11 Underrated Hidden Gems At The Nordstrom Beauty Counter That Weirdly No One Is Writing About
Our near-pathological addiction to cosmetics is your gain!
by The Candidly Team
There’s no scarcity of “beauty lists” on the internet.
But we have noticed that as new, shiny products arrive on beauty counters, and the PR machine roars, many classics and lesser-known colors and formulas are pushed to the sidelines. And while we love to try everything new new new, we also rely on our go-to workhouse products that might not be the sexy new kid in town, but actually, there’s a reason they’ve been around for a long time:
They’re good.
So take our hand, and let’s take a little stroll around the Nordstrom cosmetic counters, where we will reveal our favorite, overlooked beauty gems. We own them all. We use them constantly. And it’s almost bizarre that no one is writing about them.
1. Mac Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul
MAC is certainly not a brand that’s some unknown, but this blush used to be THE BLUSH but it’s not talked about anymore. It’s the thinking-girl’s Orgasm blush from NARS. If you don’t know what the hell blush color to try, try this. It’s a soft, natural, peach with the tiniest, softest pearl that makes your cheeks glow. If you loathe a sheen, or you have huge pores, try THIS from MAC which is like a bronzer/blush/sunburn in one.
Price: $33
2. Drybar the roller club hot rollers
Can we tell you an unpopular, uncool secret? Hot rollers are the key to gorgeous, bouncy hair. You know how if you use a curling iron your curls fall out in about 47 minutes? Hot roller curls last for hours. Days. And these rollers from Drybar are the easiest to use that we’ve found.
Like you just stepped out of a salahhhhhn (but imagine it sung. Only our Gen X friends will understand this reference)
Price: $129
3. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Hydration Revival Cleanser
Another brand that is, quite literally, a PR machine. And we are no stranger to worshipping their magic moisturizer. HOWEVER. The rest of their skincare line isn’t really talked about even though it is EXCELLENT. This cleanser is so incredible for dry skin, has hyaluronic acid for plumping, and actually makes your pores look smaller. When you emerge from the shower, your skin feels like it already has a big dose of moisturizer on it. It’s amazing.
Price: $30
4. maison Margiela Replica Springtime In A Park Fragrance
Another brand that’s so well known, but this scent is never in the mix. And it’s beyondddddd. You know how Fruit Stripe gum smells? This is that smell. It’s just bright, springy, grassy, sunshiney, fruity, in a bottle.
Price: $85 - $165
5. Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in Incendiaire
We just wrote a whole THING on our favorite near-neon red polishes. But this one takes the cake, even though other red polishes usually get all the glory. As you can clearly see in the photo. And yes, we swiped on one coat on our thumb at the Nordstrom counter which was us taking one for the team so you could see the color on a real person in real light. It’s so happy and fiery and joyful and if red makes you happy but you’re too scared to wear it on your lips, try this. Oh, and the Chanel top coat is the best there is. WEEKS.
Price: $32
6. NuFACE® TRINITY+ Smart Advanced Facial Toning Device Starter Kit
Out of all the “tools” out there, this one works. Use it nightly and it actually helps jowls, tightens your skin, creates a visible lift. For something that has such incredible results, we don’t read about it that much.
And here you can see its results on our own Editor-in-Chief.
Price: $395
7. Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow In Rose Gold
We hate eyeshadow. We hate it. It’s aging, it doesn’t really enhance our natural features, and it makes us look like clowns. But this cream formula is incredibly sheer, and looks like a subtle wash of color on the eye, and makes your eye color POP. This color, specifically. Oh, and it doesn’t crease!
Price: $35
8. Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster® Cream
We will admit that this product is slightly confusing, but once you try it you’ll never go back. It’s a moisturizer, primer, and a sunscreen, and there is NOTHING else like it on the market. It doesn’t feel greasy, even though it’s incredibly rich and hydrating. It just makes your skin feel…soft. Like the perfectly balanced skin on a baby’s face. And you will become addicted to how it looks under makeup, and if you skip it one day, you’ll notice an actual difference in how your foundation/blush/powder goes on so much more cakey and makeupy and textured when you’re NOT wearing it. So be warned. It’s one of those products you will have to repurchase again and again.
Price: $93
9. Dior Addict Lip Maximizer In Mahogony
Simply put, this is the best oil/gloss formula in the world. It cocoons your lips with hydration, and a kiss of color lingers on, well after the gloss itself has worn away. This color in particular is so exquisite, we wrote an entire THING about how it’s the best your-lips-but-better color for everyone in the world. It’s like a sure thing.
Price: $40
10. Floral Street Eau De Perfume In Arizona Bloom
Welp. This is a real hidden gem. Have you ever even heard of this brand?! They make a handful of scents and they’re all ok but this scent in particular is…..beyond. It has that sort of “skin” scent that smells like the hot sun on hot, sunscreened skin next to the ocean. And if you remember the first fragrance we all loved as kids, Exclamation!, it had a subtle nod to that. Another reference only our 40+ friends will even begin to understand!
Price: $34 - $89
11. Charlotte Tilbury Refillable Magic Eye Rescue Cream with Retinol
There’s a lotttttttttt of eye creams out there. And you’ll notice we don’t write a lot about them. Why? Because we’ve tried hundreds and they don’t do anything for us. And mostly, they make our eyes swell or puff or burn. So we usually stick to adding extra moisturizer around our eyes. But this night eye cream with retinol is so good, so rich, so amazing for sensitive eyes, you will notice a difference in the hydration and lines around your eyes after one night of using it. And it’s refillable! And it’s beautiful.
Price: $65
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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