The second Prime Day is underway, which we’re thinking of as a pre–Black Friday, “get a jump start on holiday shopping” sort of event. We’ve sifted through hundreds of products to surface the best of what Prime Day has to offer. Some of these — like the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask — we highlighted just a few months ago for the previous Prime Day. Now you have another chance to get in on those repeat deals. And there are lots of new Strategist picks this time around, including Olaplex’s fan-favorite No. 3 conditioner, which we’ve deemed the very best hair mask, and Belif’s Aqua Bomb moisturizer, a favorite of drag queen Farrah Moan that came recommended by drag sister Kim Chi. You’ll likely recognize most everything on this list; we’ve tested and written about much of it before. We’ve also triple-checked prices to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.
Prime Day ends at midnight tonight PT (3:oo a.m. Eastern, October 14th), but things will move quickly and stock may not hold, so we’ll be updating this post regularly to make sure it’s current. For even more deals, follow us on Twitter or check out our Prime Day hub.
Note: That’s a wrap on Prime Day 2.0! We’re done updating this post. Right now, everything’s in stock, but all deals end at 3 a.m. ET, so don’t dillydally. If you want more sales coverage, sign up for our newsletter.
This Elemis Pro-Collagen makeup-removing balm is a favorite of Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin, who says it’s her go-to makeup-removing balm for winter. “It’s gentle and I don’t get that tight, scrubbed-off feeling, yet it rinses off easily,” she says.
This fast-drying blow-dryer from Shark is a near-dupe for the Dyson and less than half the price.
We’ve written about the Foreo 2 brush quite a bit on the Strategist, dubbing it one of the best skin-care devices due to its ability to deeply cleanse the skin. The Foreo 3 Mini, on sale for Prime Day, is smaller but offers the same gentle, spalike clean of the original.
Our favorite moisturizer from Neutrogena is on sale. This is the bigger size, which is two ounces bigger than their standard-size jar. It also comes with a gel mask to further hydrate skin. It’s topped our best-seller list many times and is a perennial dermatologist recommendation for dry skin. Its hero ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which helps to hydrate skin without clogging your pores.
CeraVe is one of our favorite brands for just about any skin-care concern — from acne to dry skin. All of its products contains ceramides, which help to repair and fortify the skin’s barrier. This acne-care kit includes some products we’ve written about before, including the AM and PM Facial Lotions and the Resurfacing Retinol Serum, which help to protect skin and keep breakouts and hyperpigmentation at bay.
In case you want to get a jump start on your holiday shopping, there’s this very gift-worthy set from L’Occitane made up of its best-selling products including a mini version of the brand’s shea-butter hand cream.
For pesky whiteheads, there are these pimple patches from Hero Cosmetics, which we’ve written about before. “They’re cheaper than other brands, and they’re thin enough that I can put them along my nose or on my hairline without it killing when I take them off,” says beauty blogger Sabrina Molu.
These Crest whitening strips (one of the rare whitening products approved by the ADA) use hydrogen peroxide to give you a brighter smile and are thin enough that you can talk and drink while wearing them.
The Revlon blow-dryer brush is a longtime Strategist favorite. This is the 2.0, which has a slimmer, sleeker handle and a smaller brush size that makes it easier to get close to the root. There are also more heat settings to reduce heat damage by 50 percent.
A four-pack of Real Techniques sponges, which Rio has said are “so much better than the original Beautyblender.”
We’ve recommended Aquaphor for just about everything. It’s one of our favorite lip balms, a go-to for eczema flare-ups, and a good way to prevent scarring. And those are just a few ways to use it. This variety pack comes with a squeezy tube and a tub, so it’ll be a long time until it runs out.
Rio first mentioned GrandeLASH back in 2018 as a way to help her lashes grow back after a freak accident with a lash curler. It took about three and a half weeks for her to see a noticeable difference, though the brand says it typically takes four.
Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz is beloved, and for good reason. It’s great for creating eyebrow-like strokes and comes recommended by brow artist Robin Evans, who likes that it creates a natural look.
Plenty of products from French pharmacy staple Avene are on sale, including this retinol, which we previously recommended for dry skin. In addition to being moisturizing, it contains peptides, which help with fine lines, and vitamin E, a known antioxidant that helps to protect skin from free radical and sun damage.
Rio’s favorite skin-calming mist is also on sale. It’s fragrance-free, paraben-free, and according to Rio, it “feels like a real luxury.”
This moisturizer from Belif is a bit of a celebrity among the RuPaul’s Drag Race cast. It’s a favorite of drag queen and skin-care enthusiast Farrah Moan, who heard about it from season-eight queen Kim Chi and has since converted all her closest friends. Our friends at the Cut have also recommended it, as have the Dewy Dudes, who called it an essential in 2019.
Sunscreen is a must for daily skin protection, and even if you’re good about slathering it on in the mornings, many of us are less diligent about reapplying. We first named this the best brush-on sunscreen in 2019 and have written about it many times since, noting that it’s shine-reducing, easy to apply, and offers skin just a hint of shimmer.
Our favorite dry shampoo is 30 percent off, making it the cheapest we’ve seen all year. Hairstylists swear by the stuff, which they say is “lightweight and great for all hair types.” It’s also a bit better for the environment because it releases as a powder rather than an aerosol spray.
Also on the hair front, Olaplex’s fan-favorite shampoo is on sale. The Prime Day perennial is a hairstylist staple, thanks to its ability to rehabilitate hair after one treatment. As one stylist puts it, “it’s a general powerhouse.”
The oft-recommended Laneige Sleeping Mask is 30 percent off, a good time to stock up on the popular lip mask. Euphoria actress Storm Reid, who heard about it from her makeup artist, Pauly Blanch, says, “It keeps my lips super-moisturized but also has a high-shine gloss and adds a little plumpness to my lips.”
For a lightweight daytime alternative, there’s this ultra-moisturizing glowy lip balm, which doubles as a lip gloss and contains hydrating ingredients like shea and murumuru butter.
We’ve previously recommended this spray from Glytone for people with acne in hard-to-reach areas, noting that it’s particularly effective for keeping pores unclogged post workout.
The Malin + Goetz shampoo has made fans of New York staffers and hairstylists alike, with beauty editor and writer Jessica Prince Erlich calling it “instantly moisturizing.” The peppermint scent of the clarifying shampoo is 30 percent off, which we think is a very good deal.
The Mario Badescu facial spray two-pack is another perennial favorite. Writer Tavi Gevinson has called the rosewater scent “mind-resetting,” and while she uses it as a meditation tool, it has skin-care benefits, too. Rosewater and aloe are known to be hydrating and calming for the skin.
A good vitamin-C serum can be hard to come by, because while effective, the ingredient can be mercurial and difficult to stabilize. This one from Vichy comes recommended by dermatologist Dr. Karan Lal, who says it’s a good, strong option that’s not too expensive. It also has hyaluronic acid, which helps to moisturize the skin.
Our favorite flat iron for short hair is this ultra-thin Babyliss flat iron, which is superthin, lightweight, and has lots of heat settings so you can achieve a smooth look without damaging the hair. The titanium plates are also particularly effective for curly and textured hair because they evenly distribute heat.
This flat iron from GHD (which comes in a limited-edition pink hue) is our favorite flat iron overall and came highly recommended by hairstylists, including former first lady Michelle Obama’s longtime stylist Yene Damtew. She says it’s good for “a multitude of hairstyles and producing shape and movement for all hair textures.”
PMD makes skin-care tools meant to enhance your routine. There’s a silicone facial-cleansing brush that gives skin a deeper clean and this personal microdermabrasion tool, which sucks the gunk out of your skin and leaves you with clearer, unclogged skin.
We first sounded the alarm on ColorWow’s root cover-up in 2018, when Rio penned an ode to its ability to disguise her mother’s grays. During the early days of the pandemic it resurfaced again as a fix to salon appointments. Now’s your chance to grab it at a significant discount — or, if you’re already a fan, to pick up two.
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.
