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Parents' Best of Beauty Awards 2020

Parents' Best of Beauty Awards 2020

By Shannon M. Bauer

Updated August 06, 2020

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

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Credit: Illustration by Francesca Spatola; Photos Courtesy of Brand

Over the past few months, we asked 30 moms to test 200 new skin, hair, and makeup launches. We hope the 31 winners here help you find your own self-care groove again. You deserve it.

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Best Foundation

Credit: Courtesy of CoverGirl

More like a tinted moisturizer, CoverGirl Clean Fresh Skin Milk has a “dewy finish” that manages to “hide rosacea, dark circles,” and, hallelujah, “pimples” too.

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Best Concealer

Credit: Courtesy of Beautyblender

The 40 full-coverage shades of Beautyblender Bounce Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer suit a genuine range of skin tones. And the tip lets you zero in on imperfections.

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Best Highlighter

Credit: Courtesy of Revlon

The “subtle shimmer” of Revlon SkinLights Prismatic Highlighter “accentuated cheekbones” and “perked up dull skin” for an all-over healthy-looking radiance, testers said.

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Best Eyeshadow

Credit: Courtesy of Maybelline

This Maybelline New York Nudes of New York Eyeshadow Palette has 16 universally flattering shimmers and mattes in both “everyday” shades and “deep, dramatic” colors glam enough for “date night.”

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Best Long-Lasting Lipstick

Credit: Courtesy of Mented

Mented Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick lasted through many, many cups of coffee and quarantine snacking to reign supreme. It “feels light on the lips,” “dries quickly,” then “fades to a nice stain after a few hours.”

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Best Lip Color

Credit: Courtesy of IT Cosmetics

IT Cosmetics Pillow Lips Lipstick may be the unicorn of lipsticks: The formula is “moisturizing” and “glides on smoothly” yet “takes several hours to wear off.” The tubes are available in 14 shades in both cream and matte finishes.

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Best Blush

Credit: Courtesy of Flower Beauty

You can dip into one shade of the Flower Beauty Pyramids Cheek Color or blend all of them together for a soft glow. According to one mom, “this feels much more luxe than the price might imply.”

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Best Lip Treatment

Credit: Courtesy of ChapStick

In the time it takes to load your video call, you can slick on ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture + Tint + SPF 15. It leaves lips “pretty,” “smooth,” and “protected with SPF.”

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Best Eyeliner

Credit: Courtesy of Fenty Beauty

No matter your color go-to, there’s a hue for you in this line of creamy Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliners. The precise tip twists up to create the perfect fine line. “Truly the best eyeliner I’ve found,” said one thrilled user.

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Best Mascara

Credit: Courtesy of Marc Jacobs

Our testers would have given Marc Jacobs At Lash’d Mascara “a 10 out of 5,” if the score sheet had allowed, describing the formula as “super-black and lengthening,” “with no smudging or flaking.” Perhaps most impressive: “It lasted through a day of mom life.”

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Best Brow Definer

Credit: Courtesy of Benefit

Lightly filled? Artfully sculpted? Whatever your brow personality, Benefit Brow Styler has your arch. One end houses a “waxy pencil for shaping,” and the other offers a powder that gives you soft “weekend brows.”

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Best Cleanser

Credit: Courtesy of Bioré

Bioré Rose Quartz + Charcoal Gentle Marshmallow Foam Cleanser checked all the requisite face-wash boxes with a “light, pleasant scent” and a “gentle, moisturizing formula.”

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Best Exfoliator

Credit: Courtesy of Youth to the People

Moms gave a shout-out to the bamboo- and enzyme-powered Youth to the People Yerba Mate Resurfacing Energy Facial, which “made skin even-textured” and “better than it has looked in years.”

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Best Toner

Credit: Courtesy of Versed

Testers were obsessed with Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Solution, an acid toner that comes in a pump bottle. “My skin looked fresh and glowy,” one reviewer was happy to share.

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Best Mask

Credit: Courtesy of Sephora

Sephora Collection 1 Minute Face Mask is a true 60-second facial. The “moisturizing” avocado-infused sheets are “ideal as a prework refresher.”

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Best Makeup Remover

Credit: Courtesy of Pond’s

A shortcut seemingly made for tired mamas: Aloe-laced Pond’s Vitamin Micellar Hydrate Wipes “can quickly remove a full face of makeup,” and yet they still “feel soft on the face.”

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Best Serum

Credit: Courtesy of L’Oréal Paris

Our panel credited L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 10% Pure Glycolic Acid Serum with helping them “lighten dark spots” and “even out texture.” One user said her allergy-related bumps disappeared after using it.

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Best Moisturizer with SPF

Credit: Courtesy of Neutrogena

One-step morning skin care from Neutrogena Bright Boost Moisturizer SPF 30 was a hit with busy parents. The formula is “moisturizing” but “nongreasy.”

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Best Antiaging Moisturizer

Credit: Courtesy of L’Oréal Paris

A trio of retinol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C is behind L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Moisturizer, which also earned a triple “love.” One tester was especially pumped about her “smooth and young” skin.

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Best Night Cream with Retinol

Credit: Courtesy of Olay

Moms looking for a heavy-hitting antiager at a reasonable price said this fragrance-free Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer had a lot in its favor. “Glowy and bright” skin with “no irritation” were big pluses to users.

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Best Eye Treatment

Credit: Courtesy of Mary Kay

While making her kids’ breakfasts and supervising teeth brushing, one tester simultaneously accomplished a 15-minute “hydrating, depuffing” undereye treatment, thanks to these Mary Kay Hydrogel Eye Patches. Store them in the fridge for a chilled-out refresher when you need one.

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Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Fine Hair

Credit: Courtesy of Aveeno

Aveeno Hair Cotton Blend Shampoo and Conditioner stand out for providing good volume, lift, and light moisture that doesn’t weigh hair down. Also nice: The “fresh, clean laundry scent” has unisex appeal (and the budget price means nobody will mind when a partner or kid dips into the bottles too).

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Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Curly Hair

Credit: Courtesy of Herbal Essences

Herbal Essences Potent Aloe + Mango Shampoo and Conditioner pleasantly surprised one mom when they stood up to (and surpassed) her current expensive salon-brand shampoo and conditioner. The combo “made hair feel thicker” and “detangled knotty strands.”

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Best Mask

Credit: Courtesy of Garnier Fructis

With many salons shuttered, testers lamented their “dry, damaged, desperate-for-a-haircut” strands. Weekly usage of Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Hair Mask + Aloe Extract helped restore hair to its “hydrated, shiny, soft” glory.

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Best Dry Shampoo

Credit: Courtesy of Aussie

“I can go a week without washing, and it doesn’t dry my hair out,” a tester raved about Aussie Tousle Hustle Dry Shampoo. ’Nuff said.

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Best Styler

Credit: Courtesy of John Frieda

One new mom loved that John Frieda Volume Lift Conditioning Mist gave her “flat, postpartum hair a boost” during an at-home blowout.

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Best Body Scrub

Credit: Courtesy of Dove

The fine-grained texture of the creamy, tropical-scented Dove Exfoliating Body Polish Crushed Almond & Mango Butter sloughs off dead patches to reveal “soft, smooth skin.” (More of this, please!)

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Best Body Wash

Credit: Courtesy of Nivea

Like a big gulp of water for skin, Nivea Nourishing Care Body Wash was so hydrating, testers felt as if they’d “already put on lotion” before leaving the shower.

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