25 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winners You Can Buy at Target Right Now
"I stopped by Target to buy one thing and ended up in there for three hours," or so the age-old tale goes. We've fooled ourselves one too many times thinking we'd only pick up some household essentials like bath towels and laundry detergent, only to end up browsing the vast beauty aisles minutes later. Lest you need a reminder, Target is a treasure trove of affordable, emerging, and innovative brands that include a growing number of Black-owned brands we cherish, runway-inspired makeup, and customizable hair care. Plus, the addition of mini Ulta Beauty stores all but guarantees extended shopping sessions—online or IRL.
Luckily for you, we've put together a curated list of 2022's best and brightest beauty finds — across skin-care, hair-care, and makeup categories — that have earned the coveted Allure Best of Beauty seal. And get this: Most products don't exceed $20. Yeah, we hope you love a steal as much as we do. If so, start shopping our favorites, including editor-beloved brands like Black Girl Sunscreen, Melē, Olay, and so many more. Feel free to do a little celebratory dance while you wait for your packages to arrive.
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- 1/25
Jason Wu Beauty
Jason Wu Beauty Good Night Mr. Wu
Jason Wu Beauty's Good Night Mr. Wu is a creamy, dreamy lip mask that'll soften, soothe, and smooth chapped lips while you hit the hay. This overnight mask is infused with a moisturizing trifecta of shea butter, jojoba oil, and vitamin E to condition skin for a rose petal-smooth feel by morning time.
- 2/25
Essie
Essie Expressie
Smudged nails? Don't know her, thanks to Essie's Allure Best of Beauty-winning Expressie formula. As its name suggests, Essie's formula dries down ridiculously fast — like, within less than a minute — and leaves behind an opaque veil of color with each and every swipe. There are 44 colors to choose from, but nothing beats this classic cherry red shade named Seize the Minute.
- 3/25
L'Oréal Paris
L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Noir Balm Mascara
A mascara balm? Yep, it exists in the form of L'Oréal Paris's Voluminous Noir Balm Mascara, and it's so good that it won an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2022. This formula earned 10s across the board from our editors for its pitch-black hue that volumizes and defines lashes. It also gets brownie points for its no-budge formula that won't smear on your lids or undereyes.
- 4/25
Olay
Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel Moisturizer Fragrance-Free
Olay's Regenerist line is no stranger to our Best of Beauty Awards, but the Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel Moisturizer Fragrance-Free face cream is currently our favorite. It's air-light in texture yet just as hydrating as denser formulas, all due to the addition of hydrating hyaluronic acid and firming peptides in the formula. Since it's free of fragrances, sensitive skin types can use it, too.
- 5/25
Sun Bum
Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Roll-On Lotion
We love Sun Bum's innovative Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Roll-On Lotion so much that we just had to give it an Allure Best of Beauty Award. Basically, this is a roll-on alternative to the brand's popular SPF 50 chemical sunscreen lotion. It's a simple change, but it makes sunscreen application much easier than using your hands alone.
- 6/25
Secret
Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant (Real Coconut)
The Secret Aluminum-Free Deodorant's Real Coconut scent is wonderful enough to win an award, but that's not the only reason why it nabbed our highest accolade in 2022. This formula keeps odor at bay for up to 48 hours and is also free of talc and baking soda.
- 7/25
CHI
CHI Air Setter 2-in-1 Flat Iron & Curler
Yes, we'll address the fact that Chi's Air Setter 2-in-1 Flatiron & Curler is not the most affordable item on this list, but boy is it worth every penny. This hybrid tool can curl, wave, and straighten in a jiffy with its ceramic plates, which are rounded to also act as a curling barrel. As if that's not impressive enough, this device also features five heat temperatures that range from 250 to 410 degrees Fahrenheit and has a cool air feature to immediately set your curls after styling.
- 8/25
Pantene
Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner
Whether your hair is dry, brittle, damaged, or a combination of all of the above, Pantene's Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner is here to bring it back to its softer, shinier glory days. Both the shampoo and conditioner are formulated with two hero ingredients that'll perk up the overall look and feel of your hair: lipids for replenishing hair-softening moisture, and an antioxidant known as histidine to protect against free radical damage.
- 9/25
Melē
Mele No Shade Sunscreen Oil SPF 30
If Melē isn't on your radar, it will be now. It's a skin-care brand formulated with the biology of melanin-rich skin in mind and has already won over Allure editors — so much so that the No Shade Sunscreen Oil SPF 30 picked up a 2022 Best of Beauty Award. Since the formula is so fluid, you can easily mix it into any moisturizer of your choice. But even if you wear the sheer oil by itself, you'll find that it absorbs very quickly and easily.
- 10/25
No7
No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Glow Toner
Vitamin C is a non-negotiable part of our skin-care routines, and by extrapolation, so is No7's Radiance+ Vitamin C Glow Toner. This affordable product is infused with 2 percent vitamin C to improve radiance, as well as willow bark extract and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs like citric acid) to gently sweep away dead skin cells. Aloe vera and coconut oil soothe and moisturize skin so you can rest easy knowing your skin won't feel tight or irritated post-application. Just be sure to apply sunscreen during the day, and you'll witness clearer, brighter skin over time.
- 11/25
Pixi
Pixi +Rose Radiance Perfector
Pixi's +Rose Radiance Perfector is the perfect base to make your foundation look flawless. This blurring, rosewater-infused formula lends a pearlescent glow, so it works wonderfully on its own if you just want to liven up your complexion without actually putting on makeup. It's also spiked with hyaluronic acid and ceramides for long-lasting moisture. Or, you can use it in place of a highlighter and apply small dots to your cheekbones, brow bone, and cupid's bow.
- 12/25
Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen Make it Matte SPF 45
White casts are so last year. Similar to Black Girl Sunscreen's Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion, the Make It Matte SPF 45 doesn't leave a white or grayish, ashy cast — ever. Your skin looks the same, just protected from harmful UV rays. The mattifying gel is also infused with aloe, squalene, and shea butter for serious moisture so your skin doesn't feel like all of the moisture's been sucked out of it. Plus, associate news editor Gabi Thorne said that, "After layering it over a cream moisturizer and face oil, my skin still felt hydrated and had a nice glowy sheen to it."
- 13/25
Kristin Ess
Kristin Ess Beach Waves 1” Curling Iron
When a salon blowout isn't in the budget, take matters into your own hands and arm yourself with the Kristin Ess Beach Waves 1" Curling Iron for sleek, polished curls or waves. (It works especially well on bobs, lobs, and pixie cuts, according to the brand, but this $50 winner is great for all hair types.) Customize your styling session with four temperature presets (325 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit) and let the smoothing titanium barrel and shine-enhancing negative ions perform their magic. And for forgetful folks, the iron automatically shuts off after 30 minutes.
P.S. Kristin Ess's Ultra-Hydrating Curl Co-Wash also picked up a 2021 Allure Best of Beauty Award. Omega fatty acids, panthenol, and sodium PCA keep curls hydrated and bouncy all day long and keeps frizz at bay, while also gently cleansing your hair and scalp.
- 14/25
TPH by Taraji
TPH Mask On Conditioning Mask
TPH by Taraji's Mask On Conditioning Mask is the intense moisturizing treatment that dry, coarse hair of all textures and curl patterns needs. Thanks to hydrating coconut oil and fatty-acid-rich mango seed butter, the gel-meets-oil formula melts and penetrates easily into your hair and scalp for an instant softening effect. And split ends? Not on our watch.
P.S. TPH by Taraji's Twist and Set is another 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner if you're looking for the perfect defining cream.
- 15/25
CoverGirl
CoverGirl Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation
There's a time and place for full-coverage foundation, but CoverGirl's Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation might just convert you into a lightweight foundation devotee. This sheer base, which is part of a larger, vegan-friendly Clean Fresh collection, is spiked with soothing aloe vera and coconut milk and feels as hydrating and comfortable to wear as your favorite moisturizer.
- 16/25
Love Beauty and Planet
Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Water Shampoo + Conditioner Bar
Looking to get into shampoo bars? Love Beauty and Planet's "clean" selection is a great entry point and the brand's shampoo bars only cost $6 a pop, so there's practically no risk involved. (And not to mention, these are plastic-free.) The heart-shaped Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Shampoo & Conditioner Bar is our particular bias and pumps volume into fine and flat hair. The mimosa flower — ethically sourced from Morocco — smells as good as it sounds and contains undertones of powdery honey and refreshing raspberry cassis.
- 17/25
Honest Beauty
Honest Beauty Calm & Heal Melting Balm
When a product sports a National Eczema Association Seal, you know it'll do an excellent job taming irritation and flareups associated with atopic dermatitis (aka eczema). Honest Beauty's Calm & Heal Melting Balm is one such product and uses a blend of hyaluronic acid, mondo grass (a humectant that attracts water to the skin), and allantoin to seriously relieve dry, chapped skin any time of the year — especially when you're facing brutal winter winds. Dewier skin is in sight.
- 18/25
Aussie
Aussie Miracle Coils Stretching Cream
Aussie Miracle Coils Stretching Cream is a sulfate-free shaping jelly formulated with ultra-nourishing cocoa and macadamia seed oils and designed to be an all-in-one treatment for curly-hair. Slather on this grapefruit- and jasmine-scented cream onto damp hair from root to tip to define and elongate curls, while also fighting frizz.
- 19/25
Mielle Organics
Mielle Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk
Infused with a nourishing lineup of aloe, avocado oil, glycerin, and shea butter, Mielle's Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk works like a hydrating charm on dry and damp hair alike as a moisturizing leave-in treatment straight out of the shower or to revive curls on day two or three. Simply apply to your mid-lengths through to your ends and watch your dry, thirsty hair transform into a bouncy, fresh head of curls.
- 20/25
Pond's
Pond’s Lifting & Brightening Eye Cream
Vitamin B3 (or niacinamide) is one of our favorite, buzzworthy skin-care ingredients for a variety of reasons — including remedying discoloration and redness — so it's no surprise that Pond's Lifting & Brightening Eye Cream would also make our list of must-haves. This blurring eye cream helps strengthen your barrier and also contains retinol, which helps smooth any instances of texture, including fine lines, over time.
- 21/25
Herbal Essences
Herbal Essences Argan Oil and Aloe Hair Mask
If your hair is in need of a deep reset, Herbal Essences' Argan Oil and Aloe Hair Mask is the intensely conditioning treatment you need. This sulfate-free, color-safe mask is ideal for dry, damaged hair and all hair types (including curly hair). Best of all, you only need to keep the mask on for a minute or so — though there's no harm in leaving it in for a little longer — before rinsing off. Notes of juicy orange, white florals, and coconut water also provide a lovely dose of aromatherapy, which we're a fan of.
- 22/25
Simple
Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water
If you need proof that we love Simple's Kind to Skin Micellar Water, just know that it won a Best of Beauty Award last year, too. "It has a unique light-as-air consistency that does feel uncannily similar to water — or to that of a featherlight serum," our tester said, who also mentioned that the alcohol- and fragrance-free formula didn't irritate her sensitive complexion. Not only does it cleanse skin and remove makeup with ease (aka no burning or stinging — thank goodness), this fluid also contains hydrating glycerin and vitamin C to maintain the suppleness and brightness of your skin.
- 23/25
Gillette
Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Sensitive
Gillette's Venus Extra Smooth Sensitive picked up its fourth Best of Beauty Award in 2021 (in addition to the two Readers' Choice Awards it already earned), so it's safe to say this five-blade wonder is one of the best disposable razors on the market. "It's everything you want in a razor: a smooth, close shave with little to no redness or razor bumps, even without shaving cream," our tester raved. "The aloe-infused moisturizing strip on the head of the razor gets pretty slippery, so it glides beautifully around knees and ankles." Smooth legs and arms without irritation and pain? Sign us up.
- 24/25
Rucker Roots
Rucker Roots Texture Styling Mousse
Rucker Roots' GTC Texture Styling Mousse is a two-time Best of Beauty Winner because it never dries out your curls at the expense of styling. You can attribute the moisturizing benefits to ingredients like vitamin E, castor seed oil, and shea butter, which also help boost shine, prevent breakage and split ends, and nourish dry scalps. Evenly distribute the airy product while styling your next wash-and-go or setting a flexi-rod or twist-out style, let it air-dry, diffuse, or sit under a dryer — and you're golden.
- 25/25
The Doux
The Doux Big Poppa Define Gel
The Doux Big Poppa Define Gel isn't a one-trick pony in the least. This non-crunchy formula adds shine, definition, and touchable (yet long-lasting) hold to all curl types while adding protection against humidity and frizz. Because this babassu oil- and glycerin-infused gel is so lightweight, you can count on this gel to breathe life into your curls without weighing down your hair.