Shop Like a Byrdie Editor With Our Guide to the Best Makeup Brands of 2024 (2024)

There are so many makeup brands on the market—not to mention new ones launching all the time—that it can make even the most seasoned beauty editor’s head spin. While at times overwhelming, the plus side is more products now than ever before cater to a wider range of style preferences and skin tones. To help you weed through all the options and find the truly standout products, we’ve rounded up a list of the best makeup brands out there today (in our opinion), from decades-old classics to impressive newbies.

To be fair, this topic is pretty subjective, but we relied on our beauty expertise, personal experiences, and results from countless product tests to bring you a list of true all-stars. We evaluated each brand based on its portfolio of tried-and-true products (many of which include our tested winners), innovative launches, and shade inclusivity. Ahead, you’ll find the makeup brands that stand out against the rest. Plus, we’re sharing our favorite hero products from each one.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

The brand: Founded by eyebrow expert Anastasia Soare, the inventor of the Golden Ratio (a patented eyebrow shaping method), Anastasia Beverly Hills hit the market first with a range of brow products inspired by her clients. It’s since been a leader in the brow category, launching pencils, waxes, gels, and powders that remain customer and makeup artist favorites. Today, the brand has a full range of complexion, lip, and eye makeup, and is a go-to for those who enjoy full glam makeup looks.

The hero product: Despite having numerous iconic products in its range, the Brow Freeze Gel, a newer launch from the brand has quickly become a hero and Byrdie favorite. It features a comb applicator to sculpt and brush the brow hairs, and a tacky, gel-like formula that holds them in place all day without feeling crunchy.

Read Full Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Just Dropped a Gel Version of Its Viral Brow Freeze Wax

Armani Beauty

The brand: Armani Beauty was inspired by makeup products and techniques used backstage at runway shows. It creates glamorous but easy-to-use products, featuring smooth, glow-boosting formulas.

The hero product: The Luminous Silk Foundation is without question, the brand’s most iconic product. Makeup artists and Byrdie editors agree it’s one of the best foundations you can buy. It has medium coverage and a skin-like, radiant finish that suits all skin types. It also boasts an extensive shade range and impressive longevity, making it hard to beat.

Charlotte Tilbury

The brand: Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury created her eponymous makeup brand in 2012 to give women the tools to craft the same confidence-boosting looks that she does for her celebrity clientele. From luxurious packaging and easy-to-use products to wearable shades and stellar performance, you can get a taste of red carpet glamour right at home with Charlotte Tilbury’s products.

The hero product: Pillow Talk Lipstick is one of the best-selling lipsticks in the US, and it has been for several years. The fan-favorite shade is a neutral pink that looks beautiful on a ton of different complexions. The Matte Revolution formula is pigmented, smooth, and comfortable, making it easy to swipe on and wear all day. The brand has since expanded the Pillow Talk range, adding more products in the hero shade and more iterations of the lipstick to suit even more skin tones.

Dior

The brand: Fashion designer Christian Dior launched Miss Dior, the brand’s iconic fragrance in 1947, followed by Rouge Dior lipstick in 1953, the first makeup product for the brand. Since then, it's expanded into a massive global makeup line, offering a wide range of complexion, eye, and lip products.

The hero product: The Lip Glow Oil was one of the first lip oils to gain serious popularity, and it remains one of the best options today. Not only is the packaging a little slice of luxury, but the formula is smooth, hydrating, rich (but not heavy), and more long-lasting than most options we’ve tried. It smooths the appearance of lip lines, lending to full-looking lips with a glassy finish.

Fenty Beauty

The brand: Rihanna revolutionized the beauty industry when she introduced Fenty Beauty to the world with a foundation available in 50 inclusive shades. Inclusivity was at the forefront of the brand, not an afterthought. Since then, Fenty Beauty has expanded to a full line of products that give consumers with diverse skin tones and makeup preferences the tools to get creative and feel confident.

The hero product: The Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation initially launched in 50 shades, but the brand has since expanded the offering to 58. It has a lightweight formula with buildable coverage and a soft matte finish. It’s also long-wearing and resistant to heat and sweat, making it the perfect pick for people with oily skin or those who live in humid climates.

Read Full Review: Fenty Beauty's Soft Matte Foundation Kept My Skin Shine-Free in the Georgia Heat

Glossier

The brand: Glossier was started in 2014 to make beauty feel easy and accessible. It relied on crowdsourcing from its social media followers to inform its product creation. Glossier products are simple to use and great for minimal makeup looks.

The hero product: Though there are a few mainstays in the Glossier line, our favorite is the Cloud Paint Gel Cream Blush. It’s a liquid blush formula that blends into the cheeks seamlessly and can be built up for a watercolor flush.

Haus Labs

The brand: Founded by Lady Gaga and her team of creatives, innovators, and scientists, Haus Labs combines creativity and science-backed technology to create high-performing makeup formulas. Giving back is also important to the brand—a portion of all sales goes towards supporting the Born This Way Foundation which focuses on mental heath in young people.

The hero product: The Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation is a gem of a product. It’s available in more than 50 shades ranging from very fair to very deep, meaning most people can find an excellent match for their skin tone. Not only is the shade range one of the best available, but the formula is equally as impressive. It provides medium buildable coverage, a skin-like finish, and impressive longevity.

Hourglass

The brand: Hourglass was founded in 2004 and has been vocally cruelty-free since the beginning. It donates 1% of proceeds to the Nonhuman Rights Project, an organization that focuses on securing rights for animals. Beyond supporting a philanthropic brand, you’ll be investing in products that are luxurious, sophisticated, and high-performing.

The hero product: Hourglass is known for its incredibly smooth, finely milled powders; the Veil Translucent Setting Powder is one of the best setting powders we’ve tried. It’s talc-free and has a very subtle pearlescence, ensuring that it never looks dry or cakey on the skin. It locks in makeup and creates a beautiful blurring effect.

Ilia

The brand: A leader in the clean beauty space, Ilia’s products are formulated with safe, good-for-skin ingredients, such as squalane, shea butter, and allantoin. Its products walk the line between skincare and makeup, lending to minimalist items that enhance your natural features.

The hero product: The Limitless Lash Mascara is one of the best mascaras available, and it’s a beloved product among Byrdie editors. It has a unique, dual-sided wand with short bristles to lift and add a hint of volume to the lashes and long bristles to lengthen and separate them. We also appreciate that it’s suitable for sensitive eyes.

Kosas

The brand: Kosas was founded on the principle that makeup should do good things for our skin considering how long we wear it. The products are formulated with skincare ingredients that enhance makeup performance rather than detract from it. Unlike many “clean” makeup brands, Kosas’s products aren’t only meant for minimal makeup looks—they deliver on pigmentation, shade ranges, and longevity.

The hero product: Despite it being a newer launch, the Blush Is Life Baked Dimensional + Brightening Blush has quickly become a mainstay. The baked formula is available in eight vivid and neutral shades, each with a unique marbled design and a smooth, luminous finish. They instantly awaken the complexion with the perfect boost of color and radiance.

Read Full Review: We Tried Kosas's New Skincare-Infused Powder Blush

Lancôme

The brand: Lancôme was brought to life in 1935 by Armand Petitjean to deliver French elegance around the world. What began us just a collection of five fragrances has since evolved into a global beauty brand offering skincare and makeup, too.

The hero product: Lancôme has several bestsellers in the mascara and complexion categories, but our hero from the brand is the Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Matte Foundation. It’s available in 55 shades, offers full coverage that maintains a skin-like finish, and lasts all day long.

Makeup By Mario

The brand: Mario Dedivanovic launched his beauty brand in 2020 after working as a professional makeup artist for 20 years. The brand’s products were designed to help customers easily recreate his signature techniques at home. When ideating new launches, Dedivanovic calls on inspiration from his personal favorite products while working with clients over the years.

The hero product: Since its inception just a few years ago, Makeup By Mario has created dozens of standout products. The Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette is a fan-favorite thanks to the wearable, everyday neutral shades that can be built up for intensified glamour. The formula is smooth, easy to blend, and long-wearing.

Maybelline New York

The brand: Maybelline launched in 1917 when Mabel Williams burned her lashes in a cooking fire. That disaster turned into an opportunity—she mixed the ashes with Vaseline to create a mascara. Since then, Maybelline has expanded into nearly all makeup categories and has become a leading global drugstore makeup brand available in more than 120 countries.

The hero product: Although Maybelline New York has expanded into a wide variety of makeup categories, we still think mascara is where it shines the most. The Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara is a drugstore mascara we adore thanks to the flake-free formula that separates, lengthens, and thickens lashes for a gorgeous lifted look.

Read Full Review: Maybelline's Sky High Mascara Creates Dreamy, Fluttery Lashes

Merit

The brand: Feeling fatigued by full glam and products that seemed to require pro-artist skills, Katherine Power founded Merit in 2021 to offer products that make getting ready easier. They’re designed by everyday makeup consumers who take a minimalist approach to beauty.

The hero product: Merit does a great job of creating elevated everyday essentials—the Signature Lip Lightweight Satin Lipstick is the perfect example. It’s a classic satin lipstick with chic packaging, sophisticated shades, and an elevated texture that feels lightweight and moisturizing on the lips, thanks to a combination of nourishing plant oils, like sunflower seed oil, in the formula.

NARS

The brand: Makeup artist François Nars created NARS in 1994 inspired by his fascination with color and texture. He launched the brand with 12 lipsticks and, after seeing their success, expanded it into the complexion and eye categories. Today, Nars offers a wide range of approachable, artistry-inspired products with a high-fashion approach to beauty.

The hero product: NARS has released several iconic products since its inception in the '90s, many of which could be considered heroes in the line. We love the Laguna Talc-Free Bronzer Powder; it’s one of our favorite bronzers around. It comes in eight bronze shades to suit a variety of skin tones. It has buildable pigmentation, easy blendability, and a smooth finish on the skin.

NYX Professional Makeup

The brand: NYX is an affordable professional makeup line that offers a wide range of products in every shade needed to create stunning makeup looks for pro artists and everyday consumers. It gained massive popularity online by cultivating a following of beauty-loving content creators. Today, it’s available in more than 70 countries in stores and online.

The hero product: The NYX Butter Gloss became super popular among beauty vloggers nearly a decade ago, and it’s maintained its appeal ever since. The formula is creamy, pigmented, and moisturizing, and it comes in nearly 40 shades across a wide range of color families.

Read Full Review: NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss Review: Checks All Boxes

Pat McGrath Labs

The brand: Nearly three decades into her professional career as a makeup artist, Pat McGrath launched Pat McGrath Labs, a beauty brand that pushes the boundaries of beauty. Drawing inspiration from her time doing makeup looks for high-fashion and couture runway shows and editorial campaigns, McGrath creates functional and fun products that play with color and texture.

The hero product: There are no eyeshadow palettes quite like the Mothership Eyeshadow Palettes from Pat McGrath Labs. Each one features 10 shades in a variety of formulas—usually a combination of matte, satin, shimmer, and reflective metallics. The eyeshadows are pigmented and add gorgeous dimension to eye looks. The packaging is high-quality black lacquered material, making the palettes a worthy investment.

Patrick Ta Beauty

The brand: Celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta launched his eponymous makeup brand in 2019 as an homage to the strong and supportive women in his life. Although he works with the world’s leading artists and supermodels, his vision is to create makeup that makes everyone feel confident. Patrick Ta Beauty offers a range of high-quality products that anyone from makeup novices to pros can use.

The hero product: The Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo has reached icon status on social media, and it’s one of our favorites, too. It’s available in 12 stunning shades ranging from bronzy neutral to rich berry and pretty much everything in between. Each one has a cream and powder formula that can be worn alone or layered for a customized, long-wearing look.

Read Full Review: This Patrick Ta Blush Gives Me an Ethereal Glow

Rare Beauty

The brand: Rare Beauty was founded by Selena Gomez who believes every person is unique and rare. She created the brand to celebrate that uniqueness by offering products that highlight authentic beauty and make you feel your best. Rare Beauty also aims to shape positive conversations around self-acceptance and mental health, and raises money for mental health initiatives through the Rare Impact Fund.

The hero product: The Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is a TikTok viral blush that we fully believe is worthy of the praise it receives. The lightweight formula is long-lasting and packed with pigment—all you need is one dot to create a gorgeous flush.

Read Full Review: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Review

Tarte Cosmetics

The brand: Tarte Cosmetics was founded in 1999 by Maureen Kelly who wanted to create a cruelty-free makeup brand with products that contain good-for-you ingredients. The brand is 85% vegan and formulates products without parabens, mineral oil, and phthalates.

The hero product: The Shape Tape Full Coverage Concealer is one of the best-selling makeup products of the last decade and a Byrdie-favorite concealer. It offers full coverage that camouflages blemishes and redness while covering and brightening dark circles. We also love that it’s available in 38 shades and is a very long-wearing formula.

Tower 28

The brand: Amy Liu launched Tower 28 after working at top beauty brands for nearly 20 years. Despite her experience working in beauty, she had trouble testing and using beauty products due to her chronic eczema. She created Tower 28 to be inclusive of all skin tones and skin types, even sensitive skin. It’s the first brand to adhere to the National Eczema Association’s guidelines, making it completely safe for people suffering from eczema and sensitive skin.

The hero product: The BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush is one of the first products launched by the brand, and it’s remained a core member of the Tower 28 family ever since. It’s one of our favorite cream blushes thanks to its creamy texture, seamless blendability, and dewy finish. We also love that it can be worn on the lips for a hint of color and shine.

Victoria Beckham Beauty

The brand: Despite having access to the world’s best beauty products and application tips from pro artists, Victoria Beckham felt something was lacking in the beauty space. So she created a brand that offered high-performing products, ingredient transparency, an elevated user experience, and thoughtful curation.It only releases products that Beckham feels outperform what’s on the market, and it focuses on luxury formulas in classic and fashion-inspired shades.

The hero product: The Satin Kajal Liner is one of our favorite pencil eyeliners around. It comes in nearly 20 shades ranging from classic black and cocoa brown to rich copper and eggplant purple. The formula is pigmented and long-wearing, and we love that it can be diffused for a lived-in look by smudging it out with the smudge-tip at the opposite end of the pencil.