I tested over 100 beauty products this month — here are 5 I'm buying for myself (2024)

Jennifer Romolini

·Senior Beauty Editor

Maybelline

When it comes to mascara, it takes a lot to impress me. In my years as a beauty editor, I've tried literally hundreds — at this point in my life, I like what I like and I rarely consider changing brands. But after testing this best-selling lash lengthener from Maybelline earlier this month, I've changed my tune. The formula is just beyond-the-pale amazing, the kind of product that would be good at any price, but for less than $10? You cannot beat it.

Here's why: Lash Sensational Sky High mascara is smear-proof and water-proof but somehow also easy to remove. The pigment is dark and inky and made my lashes look so long my husband asked me if they were fake. The brush is streamlined making the product go on clean without any clumping.

More than 75,000 reviewers rave about it on Amazon, all stating something along the lines of, "10/10 would recommend, I've ordered this six times now ... it's the best mascara I've ever used." Truly, it's that good.

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$10 at Walmart$13 at Ulta Beauty

Color Wow

I'll be honest, though it seems to stalk me all over social media, I haven't always loved Color Wow's hair care line. So, when I started testing Amazon's No. 1 bestselling beauty products for a future story, I was more than a bit skeptical of the efficacy of "Dream Coat," its award-winning anti-frizz spray. However, after testing it for a month, in both full-on East Coast July humidity and a few 90-degree, sweaty Los Angeles days, I have to say this product lives up to the claims.

Dream Coat is an anti-frizz treatment that, when used correctly, penetrates the cuticle layer of the hair, creating a long-lasting smoothing effect. The application is fairly simple: You spritz on the lightweight mist when your hair is towel-dried and damp (the instructions say to go section by section with a generous spray, to the point of drenching). Next, because the formula is heat activated, you must blow dry thoroughly in order to achieve the desired result. That's it. You're done.

When I tried Dream Coat, I was surprised to find it truly feels like nothing — akin to spraying on water — and was not in any way sticky like other leave-ins I've tested. It doesn't even really have a scent. After blowing my hair out, it looked silky and shiny without feeling at all crunchy or weighed down in any way. It was ideal for taming both summer frizz and my more wiry gray roots.

Plus — bonus! — the effect of Dream Coat lasts 3-4 washes. So you can relish your soft, smooth strands without the hassle of reapplying every time you shampoo.

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$12 at Kohl's$12 at Ulta Beauty

CeraVe

Of all the skin-care categories, night creams always seem the most dated to me, the kind of product you'd see on a sitcom from 1955 where the parents still slept in separate twin beds. Every time I see one I just think: Move along, old-timey cream, I have fancy modern serums to try.

HOWEVER, CeraVe's Skin Renewing Night Cream is not your grandma's night cream. For starters, it's lighter-weight and absorbs easily, with zero pore-clogging gloppiness. It's non-irritating to even the most sensitive skin and it doesn't pill (the thing I despise most in any product but especially a moisturizer).

What it does instead is help heal dry areas of the face while lending skin a pleasant softness and suppleness. As if that wasn't enough, it manages to achieve all of this for under $20.

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$24 at Ulta Beauty$20 at CVS Pharmacy

Rita Hazan

I'm in the middle of testing temporary gray-roots cover-up products and this one, from celebrity colorist Rita Hazan (her clients include Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson), is among the best I've tried. It's specially formulated to look natural across a variety of hair shades. It's also waterproof and really binds to the hair without the use of alcohol or ammonia.

Best of all, for me at least, is the precision nozzle which ensures the product goes and stays where you want it, without a lot of effort or finesse. Root touch-up sprays for blondes can be particularly tough to get right shade-wise but this one matched my honey-hued mane near-perfectly without looking brassy or fake.

Superzero

I traveled a ton this summer for a book tour, mostly by plane, always with a carry-on, never staying in any one place for more than a couple of days. This meant I had to be judicious with what I could pack in my TSA-approved liquids toiletry bag, which meant I couldn't haul around all of my favorite hair-growth products and shampoos.

As I've discussed about a million times before, I'm 51, with perimenopausal thinning hair. The way I've promoted new hair growth — and kept what I have left healthy and strong — is by following a strict regimen of supplements, consistent scalp massage and by never using harsh, low-quality cleansing and styling products.

I've always been a big fan of Superzero's environmentally-friendly hair care bars and the brand's thinning-hair shampoo turned out to be the perfect travel solution for my follicular woes. It's made with caffeine and rosemary oil to stimulate new hair growth at the roots, and the formula itself is fragrance-free and extra gentle. It comes with its own bacteria-resistant travel bag and, when you take it out, sudses up like regular shampoo. It lasts at least 30 washes, is sulfate-free, and is formulated with bond-building technology to make your hair stronger. In addition, using it also makes you feel like you're doing something good for the planet — I truly could not recommend it more.

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$28 at Verishop