Most Wanted is a weekly series in which one editor, staffer, or influencer shares their top 30 must-haves or current wish-list items.
After a long, long winter—most of which I spent in Minnesota—I’m more ready than ever for a change of season; not only in terms of my climate, but also in terms of my beauty M.O. Even though summer is usually the season we associate with a complete product overhaul, I’ve been feeling impatient. Hints of spring and summer are officially in the air, and I’m ready to hit the ground running by amping up my beauty aesthetic, as well.
Once the UV index starts to climb, I start to hone in on certain parts of my routine, i.e. my lips, eyes, hair, and skin. These are the features I personally like to play up and ensure are in tip-top shape once spring and summer roll around. If you, like me, would like to get ahead of the curve for the warmer, sunnier seasons ahead, keep scrolling. 30 beauty staples I’d recommend buying sooner rather than later are just below.
Lips
MAC Cosmetics
Lipglass Lip Gloss in Very Go Lightly
Viva MAC Lipglass—an iconic rite of passage for anyone born in the 90s, and a perfectly light-catching staple for anyone who wants their lips to glow like a supermodel’s. I’m partial to to Very Go Lightly, a prismatic champagne hue.
Anfisa Skin
Ân-Gloss Ceramide Lip Treatment
As far as lip treatments go, this is the latest formula to get your hands on. Beautifully packaged, this buttery elixir teems with skin-identical ceramides and vegan cholesterol to help re-activate the skin’s lamellar matrix and skin barrier. The end result: soft, supremely hydrated lips that actually stay that way. I also love that unlike most heavy-duty lip treatments, it’s crafted with non-comedogenic ingredients, so I don’t wake up to bumps and breakouts around my lips and mouth.
Hourglass
Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Uncover 4
Just when I think I’ve found my holy grail lip liner, a new one comes along to take its place. Currently, said newcomer is this creamy, transfer-resistant number from Hourglass. The shade Uncover 4 is my ride-or-die or nude.
E.l.f. Cosmetics
Glow Reviver Lip Oil in Jam Session
I’ve gone through at least three of these. Not because I actually ever hit empty, mind you, but because I make the fatal mistake of handing it to a friend for a shine top-up, and they ultimately refuse to give it back. If you want a lip oil that looks and performs better than its counterparts four times the price, this is your best bet. (And beware, the shade Jam Session will become a fixation—I’d recommend buying five.)
Wonderskin
Wonder Blading Lip Stain in Lovely
This is not a new product by any means, but I slept on it for years despite hearing plenty of fellow beauty editors wax poetic about its uncanny lip-staining ability. Essentially, it’s like a cheaper, more temporary alternative to lip blushing. Paint it on (yes, it comes out as a metallic royal blue and you will look like a hot space alien), let it sit—the longer, the darker the color pay-off—then swipe off with a damp washcloth. You’re left with perfectly stained lips that look completely natural. It’s the most low-lift alternative when I don’t want to bother with lipstick or other maintenance-heavy lip products.
Lawless
Forget the Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask in Birthday Cake
I talk about this plumping lip mask all the time, so I apologize if you’re sick of hearing about it. That said, it is and always will be the only lip product I wear to bed (who doesn’t want to wake up to softer, poutier lips!?), and it’s also my favorite daytime lip topper as well. The shine! The plumpness! I’m basically wearing it 24/7 and have worked my way through at least ten pots. (The Birthday Cake flavor is the best.)
Eyes
Make Up For Ever
Artist Color Pencil Brow, Eye & Lip Liner in Limitless Brown
Just wait until you see the difference this liner makes when you use it to rim the inner and outer corners (waterline, only!) of your eyes.
Make Beauty
Multi-Chromatic Metal Reflecting Eye Shadow in Onyx
I’m not a huge eye shadow gal, but if I’m wearing it, I want it to A) be shimmery (but too shimmery) and B) I want it to make me look like Lily-Rose Depp. These new reflective shadows from Make Beauty satiate the craving.
Olaplex
Lashbond Building Serum
I categorize my life into two different eras: Before Lash Serums (B.L.S.) and After Lash Serums (A.L.S.) I’ve tried practically every formula under the sun (including prescriptions like Latisse) and am happily to conclude that this one from Olaplex is quite truly, the best.
Surratt Beauty
Noir Lash Tint
An oldie but a goodie! This strange-looking rod has been in my makeup lineup for years, and yet I’ve never found any other product that can rival its lash-lengthening effect. I know lots of products claim to be “extensions in a bottle,” but this one quite literally is. It won’t give you much thickness, but if you’re after doe-like lashes that could land you a starring role in a Disney movie, go ahead and invest in this.
KVD Beauty
Ink Liner Waterproof Felt-Tip Liquid Eyeliner
I love liquid liner and have flirted with plenty of formulas over the years. Many disappointments later, this perfectly-sized pen from KVD Beauty has come out on top and is now the gold standard I compare all others too. I waffle between the brown and the black, and I appreciate that the rich pigment—and my precise application—doesn’t deteriorate through the day or night. (On the off chance I fall asleep with makeup on, I’ll wake up to eyes that are still perfectly lined.)
Tweezerman
Procurl Eyelash Curler
If you’re not curling your lashes, this is your sign to start. As someone with very large, round eyes (and lashes prone to major droopage) this model is the best I’ve tried. I simply no longer bother with others.
The consistency of this formula might take some getting used to—it’s thick, a bit tacky, and it looks wildly iridescent straight out of the tube. But, once you see its brightening and tightening benefits take hold of your eye area, you really won’t care. The magic ingredients: 0.07% retinol and a unique Liquid Crystal Technology which gives the formula itself the look of unicorn blood.
Hair
Dae
Fairy Duster Volumizing Dry Shampoo Powder
Meet the new dry shampoo that every beauty editor I know has been fawning over. Per usual, Dae has hit it out of the park with this non-aerosol volumizing dry shampoo that is truly transparent. (A necessity that was lost on me until I went from platinum blonde to copper hair last year—no ashy casts, here!)
I’ve been using the copper shade of this top-rated gloss to revive my color-treated strands (and oomph up my shine!) between salon appointments, but the sheer version is also great if you’re not looking for any type of tint. This formula is impossible to mess up, and the gloss and smoothness you get post-treatment is really unbelievable. I turned my 76-year-old mom (who’s always complaining that her fine, color-treated strands feel like “straw”) onto the dark brown shade, and now she’s equally obsessed.
Epres
Bond Repair Treatment Starter Kit
I have a few hair treatments I cycle through and love, but my most-used the last few months has been Epres. No other hair treatment has delivered both the instantaneous and long-term benefits quite like this one has! It’s been game-changing, and, post-wash, your hair has never looked or felt silkier. It has also really helped diminish out-of-control breakage I was having back when I was blonde.
Act+Acre
Microfiber Hair Towel
I’ve used hair towels—not regular towels—for years knowing that it’s an incredibly important swap in the name of hair health. That said, when I switched from my former model to this one from Act+Acre, my hair became noticeably softer, smoother, and easier to manage. Coincidence I think not! It’s like a cuddly teddy bear for your strands.
R+Co Bleu
Optical Illusion Smoothing Oil
For sleek, glass-like strands without the greasiness, I’ve been loving this lightweight smoothing oil from R+Co Bleu.
MACHETE
Grande Heirloom Claw in Sea Shell Checker
Machete makes the absolute prettiest hair clips and accessories. They’re all I want to wear!
Oribe
Dry Texturizing Spray
I don’t like the feeling of product in my hair after I style, so I slept on this texturizing spray for far longer than I’d like to admit as a beauty director. (Stupid really, because it almost feels like nothing on your strands.) Anyway, after that one first use (when all-of-a-sudden it looked like I had three times the amount of hair) I’ve been head-over-the-heels obsessed with this stuff.
Body
True Botanicals
Natural Body Love Bum Scrub
I’m not a lover of body scrubs as I find they’re often too harsh and abrasive on my skin (and also just plain messy), but this option from True Botanicals—which is specifically meant for the bum—is really, really nice. It’s become the in-shower ritual I didn’t know I needed.
Flamingo
Pubic Care Shave Routine
To each their own, but I’m diligent about keeping everything as smooth and hair-free as I can down there. I’ve been a fan of Flamingo’s line of shaving and body essentials for forever, and this thoughtfully curated pubic routine is my latest godsend. It comes with one Pubic Razor Handle plus an additional cartridge, one shower holder, pubic exfoliating shave gel (game changing), and last but not least, a restorative post shave gel.
EvolveTogether
Natural Deodorant in Havana
I have flirted with natural deodorants for years, but ultimately, I can never make a freaking commitment. (Either they don’t deodorize—point blank—or my body somehow adapts and they stop working for me after a few months.) This one, however, has me in a monogamous relationship. A) It smells terrifyingly good—I have Havana, which smells like it could be a floral-woodsy $300+ perfume if it wanted to be. B) It glides onto your underarms with zero stickiness or chalky clumps. C) It actually keeps me smelling fresh, and, like I mentioned, expensive, for a full 24 hours—even through a workout.
Gente Beauty
Bye Bye Cellulite
So let me just say… this stuff is not for the faint of heart. It’s spicy with a capital S and basically feels like you slathered jalapeño juice all over your skin. (Therefore, be careful where you tread, my friends). That said, the mix of Brazilian ingredients (guarana being the star of the show) really do help firm and tighten, and the host of other moisturizing and antioxidant-rich additions lock in supple texture and moisture.
Glow
Coco & Eve
Ultimate Glow Kit
I’m never scared to volunteer as tribute when it comes to the self-tanning category; it’s a practice I’ve been honing ever since middle schoo, after all. However, sometimes the results are much more favorable than others. After a recent stint of duds (patchiness! streaking! immediate fade!) this top-rated formula from Coco & Eve has reinstitute my faith in the self-tanning industry again. The color is great, and it absorbs and dries quickly, but not so quickly that you don’t have enough time to blend and spread. Additionally, the smell is maybe one of the least offensive I’ve experienced, and it actually looked freshly applied on my skin for almost a week. A great tan does amazing things for my self-esteem, so this is going to be a regular in my rotation.
U Beauty
U Beauty the Super Intensive Face Oil | Violet Grey
For years, the mere idea of slathering on a facial oil gave me an immediate jump scare. (I think anyone with a history of bad acne will say the same.) These days, I know my way around the facial oil category a bit more, and I also know starving your skin of hydration is only going to exacerbate acne. I’ve tried a few oils that play well with my skin and I’ll incorporate into my routine when I feel like I need them, but this new (dare I say bionic?) oil from U Beauty blows them out of the water. I love using it daily as a part of my gua sha routine, and the smart mix of natural astaxanthin (a powerhouse antioxidant) plus vegan squalane, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and stabilized vitamins C + E, have quite literally transformed my complexion. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to the fountain of youth, bottled.
Caudalíe
Moisturizing Fig Body Oil Elixir
What can I say other than this stuff is just insanely decadent. I steer clear of heavy oils that leave me feeling greasy, so this one, which is lightweight but still feels rich and yummy, is the perfect option for me. Plus, it makes your skin glow like a sunbeam—a perk I’m quite partial too.
Saie
Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Multipurpose Illuminator
Yes, I recommend following everyone’s advice on TikTok to use this luminizer as a complexion primer, but it’s also the absolute best when you use it to highlight other areas of the body like your chest, collarbones, and shoulders. I saw makeup artist Vanessa Stern combine it with the above elixir from Caudalíe, and I have never thrown my credit card at two beauty products faster.
If you’ve never tried Mutha’s cult-loved Body Butter, you are seriously missing out. It’s beloved for a reason, and it’s remained on the top shelf of my vanity for years. The only thing that could ever replace the OG formula—especially once spring and summer roll around—is this glow version which has a subtle hint of shimmering bronze that makes you feel like a long-lost Jenner sibling. I’m addicted.
Beaubble
Berry Freckled Pen
Hailey Bieber (and a slew of other celebs) and I agree—this is the best freckle pen to exist on planet earth. Buy it now, thank me later—you really will look like you just got back from a Hawaiian vacation.
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