Credit: Dennis Pedersen
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4 min read
From our new favourite high street bronzer to a does-not-budge eyeliner, discover Stylist’s make-up favourites from the year…
For many of us, make-up is our first entry point into beauty: transformative, but also a form of self-expression.
As such, discovering new products is always joyous. The make-up category in the Stylist Best Beauty Awards is packed with brilliant beauty buys that quickly became staples in our routines, from a glow-giving primer to a viral lash-boosting mascara.
After considering wearability, longevity and everything in between, these are the award winners we deem worthy of a space in your make-up bag…
Stylist Best Beauty Awards 2025: make-up winners
Best Foundation: Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation
Shop Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation at Cult Beauty, £32
Best Concealer: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer
This Charlotte Tilbury formula ticks all the boxes: it seamlessly cancels out signs of dark circles and hyperpigmentation, brightens areas of the face and can be layered easily for higher coverage without going cakey. We also found it perfect for days we wanted to skip over foundation, opting for a few dots of this instead. It also contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C and collagen to boost skin with every wear, too.
Shop Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer at Sephora UK, £27
Best Setting Spray: Indeed Labs Nanoset
Shake this bottle and spritz it over finished make-up to help lock it in all day long. Not only does it create a smooth, matte finish, the nozzle emits a fine mist that doesn’t leave skin
Best Bronzer: NYX Professional Makeup Buttermelt Bronzer
On first impressions, we were delighted to see a high street bronzer with eight shades in its line-up. As the name suggests, this formula is pleasingly buttery, making it quick to blend and minimising the risk of muddy streaks. We found it gave a noticeable yet subtle sunkissed glow that lasted until our nighttime skincare routine.
Shop NYX Professional Make Up Buttermelt Bronzer at Lookfantastic, £7.99
Best Blush: Rhode Pocket Blush
When Rhode unveiled its Pocket Blushes, it became one of the industry’s most sought-after products – and for good reason. It’s easy to apply, packs pigment, blends to create a natural-looking flush and, most impressively for us, doesn’t wear off patchily as the day goes on.
Best Highlighter: Dior Forever Glow Maximizer
Ranging from lilac and peach to bronze and rose, this highlighter comes in a variety of shades (with no chunky glitter in sight, we’re happy to report). It’s formulated with pearly pigments that we found gave a natural-looking glow and caught the light every time we moved.
Best Brow Product: Merit Brow 1990 Sheer Gel Pencil
This ultra-fine pencil is a brow’s best friend, whether you prefer yours thin or thick, defined or fluffy. The gel formula makes it easier to avoid harsh, blocky lines and create soft, gentle hair-like strokes instead.
Best Eyeshadow: e.l.f. Fine as Fleck Glitter Eyeshadow
It’s hard to find affordable shimmer shadows that also offer a high-shine finish, but e.l.f. has nailed it. Wear on a bare lid for subtle shine or over eyeshadow for a sparkly touch. We recommend using your fingers for the best results.
Best Eyeliner: Jones Road Gel Liner
The Stylist beauty desk was abuzz when we heard that make-up legend Bobbi Brown was bringing out gel liners via her Jones Road brand. Available in four shades, these little pots are loaded with rich pigment and the cream formula glides on easily – so easily, the whole team found winged liner a doddle. Once on, let it dry for a few seconds and it will not budge. At all.
Best Mascara: L'Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara
One of the key elements of a good mascara? The structure of its wand. This mascara went viral when it launched last year; after testing, we were impressed by the multi-level bristles that help catch even the tiniest of lashes (without risk of smudging) before sweeping them into a fanned-out C-curl.
Shop L’Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara at Lookfantastic, £12.99
Best Lip Product: NARS Explicit Lipsticks
NARS first entered the beauty sphere with lipstick when the brand launched in 1994, and now it has a new iteration. Each Explicit Lipstick bullet delivers intense colour pay-off in just one swipe, and can also be layered for a more opaque finish. We found the colour didn’t bleed throughout the day and stayed put, even after a few martinis.
Best Primer: Vieve Super Skin Nova
A multitasking product if we ever saw one. Thanks to ingredients including hyaluronic acid and ceramides, this innovative skincare-make-up hybrid hydrates, preps and primes skin before make-up and leaves skin with a fresh, dewy finish. We’ve taken to wearing it on non-make-up days.
Main image: shot for Stylist by Dennis Pedersen; all other images courtesy of brands
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