These Are the 15 Most Obsessed-Over Beauty Products of 2016
Number 4 earned 29 million Facebook views.
The internet could not get enough beauty this year. Celebrities and top beauty experts were launching brands left and right, and anything that Instagram-ed beautifully, whether in packaging or on an influencer's face, sold out like Drake concert tickets. Here, the top 15 beauty products that caused mass online hysteria in 2016.
Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lip Kit
In the viral beauty wars that were 2016, Kylie was, well, you know, king. While all her launches have been met with similar fervor, the lip kit craze hit peak Google search volume and crashed her site in late March, just as she restocked her shades for the second time.
Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lip Kit, $29; kyliecosmetics.com
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer
The beauty world was completely blown away (sorry) when the famous vacuum company decided to update the common hair dryer with high-tech features like heat control, a tiny motor, and magnetic attachments. Not to mention, you can literally peer right through the groundbreaking donut-shaped head piece.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, $399.99; dyson.com
M.A.C. Selena Collection
If you didn't bidi bidi bom bom fast enough on this launch, you're not alone. After selling out online five hours after release, maccosmetics.com had its highest traffic day ever and called the collection one of their most sought-after launches in history. They are restocking the collection in January 2017.
M.A.C. Selena Collection, prices vary by product; maccosmetics.com
Victoria Beckham Estée Lauder
Even top beauty editors struggled to get their hands on the instant classics in this collection, especially the coveted Morning Aura Illuminating Creme. Rumors are we'll see more beauty from VB in the future. Don't forget, Tom Ford launched a collab with Estée Lauder not long before his own brand was established with the parent company.
Victoria Beckham Estée Lauder, prices vary by product; esteelauder.com
Pat McGrath Labs Lust 004 Kits
Last year, the makeup artist's first launch, Gold 001, sold out in six minutes and six seconds. This year, after littering the internet with images of A-listers like Naomi Campbell and Chrissy Teigen sporting the ruby slipper lip, Pat McGrath's glittering twist on the lip kit sold out in the first day. Good news if you missed the original Gold 001: It's back on sephora.com as part of the latest Metalmorphosis 005 Kit launch this fall.
Pat McGrath Labs Lust 004 Kits, $60; patmcgrath.com
BitterLaceBeauty Prism Highlighter
This niche Etsy brand struck gold with its handmade rainbow highlighter, which elicited happy cries of fairies and unicorns from web fans and a nearly constantly sold out supply for the Oralndo-based maker. Knock offs were aplenty, including Wet n Wild, which sold out and restocked as well.
BitterLaceBeauty Prism Highlighter; etsy.com
Ouai Haircare
Jet Atkin, known as the hairstylist to the Kardashians, Chrissy Teigen, and Hailey Baldwin, among others, came to fame through social media; she has 1.7 million followers on Instagram. She finally launched her own label in February, which earned itself 127k Instagram follows by the end of the year and a frequent place among many an influencer's #topshelf.
Ouai Haircare, prices vary by product;theouai.com
Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario
Makeup lovers scrambled for the 12-shade eyeshadow palette designed by Kim Kardashian's makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, who boasts an Instagram following of 2.8 million. Fans plowed through the stock of 50,000 palettes by 8pm on the day it launched.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario, $45; sephora.com
The Estée Edit Lip Flip Shade Transformers
Kendall Jenner and influencer Irene Kim were the faces of this new brand from beauty giant Estée Lauder. Social media gravitated straight toward the yellow and black Lip Flip lipstick bullets which brighten or deepen (respectively) any lip color.
Estée Edit Lip Flip Shade Transformers, $22; esteelauder.com
M.A.C. Caitlyn Jenner Finally Free Lipstick
There are few beauty brands that have been as vocal advocates for the LGBT community as M.A.C. In a genius collaboration, the beauty brand created an ultra-wearable nude-rose lipstick with Jenner in April (her first beauty venture), giving 100 percent of all proceeds to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative.
M.A.C. Caitlyn Jenner Finally Free Lipstick, $17; maccosmetics.com
Glossier Stretch Concealer
All the products in cult favorite brand's Phase 2 makeup launch drove waitlists this year, but Glossier fans fell especially hard for the potted cover-up which became known for discreetly disguising blemishes of any kind.
Glossier Stretch Concealer, $18; glossier.com
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick
Actress Ruby Rose was the face of this new creamy lipstick in 6 finishes and 100 shades. And with nearly 3 billion media impressions, this launch even beat out Naked Ultimate Basics Palette as UD's biggest launch of the year.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick, $17; urbandecay.com
Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lipstick in Unicorn Tears
Between unicorn eye liner, unicorn horn makeup brushes, and unicorn chrome powder for nails, there was no avoiding the mythical creature this year. Even though Too Faced's iridescent blue lip color launched last year, the social buzz resurfaced just last month, finishing off a year of major beauty product obsessions with a whimsical bang.
Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lipstick in Unicorn Tears, $22; toofaced.com
Lush Shower Jellies
While they were originally launched years ago, Instagram got hooked on these jiggly jellies earlier this year and has sold 350,000 since. One Facebook video that showed the soaps wobbling in slow motion garnered over 29 million views.
Lush Shower Jellies, from $6.95-$9.95; lushusa.com
SNP Animal Mask Sheets
K-beauty + selfies + cute animals = the Instagram trifecta. These adorable skin care treatments, printed with the faces of pandas, tigers, kittens, rabbits, and other furry friends, are like Snapchat filters with benefits. Just try not to take a picture.
SNP Animal Mask Sheets, $5; ulta.com
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