As beauty editors, we’re lucky enough to get to try the best new beauty products and innovations. With beauty cupboards at our disposal and new launches landing on our desks each week, it’s safe to say we’re not short of makeup. Glance at our dressing tables and chances are that we’ll have every shade of cream blusher you could imagine, every nude lipstick undertone possible ( you know you can never have too many)—and don’t get us started on our skin tint collection. Along with our bronzers and mascaras, our makeup bags are practically overflowing. If you ever need a makeup reccomendation, you can count on us—we’ve tried it all.
I was curious to know: If the worst were to happen and we lost our makeup bags (full of the cosmetics we religiously reach for daily) what products would beauty editors run to re-order first and foremost? Sure, they’ll be plenty of other makeup options at our disposal due to our jobs, but there are some things we just can’t get by without, whether it be our holy grail tinted SPF or our favourite mascara.
So, I posed the question to fellow beauty editors. Ahead, eight beauty journalists to share their two can’t-live-without makeup products that they’d immediately replace without hesitation. Scroll ahead to find out what they said, and get ready to fall in love with their recommendations too.
The Best Makeup Products, According to Editors
Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director Refinery29 UK
Burberry
Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation
Jacqueline Kilikita, deputy beauty director for Refinery29 UK, says this is her new favourite foundation. “When I find a foundation I like, I tend to stockpile it. NARS Sheer Glow and Gucci Eternité De Beauté foundation SPF 15 are staples in my makeup routine, and depending on my mood or the weather, I flit between the two,” she says. “Now I’m equally as obsessed with the new Burberry Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation. I have oily skin and foundation often slips off my face, but this stays put like velcro. Don’t let that put you off; it’s so lightweight that I forget I’m even wearing it, and it doesn’t break me out in spots unlike other matte offerings.”
L’Oréal Paris
Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara
“This mascara is on par with the luxury versions inside my bulging makeup bag, and I often get compliments on how long and thick my lashes look when I wear it,” says Kilikita. “The wand is special; it’s tapered, which makes light work of capturing and beefing up little lashes in the inner corners, while the comb boasts teeny tiny teeth to pull the product through effortlessly. No clumpy bristles here.”
Humeara Mohamed, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Huda Beauty
Huda Beauty #fauxfilter Luminous Matte Liquid Concealer 9ml (various Shades)
Freelance beauty journalist Humeara Mohamed would buy this concealer if she lost her makeup bag. “My dark, hollow under-eyes are enough to instil quite the irrational fear of losing my makeup bag whenever I set foot on a plane,” she says. “Nobody needs to see these dark circles in my holiday piccies, thank you very much. The Huda Beauty Faux Filter Concealer has been my ride-or-die formula since it first launched in its previous packaging. It boasts some seriously intense coverage—ideal for covering acne and scars (been there, done that), and dark circles that are otherwise shadowy enough for people to look concerned and ask if you’re poorly.”
Charlotte Tilbury
Luxury Palette in Bella Sofia
“If I had to pick just one makeup product that brings me the most joy, it’d be an eyeshadow. And yet, I haven’t always been an eyeshadow girlie—it all began with this Charlotte Tilbury quad, gifted to me on my 18th birthday by my now mother-in-law,” says Mohamed. “Since then, I’ve repurchased at least ten more because I always hit pan without fail—that’s how much I use it. It’s just so versatile! The shades really make my eyes pop, and I like that I can use just one colour all over my lids for a smoky effect, or I can use the brown shade as a liner, with the glitter for added pizzazz on any look.”
Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Kosas
Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer and Daytime Eye Cream 6ml
“So, when pondering the nightmarish prospect of losing my entire makeup bag, I tried to think about which products I use every single day without fail and the first product that I simply couldn’t be without for more than a day is the Kosas Revealer Concealer,” says freelance beauty journalist, Mica Ricketts. “To me, it’s the perfect concealer as it’s just so versatile. Unlike some concealers, it works brilliantly to cover both dark circles and blemishes without looking cakey, and I often apply it haphazardly all over my face in place of foundation more days than most. It’s creamy, blendable and has a brightening quality to it that makes skin look really luminous and fresh.
Lashify Labs
Flush Cheek by Lashify Labs
“The second product is the Lashify Flush Cheek which is a fairly new launch, but one that I’ve used every day since receiving it a few weeks back. I now can’t imagine how I did my everyday makeup without it,” she says. “In all honesty, I didn’t have hopes for a pH reactive jelly cheek stick, but it glides so beautifully onto skin and imparts the most perfect pop of colour with a subtle sheen. I’m a blush fan anyway, but this one creates a really natural-looking rosy flush—which I think is the ultimate shortcut to healthier-looking skin. Bonus points for the fact that it looks just as good on lips too, so it takes care of all my makeup colour needs in one step.”
Morgan Fargo, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Petals
When I asked freelance beauty journalist Morgan Fargo what two products she would repurchase, the first was Westman Atelier’s much-loved Baby Cheeks Blush Stick. “Cream blusher that blurs onto the face like a genuine, truly natural-looking flush? Well, that’s exactly what beloved celebrity make-up artist Gucci Westman created with this blusher stick,” she says. “Petal is the colour I reach for most days, fluffed onto my cheeks, nose, chin and forehead with a large brush. It’s natural without being nothing-y and lasts the day long.”
Hourglass
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
“If it’s not in my handbag, it’s in my pocket. If it’s not in my pocket, it’s in my hand. Wherever I am, this lip product is. Hourglass’ lip balm-cum-gloss-cum-colour is a revelation,” says Fargo. “Pigmented colour that slicks on with shine and moisture, all in a slim gold stick that fits snugly inside jean pockets and the smallest of bags. In fact, if I had to eschew all other make-up and choose only one thing to take my face from tired to alive, it would be this. Fighting talk but that’s how good it is.”
Grace Day, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Laura Mercier
Laura Mercier Cheek Colour Brush
“I’ve tried countless blusher brushes over the years, none of which compare to this one,” says freelance beauty journalist, Grace Day. “In fact I only recently replaced the original brush, which I remember buying around ten years ago when I was a student—at the time this felt like an extravagant purchase but I definitely got my ‘cost per use’ from it,” she says. “The fluffy, rounded shape applies blusher perfectly—depositing just the right amount of pigment so that my blush never looks heavy or overdone, and blending it out in a way that sits perfectly with my cheek shape. Plus, it works just as well with cream and liquid formulas as it does powder ones.”
Merit Beauty
The Minimalist
“I’m totally over wearing full coverage foundation, but I find that a lot of skin tints and tinted moisturisers don’t always last the day,” says Day. “The Merit Complexion Stick is the perfect in-between product. It’s pigmented enough to provide coverage and stick around, but feels weightless and looks completely natural. Unlike regular foundation, it’s great for using on-the-go as well—I can throw it in my makeup bag with a blending brush and know that I can apply it anywhere and everywhere.”
Vanese Maddix, Freelance Beauty Journalist
19/99 Beauty
19/99 Beauty Precision Colour Pencil 1g (various Shades)
Freelance beauty journalist Vanese Maddix swears by this pencil. “I reach for 19/99’s Precision Colour Pencil on a weekly basis, making it one of the first products I would need to re-buy,” she says. “I love that the pencil is multi-use and the fact that it looks really good whether applied to the eyes, lips, or cheeks. The pencil is super creamy and highly pigmented. No matter the shade I’m wearing, I’m always guaranteed compliments.”
L’Oréal Paris
Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara
It turns out that Maddix is also a fan of the L’Oréal Paris Panorama mascara. “There is no better feeling than finding a mascara that works wonders at adding length and volume to your lashes. For me, the L’Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara does exactly that with just a few swipes,” says Maddix. “Whether I use the mascara alone or over the top of eyeshadow or eyeliner, it just gets the job done. For me, no makeup look is complete without a good mascara.”
Ata-Owaji Victor, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Hills Dipbrow Gel
For freelance beauty journalist Ata-Owaji Victor, it’s all about brows in her routine. “I am all for experimenting when it comes to colour cosmetics, new blush? Pass it this way. Fun new eyeshadow palette? I’ll be there with a brush at the ready. When it comes to my brows however, for years I have abided by a ‘if’ it’s not broke’ methodology, dutifully filling them in with an angled brush and eyeshadow,” she says. “In my last big makeup bag ‘changing of the guard’ (i.e trying a bunch of new products,) I finally took the eyebrow plunge and tested out two brow gels, one of which has now become so well loved the writing on the tube has dissipated. You might remember the dip brow pot from its 2017 heyday, think of this brow gel as its sleekier 2024 sister,” she says. “It’s the product that turned me into a brow product convert and one of my makeup bag mainstays.”
HD Brows
Precision Tweezers
“I think often when we put on a face of makeup, going through the ritual of it all, swiping the mascara wand (you’ll have to pry my favourite Saie Beauty one out of my cold dead hands at this point) we forget that so much of makeup’s wear and finish relies on great tools,” says Victor. “Now, although I have a roster of favourite brushes, the one tool I would immediately need to replace are my tweezers from HD Brow. I got them in a Glossybox years ago and on the one occasion that I thought I had lost them forever I bought two more- before subsequently finding the initial pair. They are great for brow shaping, lash application and are a staple in my makeup bag,” she says.
Sidra Imtiaz, Freelance Beauty Journalist
Charlotte Tilbury
Airbrush Flawless Finish
When I asked freelance beauty journalist Sidra Imtiaz for her two proudts that she’d replace immediately, she shared two of her favourite base products. “Powder for South Asian skin tones can be tricky—I always struggle with finding they make me look a little grey or wash out my warmer foundation colour,” she says. “This one just does exactly what you want it to without caking.”
NARS
Nars Cosmetics Sheer Glow Foundation (various Shades)
“Can we just take a moment for NARS and their inclusive shade range… This foundation is cult for a reason. Silky, hydrating and long lasting – I’d definitely spend my money on this.”
Eleanor Vousden, Beauty Editor Who What Wear UK
Supergoop!
Glowscreen SPF 30
As for myself? When I want to look put together with minimum effort, two products I rely on are a tinted SPF and a brow pencil. They are the two makeup items I wouldn’t leave the house without so naturally they’re the two I’d immediately re-purchase. I’ve lost count of the amount of tubes I’ve gone through of Supergoop! Glowscreen. This SPF has a glowy tint to it which imparts a little coverage while making my skin look like I’ve just stepped out from having a facial. If I lost my current tube, I’d re-order immediately.
I’ve tested a lot of brow pencils, but Refy’s is my favourite. The retractable nib is very fine, making it ideal for filling in sparse areas without looking blocky and it also has just the right amount of glide so it doesn’t drag on the skin or slip and slide throughout the day.
