2025 NewBeauty Luxury Review Box: What’s Inside

Dermatologists are singing this serum’s praises, saying it’s unlike anything they’ve studied before and calling it a game changer for aging skin. The standout is the brand’s proprietary, precision-targeted biomimetic exosome technology (RetaXome), which encapsulates the retinal and enhances its delivery to the dermis (the layer below the epidermis).

According to the brand, this encapsulated retinal is 10 times more powerful and faster-acting than traditional retinol. But the best part: You get visible smoothing of fine lines, firming of lax skin and overall rejuvenation (it also helps minimize redness) without irritation. Plus, true to Hydrinity’s DNA, you get deeply hydrating, dual-weight hyaluronic acid (it’s 100-percent injectable-grade), which supports the skin barrier.

Thanks to our incredible friends at ILIA Beauty, you’re getting not one, but TWO of the brand’s best-selling complexion sticks in each box! You will receive a voucher so you can choose the shades that work best for you (there’s a Shade Finder quiz on the brand’s website if you’re unsure). Or, get your second one for someone special as a gift, or grab a deeper shade to use for contouring.

Boasting a ton of celebrity fans like Emma Stone, Mandy Moore and so many others, this Complexion Stick comes in 42 shades, glides on like butter and gives skin a natural-matte, medium-coverage finish. We love the blurred effect and addition of several skin-care ingredients that help firm, smooth and soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles over time.

Eye cream is one of our most requested products every year in this box, and we’ve gone above and beyond with this one. This advanced, dermatologist-loved formula helps with so many eye area concerns including dark circles, fine lines, puffiness, uneven skin tone and crepiness thanks to its unique TriHex technology, which supports the skin’s natural ability to produce new, healthy elastin and collagen. Use one pump morning and evening, and apply it all the way around the eye, even on the upper lid under the brow bone.

This mascara launched earlier this year and quickly became a fan favorite—it’s Olivia Rodrigo’s favorite, too. It instantly lengthens with a special “wax-in-water emulsion” that stretches the lashes while still keeping them soft and fluttery. In a consumer study, 96 percent of lash extension users said they would recommend this mascara.

And let’s talk about the brush, too: This is Lancôme’s tiniest elastomer brush that has more than 480 nano-bristles to lengthen and separate every lash without clumps. It’s also great for coating the lower lash line without smudging.

This new dry shampoo deserves the rave reviews its getting. COLOR WOW’s brilliant chemist Dr. Joe Cincotta says that most dry shampoos sit on top of oil, which is what causes that gritty texture or residue you get with many formulas. This one contains a shampoo-grade cleanser that actually dissolves oil into micro-droplets, like a real shampoo, and then ultra-fine starches absorb them so the hair actually gets clean. It doesn’t make color look flat or dull, and it doesn’t turn dark hair white.

This is still the number-one neck cream in the country after so many years, and it really delivers. It uses an innovative Alpha-3 Peptide technology to firm up slack skin and minimize the look of horizontal neck lines. It’s also very hydrating, which we need for the skin on our neck because it’s drier and contains fewer oils glands. In clinical testing, after just four weeks, 94 percent of users saw visible improvement in skin firmness. The texture is rich, but it absorbs well without a sticky residue.

A cleansing balm in tube? Yes please! We love this formula for melting away makeup and sunscreen and leaving skin super clean without that tight feeling thanks to moisturizing apple seed oil and shea butter. The apple seed oil—rich in omegas and super moisturizing for the skin—is actually upcycled from the seeds that are left over after apple cider is made, and then it is cold-pressed. It’s the perfect first step in a double cleanse, which is especially important if you wear sunscreen, which we hope everyone is!

This water-based, gel formula lathers into a super creamy foam, which is when “the magic happens,” founder Alicia Yoon says. The formula contains these rich hydrobubbles that get all the gunk out of your pores, and you’ll love the way your skin feels afterward: soft, clean and healthy. The cleanser is sulfate-free, so it won’t strip the skin, and it’s the perfect second step in a double cleanse if you wear makeup and/or sunscreen.

This is the brand’s best-selling, award-winning blush that has thousands of five-star reviews and comes in over a dozen shades, but we’re including Tropic Hues in the box, which is a gorgeous marbleized mixture of coral, pink and gold and a fan favorite. The brand bakes the blush on terracotta tiles in Italy, which creates this incredible marriage of colors that is universally flattering on all skin tones and goes on so silky.

We love the satin finish, which gives skin a really pretty sheen that catches the light in all the right places. This is one of the key reasons why founder Laura Geller says this is the best blush for mature skin.

Now let’s talk about beauty sleep and this amazing new product from Nakery Beauty that will become your new bedtime self-care ritual. It’s a rich, buttery balm that quenches dry skin while also helping relax your mind. It’s infused with so many amazing ingredients like magnesium to reduce any soreness, melatonin to promote better sleep, retinol to reduce signs of aging, several moisturizing butters and more.

Skin feels smoother and firmer, and in fact, the balm is clinically proven to improve sagging, crepey skin. Founder Liz Folce told us many of her customers also use it on their neck and have seen impressive results.

Celebrity aesthetician Mimi Luzon has been responsible for the glow of so many A-listers like Ashley Graham and Sabrina Carpenter, and is known for signature 24K Gold Facial Treatment, which dozens of celebs get before red-carpet events. This is one of her best-selling products from her luxury skin-care line, and we’re obsessed!

The formula, which Luzon says it’s one of her must-have products for dry, winter skin, is a unique blend of a serum, oil and cream offering a long list of benefits. Infused with bakuchiol (a plant-based retinol alternative), it’s great for aging skin, but it’s also incredibly nourishing. You’ll see and feel the difference!

Grande Cosmetics is famous for its award-winning lash serum that pretty much makes our lashes touch our eyebrows (it’s the number-one lash serum in the country), but it’s not a fit for everyone because it contains prostaglandins and some find their eyes are too sensitive for it. However, founder Alicia Grande created this new sensitive formula, so now there’s an option for everyone.

It’s free of prostaglandins, but still contains the brand’s LashCatalyst Peptide Complex, which is backed by years of research and makes lashes look thicker and longer in just six weeks (often sooner). In a consumer study, 100 percent of users also saw less lash fallout.

If you’re a fashionista, you’re most likely familiar with WEWOREWHAT, the fashion blog and brand created by Danielle Bernstein. She launched this perfume late last year and it’s different than anything else in my fragrance collection.

The scent is a woody gourmand created by one of the most in-demand perfumers in the industry, Jerome Epinette, with key notes of creamy fig, cardamom, patchouli, coconut water, cedarwood and amber. Bernstein says the fragrance was inspired by the luxuries of New York City—she wanted something “familiar yet exciting”—and it delivers just that. It also smells a little different on everyone, and it’s perfect for the fall/winter season.

You’re probably thinking, isn’t that the brand with the crazy face mask that went viral in 2017? Yes, it is, and there are several other fantastic products worth trying. This isn’t your average moisturizer—the formula is so sophisticated, using a special nanotechnology process that allows for a high concentration of actives like glycerin, squalane, peptides and more to be rapidly delivered into the skin.

We love the super light texture (it almost blends in like water), and the packaging is very chic, minimalistic and unisex. This fragrance-free formula is going to make your skin barrier so happy while also hydrating, firming and brightening your skin over time.

This former NewBeauty Award Winner detangles and moisturizes hair, helps tame frizz, gives hair more shine, protects color, and makes hair easier to style. But that’s not all: it also contains heat protection, and it’s not greasy. It works for all hair types, and if you have fine hair, it won’t weigh your hair down. The mist is also really fine, and a little goes a long way. Plus, it smells amazing!

This is the time of year when that summer sun damage starts to rear its ugly head and you might see some dark spots popping up, and this derm-recommended formula can help. It’s a lightweight gel that uses glycolic, kojic and citric acids, plus brighteners like vitamin C, licorice root and gluconolactone to make dark spots fade away.

The tube is small, but it’s meant to only be applied directly on dark spots or discolored areas, not all over your face, so it lasts a long time. You should also use it on your hands and/or if you have dark spots there too!

We know press-ons are one of the biggest categories in beauty right now, and this brand was introduced to us late last year and we quickly fell in love with it. The founder Krystina comes from a fashion background and loved the idea of press-on nails, but didn’t love the designs and shapes she was seeing on the market, so she made her own!

S/ALT stands for The Salon Alternative, and these nails really look and feel salon-worthy. The almond-shaped French Merlot style is one of my personal favorites, but each box will contain one of 20 different styles. Krystina thought of every little detail: the designs are so chic and relevant; the glue is medical-grade, and she even tinkered endlessly over the base color to make it as natural-looking as possible.

We always get asked for an acne product in this collection, so we’ve got you covered with this former NewBeauty Award winner that sends pimples packing. It combines 6-percent sulfur with barrier-boosting ingredients to quickly take down inflamed pimples and calm breakouts, while also helping to reduce the appearance of redness.

Sulfur is amazing as a spot treatment because it absorbs oil and bacteria and gets the gunk out of your pores, and unlike other sulfur spot treatments that dry like clay or a different color, this one dries clear, so you can really use it any time you need to.

We’re including the shade Keep It Glowy in every box, which is a universally flattering, sheer pink, but you’re going to want this lip balm in every shade! It’s super buttery, hydrating and feels so good on the lips, which is thanks to the 12-percent squalane, shea butter, jojoba oil and ceramides. In fact, this lip balm is made with 83-percent skin-care ingredients!

It gives lips the perfect amount of glossy shine and the hydration lasts up to 24 hours. The brand also did clinical testing that showed that it also helps improve the appearance of vertical lip lines after just seven days!

We all need a good under-eye mask in our lives, especially this time of year with all the holiday hoopla. I know I’m not sleeping as well as I should be. These hydrogel masks won’t slip down your face and are infused with peptides and hydrolyzed collagen to support collagen production in the skin.

They’re not only super refreshing and depuffing, but they also help reduce the look of fine lines—you’ll see and feel a difference right away. These are amazing stocking stuffer or gift for a new mom, busy colleague or anyone else who could use a little more self-care!

This is a cream-based eyeshadow in a beautiful rose-infused copper gold shade, which is a great shade to try if you normally wear a very neutral eye and want to dial it up just a bit, especially around the holidays for a little more oomph. Founder Trinny Woodall wanted this eyeshadow to be foolproof for people who might be scared of eyeshadow, and indeed it is—you can use your finger to apply it.

It’s also super versatile because you can also apply it to your lash line as a liner (top or bottom) with a liner brush, or in the crease on top of a lighter shade of eyeshadow to add dimension.

This liquid eyeliner lets you draw a perfect cat eye with precision, it layers well over eyeshadow, it dries quickly and it won’t smudge (it’s waterproof). Pro tip: Brand founder Karissa Bodnar recommends letting it dry for 30 seconds before fully opening your eyes to keep that precise line locked in.

Each box contains the shade Lauren, which is a matte black. The formula is also dermatologist- and ophthalmologist-tested to be safe for sensitive eyes. We also love that the brand gives back to so many incredible causes—hence the name Thrive Causemetics—throughout the year, so if you like this one, I recommend trying other products too, like the best-selling Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, so you can help support!

There have been so many new setting sprays this year, but not all of them are created equal. This one from ICONIC LONDON gives skin a really pretty velvet-matte finish and actually locks makeup in place for up to 16 hours. It not only contains oil-absorbing powders that get rid of excess shine (great for those with oily skin), but also niacinamide for pore minimizing long-term. We love how the spray dispenses so evenly as well and we’ve tested it in high humidity, too—it holds up!

This former NewBeauty Award Winner helps fight the good fight when it comes to reducing signs of inflammaging on the skin like fine lines, dryness, dullness, uneven skin tone and uneven texture. It’s powered by DEINDE’s patented biotech ingredient called Naringenin, which is derived from grapefruit peels and clinically proven to reduce inflammaging markers in the skin cells by 96 percent! In fact, it’s 15 times more powerful than niacinamide at reducing these markers.

We love the lightweight, milky texture, and it’s also fragrance-free and great for sensitive skin. It even has the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance.

Let’s face it, Jennifer Lopez knows what works when it comes to body care–we can’t believe she is 56 years old! This body serum is great for anyone who is concerned with crepey or rough skin and looking to smooth everything out a bit. It’s great for the upper arms, legs, chest and anywhere else you want smoothing action.

Key ingredients include firming peptides, brightening niacinamide, exfoliating alphahydroxy acids, clarifying bentonite clay and JLo’s signature fermented olive oil for moisture, which balances out the clay. We recommend applying it right when you get out of the shower after you’ve dried off, but if you’re using it in the morning and wearing something that exposes your skin, be sure to apply SPF on top because alphahydroxy acids can make skin more sensitive to the sun.

For those with oily skin, this is a great option instead of a traditional night cream because it’s a super lightweight, oil-free gel. It’s also great for acne-prone skin types looking for lighter formulas that won’t cause or exacerbate breakouts.

The formula hydrates in a gentle way while also using mandelic acid (an alphahydroxy acid that’s great for oily skin) and gluconolactone (a polyhydroxy acid) to gently exfoliate, making skin feel smoother and look healthier and more radiant.

This velvety lip crayon allows you to line and fill in your lips so easily—sometimes you can even just use it as a liner. Each box is getting the shade Rummy Pink, which is a neutral-toned, brown-meets-pink that looks good on just about everyone.

The formula has a powdery matte finish, but it doesn’t dry out your lips thanks to the wild mango butter in it that keeps it smooth. And when you want to go glossy instead of matte, use it as a pretty base and top it with a clear or neutral pink gloss.