Credit: Fiona Peltonen

Join Staff Reporters Fiona Peltonen and Maggie Buffum as they interview classmates about whether they recommend certain beauty products for the holidays or not.

It’s gifting season and when shopping for yourself and others, you might be raising an eyebrow at the price of some viral beauty products. We asked our classmates who have had firsthand experiences with some of these products whether certain products are worth it or overhyped.

Splurge:

Glow Recipe Dew Drops ($35)
Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Dew Drops is a niacinamide-infused serum designed to brighten skin, help with hyperpigmentation and provide an instantly dewy look. While the high price of this product might be initially surprising, it has gotten a lot of attention across social media platforms. “I would splurge on the Glow Recipe Dew Drops, I like the scent of them and they’re super refreshing,” freshman Violet Kuris said.

Summer Fridays Lip Balm ($24)
Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm is a vegan lip balm and overnight lip mask designed to hydrate dry lips. It’s made with shea and murmur seed butters and natural flavoring. “I love it because it has really good scents, it lasts for a while and it’s really good quality,” freshman Sadie Alongi said.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($9)
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a water-based serum made with sodium hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer and panthenol. It’s meant to plump the skin, while smoothing out wrinkles and texture at the same time. “I used it at my friends’ house and it made my skin super hydrated the next morning,” freshman Callie Zedower said.

Tower 28 SOS Rescue Spray ($28)
Made with hypochlorous acid, this spray toner treatment targets flare-ups and strengthens the skin barrier. It can be used throughout the day, even over makeup, to refresh and hydrate your skin. “I would 100% recommend splurging on the full-sized Tower 28 Rescue Spray, it’s so good at preventing acne,” freshman Devin Tandon said. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel ($22)
Anastasia Beverly Hills has been crowned the No. 1 Brow Brand in the U.S by The NPD Group and U.S. Prestige Beauty Total Measured Market and Eyebrow Makeup Sales. It’s designed to keep your eyebrows in place and create a clean look. To use, gently brush your brows with the wand 5-6 times. “It stays on for a long time, and it has a lot of different shades and sizes,” freshman Maereg Million said.

Sol de janeiro Body Mists ($38)
Sol de Janerio is a cosmetic brand best known for their body mists. They come in 240 ml, 90 ml and 30 ml sizes, and have a variety of different scents. Most fragrance mists also have a body cream matching its scent. “It smells so good and I’ve memorized all the scents, so whenever I hug a friend I know what they’re wearing,” freshman Lexi Greely said. “I would recommend 40 ml and 68 ml, but not 62 ml because it is very strong.”

Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream ($72)
This skin cream contains hyaluronic acid, which has been proven to plump fine lines, seal in moisture and protect skin for a softer, less flaky feel. This is the brand’s best-selling moisturizer, because it’s made to drench skin in rich, long-lasting hydration. “It makes your skin glow and also helps with acne,” freshman Alex Tran said. “It’s also good for every skin type.”

Save:

Bath and body works perfume ($19)
Bath and Body Works has several scented perfumes from scents like “Champagne Toast” to “A Thousand Wishes.” It comes in bottles of 8 oz and 2.5 oz, and is dermatologist tested. There are constantly new seasonal scents in rotation, and some fragrances have a body cream or butter that goes along with it. “It smells great [and] there are so many different scents, but it wears off in 10-15 minutes, and is overpriced for the big containers,” freshman Nina Gandhi said.

Laneige Lip Mask ($24)
Although the Laneige Lip mask is designed to hydrate, nourish and get rid of the flaky texture of lips, some reports say it functions more like a high-price lipgloss. “I just don’t think it hydrates very well,” Alongi said. “I like it as a gloss, but it shouldn’t be known as a sleeping mask because it doesn’t hydrate.”

Supergoop Glow Sunscreen ($38)
Supergoop sunscreen comes in many different forms, like glow sunscreen, unseen sunscreen and an everyday lotion. The superglow sunscreen gives a glowing layer to your face with a priming effect for a finished makeup look. “I would save on any sort of supergoop sunscreen, [because] they’re all so greasy, way too overpriced and cause breakouts,” Tandon said.

Pixi glow tonic ($15)
Pixi glow tonic is a concentrated toner for skin to get rid of excess oil and fill pores to create a more finishing look. This 250 ml bottle is made to exfoliate and purify with glycolic acid, an acid that breaks the bonds between the outer layer of skin cells. “It burns your skin off and smells really gross,” freshman Annabelle Hage said.

Rare Beauty Blush ($23)
This blush comes in a four-inch container with lots of highly pigmented product, so a little dot can go a long way. This blush comes in numerous shades, such as “Bliss,” “Love,” “Grace,” “Faith” and “Joy.” “I think rare beauty blush is not good,” Greely said. “It’s way too pigmented, and even though I love Selena Gomez, it doesn’t blend well. I like the highlighter, but I don’t like the blush at all.”

Glow Recipe Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm ($32)
This 100 ml cleansing balm is a face cleanser meant to leave your face smooth and glowy by dissolving makeup, dirt and oil. It’s made without polyethylene glycol because this material can cause irritation to sensitive skin. In 2021, it won HelloGiggles Beauty Awards: Best Luxe Makeup Remover, Women’s Healthly Beauty Awards: Best Cleansing Balm and POPSUGAR Women-Owned Beauty Awards: Best Face Wash. “The Glow Recipe papaya balm is not moisturizing, it doesn’t help you and it’s just expensive for its tiny size,” Tran said.