After testing 100s of launches this year, beauty editors deem these 11 best make-up buys of the year

In the world of beauty, each calendar year is filled with new launches across skin, hair and make-up. Beauty editors are uniquely placed in that they get to try them all before they hit the market so when something stands out from the crowd, you know it’s good.

I’m always intrigued by which new beauty products my peers are loving (testing something brand new that really impresses us will often prompt a WhatsApp to a colleague along the lines of "sorry, but have you tried X? It's unreal.'). So, I messaged a bunch of them—as well as some professional make-up artists, who also frequently test new products on both themselves and their clients—to find out their favourite newcomer from the past 12 months. If you’d like to refresh your make-up bag for the coming year, be it with a new blusher, lipstick or brow pencil, this list is a pretty good place to start…

1. Katie's pick to go here please! Or delete

"This was an incredibly tough decision to make, because there have been some incredible make-up launches this year. In order to choose, I thought about the product that I have used every single day since it launched and that product is the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Blonzer. Is it a blusher? Yes. Is it a bronzer? Also, yes. This beautiful skin enhancer ticks both boxes. I find that it warms the skin, as well as adding a touch of colour. I have never used a more long-wearing blusher, which means there's no need to touch up throughout the day. It comes in five shades and I flip between Kiss of Pink (a petal pink) and Kiss of Rose (a rouge). Whilst everyone else has been raving about the Merit Flush Balms and the Rhode Pocket Blushers this year, I've been happily returning to this day after day. " - Katie Thomas, senior beauty editor at Marie Claire

2. Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum

“This feels like an impossible task and there are plenty of honorary mentions: Rhode Pocket Blush in Piggy, Patrick Ta Major Skin Foundation, Maybelline Firework Mascara, to name a few. But I’m going to go with the product that I have consistently worn—Makeup by Mario’s SoftSculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum. Everything about this product makes the, sometimes tricky, bronzing application easier, from the dual applicator—you can choose between pumping it or unscrewing it to use the doe foot—to the luminous, easy to blend formula. I can slap it on in seconds and never have to worry about looking like I got punched in the temples.” — Laura Capon, freelance beauty journalist

3.. Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Water Powder Serum

"My favourite make-up launch of 2024 has to be the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Water Powder Serum. This innovative product perfectly bridges the gap between make-up and skincare; it starts as a serum and sets to a soft powder finish, leaving the skin with a smooth, natural-looking complexion. I love how it controls shine while keeping the skin feeling hydrated and fresh—a brilliant choice for achieving a lightweight yet flawless look." — Adeola Gboyega, pro make-up artist

4. Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Refillable Lipstick

"I’m not one to get all that excited over lipstick, but the Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Refillable Lipstick immediately won me over and I’ve worn it consistently it ever since. Firstly because of the formula; it’s lightweight and creamy, which is ideal for someone who doesn’t love the feel of lipstick on their lips. The shades are designed to be for everyday wear and they’re stunning. Just enough pigment to feel special and add colour to the face without being overwhelming. Since I have a similar skin tone to Lisa, I knew the shade ‘Lisa’ (designed to be her perfect everyday) would be ideal for me and it’s such a beautiful colour. The packaging is incredibly special, too. Designed as a refillable lipstick and inspired by her vast vintage make-up collection, they are the world's first recyclable aluminium, mono-material lipstick. I know it’ll be a treasured item in my make-up bag for years and years to come." — Tori Crowther, freelance beauty and health journalist

5. Victoria Beckham Beauty The Concealer Pen with TFC8®

“Surprisingly, 2024 has been one of my favourite years for new make-up launches; from lip liners to blushers, I’ve been utterly obsessed with it all. One launch that truly stands out to me is the Victoria Beckham Beauty Concealer Pen with TFC8, created in partnership with Augustinus Bader. I happened to be in NYC when it launched a few months ago and had seen glowing reviews online. Naturally, I made my way to Bergdorf Goodman with the concealer on my list. I wasn’t sure if the shade range would suit my skin tone or if I’d even like it, considering I'm not much of a concealer person. But I was shade-matched at the VBB counter and instantly fell in love with how effortless it is to blend, leaving a dewy, luminous glow. The formula feels incredibly hydrating on the skin and has completely converted me into a concealer lover. While I never would have dreamed of spending £64 on a concealer before, my experience from the shade-matching to the flawless finish means I’ll never be without this in my make-up routine again.” — Vanese Maddix, freelance beauty journalist

6. Half Magic Beauty Flik Eraser Makeup Correcting Pen

"My favourite launch is the Flik Eraser Makeup Correcting Pen from Half Magic Beauty. It’s one of the most practical launches I have seen in years, a micellar water soaked eyeliner pen that you can use to tidy your eyeliner flicks or make-up in general. I can hear the sceptics already—why not just use a cotton bud? Why not just use micellar water? But Half Magic has done the maths and this works out to be so much more sustainable in the long run. Plus, for someone that travels as much as I do, this is so helpful for tidying any mistakes when I do my make-up on the train, and also for freshening up smudgy under eyes after a long day commuting from Birmingham to London and back. Would we expect anything less from Donni Davy, in my opinion the greatest artist of our time?!" — Rose Gallagher, make-up artist and beauty creator

7. MERIT Brow 1990

“There have been so many amazing make-up launches this year, but mine has to be the Merit Brow 1990. I have been loyal to another brow pencil for around eight years so I really wasn’t expecting another one to come along and claim its place. However, this pencil is really something special and I've made my way through two already since its launch in the summer. It has a really soft, almost gel-like texture that glides onto your skin and makes it so easy to create natural-looking brow strokes exactly where you need them. My brows are pretty unruly, but have some undeniable sparse patches and this pencil adds fullness and definition exactly where I need it. As well as the formula, the pencil itself has the finest tip I’ve ever used—this is the secret weapon for faking those teensy brow-like hairs without causing your eyebrows to look too drawn on. My only gripe? It’s incredibly delicate, so you need to roll it up only the smallest amount otherwise you risk breaking it.” — Mica Ricketts, freelance beauty editor and copywriter

8. Rhode Pocket Blush

“My favourite make-up launch of the year has to be the Rhode Pocket Blushers. I am full-on drinking the Rhode Kool Aid and I'm not even mad about it; I love everything Hailey Bieber puts out into the world through her line. These adorable blushers not only look SO, SO appealing (like a little Kinder Egg), they also perform, with a sheer-yet-buildable colour pay-off. The shades are just damn gorgeous too - Piggy is a soft pink and my absolute favourite and Sleepy Girl a gorgeous soft mauve that I also use on my lips. Let's just put it this way: if Rhode started a cult, I would probably join.” — Rebecca Fearn, beauty editor and features writer

9. Hildun Beauty Silk to Set Kajal Liner

"This was an EASY one to think of: Hildun Beauty Silk to Set Kajal Liners. Not only are they competitively priced for the quality at £16, but they also have the creamiest, most easy-to-blend formula. With a generous play time before they set there’s no messing around. I have these in both my [own] make-up bag and make-up kit—they quickly turned into a staple." — Lisa Caldognetto, pro make-up artist

10. REFY Blur Liner

"I know there's been a lot of controversy surrounding this launch—many online claim their REFY Blur Liners broke upon first opening—but I can honestly say that I've never had this issue, and I'm absolutely obsessed with the product. I'm not, by nature, a lippie fan. Call it a hangover of years spent covering my lips in concealer during high school (sigh), but I really hate lipsticks or liners of any kind. I hate how they make my lips look, but I also don't love the way my lips look au naturel. Herein lies the problem that REFY swiftly solved with its Blur Liner by adding a little somethin-somethin without looking too 'done'. And it's dead easy to apply, which is a bonus." — Humeara Mohamed, beauty journalist

11. Glossier Boy Brow Arch

“Like LC, my favourite make-up launch of the year is by far and away Mario’s SoftSculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum, but so that you get the most shopping inspo possible, I’m going with probably my second most used product from the year: Glossier’s Boy Brow Arch pencil. With its uniquely-shaped tip, this has just the right amount of glide to fill in sparse areas of your brows without looking too solid or unnatural. Plus, it lasts well; no patchiness on my oily skin by lunchtime. My one criticism is that the packaging has proven quite flaky in my make-up bag, something I hope the brand fixes in time, but I’m willing to tolerate it for such a great brow pencil.” — Lucy Abbersteen, freelance beauty editor and copywriter