While Spring means lots of things to most people—blooming flowers, warmer days and sun showers—it means one thing above all else to us here at NewBeauty: the Annual NewBeauty Awards. Highly coveted amongst brands and buyers, The NewBeauty Awards are based on new discoveries with the hottest formulations and proven cult-classic products coupled with a focus on delivering solution-oriented content, all tested and vetted by our editors and experts.
To become a NewBeauty Award Winner, products must go through over six months of rigorous screening, 200 hours of spraying, brushing, cleansing, blending, scrubbing and hydrating—you name it—in addition to rounds and rounds of analyzing, testing, retesting and debating amongst our knowledgable editors. After that, the products must win the favor of some of the biggest names in the industry through our Brain Trust Members, before being given the final seal of approval by the NewBeauty Board of Directors to ensure each product is credible and covetable.
Now that you understand just what it takes to become a NewBeauty Award-Winning product, check out a few of our winners that senior editor-at-large took to The TODAY Show this week, showcasing some of the best-of-the-best in beauty, skin care and wellness.
Best Facial in a Jar
As soon as you open the lid of Ole Henriksen’s Dewtopia 25% AHA + PHA Flash Facial Exfoliating Face Mask ($50) you are hit by a delicious lemon scent, like a freshly-baked lemon drizzle cake, and the pearlescent texture makes the formula look good enough to eat, too. The mask is a thick consistency with a gorgeous opal-like shimmer, and with just one finger scoop, you can cover your entire face in this radiance-enhancing goodness.
The formula in Ole Henriksen’s Dewtopia mask leans on the brand’s highest concentration of acids—packed with glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and hyaluronic acid—to tackle dullness, discoloration and uneven texture. The best part is that the mask works immediately and over time, garnering results that you’ll notice right away with even more drastic improvements happening after each use. For many, the formula has a slight warming effect and creates a tingling sensation for a minute or so as the powerful ingredients work together quickly to tackle stubborn dead skin cells, leaving your skin with a fresh and exfoliated feel and that coveted post-facial glow.
Best CC Cream
Color-correcting creams—CC creams for short—exist at the intersection of foundation, moisturizer and sunscreen. So, if you want a little assistance covering uneven skin while balancing skin and tone, the e.l.f. Camo Hydrating CC Cream ($15) is exactly what you need. Put your best face forward with the long-lasting, color-correcting Camo Hydrating CC Cream that gives skin an extra boost of moisture for a glowy finish while delivering the full coverage and smooth complexion you crave. A medium-coverage formula, you can still see the true texture of your skin after putting this product on, making it the definition of that “my skin but infinitely better” aesthetic. There are over 30 shades in this iconic CC cream, and you can even speak to a Beauty Advisor at the brand to find your exact shade, or you can use chat, email, and live video with an unfiltered selfie to get the best match.
Best Multistick
Multitasking makeup products are supposed to help streamline your routine, but sometimes that comes at the cost of the product’s texture, pigment or overall quality. However, that is not the case for Mango People’s Multistick ($27), which has the most elegant, creamy texture that feels hydrating on the skin while providing striking color. Although it has a thick, balmy feel at first, the formula is easy to blend, making it simple to work with on the eyelids, lips and cheeks. A South Asian–owned makeup brand, the Mango People line is based on Ayurvedic ingredients and adaptogens and all products in the line were created with shades meant to flatter a wide range of skin tones without compromising on efficacy.
Initially, Mango People’s Multistick piqued our interest because of its sophisticated dark-green packaging and vibrant colors within the formula. The Mango People Multisticks are pigmented and buildable—with one to two swipes, you get opaque coverage, so you can go as bold as your heart desires with little effort. Although it looks matte in the tube, it has a subtle sheen finish that gives you a glowy, healthy look on the skin. And, as a lip product, it feels like a conditioning balm that locks in hydration, but the creamy consistency leaves behind a nice shine that doesn’t require lip gloss on top.
Due to its multi-purpose nature, there are plenty of ways to use this in your makeup routine, whether it’s a wash of color on your eyelid for instant eyeshadow, adding depth and dimension to your cheeks, or a vivid lip. For a bolder look, apply directly from the tube and use your fingers to blend and diffuse. For a softer, more natural look, use a brush to apply the cream. Because of its ability to blend seamlessly, it is a very forgiving product, so if you mess up, you can easily fix it, and although it has a long-lasting formulation, it’s best to set it in place with a translucent powder or a setting spray.
Best Root Touch-Up Powder
If you dye your hair frequently, you know the pesky reality of the time between visits to the salon—the only time you wish time would stand still and your hair would not grow is after your salon visit because of the risk of regrowth, the reappearance of greys, and problem of mismatched color. No matter what color you choose to dye your hair, roots are the telltale sign that it’s time to head to the salon ASAP.
It’s common knowledge in the salon business that colorists approve of Madison Reed, and the brush-on-powder in their The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up + Brow Filler ($32) uses finely milled micro-pigments to deliver coverage that’s both full yet natural-looking. Because it’s a micro-milled powder, it stays soft and buildable while adhering seamlessly to your hair—meaning no dusty fallout—and it won’t feel greasy or sticky.
The powder clings to regrowth to hide grays, but it also tints your scalp a tiny bit, making your hairline look fuller. We also love this trick for creating an even, full hairline, especially for ponytails. The powder stays in until you shampoo it out but if you want added insurance, add a light spritz of hairspray before applying the powder and end with just a light spray afterward to seal it in place.
The benefits of this touch-up powder go beyond the hair, as the formula makes for the perfect eyebrow shadow, too. Because grey hair can pop up anywhere, this palette comes with a spoolie brush for ease of application on the brows. With five different dark shades—ranging from light brown to black—you’ll surely find just the right shade to camouflage your pesky grays. Not to mention it’s also sweat and waterproof.
Best Retinol Body Serum
A lot of skin-care questions tend to have the same answer: vitamin A. While it’s been a hero ingredient in skin care for quite some time, vitamin A has recently become more common in body care, too helping address those same concerns that you have on your face on your body. Why wouldn’t you want your limbs to match the smoothness of your face and neck?
The most powerful skin-smoothing ingredients are incorporated into this beautiful Nécessarie’s Body Retinol Formula ($55), all of which work together to stimulate collagen production to firm up saggy areas—like around the knees and the arms—while getting rid of dullness. This retinol-packed body product also helps smooth the skin by adding moisture and preventing moisture from leaving your skin.
Best Muscle Soother
Serena Williams saw the opportunity to create a brand of recovery products that focused on performance care after going through the personal experience of trying to find products to help her through her aches and pains, and WILL Perform’s Fast-Acting Lidocaine Roll On Gel ($13) is a hero product for anyone who suffers from muscle soreness. Created for the everyday athlete, every part of this muscle-soothing stick is thought through, from the packaging to its ability to be infused into daily self-care rituals.
We took this line for a test and it immediately gained the approval of the NewBeauty team. Williams’ Pain Relief Lotion uses lidocaine—an ingredient that prevents pain by blocking the signals at the nerve endings in the skin—and the cream even blends lidocaine with a botanical blend that includes arnica to numb pain. There is a light fragrance with this roll-on gel, and upon application it immediately feels so good. This WILL Perform product applies with roller balls so you can put it directly where you need it without any mess, making it the perfect product to apply at night to help with tired, sore muscles before bed.
