A digital skin moisture meter promises to turn a vague feeling, such as tight or dry skin, into a number on a screen. For skincare fans, that is tempting: you could see whether a new moisturiser works or whether your skin really dries out in winter. The catch is that home meters are far less…
After a long day of screens, clenching and frowning, a warm or cool tool gliding over your face can feel wonderful. This list covers 10 options, and we are clear about which are true hot and cold tools, which only cool, which only warm and which simply massage at room temperature, so you can match…
Charcoal cleansing pads and cleansers promise to draw out impurities and detox your skin, and their grey colour certainly looks the part. The truth is more modest. This list covers 10 options, from face washes and wipes to reusable pads, and each can help lift surface oil and grime, but none pulls toxins out of…
Facial sponges make it easier to lift away cleansing balms, thick cleansers and clay masks without rubbing, and they range from cracker-like compressed cellulose discs to soft konjac and reusable exfoliating pads. This list covers 10 options, with notes on who each one suits and who should skip it. The best facial sponges for most…
Indoor tanning lotions are usually sold for tanning beds, promising a deeper or faster tan under the lamps. This list covers 10 options that give you colour indoors without any UV at all, because they are sunless self-tanners, plus the honest reasons to leave the tanning bed and its lotions behind. There is no indoor…
The buyer-honest guide to jade rollers — covering the hinge failure problem no one talks about, when refrigeration makes the real difference, and which rollers actually last.
An eyebrow razor is one of the quickest, cheapest and least painful ways to tidy stray hairs and sharpen the outline of your brows. This list covers 10 options, from guarded disposables and refillable handles to rechargeable electric trimmers, with notes on who each one suits and who should skip it. The best eyebrow razor…
Plucking stray chin hairs, upper lip hairs or eyebrows sounds simple until you try it in a dim bathroom with a flat mirror. Fine, pale or short hairs are easy to miss. This list covers 10 options, from rechargeable lighted mirrors to wall-mounted and Hollywood-style models, with notes on who each suits. The best mirror…
Pore vacuums are handheld suction devices that promise to pull blackheads, oil and dead skin out of your pores. Videos of the collected gunk make them look irresistible, and many are sold as part of a blackhead removal kit with extra heads and metal extractors. The best pore vacuum blackhead remover is one with several…
A nano mist sprayer is a small, usually rechargeable gadget that turns water into a very fine, cool mist for your face. This list covers 10 options, from slim pocket misters to a lash kit and a no-device spray, with notes on who each suits for flights, hot commutes and dry offices. The best nano…
Face reflexology tools are handheld massage tools, from vibrating wands and heated gua sha to cool rollers and chilled steel globes, used to press and glide over the face and neck. This list covers 10 options, with notes on who each suits. They borrow ideas from reflexology and acupressure, but most people simply use them…
Anti-breakout skin therapy wands are small handheld devices that shine blue light, sometimes combined with red light, onto individual spots or small areas of skin. They promise a drug-free way to calm pimples, which makes them appealing if you get monthly breakouts along the chin and jaw. They can help some spots, but they are…
LED therapy caps are wearable hats or helmets lined with small red lights or low-level lasers, sold mainly to support hair growth in thinning hair. Many people want to use them alongside other treatments, such as scalp serums, hair masks, minoxidil or an LED face mask, without wasting time or reducing how well each one…
Silicone cleansing brushes have largely replaced nylon-bristle facial brushes because they are softer, easier to keep clean and gentler on most skin. This list covers 10 options, from sonic devices to simple manual scrubbers, with notes on who each one suits and who should skip it. The best silicone cleansing brush for deep pore cleaning…
Gold face massage sticks, often called 24k gold beauty bars or T-bars, are small handheld tools with a gold-coloured head that vibrates as you glide it over your skin. They are popular on social media as a quick way to look fresher before makeup or a night out, and many are sold with bold anti-aging…
Sheet masks are meant to be relaxing, but anyone who has tried to walk around, read or tidy up while wearing one knows the problem. The wet sheet slides down your face, peels off at the edges and dries out before its time is up. A sheet mask holder solves that by keeping the mask…
High frequency wands are handheld devices with glass electrodes that glow violet or orange and give off a gentle buzz or tiny sparks on the skin. Facialists have used them for decades, and home versions are now widely sold with claims about acne, pores and fine lines. The best high frequency wand is a well-built…
Skin scrubbers, also called ultrasonic spatulas, skin scrapers or peeling spatulas, are flat metal blades that vibrate very quickly. Videos of oil and debris lifting off the nose have made them popular, but it helps to understand what the device is really doing before you pick one. The best skin scrubber is a well-made ultrasonic…
A gua sha stone is a smooth, flat tool you glide over oiled skin to massage the face and neck. This list covers 10 options, from bian stone and jade sets to single heart and wing boards and a stainless steel alternative, with notes on who each suits. Choosing well is mostly about comfort, a…
A spray tan is only as good as the machine that delivers it. The same tanning solution can look smooth and natural from one system and streaky, wet or patchy from another, so the equipment choice matters as much as the solution for anyone doing tans professionally or at home. The best professional spray tan…
If you have curly or wavy hair, you have probably noticed that a regular blow dry turns defined curls into a cloud of frizz. A diffuser is the attachment designed to solve that problem, and it is one of the simplest tools for drying curls without ruining their shape. You use a diffuser for curly…