PEOPLE's Beauty Awards: See Our Favorite Makeup Products of 2024!

Mar. 15, 2025

With hundreds of blushes, foundations, and more hitting our desks this year, we spent months swatching and swiping formulas to find the blockbusters in the makeup category. What we found: concealers that held up in pretty major conditions (for example: waiting for a NYC MTA subway in a heatwave), eyeliners with seriously impressive pigment and lipsticks so long-lasting only our award-winning makeup removers could take them off.

BEST BRONZING PRIMER:Well People Bio Bronzing Priming Serum

Buy Now for $25

This silky formula, which has hydrating aloe vera and nourishing jojoba oil, helps makeup last longer and can also be worn on its own for a glowy boost.

BEST MATTIFYING PRIMER:Estée Lauder Double Wear Smooth & Blur Primer

Estée Lauder Double Wear Smooth & Blur Primer.

Buy Now for $45

Oily skin types loved how this lightweight formula diffused the look of their pores and kept skin shine-free all day.

BEST COMPLEXION ENHANCER:Embryolisse Radiant Complexion Cream

Embryolisse Radiant Complexion Cream.

$32 at Amazon

With its light tint and hyaluronic acid formula, this find instantly perks up a tired complexion.

BEST UNDER-EYE CONCEALER:Caliray Hideaway

Caliray Hideaway.

Buy Now for $28

“It’s like taking an eraser to my dark circles!” said one tester of this serum-like, color-correcting formula which comes in eight shades.

BEST CONCEALER:Tarte Creaseless Creamy Concealer

Tarte ­Creaseless Creamy Concealer.

Buy Now for $30

If you’re looking fora concealerwith great coverage, this waterproof formula, which stays put for up to 12 hours, covers everything from breakouts to hyperpigmentation.

BEST SKIN TINT:Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint.

Buy Now for $49

If you love a “your skin but better” look, this tint is a must-have. It’s a breeze to blend and hydrates and soothes skin.

BEST SATIN FINISH FOUNDATION:e.l.f. Cosmetics Soft Glam

Buy Now for $8

Testers loved everything about this under-$10 winner, from its “perfect coverage” to its “flawless finish.”

BEST MATTE FINISH FOUNDATION:MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15

MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15.

Buy Now for $44

In addition to providing “great coverage,” our testers said this winner lasted “way longer” than other foundations.

BEST FOUNDATION STICK:Ilia Beauty Skin Rewind Complexion Stick

Ilia Beauty Skin Rewind Complexion Stick.

Buy Now for $48

Of all the foundation sticks that hit shelves, this one impressed testers for its shade range, blendability and its “airbrushed” effect.

BEST SETTING SPRAY:Nars Light Reflecting Makeup Setting Mist

Nars Light Reflecting Makeup Setting Mist.

Buy Now for $36

“I didn’t know I needed a setting mist — now I’m hooked!” said one tester of this spray which keeps makeup in place while hydrating skin.

Buy Now for $34

True to its name, this unique formula gives skin a glass-like look. And each of the seven vibrant hues is more fun to wear than the next.

BEST LIQUID BLUSH:Maybelline New York Sunkisser

Maybelline New York Sunkisser.

Buy Now for $10

This multiuse liquid adds a sheer, shimmery veil to cheeks. “It’s like having a golden-hour filter in a tube,” said one tester.

BEST POWDER BLUSH:Guerlain Terracotta Blush

Guerlain Terracotta Blush.

Buy Now for $55

After applying this pigmented powder, one tester reported it “made me look more alive on a Zoom than I have in a while.”

BEST CREAM BRONZER:Milani Cosmetics Cheek Kiss Cream Bronzer

Milani Cosmetics Cheek Kiss Cream Bronzer.

$13 at Milanicosmetics.com

Some matte bronzers can leave skin looking muddy. But this blendable formula’s four flattering hues warm up your complexion.

BEST POWDER BRONZER:Armani beauty Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder

Armani beauty Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder.

Buy Now for $58

This buttery-smooth powder creates such a naturally sun-kissed effect that one tester said she looked like she’d just left the beach.

This versatile liquid delivers a bronze-y glow whether you apply it on bare skin over foundation.

BEST HIGHLIGHTER:Patrick Ta Beauty Major Glow Highlighter Duo

Patrick Ta Beauty Major Glow Highlighter Duo.

Buy Now for $40

Layer the crème over the powder for cheeks that gleam. “The shimmer is chef’s kiss,” one tester said of the combo.

BEST SHADOW PALETTE:SKKN By Kim Classic Mattes Eyeshadow

SKKN By Kim Classic Mattes Eyeshadow.

Buy Now for $50

No one knows glam like Kim Kardashian, so it’s no surprise she delivered a hit with this collection of 12 warm and cool nude shadows.

BEST POWDER SHADOW:Dior Diorshow Mono Couleur

Dior Diorshow Mono Couleur.

Buy Now for $35

If you want to splurge on a shadow that you’ll wear nonstop, make it this one. It’s long-lasting, and the packaging is so luxe.

BEST CREAM EYELINER:Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Long-Wear Eyeliner Stick

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Long-Wear Eyeliner Stick.

“Perfection in a single stroke!” said one tester of this “dreamy” liner that goes on “so smoothly.”

BEST LIQUID EYELINER:Make Beauty Liquid Line

Make Beauty Liquid Line.

Buy Now for $23

The fine brush helped one tester create a “lovely” winged effect  and another said the formula “lived up to its promise of being smudge-resistant.”

BEST VOLUMIZING MASCARA:Lancôme Hypnôse Drama

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama.

Buy Now for $33

It’s all about the curved brush with this winner. The outer bristles define lashes, while the inner ones build them up.

BEST TUBING MASCARA:Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes

Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes.

Buy Now for $29

Our testers ranked this new tubing mascara No. 1, thanks to how well it curled and plumped sans any flaking.

BEST BROW GEL:e.l.f. Cosmetics Brow Laminating Gel

e.l.f. Cosmetics Brow Laminating Gel.

It goes on white but dries totally clear and helps you get that full and feathery brow look that’s so inright now.

BEST BROW PENCIL:WYN Beauty Taking Shape Brow Shading Pencil

WYN Beauty Taking Shape Brow Shading Pencil.

Buy Now for $19

“Serena Williams aced this product,” said one tester of the angled-tip pencil from the tennis star’s brand.

BEST LIP PENCIL:Glossier Lip Line

Glossier Lip Line.

Buy Now for $18

One tester noted that the neutral shades of this creamy liner are so universal, they work seamlessly with all the lipsticks she already owns.

BEST MATTE FINISH LIPSTICK:Prada Monochrome Hyper Matte

Prada Monochrome Hyper Matte.

Expectations (and the price) were high, but testers said between the “incredible” colors and the “fantastic” transfer-proof formula, it was well worth the splurge.

BEST SHINE FINISH LIPSTICK:Tom Ford Slim Lip Color Shine

Tom Ford Slim Lip Color Shine.

“It was love at first swipe,” said one tester of the “silky, smooth and statement-making” lipstick in this chic elongated tube.

BEST LIQUID LIPSTICK:Revlon ColorStay Limitless Matte

Revlon ColorStay Limitless Matte.

Buy Now for $14

It claims to stay put for 24 hours, but one tester joked it would probably make it three days because “it truly lasts through anything.”

BEST LIP GLOSS:Jillian Dempsey Lip Gloss

Jillian Dempsey Lip Gloss.

Buy Now for $26

Gloss has re-entered the beauty chat, and this one gives you all the shine you remember but withoutany of the stickiness.

BEST LIP OIL:YSL Beauty Loveshine Lip Oil Stick

YSL Beauty Loveshine Lip Oil Stick.

If you want the color of a lipstick but with the slick feel of an oil, this one is for you. It glides across lips and adds tons of shine.

BEST TINTED LIP BALM:Pixi +Hydra LipTreat

Pixi +Hydra LipTreat.

One tester, who calls herself a “balm expert,” said she loved this version’s “fun assortment of colors, super-hydrating formula and attractive packaging."

source: people.com