I tested dozens of beauty products this month — I'm buying these 5 for myself

Even if you don't think of yourself as a "lipstick person," the ultra-popular, 90s-chic (Drew Barrymore fave!) Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey will change your mind. Its creamy, universally flattering formula is made from a blend of blue, red and yellow pigments, so it works for any and all skin tones. It's particularly good for drier, more mature lips like mine, as it glides on like a balm and has none of the waxy feel of some lipsticks. The shade looks dark in the tube but, once on, works like a customized tint, lightly staining the lips a natural-looking berry hue that's just a hint or two above bare. 

This lipstick has been around for decades, but after re-trying it this month, I can't believe I went so long without adding it back into my makeup arsenal. I've been wearing it casually to lunches and meetings at my kid's school. As the name suggests, Almost Lipstick makes you look pulled together but not too "done." It's my new favorite everyday lip color and a clear winner for fall. 

I've been retesting eye creams to update our best eye creams list and, I have to say, I'm newly impressed with this version from Peter Thomas Roth. After three weeks of regular use, I found it minimized the fine lines under my eyes and had an immediate impact on my under-eye puffiness. 

No skin-care product will ever perform miracles, of course, but this eye cream helps smooth surface texture (the dreaded crepeyness!) on upper lids while improving the appearance of bags underneath. And at this moderate price point (not a total bargain, but still not luxury), it's an all-around win.

By the end of summer, no matter how I try to avoid it, my skin is always kind of trashed — red, brown-spotted and blotchy. I'm also 51, and I have newly developing redness around my nose and an uneven skin tone. 

But for every problem, there is a solution! If your skin is ruddy like mine or you just want more glowing clarity overall, try this magic potion from Korean skin-care line Dr. Jart+. 

It comes out green (green corrects red) but turns to a neutral beige once it's warmed up by your skin. The product works best on a moisturized face, and you don't need a lot for full coverage. I've been using it as both a complexion-smoothing light foundation and also as sun protection — it's a potent sunscreen with broad-spectrum SPF 30. 

Laneige may be best known for its celebrity-favorite, top-selling Lip Sleeping Mask. But the brand is equally excellent at creating high-quality, extra-hydrating, anti-aging skin care. Take Water Bank, a little-known hyaluronic acid-, squalane- and ceramide-packed face cream that I found to be nourishing, moisturizing and one of the best products I've ever tried to give dull, flat-looking skin an instant glow. 

If you're in the market for a rich, textured, but not-too-heavy face cream to wear under makeup and ward off upcoming winter scaliness, snatch this one up while it's 45% off. 

The TikTok girlies may think they're the first to discover Bum Bum cream, but as with slip dresses, brown lipstick and crushes on wan men in tattered wool, us older ladies were there first. Bum Bum cream was one of the first products I fell in love with after moving to Los Angeles almost a decade ago, when my skin was super dry. I retested it recently for a story on the best body moisturizers, and I'm happy to report that it still lives up to the hype.

This intoxicating lotion is whipped, which makes it feel like pillowy heaven on your skin. The scent is a light coconut vanilla that somehow smells like an expensive tropical vacation and not the dollar store sunscreen aisle. It's pricey, sure, but also a wildly indulgent treat for your skin. Best of all, it lasts: A little of this stuff goes a long way.