Our Beauty Director's Top Picks for 2021

Over this past year, I have tried many different beauty products ranging from makeup and skincare to hair products and even fragrances. As the Beauty Director for The Lexington Line, I feel that it is my duty to buy and try new products to review for our readers (at least that is what I like to tell myself in order to justify spending more money). I have curated a list of my favorite beauty buys for 2021 in hopes they might become some of your top products for 2022.

Dior Backstage Face and Body Foundation

The Dior Backstage Face and Body foundation has become my absolute favorite foundation within the last few months of 2021. The formula is very light but gives a good amount of coverage and is also super buildable. It sits so beautifully on the skin and has a natural matte finish, making it a great product for almost all skin types. This foundation makes you feel like you’re wearing next to nothing as the formula is very breathable and does not settle into fine lines or enhance texture.

2. Too Faced Lip Injection Maximum Plump

After years of trying to find the best lip plumper, the Too Faced Lip Injection Maximum Plump takes the cake for the best one on the market. After having used the other two Too Faced plumpers they have released in the past and being disappointed, I was a bit skeptical about trying the Maximum Plump. To say the very least, I was shocked by this product. You can feel that the formula is much more potent and gives your lips lasting plumpness throughout the day. I use it before I put on my lipstick, but you can even use it alone as a gloss. It is a high shine formula with an iridescent pink shimmer that really enhances the lips.

3. CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum

The perfect Retinol product for your skin can be tricky to find. But don’t fret, you won’t need to look any further due to the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum. This product has completely transformed my skin and has nearly erased all the texture and unevenness in my complexion. I struggled for years trying to get rid of the texture on my forehead and this product has singlehandedly cleared my skin up in less than a month.

4. Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil

Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil: The product that has taken the beauty world by storm in such a short period of time. It really works. As someone who has been using heat on my hair almost daily and colored my hair for years, this product basically nursed all the damage to health. I had a lot of breakages and split ends, but after using this product for about a year now, my hair is almost as healthy as it was before I ever discovered what a hair straightener was. It is a lightweight, dry oil that can be used on both wet and dry hair and it even acts as a heat protectant as well.

5. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Supermodel

Everyone always talks about the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in the shade Pillow Talk, but I never hear anyone talk about the shade Supermodel. It is part of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution collection and is a gorgeous mauve nude shade that is flattering on so many skin tones. I find that it also works for both day and night because it is not overbearing, but still gives your lips a gorgeous pop of color.

6. NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Setting Powder

Everyone loves a good dupe, well, I know I do. The NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Setting Powder is almost an exact dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish setting powder for a fraction of the price. It is a very finely milled powder that sits on the skin nicely and blurs out any kind of pores or fine lines you may have.

7. YSL Libre Intense Perfume

My favorite fragrance of the year has got to be the YSL Libre Intense. It is a warm and rich scent with hints of lavender, orange blossom, and vanilla. It is sweet without being overbearing and has an overall sexy and sultry scent that is wearable for any time of day.

8. Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo

After years of searching, I have finally found my favorite dry shampoo. Eva NYC has won my heart with their Freshen Up Invisible Dry Shampoo. It smells faintly sweet and clean and leaves almost zero residue. I hate when my dry shampoo makes my hair feel even dirtier. For me, it just defeats the purpose of the product. I found that with this dry shampoo I am able to go longer without having to wash my hair.

9. Nars Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss

Nars is one of my favorite cosmetics brands. I have yet to be displeased with any of their products, especially their lip products. Recently they released their Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss and it has been my holy grail lip gloss this month. Its shiny, non-sticky formula just glides on and gives you a gorgeous, glossy pout. Not to mention, this gloss is also super pigmented.

10. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner

This past year I recently revisited an old favorite of mine. The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner has been revived in my collection. It has a felt tip liner that is very precise and gives you a sleek wing or a sharp graphic eye look. It is also a dark, matte black. Once it dries down, it really does not budge and will last you all day and all night.

11. Nars Soft Matte Concealer

Nars truly never disappoints. Their Soft Matte Concealer has become my absolute favorite complexion product this year and if there is one concealer I could buy for the rest of my life, it would be this one. This concealer doesn’t just cover imperfections, it also completely blurs them making your skin look airbrushed and flawless. It is highly pigmented but not a very heavy formula so it won’t feel cakey on the skin.

12.IGK Good Behavior Blowout Balm

I typically do not experiment too much with my hair products but the IGK Good Behavior Blowout Balm has become a staple in my routine. It has cut my blow-dry time in half and leaves my hair silky and frizz free. It is also a heat protectant and protects up to 450 degrees!

13. Laneige Lip Glossy Balm

Laneige is known for the Lip Sleeping Masks, but I don’t think their Lip Glossy Balms get enough credit. They are shiny, not sticky, and just as hydrating as the mask in a squeeze tube that is easy to use on the go. It has been my go-to lip product to wear under a face mask because it keeps my lips hydrated and supple all day long.

14. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

The next product I absolutely hated at first until I figured out that I was using it incorrectly (thanks TikTok for the tutorial), so I decided to give it another try and within a week I was hooked. The Dermologica Daily Microfoliant quickly has become a staple in my skincare routine and I will never swap it out for anything else. The product itself is a fine powder made from Rice Bran and Colloidal Oatmeal as well as Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, and Papaya enzymes which allow for a gentle resurfacing of the skin and remove all kinds of impurities below the first layer of your skin. To use, take a dime-size amount of the powder and add equal parts of water and emulsify in your hands until it becomes frothy. After, massage in circular motions all over the face and neck and let sit for one minute before rinsing for best results.

15. Aquaphor

To wrap up my favorite beauty products of 2021, my all-time favorite beauty product, just some good old-fashioned Aquaphor. I use it for my lips, face, cuticles, eczema as well as many others. However, my preferred method of application is to dab the product somewhere I will be spraying my perfume because it creates a barrier, allowing the scent to not absorb as fast into the skin, thus, making it last twice as long!

These are just some of my favorite products that I have added to my beauty routine this past year. I hope you love them as much as I do and they become part of your routine in 2022. A new year always means new makeup, at least to me.

What were some of your favorite beauty products in 2021? Leave a comment below.