I Ranked the Celeb-Favorite Beauty Products I Was Influenced to Buy This Year

My name is Kaitlyn McLintock, and sometimes, I'm influenced by celebrities to buy things. There, I said it. As a beauty editor, it's easy to blame it on my job and call it "research" or "due diligence." After all, I can't crown a certain product as the best without comparing it to all of the others on the market, right? That's true, but if I'm being honest, it's more than that. It's also about the fact that I want to have the best beauty products at my disposal. If a celebrity, who has access to basically anything they want, uses or recommends something, I want it.

Let me be clear. I'm not necessarily looking for celebrity endorsements. I'm interested in the products they use without being compensated for using them or, at the very least, products they've created themselves. Say what you will about celebrity beauty brands, but if they're slapping their name on something, they have to believe in it at least a little bit. 

This year, I bought and tested a lot of celeb beauty products. I, however, only felt a few were worth the money, and I figured I'd share them with you. Ahead, see all the celeb-favorite beauty products I used this year, ranked from most to least favorite. 

I'm starting strong with one of my favorite products from 2023. The Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray is a smoothing and shine-boosting product that celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton uses to achieve the "glass hair" look on clients like Kim Kardashian and J.Lo. You know what I'm referring to, right? It's that expensive-looking red carpet shine.

The first time I used it, I followed the directions as best I could. I sprayed it liberally over my damp hair and gave myself an at-home blowout. When I was done, I was shocked to see my formerly dull hair was bright and glossy. The results were so good that my brother even noticed. He said, "Why does your hair look so good?" If that's not proof, I don't know what is. Click here to read my full review and see my before-and-after pictures. 

Usually, when I say a beauty product made me smile, I'm speaking metaphorically. In this case, I'm speaking literally. This little teeth-whitening pen brightened my teeth in a few days. All it took was a couple of clicks for the gel to dispense out the top. I would apply it to my teeth and wait 30 seconds to close my mouth and 30 minutes to eat or drink. That's all. The vanilla- and mint-flavored gel goes to work to lift stains—even those from coffee and red wine. 

These days, my smile is bright, so I don't use it as much. I only bring it out when I've had more coffee than usual and my teeth take a dingy turn. In other words, I use it for maintenance. The pen lasts a surprisingly long time, and I've only had to replace it once since trying it the first time. Click here to read my full review and see my before-and-after pictures. 

When I heard Kaia Gerber and January Jones use the same skincare brand, I knew I had to try it. After all, they're two people of different ages with different skin goals and concerns, so if it works for both of them, I assumed it would work for me too. I was right. The brand is Allies of Skin, and it's known for effective, ingredient-focused products like this one, which is my personal favorite. 

Consider it a serum and moisturizer in one. With seven skin brighteners, nine antioxidants, and four peptides, it's as supercharged as a skincare product can be. I use it almost every single morning to brighten dullness, fade dark spots, reverse loss of elasticity, and strengthen my skin barrier. I know it's expensive, but to me, it's worth it. It's truly one of my all-time favorite skincare products. Click here to read my full review of the brand. 

Sofia Richie Grainge is a TikTok influencer in the true sense of the word. I love her makeup tutorials and product recommendations, which is why I check in on her page regularly. She often uses the same 33 makeup products, but this is the one that caught my eye the most. Why? It's an iconic drugstore product, and it's budget-friendly. 

She calls it "one of her secret faves," and I have to agree although it's not all that secret on my end. The silky pressed powder blends beautifully into my skin, adding definition and warmth without looking too done. I'm pretty sure it's going to live in my makeup bag for years to come. 

Clearly, I'm not immune to the influence of Hailey Bieber either. The Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment is one of the beauty products I use the most. I like that the formula is thick enough to actually stay put on my lips (unlike so many other balms and glosses), yet it's not so thick that it feels heavy or goopy. 

I also love the variety of flavors, tints, and finishes. My personal favorite is Watermelon Slice, but I don't think there's a bad one in the bunch. Recently, the brand launched tinted and shimmer versions too. All that means is I have even more of them to collect…

When I tell you that I panic-ordered this, I mean it. Do you blame me? When you find out two of the internet's biggest names wear the same lipstick, you have to act fast, so I did. 

Margot Robbie wore this chic pink lipstick to the London premiere of Barbie. Richie Grainge wore it to her wedding. (You know, the wedding that broke the internet.) Their mutual makeup artist, Pati Dubroff, spilled the deets on her Instagram. The exact shade is called 928 Pink Delight, and it's a petal pink with subtle shimmer. As for the formula, it's more of a tinted lip balm than a lipstick since it has a moisture-rich formula that offers buildable color. 

I love this lipstick, and I wear it constantly. Click here to read the full story. 

There are so many celebrities who use this gel nail polish, including Selena Gomez, J.Lo, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Kylie Jenner. Even though I've always been scared of using gel nail polish on my own, I'd seen enough pictures of their flawless manicures to take the leap. 

Luckily, the application process was quite simple. I started by applying the brand's Base Coat ($12) and curing it with a UV lamp. From there, I applied a couple coats of color, making sure to cure it between each one. Finally, I applied a layer of the brand's Top Coat ($12) and cured that too. I ended up with a salon-quality manicure that lasted me three full weeks. From then on, I've been using these polishes once every few months. Click here to read my full review and see the celeb-favorite shades. 

I know what you're thinking. This is an odd celebrity to be influenced by in the beauty space, but I disagree for one major reason—his cheekbones. They're stunning.

Celebrity groomer Gareth Bromell, who personally prepped Cillian Murphy during the Oppenheimer press tour, gave GQ the inside scoop on the product he uses to subtly define Murphy's cheekbones, and it's the Tom Ford Soleil Glow Bronzer. He said it's his bronzer of choice because it has a subtle, glitter-less formula that won't look obvious or apparent on the red carpet. 

Personally, I love a subtle bronzer. I want it to warm up my face and define my facial contours without looking, well, like bronzer. So this sounded perfect. Spoiler alert, it was. I dusted it under my cheekbones and around the perimeter of my face for the most subtle-looking warmth and definition. I've been using it ever since. Click here to read the full story. 

Leave it to Victoria Beckham to create three of the most posh little bottles of perfume I've ever laid eyes on. Her brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty, recently launched a fragrance portfolio, and it begins with three unique scents based on specific memories Beckham shares with her husband and family. 

Portofino '97 is my favorite because it smells like summer in a bottle. It was inspired by a trip that Victoria and David Beckham took to Portofino before announcing their relationship in 1997. As such, it has warm, coastal, and nostalgic notes of bergamot, amber, and vetiver. I love it so much. Click here to read my full review of all three fragrances. 

This one is my second favorite. It has notes of passion fruit, rose, jasmine, black amber, and agarwood. Together, these notes are fresh and woody. 

My third favorite is this one called Suite 302. It smells sultry and almost heady thanks to notes of black cherry, red peppercorn, rose, midnight violet, and tobacco leaves. 

I never thought of Kardashian as a drugstore-beauty gal, but it just goes to show that you learn something new every day. This year, the businesswoman and reality star attended the Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles wearing a $13 drugstore nail polish on her long, square-tipped nails. The polish in question was this milky nude-pink one from Essie. 

I love a nude-pink manicure, so I bought it immediately. I was more familiar with classic shades like Ballet Slippers ($10) and Mademoiselle ($10), but this one is just as good. On me, it reads a little more nude than pink, but it's so flattering and makes my short fingers look long. It's now a staple in my nail polish collection. 

I love perfume, but I don't wear it every day. I like to reserve it for special occasions or at least days I don't work from home in my sweatpants. Still, I'm constantly looking for new scents to add to my collection, and the latest one is thanks to Kendall Jenner. 

The supermodel and reality star posted a picture on Instagram holding a fragrance on a keychain. My interest was piqued, and I knew I had to test it. 

The Jenner-endorsed scent is BY FAR's Daydream of a Bingo Queen. To me, it smells fresh, sweet, and slightly herby thanks to notes of four-leaf clover accord (yes, really), neroli, pink peppercorn, and orange blossom petals. It's the perfect combination of bright and grassy notes with warm and grounding ones. Ever since I got my hands on it, I've been spritzing it just for the sake of smelling it. It's that good. Plus, the little keychain holder is so cute and perfect for clipping to your favorite bag. In this way, it's a perfume and a bag charm in one. 

The final celeb product that I tried and loved this year was this little $8 eyeliner from Colourpop. It's the exact one Hilary Duff wore on the Shape magazine cover that had the internet in a tizzy. I, of course, had to buy it and try it. 

When I used it for the first time, I was struck by how highly pigmented and creamy the liner was. It's a cream-gel hybrid, so it glides on easily without any pulling or tugging. And that color… I wore this all summer long and received so many compliments. Click here to read the full story.