With spring just around the corner, now is the time to clear some room in your bathroom cabinet for a new season’s beauty products. Those ready to switch out barrier-repair creams for bikini oils should head to Dermstore: Until midnight tonight, you can take up to 20 percent off lots of rarely on-sale skin-care, hair-care, and beauty tools as part of the “Beauty Refresh Sale” — just use the code REFRESH. We’ve already uncovered lots of Strategist-approved favorites among the deals, including the lightweight moisturizer Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst uses year-round, hairstylist-recommended dry shampoo, and beauty-editor-beloved night cream. Plus select brands such as Ilia, Olaplex, and Supergoop are offering double points to members, so we suggest stocking up. After all, it’s common knowledge that buying sunscreen makes summer come faster.
Got stressed-out strands? Pick up our favorite mask for dry hair, which Dianna Cohen, founder of hair-care line Crown Affair, calls “the most universal hydrating mask.” The star ingredient is prickly-pear-seed oil, which is rich in vitamin E and restores protein and keratin to make your hair shinier and silkier.
Former Strategist writer Margaret Rhodes recommends this ultra-hydrating cream for anyone with long, color-treated, dry locks: “It’s a great everyday moisturizing treatment that sinks in really nicely, smooths out puffy hair, and never feels sticky or heavy.”
On the flip side, if you have blackheads and like incorporating tech into your skin-care routine, consider this dermatologist-recommended ultrasonic spatula, which uses vibrations to dislodge debris. It has an “infuse” mode and an “extract” mode: The former helps penetrate skin-care products deeper into your skin, while the latter unclogs and remove dirt, blackheads, and dead skin.
SkinMedica’s dermatologist-approved gel cleanser is one of our top picks for combination and acne-scarred skin. It blends physical (jojoba beads) and chemical exfoliation (AHAs and BHAs) to gently clean out clogged pores and prevent future breakouts.
Run, don’t walk, to pick up Sunday Riley’s rarely-on-sale, Strategist–loved serum. It has lactic acid, which helps “lighten hyperpigmentation, and also contains squalene, which is hydrating, plus aloe, which is soothing to the skin,” says dermatologist Debra Jaliman. When you spend $50 or more on Sunday Riley products, you get a free travel-size bottle of Good Genes to keep in your dopp kit.
If you missed our Get Out of Town Sale last week, you’re in luck: This gel sunscreen from Tula — maker of some of our favorite makeup remover, face scrub, and moisturizer — is on sale again. The reef-safe, lightweight formula has SPF 30 and adds a subtle glow to your skin.
Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst uses this sensitive-skin-friendly cream as the first step in her double-moisturizing routine. She appreciates that it’s “nourishing without being too thick and doesn’t feel oily or like it’s just sitting there.”
Here’s an antioxidant-rich eye cream recommended by dermatologist David E. Bank for mature skin (it’s the one he uses himself). It improves pigmentation, wrinkles, and skin elasticity with a blend of caffeine, vitamin C, collagen-boosting peptides, and growth factors (which are “proteins that promote the growth, development, and maturation of cells and play a role in maintaining the firmness and elasticity of skin,” Bank explains).
Boasting a stamp of approval from five different dermatologists, we named EltaMD’s UV Clear the best overall facial sunscreen. In addition to being fragrance free and noncomedogenic, EltaMD’s sunscreen is especially effective because it’s rich in antioxidants that help protect against skin-damaging free radicals, says Patricia Wexler of Wexler Dermatology.
Though admittedly pricey, we’ve called this Augustinus Bader product one of the best night creams because it’s great for the “laziest nights, when you don’t have time to slather on a million serums but you still want all the anti-aging benefits.” The “super-repairing” formula is said to visibly reduce any signs of aging while brightening, tightening, and plumping up the skin by hydrating and restoring the moisture barrier.
Recommended to us by several writers and dermatologists, the NūFace device helps to depuff and tone the face and neck by zapping your skin with waves of energy.
“Addicted,” says actress Taraji P. Henson of the Peter Thomas Roth hyaluronic-acid-infused gel eye patches. She used them all throughout filming Empire and has been using them since. “I can literally see the difference: I can see the puffiness shrink in the morning.”
With a blend of several antiseptic and antimicrobial ingredients such as grape-seed, jojoba, and tea-tree oil, Fur Oil will help keep your bikini area smooth and free of razor bumps. Lara Kaiser, an aesthetician at Brooklyn’s Shen Beauty, suggests applying it “for a few days before or after hair removal.”
Olive oil–based, infused with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, and fragrance free, this DHC cleansing oil is refreshingly basic and extremely gentle. Dermatologist Dr. Sejal Shah is especially a fan of its water-soluble formula that makes it supremely easy to rinse off.
Strategist associate editor Louis Cheslaw first heard about this R+Co styling paste from barber Mark Miguez. “The gentle hold lasts all day without being sticky or hard,” Cheslaw reports. “I can even run my hand through my hair without messing up the style, and it all wears off by the end of the day, so I can go to bed au naturel.”
This Paula’s Choice salicylic-acid-based exfoliating toner is beloved by Viera-Newton, the Cut’s former beauty editor Ashley Weatherford, and multiple beauty gurus such as Hyram, Sacheu, and Gothamista). Viera-Newton suggests applying it “on clean skin in areas with congestion or breakouts (most often the T-zone), avoiding any sensitive areas.”
Our pick for the best less expensive versatile curling iron comes with three clamp styles. It has a classic curling-iron spring-loaded clip and a manual marcel clip, both of which can be removed to turn the tool into a curling wand. Jessica O’Keeffe, a stylist at Hawthorne Studio, considers it a personal favorite.
If you’re looking for a vitamin-C serum with some real oomph, the PCA Skin C&E Advanced serum contains 20 percent L-ascorbic acid along with pure vitamin E and other antioxidants that help with aging and free radicals. Dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi loves how the lightweight serum can “easily integrate into a skin-care regimen” and doesn’t “cause irritation.”
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
