And the winner is...you! Your prize? Conscious beauty that delivers.
Although I can safely say that most of the brands we carry don't develop incredible products for the glory and recognition, we can all agree that it's nice to be recognized for something you know is great.
This article highlights the award-winning products we carry at well&belle and why you're bound to love them too.
Note that I've compiled the list of products that have won awards from a variety of sources like Byrdie, well+good, Glamour, Allure, Self, and others. While each of the organizations handing out awards has its own criteria for picking winners, I think we can all agree that these products are the cream of the crop!
The winners in the makeup category are...
Brand and products: Athr Beauty eyeshadow palettes
(top: Summer Solstice, bottom: Rose Quartz)
What makes them special: Since their launch, Athr Beauty has taken the clean beauty world by storm, and with good reason. They've taken home a ton of awards for the quality of the products, and for their environmental responsibility.
Their highly pigmented, smooth and versatile eye shadows are amazing (and made with actual crystals!), but even better is that the palettes are zero waste. All parts of the palettes are recyclable (packaging and pans) and reusable (elastic), making these beauties zero waste.
One of the many great things about these palettes is how many looks you can create, from quickly applying one shade with a brush or your fingers, to creating a more elaborate eye look for evening (and everything in between).
These palettes are perfect for travel, especially if you want to minimize the number of products you're carrying in your luggage; the darker shades can be used wet for eyeliner, there's always a shade you could use as blush, and the packaging makes it easy to tuck into your travel bag.
The more multi-purpose products you can travel with, the better. I know from lugging my (too heavy) suitcase up three floors in a charming little hotel in France...but that's a story for another time...
If you want to get your hands on these palettes, don't wait - once they're gone, they're gone.
Brand and products: Lily Lolo makeup
What makes them special: Lily Lolo is a pioneer in the clean beauty arena. You might know them for their chocolatey lip gloss, which is a cult favourite.
While their entire line has won natural beauty awards over the years, both their eyeliner pencils and loose Mineral eye shadows have won individual awards.
Lily Lolo is a clean beauty line that is excellent without a lot of fanfare. They're just kind of quietly excellent. Sort of like the less famous actress who quietly gives such a good performance, she gets nominated for Best Actress.
Lily Lolo mascaras are a staple in many a makeup bag (including my own), and their single eye shadows are perfect for quick makeup look. If you're not going to use several shades like the Athr Beauty palette, then it's great to pick a shade (or two or three) that you'll use most often.
Personally, when I'm not using either the Athr Beauty or Vapour palettes, I like to have a shade of pink or purple, a peachy/gold shade, and a grey for quick everyday makeup, and Lily Lolo's eye shadows are definitely in my regular rotation. While the Mineral Eye Shadow is the loose mineral version (don't be scared of a loose powder eye shadow - just tap a bit into the lid and apply dry or wet), it also comes in a pressed version. Personally, I love the Mineral Eye Shadow in lots of the neutral shades, and in Green Opal for St. Patrick's Day or for something a little different.
As for the eye liner pencils, they're staples that belong in any makeup bag. They come in brown and black, and are smooth and easy to apply. Use them every day, or combine with wet eyeshadow for more drama.
Shop the Lily Lolo collection now
Brand and products: Vapour Beauty
Soft Focus Foundation, High Voltage Lipstick, Bronzing Powder, Aura Multi Stick, Lux Organic Lip Conditioner
What makes them special: Vapour Beauty is all about excellence in so many ways, they deserve to win awards for their eco-friendly approach, their high performing products and their all-around goodness. They're high-end, but with substance. Many of their products are anhydrous (meaning they're made without water), and the approach to product development is to develop makeup that also acts like skincare.
I've loved Vapour for lots of years, and I use a great many of their products every single day. If it were up to me, I would award them the Best Clean Beauty on the Planet: Makeup award (which I totally just made up), because I love what they do so much.
Anyway, here's the rundown on Vapour's more recent award-winning products:
Soft Focus Foundation is a foundation for those who don't like to feel their foundation (and who does, really?). You don't want to go around feeling like your foundation is heavy or like you're wearing a sheet mask all day long. Nuh-uh.
Soft Focus Foundation is light, but super buildable if you want more coverage. I love to mix it with Vapour's Gentle Illuminating Primer for a glowy, tinted moisturizer effect. So easy to wear combined with your sunscreen too, especially The Perfect Sunscreen. For a more coverage, apply your primer first, then apply Soft Focus Foundation with the amazing Vapour Foundation Brush. It'll blur all those little imperfections for a perfectly polished look. This is hands-down the best liquid foundation I've ever tried, and it comes in 19 different shades, so everyone should be able to find their shade or combination of shades.
High Voltage Lipstick is a beautifully smooth lipstick with lots of lip-loving ingredients! It comes in a variety of very wearable shades, in matte or satin finishes. This is one of the few matte lipsticks that doesn't feel overly dry, and as you would expect, the satin finish is a touch more moisturizing. Both give fantastic colour payoff and are long-lasting. Pucker up, and get ready for your close-up!
Vapour's Bronzing Powder is so easy and versatile, if you haven't tried it yet, you might wonder what took you so long! It gives such a lovely warm glow with the perfect hint of shimmer.
Use it to give yourself a sun-kissed look, as blush, or even as eye shadow. For darker skin tones, it can be used as a highlighter too. Many possibilities for this gorgeous powder!
The Aura Multi Stick is the ultimate multi-tasker! I love makeup that can be used in several different ways (see my description of the Athr Beauty palettes above as proof), and this Multi Stick doesn't disappoint. The creaminess and super flattering shades alone make this stick a must-have, and add to that the fact that you can use it on your cheeks, lips or eyes? It's the perfect travel companion, or ideal for carrying with your for a bit of colour whenever you might need it.
Lux Organic Lip Conditioner is your lips' BFF. If you think it's a mere lip balm, it's so much more than that! It's a lip balm, lip gloss and moisturizer for your lips all at the same time.
The winners in the skincare category are...
Brand and products: Consonant Skin+care: HydrExtreme, Firming Eye Cream, Vitamin B3 + Zinc serum, Natural Foaming Face Wash
What makes them special: Consonant has won a head-turning number of awards! This Canadian brand, known for it's very appropriately-named The Perfect Sunscreen, has perfected natural skincare that is super effective and often unscented.
HydrExtreme is such an outstanding product, I'm pretty sure it's the best serum I've tried for dry skin (and as you can imagine, I try a LOT of products). Fans of this serum will tell you that it's worth every penny. I apply it before bed on dry spots (just a drop or two is enough), and in the morning the dry skin patches are gone. It's seriously that good.
Firming Eye Cream does it all! It's a silky-smooth cream that you can apply in the morning to help with puffiness, bags and fine lines. Customers have told me they'll never go without this cream again, and I know some customers have given it to their friends and family as a wonderful gift.
It works great under makeup too, but remember to always let your eye cream absorb completely to prevent your mascara from flaking.
I love to use the Vitamin B3 + Zinc serum at night on my trouble areas (my chin and sometimes cheeks - gah.), and then I follow up with Consonant's Vitamin E + Oat serum and HydrExtreme. So good, and you need very little of each.
Natural Foaming Face Wash is a gentle, unscented cleanser that feels really niceto use. It's amazing for taking off makeup, and ideal for anyone - including kids - to thoroughly clean their face. My whole family uses this cleanser, we keep two of them in the bathroom. I also use it to clean my makeup brushes, and I've even used it as hand soap when travelling.
This face wash has been a Consonant best-seller and award-winner for many years, and I'm glad I brought it to well&belle!
Brand and products: Dr. Alkaitis skincare: Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil, Organic Ageless Facial Elixir, Organic Eye Crème, Organic Soothing Gel
What makes them winners: Dr. Alkaitis products are raw, organic, and made with so much care with plant-based ingredients that are highly effective. This is another one of those brands that is excellent, without a lot of fanfare and the award-winning products are long-standing favourites beloved by many.
Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil is a lightweight oil that nourishes not only your skin, but also your scalp and body. This triple award winning product that has been called a ‘miracle in a bottle’ is multipurpose and can treat many skin conditions including: scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, overly oily skin, eczema, psoriasis, and dry scalp & hair conditions.
Organic Ageless Facial Elixir is the ultimate serum for aging well. It's packed with an array of exotic and rare restorative ingredients found in nature. This unique formula contains a powerful combination of anti-aging antioxidants, Ayurvedic herbs and highly potent super foods that promote luminous skin that is deeply nourished at the cellular level. We like to call this golden oil the gold standard of facial oils.
Organic Eye Crème does it all! It's wonderful for the most sensitive of eyes. It moisturizes and protects your delicate eye area from damaging elements. It also softens, protects and refreshes the skin around the eyes, and helps to smooth fine lines and reduce puffiness.
Organic Soothing Gel is a soothing and hydrating antibacterial treatment that leaves the skin soft, supple, and revitalized. It's super effective for treating skin with inflammatory conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea. Great for the most sensitive skin and also ideal to soothe skin after hair removal.
So there you have it! So many award-winning products.
As we all know, just because you haven't won an award, doesn't mean you're not great. Same goes for beauty. I personally test every product we carry, so I know that even those that haven't won awards are pretty awesome. No matter what, with the fantastic products we carry at well&belle, you're the big winner!
Never hesitate to contact us and we'll help you find your own award-winning beauty products.