For fear of making your approach to beauty sound like a Mastercard commercial, we'll just say this: certain products and treatments [1] might cost you an arm and a leg, but the feeling of investing in what makes you look (and feel) your best is priceless — and Goldman Sachs is just going to have to accept that.
How you choose to spend your hard-earned cash specifically is none of our business, but that doesn't mean we didn't test all of the year's biggest body, makeup, and skincare indulgences [2] to bring you the best buys worth the splurge. We promise: the luxury beauty products ahead are worth every penny.
Don't forget to read up on the rest of our 2019 Power Your Pretty Awards winners [3] – a curated list of beauty products tested by editors, chosen for YOU.
Oribe Côte d’Azur Refining Hand Scrub
There is no more definitive signifier of wealth than a nice smelling bathroom, a fact of which formulators at Oribe clearly considered before dropping the Oribe Côte d'Azur Refining Hand Scrub [4] ($52). It's laced with the same fancy scent as the brand's signature hair products, only it contains particles of pumice stone to exfoliate your hands — and impress any guests that come over.
Dr. Barbara Sturm Brightening Serum
If you've ever wondered how Hailey Baldwin's skin looks like she dragged the Instagram brightness filter waaaay to the right, we have two answers: genetics and Dr. Barbara Sturm. Luckily for anyone who doesn't wasn't born into a family of actors, the pro behind her glow dropped a collection of brightening products, our favourite of which is the Dr. Barbara Sturm Brightening Serum [5] ($310). It's packed with potent botanicals proven to boost radiance and fade hyperpigmentation (and, yes, make you feel famous all the same).
Augustinus Bader The Body Cream
If skin is the body's largest organ, then it only makes sense to indulge the entirety of it in the same way you would your face, and there's no more effective way to start than with the Augustinus Bader The Body Cream [6] ($165). It houses the same science-backed ingredients you loved about the brand's The Cream — created by Bader (a professor of applied stem cell biology and biomedical scientist) and then swiftly made famous by celebrities — Kate Bosworth [7], Ashley Graham, Kim Kardashian-West — only in a shea butter base that hydrates while simultaneously boosting regeneration and smoothing skin.
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Concealer
The Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Concealer [8] ($34) is like Spanx for your face: it camouflages all the things you don't want people to see, but is flexible enough that it won't feel (or look) like you're wearing anything at all. We especially liked how one swipe of the creamy formula brightened our entire eye area, but with a satin powder finish. (Try getting shapewear to do that.)
3Lab Brightening Oil Complex
We'd be remiss to write about the 3Lab Brightening Oil Complex [9] ($400) without mentioning that it is unconscionably expensive — a sticker price of $400 boils down to $200 an ounce, or 40,000 cents. Then again, it is loaded with four different molecular sizes of hyaluronic acid, plus brightening antioxidants and peptides, and has completely changed the texture of our skin. It's so creamy and decadent that smearing it on feels like little baby angels are hugging your face, blessing you with less redness and fewer dark spots practically overnight. Who said love don't cost a thing?
Don't forget to read up on the rest of our 2019 Power Your Pretty Awards winners [10] – a curated list of beauty products tested by editors, chosen for YOU.