Parents' Mom Knows Best Beauty Awards 2019

By Shannon M. Bauer
Ari Michelson
When it comes to finding a concealer that makes dark circles invisible or a lipstick that stays put through ten cups of reheated coffee, moms know best. To help us pick the year’s best beauty products, we asked 100 mothers to test 500 new formulas and spill the beans on the good, the bad, and the downright amazing. You’ll want to stock up on all 30 of these must-haves.
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1 of 30

Best Body Lotion

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Testers described Cetaphil Restoring Lotion ($20) as a Goldilocks cream—“not too light,” “not too rich,” and “no noticeable odor.” In other words, just right.

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2 of 30

Best Sunscreen

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Mineral-based CeraVe Hydrating Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen ($18) goes on like a luxe lotion, “absorbs immediately,” and is “low on that SPF smell.”

3 of 30

Best Body Scrub

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Biodegradable jojoba wax and cellulose beads made the Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Scrub Body ($24) a fan fave. Testers raved about the “nice, delicate scent” and said they left the shower with “soft, even skin.”

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4 of 30

Best Body Wash

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Let the “light, crisp scent” of Mrs. Meyer’s Rain Water Body Wash ($8) fill your shower for a ten- or, er, two-minute escape from the kids. Plus, aloe-vera gel and flaxseed oil leave a “refreshing, clean feeling.”

5 of 30

Best Deodorant

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Moms loved the seeming contradictions in Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant: It “looked like a gel but went on like a powder,” it “smelled great but wasn’t overwhelming,” and it had “no aluminum but was just as hardworking as antiperspirant.”

6 of 30

Best Moisturizer with SPF

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Neutrogena Hydro Boost City Shield Water Gel Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 25 ($20) “felt like a tall glass of water” for our testers’ skin. “I like the clean ocean-breeze scent too,” one said.

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7 of 30

Best Antiaging Cream

Jeffrey Westbrook

Pregnant mamas loved the retinoid-free, “luxurious-feeling” BeautyRx Intensive Hydrating Peptide Cream ($148; beautyrx.com). The moisturizing humectants and firming peptides help tighten skin and blur fine lines.

8 of 30

Best Night Cream for Dry Skin

Jeffrey Westbrook
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One application is all you need to get hooked on Dove DermaSeries Overnight Face Cream ($18). One mom smoothed it on and “woke up the next day with an instant feeling of moisture.”

9 of 30

Best Night Cream for Sensitive Skin

Jeffrey Westbrook
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La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Night ($30) is a “lightweight fluid” that “made my skin feel supple in the morning,” said one mom.

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10 of 30

Best Exfoliant

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Moms raved about Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Peeling Mousse Instant Glow Facial ($35). Witch-hazel and pineapple extracts “remove dead skin and impurities” and leave you feeling “bright, healthy,” and “baby soft.”

11 of 30

Best Eye Treatment

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Undereye bags were no match for the “refreshing,” “cooling” effects of Physicians Formula Refreshmint Cucumber & Bamboo Eye De-Puffer Gelée ($23).

12 of 30

Best Serum

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Balancing Oil ($85) “cleared my breakout” but also “made me feel I was doing something good for my skin,” said one mom.

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13 of 30

Best Mask

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Yes, using the Bliss Mint Chip Mania Mask ($13) may leave you craving a scoop of ice cream. But the mint also has a “relaxing, cooling effect” and shea-butter chips are a “two-in-one that moisturize and exfoliate.”

14 of 30

Best Makeup Remover

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Before bed, reach for Olay Sensitive Hungarian Water Essence Fragrance Free Calming Makeup Remover Wipes ($7). One “gentle” towelette “cleans a whole face” with “no residue.”

15 of 30

Best Mascara

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Sephora Collection Lashcraft Defining Mascara ($12) gave tired eyes “lengthened,” “lifted” lashes. Consider it a “must-have” for your everyday routine.

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16 of 30

Best Blush

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Kaja Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush ($24) is supercute, and the highly pigmented cream formula is “fun to tap on” and “easy to blend with your fingers.”

17 of 30

Best Lipstick

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Maybelline New York Super Stay Ink Crayon Lipstick ($8) is a simple-to-apply chubby pencil that’s “perfect for the playground” because it doesn’t smudge. The biggest selling point? One tester said she received compliments mere seconds after she put it on.

18 of 30

Best Foundation

Jeffrey Westbrook
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One mom told us, “The only person who sees me without makeup is my husband, so my products need to perform and last all day.” The “lightweight,” “medium-coverage” L’Oréal Paris Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation ($9) was up to the task, delivering “smooth, even skin” and “SPF 25!”

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19 of 30

Best Concealer

Jeffrey Westbrook
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After dabbing on Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer ($26), one mom exclaimed, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Where has this been all my life?” She’d been looking for a concealer with better blemish and undereye coverage, and this one came through in a big way.

20 of 30

Best Brow Definer

Jeffrey Westbrook
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The eight shades and “dual-ended applicator” (a pencil and a micro brush) of NYX Fill & Fluff Eyebrow Pomade Pencil ($11) gives you “natural-looking,” “brushed-up,” “filled-in” brows.

21 of 30

Best Eyeshadow

Jeffrey Westbrook
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The 12 “gorgeous” neutral and jewel-toned hues in Stila Cosmetics Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palette in Hope ($34) come as “coordinated mattes and shimmers” that are “so versatile and easy to apply.”

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22 of 30

Best Face Palette

Jeffrey Westbrook
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IT Cosmetics Hello Cheekbones Contour Palette ($36) has everything you need for a sculpted face: “a subtle highlighter” and a “bronzer that’s easy to blend.” Testers with fair to medium skin tones loved the shades.

23 of 30

Best Eyeliner

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Testers were wowed by the “super-dark” “dramatic felt tip” of Benefit Cosmetics Roller Liner Liquid Eyeliner ($26). “It helped me master a winged-liner look for the first time!” said one mom.

24 of 30

Best Shampoo

Jeffrey Westbrook
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The naturally derived, sulfate- and paraben-free Aveeno Almond Oil Blend Shampoo ($7) left hair “looking and feeling smoother after just one week of use.”

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25 of 30

Best Conditioner

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Herbal Essences Sulfate Free Honey & Vitamin B Conditioner ($15) was “moisturizing” yet “rinsed clean.” One tester said, “I’m using up this bottle and then purchasing again.”

26 of 30

Best Dry Shampoo

Jeffrey Westbrook
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Batiste Hydrating Dry Shampoo ($16) “makes hair look clean,” “amps up volume,” and “refreshes roots without drying out the scalp.” Plus, it doesn’t leave hair sticky, powdery, or white. “It’s worthy of a clapping-hands emoji,” said one mom.

27 of 30

Best Hair Mask

Jeffrey Westbrook
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“The experience of using this felt like being at a spa,” said one mom about OGX Extra Strength Hydrate & Repair + Argan Oil of Morocco Hair Mask ($7). It was “so luxurious” and left strands “soft and hydrated.”

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28 of 30

Best Heat Protectant

Jeffrey Westbrook
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The secret sauce in Joico Defy Damage Protective Shield ($17) is a blend of moringa-seed oil, keratin, and lipids that “smoothed,” “moisturized,” and “protected against damage while blow-drying.”

29 of 30

Best Frizz Fighter

Jeffrey Westbrook