I love (like love, love) my job, but it does come with a certain degree of pressure. Of course, there are the obvious things that come to mind like conducting regular

interviews with celebrities, meeting daily writing deadlines, and staying on top of all the latest trends in the beauty space, but there are also the unexpected things that come up. Like, say, when a friend sends you an S.O.S. from the floors of Sephora or the drugstore requesting immediate relief from some kind of emergency beauty dilemma. “Do I get this or this?!” “Will this thing that breaks my bank account actually be with it!?” “What’s your favorite product from such and such brand!?”I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

While it’s most certainly not the most important part of my job description, doling out A+ beauty product recommendations on a daily basis to my friends and family is par for the course. And since writing about the industry’s crème de la crème beauty stock is pretty much the bread and butter of my career, my recommendations are expected to (what’s that thing the kids are saying?) slap.

To ensure I never let my loved ones down, I keep a long list of beauty items handy that, over the years, have reaped a 100% satisfaction record. I consider you all my friends too, so I’m sharing some of my favorite items from that list now so you’ll be in less of product shopping conundrum the next time you’re physically or virtually roaming the beauty aisles at Nordstrom or any other of your favorite beauty retailers. Keep scrolling! Below, I’m sharing 23 save-the-day beauty products I always recommend to my friends and loved ones.