Yes, I'm a beauty editor. Yes, I have written countless times about the benefits of retinol, peptides, antioxidants and all those science-y, anti-aging, OMG amazing ingredients that we should be putting on our skin -- and I do. But I use them on faith, hoping that my face will look incredible a decade from now, not because they make me look OMG amazing overnight.

An exception to the rule: Philosophy Help Me Retinol Night Treatment. It does everything an anti-aging cream should and more: It exfoliates, brightens, fades stubborn hyperpigmentation and sun damage and relaxes my fine lines. In addition to packing proven, long-term anti-aging effects, it makes my skin look better and brighter as quickly as the following morning. I hit the hay with less-than-ideal skin and roll out of bed with as-good-as-it-gets skin. Instant gratification and over-time benefits -- pretty OMG amazing, if you ask me. --Katie McCarthy

Being a fair-skinned freckled lady doesn't mean I slather on any sunscreen I can get my hands on. On the contrary, it means I'm superselective with my sunscreen picks. I've tried them all, so I know what I like (physical UV-blocking ingredients that don't mess with my makeup) -- and what I hate (thick sunscreens that leave residue).

Dermalogica Super Sensitive Shield, $48, checks all my boxes. It's a lightweight formula with a fluid-like consistency that goes on like a dream, even over makeup. With SPF 30, it meets my protection-level requirement for a face sunscreen, and the fact that it's titanium-dioxide-based means that my sensitive skin tolerates it a lot better (read: no breakouts) than chemical formulas. Not to mention the ingredient list reads more like a healthy recipe than a typical chemical-laden sunscreen, thanks to the many antioxidants and botanical extracts. If that typical sunscreen smell turns you off, you'll be pleasantly surprised by this one's light lavender scent. It's official: I'm declaring beauty-product love. --Emily Woodruff

As a self-proclaimed Anglophile, wearer of messy bedhead hair and lover of cat eyes, it's not entirely surprising that I look toward Alexa Chung for style inspiration. Needless to say, her signature cat-eye liner inspired my favorite nighttime makeup look.

As a cat eye veteran, I've mastered drawing the perfect flick, but a good liquid liner is a rare find. If it's too watery or the tip is too thick or too sharp, forget it. Creating the perfect cat eye will take just as long as an intricate smoky eye. Enter: Alexa Chung (again). Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner, $19, her collaboration with the British band, hits all the requirements of what I need in a liquid liner. It's pitch black, so I don't have to re-draw over my lines (and botch the whole thing in the process). It's also waterproof, yet easily comes off with remover, its tip is just pointy enough and its eyelash-enhancing ingredients make the most of my delicate lashes. Here's hoping my style icon has a texturizing spray in the works.

As a member of the blonde, ultrafair population, I have basically transparent lashes that look nonexistent without mascara. But I can't use just any old mascara. Have you ever heard of "floating lashes syndrome?" (Probably not, because I'm pretty sure I just made it up.). Let me explain: If you've got light eyelashes and your mascara doesn't get all the way to the root, well, your lashes look like they're floating. Kind of defeats the whole eye-opening purpose of mascara.

That's why I'm obsessed with Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Mini, $10. The hourglass-shaped wand grabs every last lash from the roots and coats them in a jet-black, lengthening and volumizing formula. It never gets dry or clumpy and the teeny tube lasts exactly three months, which is the shelf life of mascara -- presenting a great excuse to go buy a brand-new tube.

--Allie Flinn

I love the idea of all-natural beauty products. I really do. As a nature-loving vegetarian with a slightly holistic bent, I get jazzed when products are plastered with phrases like "fair trade," "small batch" and "certified organic."

At the same time, as a beauty editor with closets full of products that advertise instant results, I love when something performs as promised. So when a natural product really works, I'm the first to shout it from the rooftops. Enter: Lavanila Laboratories Healthy Deodorant, $14. I've tested every natural deodorant I can get my hands on and this is the only one that works for me. With a light vanilla scent reminiscent of baby powder, it works just as well as aluminum-based deodorants, sans parabens, phthalates and a slew of other synthetic chemicals. In fact, the ingredients list reads like a recipe you might find in a vegan café -- which has my inner granola-type jumping for stench-free joy. --Emily Woodruff