There Are Only 12 Beauty Products That Are 100% Worth Their Semi-Insane Price Tags
Not more. Not less.
Image: Instagram @annehathaway
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by The Candidly Team
It’s hideously overwhelming trying to decide what beauty products to spend actual money on.
It’s not like we have the budgets to just “test out” every “miracle serum” we hear is great only to be left looking the exact same and slumping back to CVS for Cetaphil.
We also don’t have the time to sit around waiting for results that take 8-12 weeks when after a month we aren’t even sure we want to buy a second bottle of that $187 cream we spent 187 days contemplating if we should buy in the first place.
Now, we try very hard here at The Candidly to be a sort of middle man between you and these tough decisions. As beauty editors, we get sent enough stuff to be able to test enough products ourselves to present to you what’s made a significant difference to our own, over-40 skin. And, more importantly, what we then choose to spend our own, hard-earned money on.
There are 12 expensive things that are in the skincare/ beauty zeitgeist that we feel will give you the kind of “whoa” results you’d be most likely to admit were worth their weight in gold.
They’re genuinely good. Glorious actually. And here’s exactly what they are.
1. Best hydrating face oil by far
WHAT: Furtuna Skin Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil*
Why we love it: Perhaps you’ve heard of this oil - this clean, organic, award-winning oil that celebrities swear by and all of your friends over 40 who’ve tried it have fallen head over heels in love with. It plumps the skin in a way that diminishes lines, repairs the skin barrier, douses you with moisture, and helps protect from free radicals and stress. And it does all this in a few measly drops that you dab on your face after applying your other skincare, so even though it’s pricey, it lasts and lasts. Oh, and it also works some kind of sorcery when you pat what’s left on your fingertips onto your chest and after a few weeks, start seeing your vertical chest lines disappear. See proof HERE.
Use the code CANDIDLY to get 25% off.
Price: Starting at $100
* Gifted
2. Best Vitamin C
WHAT: iS Clinical Super Serum Advance*
Why we love it: Vitamin C is one of 3 skin ingredients proven to be anti-aging. And yet, pretty much every potent vit C serum we’ve tried has been sticky and smelly and didn’t give us the kind of results we’ve gotten from this one. It leaves our skin extraordinarily glowy, smoother, more youthful, and we saw big results in just two weeks.
Price: $99
* Gifted
3. Best night serum
WHAT: iS Clinical Active Serum*
Why we love it: If your skin feels weird, confusing, sensitive, textured, mature, and yet also acne-prone, this is the singular, do-it-all, miracle serum you’ve probably been willing into existence. We’ve never had a product simultaneously get rid of lines and texture and also clear our skin of blemishes and breakouts. The botanical formula is so powerful and brightening, And yes, it’s from iS Clinical again. Honestly, this is where most of our skincare dollars go these days, because the brand is outright phenomenal.
Price: $92
* Gifted
4. Best moisturizer
WHAT: Emma Lewisham Supernatural Face Creme Riche*
Why we love it: Our managing editor tried this cream and immediately told those of us who miiiiiight have a tendency to succumb to $300 face creams to switch because we’ll get the same results. In fact, it was shown to synthesise collagen production at a cellular level by up to 21%. No, it’s not drugstore cheap, but it is a seriously under-the-radar anti-aging cream with clinical results and glowing reviews that doesn’t price in the triple digits. You can see our own before and after photos HERE.
Price: $95
* Gifted
5. Best oil for acne prone skin
WHAT: Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil*
Why we love it: All of us ladies with oily (albeit also aging) skin long for that golden, glowy, clear-skinned, radiance we see on other ladies who use oils, but we know in our hearts they’ll just leave us looking greasy and exacerbate any texture and blemishes we have. But this oil is entirely different. It calms irritation and adds a suppleness and clarity to even the most sensitive of skin. It’s the “miracle product” that makes celebrities go on instagram unpaid and gush about the results. And it made us do the same HERE.
Use the code THECANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $78
* Gifted
6. Best lip balm
WHAT: Furtuna Olive Lip Butter Balm*
Why we love it: We use this during the day and just before bed, and our lips simply do not crack in the winter anymore. It’s glorious.
Use the code CANDIDLY to get 25% off.
Price: $45
* Gifted
7. Best shampoo And Conditioner
WHAT: Miriam Quevedo Platinum and Diamonds Volume Shampoo* + Conditioner*
Why we love it: We’re all obsessed with our thinning hair and yet, we continue to buy crap from Walgreens on our way to fill a prescription. This anti-aging shampoo is amazing for stopping breakage and hair loss, especially since our hair gets brittle in the cold and starts to come out in clumps. Once we invested in it, our typical shower hair clumps lessened and our hair was plumper, softer, and glossier.
Use the code CANDIDLY to get 15% off.
Price: $80
* Gifted
8. Best long-term treatment
WHAT: Augustinus Bader The Skin Infusion*
Why we love it: Augustinus Bader is a brand we hear about alllll the time. It’s used by world-class aestheticians and celebs who seem to have stopped aging. We’ve written odes to their Rich Cream, but this new Skin Infusion acts almost as a blurring, youthifying filter for the skin. It’s meant to be a “4-week intensive skin reset” that you use 3-4 times per year to boost elasticity and strength, but we also use it prior to big events like weddings or seeing some man we were once gaga for. It’s pricey, but you will indeed be thrilled by the results.
Price: $430 for 3 bottles
* Gifted
9. Best at home peel
WHAT: iS Clinical Active Peel System*
When we first started using this peel, it would come up in meetings how incredible all our skin looked. All of us with all our different “skin issues” who tried it were floored by the clearness and smoothness and baby-like texture of our skin - the kind of results you usually only see after a professional treatment. So much of what ages us on a daily basis is lack of exfoliation, hydration, and dullness, so having something not scary we can do at home that takes all of 90 seconds and involves two little pre-packed wipes, one after the other, is sort of surreal. We use them weekly and the night before events so they last as long as possible. And they’ve saved us loads of money on facials.
Price: $96
* Gifted
10. Best at home device
WHAT: ZIIP Halo*
Why we love it: We hear a lot about gadgets in our line of work, and it all feels very scammy, but then we hear Jen Aniston loves something, and oops, we have to try it. Such was the case with ZIIP, the microcurrent facial device that’s been shown to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, plump, firm, lift, and clear skin - all the things we hope a device might do, and what do you know? It actually does it.
And you can use the code CANDIDLYZIIP for 20% off the Halo!
Price: $400
11. Best red light mask
WHAT: Omnilux Contour Face*
Why we love it: The older we get, the more we get the appeal of sitting around and having our wrinkles reduced, our pigmentation erased, and our skin made healthier and younger-looking. Red light therapy is a passive way to pursue better skin, so we’re willing to pay once and benefit for the long haul.
Though, we’re also very partial to this easy peasy, handheld device* that has also given us great results.
Price: $395
12. The Best Eye Cream
WHAT: Augustinus Bader The Rich Eye Cream*
Why we love it: Eye creams disappoint us more than almost anything. So many do nothing. Nothing! So we’re almost sorry to tell you the one we love most is in this price range. It’s a powerful depuffer. And just to throw some numbers behind our words: 97% agreed skin looked firmer, 92% saw the look of fine lines diminish, and 96% thought their under-eye bags seemed reduced. And because you need so little, you can make it last.
Price: $205
* Gifted
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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