Allure Best of Beauty 2021: This Year’s Top Picks

by Kat Freitas-Seitz

Published Oct 12, 2021

With new beauty products hitting shelves every day, figuring out what to spend your hard-earned cash on can be a tricky task. Luckily, Allure editors are here to help. It’s time for the 2021 Allure Best of Beauty Awards: the cream of this year’s beauty crop, all vetted by industry veterans who know exactly how to separate the real deal from the overhyped. Ahead, the beauty products that have earned the famous red seal.

Best Nail Products

Tweezerman Mini Cuticle Nipper

This stainless steel cuticle nipper tackles hangnails and rough edges with ease. Just a few snips and you’re left with clean, smooth cuticles—ready for your next at-home manicure.

Best Body Products

True Botanicals Pure Radiance Sugar Scrub

An indulgent mixture of organic sugar and nourishing botanical oils, this body scrub buffs away dry, flaky patches without stripping your skin’s delicate barrier. Bonus: It leaves skin softly scented with citrus and sandalwood.

Best Clean Beauty Products

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Super Moisture Conditioner

Dry, brittle strands will soak up this protein-free, mega-moisturizing conditioner, which is clinically proven to decrease breakage after just two uses.

Indie Lee Restorative Eye Cream

When a full eight hours of sleep isn’t in the cards, there’s this eye-opening elixir. The antioxidant-rich formula—powered by centella, ectoin, and licorice root—brightens the under-eye area while targeting visible signs of aging.

ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint

A liquid-to-powder formula that gives you the gleaming, multidimensional effect of a complicated eye shadow look—without any of the hassle. Simply swipe it on and dab with your finger to blend.

Best Eye Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix

Fake a fluffy, laminated brow look with this ultra-longwear brow gel. The clear formula looks virtually invisible once it dries down—no white flakes, shine, or visible residue.

Danessa Myricks Beauty Twin Flames Multichrome Pigment

The jaw-dropping, multichromatic pigments in this liquid formula appear to change hues as they catch the light, adorning lids with high-impact color that resists creasing and fading throughout the day.

Best Skincare Products

Hourglass Cosmetics Equilibrium Restoring Essence

Reconsider everything you think you know about toners. This luxurious, lipid-rich essence supports skin barrier health while helping to boost your skin’s natural defenses against environmental pollutants.

Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream

An all-star lineup of 21 (!) peptides and neuropeptides go to work to help visibly reduce the look of fine lines, deep wrinkles, and lack of elasticity. Fountain of youth, who?

BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector

A vitamin C serum specifically formulated for the sensitive eye area. 5% stabilized l-ascorbic acid—plus caffeine, hyaluronic acid, and hemp seed extract—work to brighten and firm.

Best Beauty Tools

Kitsch Dual Edge Brush and Comb

Lay down edges and tame unruly baby hairs with this two-in-one tool. The clever design features a flat brush on one end and a precision comb on the other—perfect for lashes and brows, too.

Tweezerman Slant Tweezer

Can a pair of tweezers be life-changing? Just ask the legions of fans of this cult-favorite tool—it’s been taking home Allure Best of Beauty Awards for years.

Best Beauty Splurges

Oribe Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Crème

We’re not sure what kind of magic makes this tri-phase formula (which transforms from cream to oil to powder) work, but we do know it leaves our blowouts undeniably more shiny, bouncy, and full.

Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste with Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts

Work this clay-infused shampoo paste into damp hair for the kind of volume, density, and vibrant shine you seem to only see on supermodels. The rose scent is downright intoxicating.

La Mer The Eye Concentrate

Truly the crème de la crème of eye treatments: this decadently rich cream that sinks right in, deeply hydrating and softening the look of lines for a smoother, brighter, and more youthful appearance.

TOM FORD Lost Cherry

A spritz of TOM FORD’s Lost Cherry teases the senses with black cherry, bitter almond, Turkish rose, and jasmine sambac—equal parts juicy, sweet, and deliciously dark.

Sisley-Paris Velvet Nourishing Body Cream with Saffron Flowers

This velvety body cream soothes and calms irritated skin at first touch with anti-inflammatory saffron flower extract—then works to hydrate, nourish, and restore for a long-lasting moisturizing effect.