Beauty Splurges of 2021

Life's little luxuries bring the greatest joy. That's our two cents, and these are your beauty experts speaking. The same experts who always love a flawless blowout, skin as smooth as velvet, and when blush arrives in an Hermès orange box.

Perhaps that's why ishonest editors fell for these finer (beauty) things that crossed our desks this year. They were love at first swipe — or smear or spritz. But most important, they checked all of our priority boxes: comfort, convenience, effectiveness, and innovation.

This year's Best of Beauty Splurge winners make the seemingly impossible possible: a single hair tool that replaces your blow-dryer, curling iron, and straightener (with the power of air); a lightweight makeup primer that instantly smooths skin and, simultaneously, speeds up cell turnover so you look even more radiant over time; a dry shampoo, in powder form, that makes degreasing your hair feel glamorous; and a serum that’s been proven to tighten the skin around the jawline.

Of course, all of these things come with a cost — but we can confirm they are well worth the splurge. So, go on, spoil yourself. And then peruse the rest of the top picks from the full 2021 Best of Beauty winner list. —Paige Stables

Hair: Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete

This streamlined device costs a pretty penny (54,999 of them, to be exact). But when you consider the Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete does the work of an entire styling arsenal (blow-dryer, waver, curling iron) without relying on extreme heat, it feels like a steal (that's our two cents, anyway).

Hair: Oribe Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Crème

It took a few centuries, but someone finally realized that evolution is the solution to sticky fixatives that clump strands together. The Oribe Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Crème becomes an oil in your hands and a featherlight powder in your hair, delivering touchable volume and flexible hold.

Hair: Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste With Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts

The Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste With Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts is the ultimate grand gesture when you want to pamper your hair in the shower: The thick clay melts into an airy foam that polishes roots, softens ends, and smells intoxicatingly of roses.

Hair: Kérastase Chronologiste Thermique Régénérant Blow Dry Primer

A heat protector, shine serum, and treatment all in one, the lightweight Kérastase Chronologiste Thermique Régénérant Blow Dry Primer yields the sleekest blowouts this side of the salon. And the floral scent is so dreamy, it doubles as our favorite hair fragrance.

Hair: Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo

The Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo is a dead ringer for a loose face powder. Shake the jar and dip the brush into the chiffon formula. Applied directly to roots, the translucent particles absorb oil and add fullness — without a hint of grittiness.

Skin: Clé de Peau Beauté Precious Gold Vitality Mask

An indulgent infusion of 24-karat gold, ginseng extract, and amino acids, the luxurious Clé de Peau Beauté Precious Gold Vitality Mask enhances your skin's ability to restore its own moisture barrier — basically making it independently wealthy.

Skin: SK-II Skinpower Cream

Like a personal trainer for your face, the velvety SK-II Skinpower Cream provides a constant buffer against environmental stressors and everyday pressures, giving tired skin the power to bounce back and keep on glowing.

Skin: Lancôme Clarifique Essence

Similar to a martini mixer, a few shakes of Lancôme Clarifique Essence's tapered bottle blend the primary ingredients (glycolic acid and grapeseed oil) to perfection, giving your skin an instant aura of refinement.

Skin: SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum

The growth factors in the SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum are amazing at building elastin, which is amazing at smoothing lines and firming droop.

Skin: La Mer The Eye Concentrate

Containing omega-rich marine algae, La Mer The Eye Concentrate's potion from the ocean penetrates delicate undereye skin, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and crepiness.

Body: Tom Ford Lost Cherry

This luscious scent of Tom Ford Lost Cherry captures the sometimes wholesome, sometimes carnal aspects of a black cherry. Glossy, juicy, and voluptuously smooth, it begs to be bitten (er, sniffed) near the curve of the neck.

Body: Ellis Brooklyn Marvelous CBD Extra Rich Body Cream

Positively packed with a megadose of CBD (the nonpsychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana), the buttery emulsion of Ellis Brooklyn Marvelous CBD Extra Rich Body Cream helps chronically tight skin turn over a supple new leaf.

Body: Hanni The Weighted Razor

The hefty handle of Hanni The Weighted Razor applies the perfect amount of pressure as you shave, taking the onus off of your wrist. And because the sustainable design is made to last (and last), it takes some weight off of the planet too.

Body: Révive Soleil Supérieur Body Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen PA++++

The extravagant Révive Soleil Supérieur Body Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen PA+ +++ makes our skin feel so insanely smooth, it's become the step we most look forward to in our morning skin-care routine (perhaps the first time this has ever been said about sunscreen application?).

Body: Sisley Paris Velvet Nourishing Body Cream With Saffron Flowers

Infused with saffron flower extract — an amped-up anti-inflammatory — the decadent Sisley Paris Velvet Nourishing Body Cream With Saffron Flowers melts away rough patches while it extinguishes redness, turning prickly skin pliant.

Makeup: Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer

A primer with a higher purpose, the hydrating formula of Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer helps speed cell turnover as it plumps and perfects, encouraging radiance from the inside out.

Makeup: Gucci Rouge de Beauté Brillant Glow & Care Shine Lipstick

Sleeved in a case inspired by vintage brooches, the creamy hybrid of tint and moisture in Gucci Rouge de Beauté Brillant Glow & Care Shine Lipstick feels like the rarest of finds. (Shout-out to My Cousin Rachel, a tawny pink with a rosy sheen.)

Makeup: Guerlain Terracotta The Bronzing Powder

Laced with naturally derived light reflectors and nourishing argan oil, Guerlain Terracotta The Bronzing Powder produces the most believable bronze under the sun — but without, you know, the sun.

Makeup: Byredo Eyeshadow 5 Colours

The posh Byredo Eyeshadow 5 Colours is a sight to behold — even before you open the compact. Shaped like a gilded oyster shell, each case houses a spectrum of five powders. We love the renegade shades inching from orange to emerald in Sciomancer and the quieter progression of violet to denim in Syren.

Makeup: Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powder

Available in a bouquet of rose hues ranging from the palest pink to the deepest damask, these exquisitely silky Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powders allow you to build your ideal blush: sheer and fragile or bold and vibrant.

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