What makeup product is the most important?

The best luxury makeup products combine some of our favorite things about beauty: colorful pigments, skin-loving formulas, and some seriously good packaging. This year’s viral trends gave us countless occasions to play with makeup: bright pinks for a Barbiecore moment or a dusting of red blush for strawberry-girl glam. And as party makeup creeps back to the top of our cosmetics bags for the holidays, there’s a whole lineup of splurgy makeup ready to take your glam to the next level.

What exactly makes a makeup product deserving of the extra investment? Anything that adds an extra dose of magic to your routine. From an eye shadow palette with otherworldly shimmer to a skin-care-based foundation with flawless coverage, you’ll be getting high quality performance and then some.

Over the past few months, our team of editors tested the fanciest new concealers, eye shadows, and lipsticks to find out which rise above the rest. The final list of winners is sure to have something that speaks to you. Keep reading for the 20 Glamour Beauty Award–winning best luxury makeup products of 2023, each guaranteed to make your routine look and feel more exciting.

From products that were launched over 50 years ago, to those products that have gained cult status quickly thanks to social media, here are some of the most recognizable names in makeup.

And I’ll throw in a little makeup history with some of these as well. Because personally, I find the history of WHY some makeup was created, to be fascinating and helps to explain we should love them even more!

Let’s go in categories and I’ll start with eyes first…