These 25 Makeup Launches Deserve MVP Status

We’re truly living in the best time for makeup lovers. Not only are cosmetics formulas evolving into the most scientifically advanced they’ve ever been, but brands have made sure you don’t need a doctorate in cosmetology to actually use them. No more sitting around staring at makeup tutorials for hours, trying to figure out how to make sure a mascara won’t clump up your lashes or a concealer blends seamlessly into your skin — these products have been formulated to do the hard work for you. Just swipe, blend, and go.

Our lives are complicated enough without needing multi-step instructions and secret hacks to get something to work. From a budget brow gel that gives you perfectly fluffy arches to a matte lipstick that somehow manages to also hydrate your pout, these are Bustle’s best makeup products of 2025.

Best Liquid Blush

No blush blindness worries with this genius liquid blush from makeup legend Huda Kattan. The lightweight liquid formula delivers a filtered finish thanks to buildable pigments and finely milled micro pearls that create a soft-focus look. Huda calls it an “airblushed” effect that delivers a pop of flattering color without being overpowering. “I loved the pigment,” raves celebrity makeup artist Ash K Holm, whose clients include Ariana Grande, Megan Fox, and the Kardashians. “It didn’t disrupt my foundation underneath. It’s also great over or under powder, and the shade range is amazing.”

Best Powder Blush

Saie just can’t seem to help itself when it comes to creating beauty must-haves that TikTok loves. This baked powder blush is no exception — the brand took a classic makeup formulating technique and created something modern and fresh with this airy textured, blurred finish blush. Hand-whipped and baked in the old-school Italian style, SuperSuede feels like velvet, melts into your skin, and delivers the perfect filtered flush of color that’s light as air and so natural-looking you’ll forget it’s not your real glow.

Best Bronzer

Just because you haven’t seen the beach in months (or years, no judgment) doesn’t mean your face has to look like it. This baked bronzing duo from Dibs creates sun-kissed skin with a quick swipe of your makeup brush — no plane ticket needed. Talc-free and available in four coffee-hued combos, it’s packed with hydrating jojoba and macadamia oils to keep skin moisturized as it maxes out your bronze while blurring out texture. Use the shades separately or combine them to create a custom glow. Bonus: It’s safe for use on both the cheeks and eyes, so you can rock that ’90s monochrome look.

Best Eyebrow Gel

You know how important a good brow gel can be if you’ve ever been personally victimized by your tweezers. (We see you, early aughts millennials.) Maybelline managed to create one that both fills and fluffs with this mousse-textured marvel. It diffuses into your brow hairs to puff them up, creating a soft and full look that won’t feel stiff. Available in six natural shades, it fills in sparse spots and lasts all day, so even the most overplucked arches look thick and bushy in the best possible way.

Best Eyebrow Pencil

We didn’t think it was possible to love anything as much as we love Glossier’s Boy Brow, but then the brand went ahead and made a pencil to go with it. It features a spoolie brush on one end and a two-in-one micro-fine pencil on the other, perfect for filling in the gaps that OG Boy Brow can’t quite tackle. The custom tip has a precision edge to create hair-like strokes and a flat edge to fill sparser areas. Our only complaint? We wish it were bigger because we flew through our testing samples. “It goes so fast if you use it consistently,” says BDG staffer Julie Sprankles. “But I love that the cool blond was such a fantastic match for my naturally dark ash blond hair, and the precision tip shape makes me wish all eyebrow pencils had the same.”

Best Concealer

If you like your skin to look blurred to perfection, you need Danessa Myricks in your makeup kit. No one does a filtered, soft-focus product better, and this concealer is proof of that complexion-perfecting ethos. The serum-hybrid formula is packed with good-for-your-skin ingredients like caffeine, centella asiatica, purslane, and orchid flower. It also features a unique, targeted-dose applicator that ensures you get just the right amount with every swipe. With 20 shades to choose from, there’s one for every skin tone. “This concealer is so creamy and easy to blend,” says former BDG staffer Jordan Murray. “It’s super opaque, so it does a great job at covering my dark circles.”

Best Contour

Leave it to Madonna and Rihanna’s makeup artist to completely change how we look at contouring. Isamaya’s Sculpting Stick looks more like an eyeshadow than the contouring products you might be used to, but this petite pencil is a multitasking superhero. Designed for precise sculpting and detail work, it has a tapered tip that makes it easy to get into hard-to-reach places like the outer edges of your nose, the crease of your eyes, and your lips. It has a hydrating, creamy formula that blends like a dream and creates a fresh, radiant finish on the skin.

Best Eyeliner

We were beyond impressed with these bold, colorful liners that glide smoothly and can be smudged out to create a cool smoky effect or kept ultra sharp for a graphic look. The built-in blender helps customize the look you want, depending on your mood. The genius formula goes on creamy and gives you just enough time to decide what kind of effect you want, then it locks in place and will not budge. “These were great and really unlocked different eyeliner colors for me — think like Hunter Schafer from Euphoria vibes,” says BDG staffer Shannon Liao. “There were a couple of weeks there where my eyelids were dry and easily irritated, and this was the only eye makeup I could wear. I got plenty of compliments on it, too.”

Best Eyeshadow

There’s shimmer, and then there’s whatever Make has managed to do with these sparkling shadows. But it’s not just the megawatt metallic finish that wowed us — these gilded stunners also pack a pigmented punch that creates a foiled effect on your lids that’s both colorful and ultra shiny. The blend of micas, reflective pearls, and conditioning lipids that make up the creamy, dimensional formula is truly mesmerizing. “These are stunning,” says content creator and guest judge Golloria George. “The shimmer payoff is gorgeous, and they’re easy to apply, even for beginners. I love how they can instantly elevate a soft beat to a soft glam look. They blend well, last long, and give that multidimensional shine that looks expensive.”

Best Face Powder

This is a micro-fine powder that does all of the things — smooths, blurs, and sets. Dust it on and your skin will transform to an airbrushed effect that locks your makeup in place while controlling oil and nourishing the skin with niacinamide, green tea extract, and sodium hyaluronate. “This powder is a 10/10 for me,” says George. “It truly blurs the skin without looking heavy or cakey. The shade range is well-thought-out, which makes sense because LYS is Black-owned, so they understand deeper complexions. It sets makeup beautifully while still keeping the skin looking natural.”

Best Full-Coverage Foundation

Full-coverage foundation has come a long way from feeling like we were spackling heavy-duty paint on our faces. Instead of the dry, less-than-flattering formulas of yore, today we can look forward to coverage that feels like nothing, looks like skin, and covers literally everything you want covered. Case in point: this soft matte beauty from Patrick Starrr’s One/Size. Made with skin-healthy ingredients like rice silk powder and plant-derived emollients (instead of silicone), it goes on smoothly and blurs imperfections. “This foundation is incredible,” says George. “It’s full-coverage, matte, and has a wide shade range, which is always a plus. It smooths out the skin beautifully without feeling too heavy or drying. If you love a flawless, long-lasting base, this is a must-have.”

Best Light- Or Medium-Coverage Foundation

We had to double-check the bottle to make sure we were in fact using foundation after applying this gorgeous complexion perfecter from Dior. With an 86% skin care base, the Forever Skin Glow Foundation feels more like a really luxe moisturizer than a makeup product. When applied, it makes your skin look radiant, smooth, and glowy, and that skin care base does your complexion a solid each time you apply it. “I don’t typically wear foundation, but I like this one for special occasions,” says BDG staffer Meaghan O’Connell. “It has good coverage, but you still look like yourself — just a bit more even and glowy. It doesn’t make me feel claustrophobic the way some foundations do, but it is actual makeup. I received a few ‘you look so great’s on the day I wore it, so maybe I should wear it more.”

Best Highlighter

Glass skin in a stick, this highlighter does what so many serums, lotions, and potions have promised us over the years. While most highlighters create a shimmery finish, this genius balm stick delivers a glossy effect on your skin for that coveted mirrorlike glow. Just apply it wherever you want to shine, and you’ll have an instant dewy effect. Available in three shades — translucent, pink, and terracotta — it works on all tones and can be used on bare skin or over foundation. It’s your shortcut to glass skin, and we honestly don’t know how we lived without it.

Best Clear Lip Balm

Are you prepared to have all other lip balms ruined for you? If so, let us introduce you to Maed’s 2-in-1 lip treatment. Wear it during the day to give your pout a subtle sheen that’s gloss-adjacent or at night to work as a nourishing mask that cocoons your lips in moisture. It’ll hydrate and protect so well that you’ll wake up with the most supple, plush pout of your life. “Give this all of the awards — I’m obsessed,” says BDG staffer Lauren Sofair. “The scent, the applicator, the packaging, the moisturizing effects — this is by far the most luxurious lip product I have ever tried.”

Best Tinted Lip Balm

Honestly, they had us at “doughnut-inspired.” Made with polypeptides, argan ceramides, and polyglutamic acid, this lip serum is the beauty equivalent of icing your lips like a Krispy Kreme. The only difference is that instead of being covered in lip-smacking sugar, you’re giving your pout a supercharged hit of hydrating and nourishing goodness that leaves you looking plump and pillowy — and with pretty pigment to boot.

Best Lip Gloss

If a lip oil and a lip lacquer made sweet, sweet love, the result would be this lightweight hydrating gloss from Armani. It delivers a glasslike shine with a prismatic finish to create a fuller-looking pout, while the addition of squalane helps moisturize even the most parched skin. “This has become a favorite because of the luxurious, lightweight, and pillow-y feel,” says Holm. “It’s not sticky at all for a gloss, making it comfortable to wear. I love that it’s unscented, as that’s my usual preference. It truly elevates all of my lip looks.”

Best Lip Liner

Creamy, no-tug, blendable, and richly pigmented — Lancôme managed the feat of developing a matte lip liner that doesn’t settle into fine lines or dry out your lips. It goes on like a gel and feels so comfortable and smooth that you won’t even know it’s there. “Subtle, long-lasting, and available in a great variety of shades — I really like this lip liner,” says BDG staffer Jamie Kenney. “It glides on easily and isn’t drying, my main complaint with others I’ve tried.”

Best Lip Oil

Lip oils are our latest obsession because they combine the juiciness of a gloss with the moisture of a balm. This beauty from Summer Fridays had our testers raving about its non-sticky blend of moisturizing oils that made their pouts feel plush and velvety. They also loved the fact that it can be worn alone for a sheer effect or seamlessly layered over top of your favorite lip color to create added dimension and a hit of shine.

Best Lipstick

There is some kind of makeup magic happening at Westman Atelier. Somehow, the brand managed to create a matte lipstick that saturates our lips in velvety color and drenches them in hydration — something that’s so rare for a matte formula. “I love having this in my purse for a night out,” says BDG staffer Alissa London. “I love how heavy the packaging is, too — I can find it easily in my bag. It delivers a very pretty color and feels very moisturizing. This is a staple for me now in my going-out look.”

Best Mascara

This lengthening tubing mascara gave our testers lashes for days, and not a clump or a smudge in sight. The buildable formula lets you customize your look so you can keep it natural or go for full-on drama, and it’s enriched with jojoba seed oil to nourish and condition lashes with every application. “I am honestly loving this. It doesn’t clump and provides a beautiful, subtle lift and color to my lashes,” says BDG staffer Sarah Ellis. “And the best part? It does not flake at all. I get raccoon eyes from mascaras all the time, and this one has not failed me once. For $7? This performs like it’s worth three times the price.”

Best Multitasker

A soft matte finish that delivers a sheer wash of color for lips and cheeks, leave it to makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes to create a multitasking color stick that’s as versatile as it is gorgeous and comfy on your skin. “I love how soft and blendable these are,” says BDG staffer Katie McPherson. “The formula is a little stiffer than the liquid blushes I typically use, but as a result, I feel like they last on my cheeks far better. The colors look incredibly bold in the tube, but they all blend out equally beautifully on the skin, and you can really customize your look with them.”

Best Primer

Give your skin an instant glow and smoothing effect with this hydrating primer with built-in SPF from Shiseido. Made with niacinamide and fermented kefir, it smooths and brightens your complexion while helping maintain a healthy microbiome and providing 24 hours of hydration when gripping your makeup in place. “This feels very luxe,” says Ellis. “It’s gentle on my skin, blends easily, and provides a nice base layer for my makeup. I love that it has SPF 25.”

Best Skin Tint

Meet a solid serum stick foundation that nourishes the skin and gives you a gorgeous natural glow. It’s full of a who’s who list of skin-loving ingredients — hyaluronic acid, fatty acids, a peptide complex, coconut oil, shea butter, marula oil, fatty acids — plus a unique flexible shade that makes it easy to match your skin tone. “I have already recommended this to all of my friends and family,” says London. “I love the application of it and how creamy the texture is. It blends beautifully, and you can mix the colors for a perfect shade. I really like this for everyday wear — it gives a nice clean look without any other face products, or at night for more coverage and a nice creamy foundation that blends nicely with my contour stick.”

Best Under-$20 Beauty Tool

File this one under tools we had no idea we needed. After testing out this double-sided puff from Real Techniques, we’re wondering why we would ever use anything else. It solves so many of our common complaints with other makeup sponges and gives us the option to apply both liquid and powder products — plus comes with a handy case that’s perfect for travel or popping in our purses for on-the-go touch-ups. “I am a sucker for a dual-use product and love that this puff has a beauty-blender side — making it ideal for both flawless concealer blending and setting,” says BDG staffer Alexis Morillo. “This has easily become a must-use tool in my makeup bag and makes me scoff at the cheap powder puffs I was buying in bulk.”

Best Setting Spray

Lock your makeup in place and refresh your skin with this hybrid spray from The Lip Bar. Infused with avocado and raspberry, the micro-fine mist creates a weightless finish on the complexion that hydrates as it seals your look for the day (and night). “This is a great setting spray,” says BDG staffer Kayla Isaacs. “It’s easy to use, sprays well and evenly, and definitely helps my makeup stay put. I like that this adds a little glow but doesn’t make my skin feel oily.”

Photographs by Emma Chao