As a beauty writer, I’ve had the privilege of being able to try many customized beauty products, from fragrances mixed specifically to my tastes to moisturizers that were formulated to address both my eczema and my skin’s other sensitivities. Though there are a handful of store-bought products that I still swear by, the customized ones always make a deep, lasting impression. My favorite nude lipstick I’ve ever worn—and the only one that has properly emphasized both the yellow and olive undertones in my tan Filipino skin—is the one I custom-made at Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab in L.A. My hair has never looked better than when I formulated a shampoo and conditioner with Function of Beauty to target both the brassiness and dryness of my strands. The fragrance that I can’t stop picking up is the one I concocted with Olfactory. Though customized beauty products are often more expensive than the mass-produced versions, I’m totally comfortable with investing in them because I know they work. Take a look at a few of the best customizable beauty brands below, and get to creating your dream beauty products in just a few clicks. Order anExplorer Boxto try out all nine of the brand’s core scents and pick out your favorite. Then apply the $18 you spent on that box toward a Tinkerer Box to try playing with different added blends so you can suit that core fragrance to your specific tastes. Once you’ve found the core scent and blends that you like, you can order your custom fragrance (with a $20 credit from the Tinkerer Box). It’s highly affordable, but still feels luxurious because you had the opportunity to customize the fragrance to your liking. I’m a huge fragrance snob and I’m totally head-over-heels in love with my Olfactory scent—I haven’t been able to stop wearing it since I got it. To buy: $78; olfactorynyc.com. To buy: $60+, bitebeauty.com. You fill out a form to detail your hair type, structure, and typical moisture level. You then set up to five hair goals for yourself, which can be anything from strength and deep conditioning to thermal and color treatment protection. Finally, the fun part is picking your set’s fragrance, name, and color. You can also choose to add on a custom leave-in treatment, a custom mask, and/or a custom hair serum that are all created based on your hair goal preferences. And if you foresee using the products a ton, you can set up an auto-ship order for every one, three or six months so you never have to worry about reordering. To buy: $40+; functionofbeauty.com. To buy: $84; iloveskininc.us. You can purchase the full set in either a 30-day or 60-day supply of each product, and you can choose to have your restock automatically sent to your home so you never run out. If you’re a little apprehensive about trying it out because it’s an over-the-counter, prescription-strength acne treatment, don’t worry—you can try out a month’s worth of the products totally free to see how you feel about it. Just pay for shipping. To buy: $5+; curology.com. RELATED: This Is the Easiest Way to Get an Anti-Aging Prescription To buy: $95; kiehls.com. To buy: $55+; vitruvi.com. To buy: $42; itsthebuff.com.
