The Best Beauty Products of 2025: Our 25 Must-Have Skincare + Makeup Hall of Fame Winners
This week on Lipstick on the Rim...
Kathryn Werdal
•
Jan 3
Nobody needs a body scrub that costs 70 dollars for 6 ounces. This is absurd and grotesque.
Best Makeup Articles
GUEST EDIT BY: Cyndle Komarovski
BEAUTY
New York based makeup artist Cyndle Komarovski has a rare gift: she makes us want everything she suggests. From smoky eyes to the perfect red lip, her approach to beauty feels equal parts inspiring and achievable. Whether you wear a full face or prefer to keep things minimal, Cyndle has a way of making it…
Lipstick on a Pig – What Natural Beauty Says About Morality
If you’ve ever seen a little girl with a toy makeup kit, you’ve likely seen something akin to a cat who got in a fight and lost – badly. The compilation of green eyeshadow on one eye, blue on the other, hot pink blush, and reddish-brown lipstick may look like a patchwork quilt to adults, but to the little girl, her face paint makes her look beautiful.
"For starters, do the recent trends toward heavy makeup – both for women and those who want to appear as women – indicate that we as a society are devoid of moral goodness?" No, in my ever-so-balanced, totally-unbaised and scrupulously fair-minded opinion...emphatically NO. It merely indicates (aside from the fact that a lot of (young and even many older) women who lack belief in their innate worth are too easily swayed by another (wannabe considered 'beautiful') person's 'opinion.'
It also demonstrates a severe lack of possession of the most basic quotidian common sense imaginable.
I have always felt that true beauty comes from deep within a person, comprised of equal measures of character, moral strength, intelligence and high self-regard. Anyone with those qualities needs external "cosmetic" enhancement (e.g. "makeup") about as much as your hypothetical "pig" needs lipstick.
Although true moral goodness isn't innately synonymous with having strong religious convictions, those who lack the courage to dispense with unsubstantiated theological hypotheses about supreme deities, and take on the burden of personal responsibility for treating one's fellows with the dignity, regard and favorable consideration that they deserve, some sort of religious 'support system' (e.g. a belief in a Higher Power that demands observance and compliance with higher moral and ethical standards) may be helpful.
It takes a HUGE amount of courage to believe that human beings may have originated on Earth purely by chance, enabled by the arrival of certain crucial amino-acid building blocks on a piece of asteroid from another part of the galaxy (or universe). To Full self-affirmation and personal actuation places tremendous demands on individuals. Sadly, self-confidence, belief in one's self, and strong character appear to be in rather short supply these days.
Again, in my humble opinion, "prophets", priests, pastors, witchdoctors and shamen should never be thought of as "Fathers", but merely as therapists of varying skill.
Until humanity has survived for another millennium or two without destroying the home planet (and all life upon it), all religious beliefs, faiths and 'external' sources of 'heavenly strength' should be regarded as poorly substantiated substitutes for self-affirmation, self-regard, high moral character and humane regard for all life.
And now, please excuse me. I have to go light an alter candle to the Sun God, MXYZPTLK, and sacrifice my mother-in-law's sacred Estee Lauder Facial Rouge to bring down God’s favor upon me...
Please Note: All Makeup is Not Created Equally
The 32 products found in every in demand red carpet makeup artist’s kit. 16 of the longest standing heroes and 16 of the newest.
Beauty is one of the only categories where we, as consumers, do not value our own opinion. Fragrance is the lone exception—we often have strong opinions about scent (I like mine to smell like every girl that ever broke your heart). But when it comes to science-backed formulations, clean-yet-high-performance pigments, and active ingredients, like bioiden…
We need this package in one ready-to-buy kit please ❤️
Love the concept of trusting the people who actualy stake their reputation on these products daily. The idea that makeup artists are the ultimate curators because they have to edit down to just two suitcases is brilliant, I dunno why more industries don't follow this model. I used to buy skincare based on Instagram ads until I started asking my dermatologist friends what they acually use themselves. Your point about high-stakes situations driving better curation (red carpets, campaigns) explains why expert recommendations beat algorithm-driven suggestions every time.
bare(ish) theory
aura farming, the 'bare face' movement and being fashionably feral
It is 11:36am. I am in the office. My face is bare(ish).
I hadn’t thought about it in this way - low exhibition value vs high. And there are barriers in place to participate in a more bare faced look, though. Having clear even toned skin and desirable facial features make it easier to embrace. Thinness even, too. If you don’t already have defined bone structure, is aura devalued? Wellness, access to treatments and the genetic lottery - or altered - all factor in here. It’s easier to wear a blemish like a badge, or with neutrality, when everything else is working in your favor. I’m not sure there’s a right answer, but it’s worth exploring.
thanks for the thoughtful take!
This topic is endlessly interesting. Loved this point: "It is higher ritual to hold your own humanness as we decent further and further into the human-tech hybrid. " Keep writing and thanks for engaging with my piece!
Death of the Beauty Account Executive?
Or Evolution in Plain Sight
I wrote a new analysis on how digital demand, faster trend cycles, and pre-informed customers are restructuring field leadership in beauty retail.
Founder Series: Well People, A Legacy of Love
Why the pioneers of ingredient consciousness are still choosing simplicity over the hype
I’ve always had a tricky relationship with skincare and beauty. I don’t have the most cooperative skin, and the industry back in the day didn’t seem to cater to me. When I started to play with makeup in undergrad, I struggled to find brands and products that addressed both my skin tone and my skin’s reactive nature. I tried so many brands and, in the pr…
Charu! This was SUCH a fun read. I didn’t know much about Well People, and I’m so fascinated by their brand and products. THANK YOU for the introduction!
Beauty as violence: Inside the Oscar-nominated makeup and hairstyling of 'The Ugly Stepsister'
Anne Cathrine Sauerberg and Thomas Foldberg celebrate their Oscar nomination for a classic fairytale reimagined through transformation-driven storytelling.
The Best Makeup and Hairstyling category at the Oscars is often associated with scale and showmanship. This year, Hair and Makeup Designer Anne Cathrine Sauerberg and Prosthetic Makeup Effects Designer Thomas Foldberg have broken through with something far riskier. Their nomination for
Bad Bunny Even Showcased Representation Through Makeup During His Halftime Performance
A big night for the Latin community.
I hope everyone enjoyed the Bad Bunny Bowl! I couldn’t have told you who was participating in this year’s Super Bowl (sorry), but I knew Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican native, was taking over halftime.
I love AORA!
Beautiful enough to be happy
Two women reflecting on beauty and its power
I met Julie around four years ago. Later you’ll understand why our paths crossed.
The quiet rebellion against vanity and consumption
Finding what beauty and worth means to you
Vanity and consumerism go hand in hand. It makes me think of magazines in the 90s—or Instagram today. We’re told we’re not enough as we are, and that we need to do XYZ and buy ABC to be beautiful like the people we see online.
Introducing: The FleshMatrix!
A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.
A theory:
The Best Romantic Perfumes for Date Night and Beyond
Sniffed and selected by yours truly.
I’ve never really cared about Valentine’s Day. As a single person a million years ago, it felt like so much pressure. And now, as a married person, it can feel forced. But I work at Cosmopolitan, where Valentine’s Day isn’t something you can opt out of. As a brand centered on love and relationships since 1965, this holiday is our Super Bowl, and
You’re Not Unattractive, You’re Just Undeveloped
The blueprint to becoming pretty..
Let’s talk attractiveness.
this really is so well put for the girls who seek honest guidance towards fully stepping into themselves. their highest potential awaits their continued efforts. will have to save this one to share when it may be helpful! thank you ✨
This is brilliant! I especially love how you state that no one is naturally beautiful. I wish someone would have told me that straight up when I was younger. Sharing this with my daughters.
My Current Natural, Every Day Makeup Routine
Low-tox, acne-safe & hormone friendly (from a nutritionist)
I’ll be honest, I’m not the biiiiggest makeup person
Introducing Annadea
Let me preface this post by saying that if you think I’m just a little nuts by the end of this newsletter, you’re probably right–I decided to build a brand new company in a new-to-me industry while 6 months pregnant and in the thick of creating my first real cookbook. I remember the Friday night that Kyle and I dreamed up this crazy idea–we were on our …
The Great Makeup Bag Refresh
What I added, what I replaced, and why a good edit changes everything.
I treat my makeup bag like a living, breathing edit. It evolves with my skin, my schedule, the seasons and, if we are honest, my latest obsessions. A good upgrade is not about having more, it’s about having better tools that make getting ready feel effortless.
My Beauty Edit No.17
2026 Haircut Inspo, Wuthering Waves, Japanese Hair Rituals, Peptides, a Blow-Dry Game Changer, Growth Factor Serums, and 26 Hotels that will Fully Influence Your Aesthetic
Hello, hello!
This is 68: Makeup Icon and Memoirist Bobbi Brown Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
"Sometimes I look in the mirror and think ‘Oh my gosh, who is that?’ and other days I’m like ‘Wow, I look good’. Every day has its own surprises."
From the time I was 10, I’ve been obsessed with what it means to grow older. I’m curious about what it means to others, of all ages, and so I invite them to take “The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire.”
Positivity without pretension. How nice. And best of all, less (make-up) is more—and from a makeup maven. How refreshing.
Total icon. Met her once while I was working for an Italian Vogue stylist who did something with her, and, most flatteringly, she actually asked me about doing something with her, I guess because I also did minimal makeup in her style at the time. Then I became a cartoonist! Now (for budget reasons, because at 60 my income isn't exactly going UP anymore) (that's a consideration for makeup products for older women, ahem!) I barely use anything, ha ha, but I guess I could still look like me in photos using her stuff.
11 Guys Changing the Beauty Conversation
These boys are pushing the beauty conversation forward for men.
These men represent the range of how beauty shows up today—from celebrity artistry and skin science to editorial thinking and cultural storytelling. Different lanes, shared momentum.
🫶🏾✨🤍🤍🤍🤍
Welcome to Pearl 2.0 (I'm Back!)
How this newsletter is evolving and what you can expect.
2026 marks a new chapter for Pearl, and I’m excited to share what I have planned for you ahead.
The MERIT Edit
How a Minimalist Beauty Brand Is Winning The Beauty Space
"the value of looking beyond your category to build stronger brand equity" -- one of the most important points in PR + marketing!
I think there's been a lot of great brand partnerships over the last few years that exemplify this strategy/way of thinking, but there's still a long way to go in terms of marketers (on the client/in-house side, imho) stepping outside their bubbles and into a customer's shoes.
It's why PR (me) is often forced to (if smart) stay in-the-know on as much as possible in every category. You never know where your next great idea or inspiration will come from -- and insights often arrive at that unexpected intersection. ~
What’s interesting is that MERIT’s minimalism is doing real commercial work.
Fewer SKUs. Clear heroes. A five-minute routine.
That restraint makes their paid advertising smarter too. When you have clear heroes, you can truly scale moments like Black Friday, where Flush Balm became one of the top three SKUs on Shopify (which is pretty insane).
In a category addicted to more, MERIT is competing primarily on clarity. And that’s hard to copy.
