makes it easy for any all-thumbs oaf. With Maybelline’s Color Molten, there are eight duo-shade palettes to choose, while Chanel offers 12 subdued colors in pots. Both are easy to apply with a finger and last on my oily eyelids for hours. If you see me wandering around with a smoky eye, one of these is likely the culprit." —Ashley Weatherford
"This is the Frankenstick of lipstick: lip balm, lip gloss, and lipstick all mixed into one glamorous Chanel-branded package. The colors are as r...
"This is the Frankenstick of lipstick: lip balm, lip gloss, and lipstick all mixed into one glamorous Chanel-branded package. The colors are as rich as any matte, with the slightest bit of shine that prevents them from looking dull, and a super-moisturizing formula so that you never get flaky lips. The color range is wide, from oranges to pinks to reds to nudes, so that you are bound to find one or two or 15 colors that you love. Once you try it and love it, just don't shout 'I'm in love with the Coco!' too loudly." —Kathleen Hou
"In a year filled with many contour products, Charlotte Tilbury's bronze and sculpt palette rises above the pack. This bronzer/highlighter compac...
"In a year filled with many contour products, Charlotte Tilbury's bronze and sculpt palette rises above the pack. This bronzer/highlighter compact has made more appearance in celebrity artists’ makeup bags than Adele has Grammies. The secret is the bronzer, which comes in a tan-enhancing shade that doesn’t look orange or dirty. A light swipe across the cheekbones instantly makes the face look more defined. The highlighter illuminates without being Christmas-ornament-level glittery, and makes you glowy like J.Lo, even in Instagram pictures or holiday-party photo booths." —Kathleen Hou
"If Baies and Figues are like the Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett of Diptyque — the star scents that everybody loves— then Choisya is t...
"If Baies and Figues are like the Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett of Diptyque — the star scents that everybody loves— then Choisya is the Alicia Vikander. Scented like a less well-known Mexican orange flower, this candle smells like a beautiful Tulum greenhouse filled with orange trees. It's fresh and inviting, and will induce just the right amount of 'I want to go on vacation' angst. And since it’s a less-popular scent, it won't immediately remind you of every boutique fitness studio in Manhattan. Smelling it won't make you feel guilty when you're trying to get your cookie on during the holidays." -—Ashley Weatherford
Photo: michel cecconi
"Are you sick of everyone professing the immaculate perfection of coconut oil? Well, too bad, because Coco Rose’s coconut body scrub is the best ...
"Are you sick of everyone professing the immaculate perfection of coconut oil? Well, too bad, because Coco Rose’s coconut body scrub is the best body treatment to hit the market in 2015. Partly sugar, partly coconut oil, and entirely wonderful, the rose-scented polish does what most scrubs tend to do: make your skin soft. But Coco Rose’s version goes a step beyond exfoliation and renews your skin into soft and buttery baby flesh for an entire day. You could even skip lotion, though something about that just feels wrong, like wearing boots without socks." —Ashley Weatherford
"This is the kind of lipstick that will make you go, 'Mmmmm.' It's not because it's particularly tasty but because the creamy and long-lasting pi...
"This is the kind of lipstick that will make you go, 'Mmmmm.' It's not because it's particularly tasty but because the creamy and long-lasting pigment is the kind that will make any beauty editor or lipstick lover smack her lips together with glee. The vibrant colors are Stage 5 Clingers that have lasted me through sushi, cheeseburgers, pho, and even once through a dinner composed only of fermented foods. And when I wear these at night, my lips are never so dry that they need to be in lip-balm rehab the next day." —Kathleen Hou
"The secret to getting a great cat-eye isn’t a steady hand or the best eyeliner in the world — it’s a great Q-tip. With these olive-oil make...
"The secret to getting a great cat-eye isn’t a steady hand or the best eyeliner in the world — it’s a great Q-tip. With these olive-oil makeup-remover Q-tips, any plain line can become an Adele-like feline flick. Yes, you could make your own makeup-remover Q-tips, but these tips come pre-soaked in olive oil, leaving zero oily or greasy residue behind. Even the tiniest eyeliner mishap can be lifted off without disturbing the makeup underneath — an essential tip to keep your makeup looking tip-top." —Kathleen Hou
Photo: Jeff Alexander
"Having acne-prone skin when the weather is dry is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad scenario. Most pore-clearing masks dehydrate your skin...
"Having acne-prone skin when the weather is dry is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad scenario. Most pore-clearing masks dehydrate your skin and many moisturizing masks clog your pores, which is why Peter Thomas Roth’s Moor Mud scores top rankings this year. The decongesting ingredients in the mask are standard all-stars: mud and charcoal. Mixed with skin-nourishing seaweed, the mask both staves off breakouts and completely moisturizes skin. Whenever I use it — which is often — my face feels freakishly soft and smooth, as if I’ve just undergone a microdermabrasion treatment. Moor Mud has only been around for a year, but it’s a lifelong holy grail product if I’ve ever seen one." —Ashley Weatherford
"This bunny lip gloss activates all of my Elmira instincts and makes me want to shreik 'Kawaiiiii' at a high pitch. Yes, it’s cute, but the tint ...
"This bunny lip gloss activates all of my Elmira instincts and makes me want to shreik 'Kawaiiiii' at a high pitch. Yes, it’s cute, but the tint of the balm also makes my natural lip color look even better in a Liv Tyler kind of way, and it’s so moisturizing that I don’t need lip balm after." —Kathleen Hou
"Among the artificiall-yet-realistic tanned people of the world, there is a Vita Liberata fan club, and I became one of them this summer. So did ...
"Among the artificiall-yet-realistic tanned people of the world, there is a Vita Liberata fan club, and I became one of them this summer. So did a girl at my gym who asked how I procured my tan, along with six of my friends. The brand was comes from Ireland, a country not exactly known for its sun exposure. It's a gradual tan mousse that doesn't smell like cat pee nor stain your clothes or hands Cheeto-level orange. What I like most about this product is that the tan is almost more like a tint — it gives you just enough color to not make you look like a poltergeist. All orange men should receive a sample of this in their awards goody bag." —Kathleen Hou
"There have been so many ways to shine this year that we officially added luminous to the Cut's lexicon. Partly responsible for that addition (or...
"There have been so many ways to shine this year that we officially added luminous to the Cut's lexicon. Partly responsible for that addition (or addiction) is this creamy highlighter. At a beauty dinner recently, no less than four beauty editors asked me what I was wearing on my cheeks. Maybe I had gone a little overboard on the highlighter, or maybe it was because my cheekbones were glistening like they came with their own DP of lighting. Unlike some powder highlighters that can crack or dry out over the course of the day, this highlighter always looked well-blended on the skin, making your skin look more alive and you more well-rested." —Kathleen Hou
"If I had to write a summer-beauty makeup acceptance speech I would thank the academy of cushion compacts for faking poreless skin and keepi...
"If I had to write a summer-beauty makeup acceptance speech I would thank the academy of cushion compacts for faking poreless skin and keeping me in SPF 50 throughout the hot weather. This invention from Korea acted like a diet version of BB cream, giving me the even, dewy skin of K-pop stars. In 2016, we might be over the phrase 'I woke up like this,' but this product means we never have to retire the concept." —Kathleen Hou
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