With masks mostly off this year, makeup is back on. And while sales may have dipped during the pandemic, in 2022, everyone is making up for lost time with creative looks. Colorful abstract eyeliner and bold eyeshadow are now a means of self-expression, whether you're coordinating your eyeshadow shades to your back-to-office fits, or wearing a neon cat-eye to your first concert since the pandemic. And some days, a second-skin finish foundation, dewy highlighter, and a few coats of lengthening mascara are all you need to feel ready to take on the world.
Whatever your current vibe, the 2022 InStyle Best Beauty Buys will help you achieve it. From a waterproof mascara that will hold up against sweat and tears to a foundation brush that delivers a seamless application every single time, our panel of experts cut through the noise and narrowed down the products that are good enough for your face right now.
Ahead, the best makeup products and tools of 2022.
This Armani Beauty foundation is beloved by celebrities and makeup artists alike because it delivers a glowy, your-skin-but-better look.
This lightweight, dewy foundation is your straight shot to glazed-doughnut skin. What's more, it provides SPF 18 protection.
Overactive oil glands don't stand a chance against this Make Up For Ever powder foundation. The formula absorbs excess shine and minimizes the look of pores, leaving skin with a smooth, matte finish.
Shiseido's lightweight foundation does the unthinkable: it withstands sweat, humidity, oil, and facial movements for an always-fresh finish. Plus, it offers SPF 30 protection.
Even skin tone while hydrating with this tinted moisturizer. In addition to smoothing and nourishing skin, it also brightens and protects with SPF 30.
A tool that lives up to its name, this brush delivers a seamless foundation application every single time. The crimped bristles help with control, and the unique shape fits the contours of the face.
Unsurprisingly, Credo Beauty's makeup brand Exa makes the best clean foundation. Available in 43 shades and infused with skincare actives like hyaluronic acid, microalgae, and maqui berry and acai fruit oils, the satin-finish formula feels weightless whether it's applied sheer or built up for full coverage.
Rihanna set a new standard for makeup brands when she launched Fenty Beauty with 40 shades of foundation in 2017. Now available in 50 shades, the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation range is still unparalleled.
Top makeup artists swear by Laura Mercier's Translucent Loose Setting Powder because it has a blurring effect and extends the life of foundation with zero flashback.
If you're after full coverage that doesn't settle into fine lines or dry out skin, Beautyblender's hyaluronic acid and peptide-infused hydrating concealer is your match.
The perfect base starts with a primer that will help your makeup hold up. This Tatcha one contains silk extracts to smooth skin and protect against pollution.
Like renter's insurance for makeup, Urban Decay's setting spray ensures your beat is always nothing short of perfection.
Add a pop of color to your complexion with Makeup by Mario's inexplicably silky smooth powder blush.
This cream blush glides on like butter, but doesn't melt or smudge like the others. The dual-ended stick includes a brush for easy application.
With an uber-blendable cream blush and highlighter in one palette, picking complimentary makeup shades (and streamlining your routine) has never been easier.
While inclusivity is still lacking in the bronzer category, Fenty is leading the way. Sun Stalk'r comes in nine shades to complement a wide range of skin tones and has a soft, buttery texture that blends seamlessly to add warmth or contour.
Use this glowy bronzer to add a sun-kissed glow to skin. The velvety formula is supercharged with nourishing ingredients to boost hydration.
With a smooth, silky texture, this moisturizing balm adds a dewy (not shimmery) natural glow to your skin.
The rounded bristles of Surratt's brush ensure you get just the right amount of blush every time. Use it to add a pop of color to the skin or swirl on setting powder to reduce shine and lock foundation in place.
While cream eyeshadow is easy to apply, it's notoriously known to crease and fade. That's why Danessa Myricks Beauty's ColorFix is the exception. The formula promises smudge-free wear for up to 24 hours and comes in a wide range of colors and finishes, from matte beige to duochrome teal.
Eyeshadow isn't confusing when you have Ilia's Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in your stash. The smudge-proof, liquid-to-powder formula comes in eight metallic shades that can be applied with your fingertips and offers enough play time before it dries down.
These cooling hydrogel masks tackle puffiness and dark circles around the under-eye area so your concealer doesn't have to work as hard.
Both makeup newbies and professional artists alike would benefit from having this shading brush in their kits. With its flat, tapered shape, setting and blending eyeshadow onto the lids is effortless.
Kevyn Aucoin's eyelash curler leaves no lash behind. The tool is designed for all eye shapes and expertly curls each individual lash without any pinching.
This waterproof liner slides on without any tugging for clean, defined lines and can also be smudged out for a smoky eye.
Like a good pair of jeans, this neutral eyeshadow palette can be dressed up or down. Wear any of the neutral matte shades solo for a subtle look or mix-and-match them for a dramatic smoky eye.
An excellent gel eyeliner is highly pigmented, smudge-proof, and goes on smooth. INGLOT's pot checks off all the boxes, with an impressive color range to boot.
Expect compliments on your lashes while wearing this ARDELL set. The convincing length, curl, and volume these falsies offer can be credited to their shape: shorter inner corners and longer outer corners create a flared and fluttery look.
No powder eyeshadows compare to those in a Pat McGrath palette. The legendary makeup artist's Huetopican Dream comes with 10 highly pigmented, wearable shades in six different finishes, ranging from velvety coral to trichrome gold.
While KVD's liquid liner isn't permanent like its name implies, your intense black cat-eye won't come off.
The recently revamped mascara still delivers the long-lasting lift and curl you know and love – plus is infused with cotton nectar for stronger, shinier lashes.
Not only is this Maybelline mascara a lash lift in a bottle, the water-resistant formula doesn't smudge or flake.
No microblading appointment required: Fill and set sparse brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills' tinted gel, available in seven shades.
With a three-pronged tip that fills in brows with realistic hair-like strokes, you can ditch your microblading appointment for this pencil.
These are a classic for a reason: Anyone can get professional-level brows at home with Tweezerman's slanted tweezer. The tip is the perfect angle for working on stray hairs against the brow bone.
No rinsing required: Bioderma's micellar water removes makeup (including waterproof mascara!) without the need to rub and tug your skin.
This silky lipstick is the fluffy robe of lipsticks. It feels soft on the lips whether you've applied a single sheer coat or a few for full coverage.
A long-wear glossy stain with impressive color payoff that doesn't settle into lip lines? Say no more.
Part lip oil, part tint, MERIT's Shade Slick leaves lips pillowy soft with a subtle pop of color.
This liquid lipstick offers long-lasting, full coverage in a single swipe. What's more, it doesn't feather, flake, or dry out lips. But would you expect anything less from Rihanna?
Y2K beauty looks might be trending again, but you can leave sticky lip glosses in the early aughts. All four shades of Glossier's long-wear lip gloss provide a high-shine finish that isn't goopy or tacky.
Lips are definitely ready for this jelly: Tower 28's gloss has the high-shine finish you crave with the comfort and hydration of a balm.
This crayon is the perfect mix of a nourishing lip balm and traditional matte lipstick. It leaves lips with bold color while the formula's shea butter and jojoba oil treat your pout.
Prep lips with La Mer's luxurious nourishing balm for smooth, even lipstick application
This lip oil is like no other: it conditions and protects lips while adding a sheer tint. The universal neutral shade looks gorgeous on everyone, especially those with melanin-rich skin.
Even former First Lady Michelle Obama is a fan of The Lip Bar's Liquid Matte Lipstick. Along with the hero product, the Detroit-based brand offers a full collecion of color cosmetics with high-performance formulas and inclusive shade ranges.