A stroll down your local drugstore beauty aisle or past the department store cosmetic counters can leave you baffled (trust us, we know!). With hundreds of pretty bottles that promise to smooth, quench and turn back the hands of time, how do you know which ones actually stand by their promises? Consult the experts! Before you venture out and fill your shopping bag with items that fall flat, check out Women’s Health 2009 Beauty Awards list. Not only did they ask their readers to dish on the beauty products they couldn’t live without, but they also threw in expert’s pick and a few of their own faves. Here’s a sneak peek at top reader-endorsed hair, body and makeup picks that made the list.
HAIR
Best Shampoo: Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Shampoo, $4, cvs.com. Gently cleanses and removes product build up while strengthening for fewer split ends and breakage.
Best Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine Conditioner, $4, cvs.com. Beats all other drugstore-bound hair moisturizers for softening strands. Apply in the shower, wait a few minutes then rinse with a wide tooth comb for super soft and straggle-free tresses.
Best At-Home Hair Color: L’Oreal Paris Feria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Haircolour, $10, lorealparisusa.com. Adds shimmer and built in highlights for color that looks anything but DIY. Also contains extra conditioners and a new scent so you won’t have to evacuate your house from fumes after coloring.
Best Styling Product: Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother, $24, aveda.com. Protects against heat styling damage with naturally derived ingredients wheat protein and aloe. Also fights humidity for up to 12 hours.
BODY
Best Body Lotion: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, $6, aveeno.com. Its light moisturizing formula vanishes into skin when applied and won’t sweat off throughout the day. Gentle enough for sensitive skin and even calms minor redness and irritation.
Best Body Scrub/Shower Gel: Dove Body Washes with Nutrium Moisture, $4, dove.com. Won’t strip skin of natural moisture and enriched with soybean oil, lipids and glycerin to restore and lock in softness.
Best Sunscreen: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 30, $9, neutrogena.com. Shields against both UVA & UVB rays with a shine-free protective film. Also packed with antioxidants that guard against environmental damage.
MAKEUP
Best Mascara: Maybelline New York Great Lash in Blackest Black, $6, maybelline.com. This famous pink and green tube still comes out above the new high-tech mascaras with its clump-free, long lasting coverage. Turn up the drama with its blackest-black shade.
Best Lip Balm: Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm, $3, burtsbees.com. Deeply hydrates with beeswax, shea butter, almond oil and sweetens lips with a hint of honey.
Best Lip Gloss: MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam VI, $14, maccosmetics.com. A light pink- purple shade swirled with hues of silver. Pop in your bag for effortless glam on the go or layer on top of lipstick for bold color.
Best Nail Polish: OPI nail lacquer in Lincoln Park After Dark, $9, opi.com. The must-have sultry dark purple shade to transition into fall.
Best Blush: NARS Orgasm Blush, $25, narscosmetics.com. Formulated with transparent pigments for an ultra-sheer, natural looking flush.
Best Foundation: Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15, $20.50, clinique.com. If you need more coverage than a tinted moisturizer but don’t like the feel of heavy foundation, this lightweight formula gives your complexion a boost of color and evens out imperfections.
Best Concealer: CoverGirl Invisible Concealer, $5, drugstore.com. Just one dab of the light-tan formula masks unsightly spots instantly.
For more winners, check out the full Beauty Awards list at Women’s Health 2009 Beauty Awards or snag a copy the July/August issue of Women’s Health magazine on newsstands.
Totally digging this? Do tell by commenting below.