27 Skin-Care Tools That Are Actually Worth Your Money

I love a good face mask as much as the next girl, but finding the time to sit still and give my skin the care it deserves can often be a challenge. Thankfully, that’s exactly why products like the UFO by Foreo exist. This “smart mask” gives my skin all of the benefits of a face mask in just 90 seconds. Like most things nowadays, the product synchs up with an app, which lets you customize treatment. Simply pop the mask into your UFO and scan the bar code on the back of your mask’s packaging to get started. No matter how bad of a day you (or your skin) might be having, this thing is sure to do the trick. —Sarah Morse, contributor

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Nurse Jamie’s roller is a must, especially before a big event. Because of its shape and cooling properties, it works to promote lymphatic drainage and reduce bloat in your face, which creates a more sculpted look. I always keep one in my makeup kit and use it before a night out or a wedding. Don’t believe me? Just ask Nurse Jamie’s dozens of celebrity fans, like Lea Michele and Khloé Kardashian. —Jillian Ruffo, contributor

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Not going to lie: I was a bit skeptical of an at-home microcurrent device, so I did a test run of this on only one side of my face. And let me tell you: I was shocked to discover a clear difference after just one session! The side I zapped was clearly tighter, visibly lifted, more defined, and definitely more glowy. It’s not a permanent effect, although they say it’s supposed to be cumulative with regular use. I’m all about anything that can give you a little boost. —Robin Black, makeup artist and photographer

I never believed in jade or rose quartz facial rollers until Angela Caglia gave me the most incredible facial and recommended I use her Rose Quartz Facial Roller at home. Not only is the product beautiful (it makes me happy to see it among all my beauty product clutter), it also feels incredible gliding across my face. I’ll pop it into the fridge an hour before using so it’s nice and cool for application. It instantly helps depuff my face, which makes it both feel and look more alive and bright than before. —Bella Cacciatore, contributor

I’ve always been a little scared of microneedling (it sounded painful and hazardous), but after hearing a Very Cool Girl rave about it, I decided to take the plunge. After the first use, my skin looked super radiant and my pores looked smaller. It’s also helping break up my acne scarring and lighten my hyperpigmentation, my two biggest insecurities. This dermaroller  has a red LED light to further stimulate collagen production, and I love that you can swap out the needle head for a rose quartz roller to soothe and depuff your skin. —B.C.

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Save when you shop for the best skin care tools with these Nordstrom promo codes.

There’s a body of scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of blue and, to a lesser extent, red light for the treatment of acne. But you need to use it consistently to actually see clearance. Which is why this at-home LED tool is just what the derm ordered since you can use it anytime, anywhere. —Macrene Alexiades, MD, dermatologist

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This is by far the most next-level at-home microneedling treatment I’ve ever tried. No surprise considering Georgia Louise is a genius. (She’s the esthetician behind Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett’s red-carpet glows.) The device comes with 20 sterilized plastic “needles” that gently penetrate your skin 5,000 times per minute so your skin-care products absorb better—and it comes with Louise’s signature EGF serum that she uses on her celeb clientele. I’m admittedly not great about remembering to wipe down my devices after every use, which is why I love that you can just pop the plastic parts out when you’re done and open a clean pack the next time you want to get your glow on. And if the price tag makes you do a double take, think about it this way: The average cost of a single in-office microneedling session costs $625. —L.S.

This genius steamer gives me the same professional results as the facials I can afford only once a year. The manual suggests steaming for two minutes while cleansing, then exfoliating, steaming for two more minutes while applying a serum, and topping it all with a moisturizer. That’s exactly what I (and then my boyfriend, who is also now obsessed) did. All of my typical products melted into my skin, and my face has gotten a for-real unearthly luminescence. —Meg Adams, contributor

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This is by far the sleekest beauty tool I’ve ever laid eyes on—leave it to Madonna. The ridged balls are really effective at massaging your skin and facial muscles to help with circulation. Using this beauty roller brings color and life to my face each morning that makeup alone just can’t do. It’s like the Cadillac of rollers. —Marla Goller, contributor

This is a product aligned with my holistic skin-care philosophy: Everyone has a completely unique and ever-evolving complexion that demands a highly bespoke and 360-degree approach. This little cleansing device works in tandem with your skin to offer a tailored treatment that factors in diet, hydration levels, and climate, while removing makeup, dirt, and oil. —Melanie Grant, celebrity facialist

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This is my single favorite invention for body acne—particularly back breakouts. The brush makes it easy to treat hard-to-reach pimples and comes with two attachments. The silicone cleansing head drives cleansers and treatments deeper, while the texturized fastener head helps speed up cellular turnover and unclog pores. —Sarah Y. Wu, contributor

I started shaving my face a few months ago, thanks to a gateway pack of single-blade razors. Since then I’ve played around with other face-shaving devices, but none stood up to razors until the Dermaflash. It looks a little intimidating but is actually really intuitive since it’s designed—ergonomically!—to keep the blade snug against your skin. It sloughs off peach fuzz and dead skin cells like a face scrub times 10 and makes my foundation look great with zero effort. I love zero effort. —Rachel Nussbaum, contributor

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As soon as I opened Madonna’s Skin Rejuvenator, I knew I wasn’t in for a run-of-the-mill face mask. This is not your standard apply, dry, wash-off situation. In fact, I had to read the directions because the contraption itself was so foreign. You apply the clay mask, and then slowly stroke the wand around your cheeks while it magnetically attracts the clay off your skin—it is wild! And it tickles! The wand leaves behind some particles that morph into a serum. I loved that the magnet feels like it is really pulling out the impurities, without being harsh or abrasive. —Elissa Velluto, contributor

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This handy device is a smart tool that helps get rid of any visible bumps. It also aids with scarring. But in order to get results, consistency is a must. I’ll place the device on the affected area for two minutes twice a day until it starts to simmer down. I used it on a blemish recently, and by the third day it was definitely smaller. —Carola Gonzalez, celebrity makeup artist

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I was skeptical about this brush, not because the product looked cheap or the reviews were bad, but because the instructions were really vague. That said, I noticed an immediate difference after just one use. My skin was softer and plumper, and a pesky chin pimple I’d been fighting had completely disappeared overnight. I’d highly recommend this brush to anyone who has finicky skin that needs deep cleaning but demands very gentle treatment. —Khaliha Hawkins, contributor

Fun fact: Espada means “sword” in Spanish, which is the most appropriate name ever for this zit-zapping tool. When I feel an upcoming bump, I zap it for a quick 30 seconds with this bacteria-banishing blue light, and I swear it’s gone by morning. (Don’t worry: The process is painless—you don’t feel a thing.) The silicone surface is also super hygienic, which is key for when my skin is already on the fritz. —L.S.

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This Herbivore Jade Roller is hands down the prettiest tool in my skin-care tool box. Before bed I applied my trusted nighttime serum and used the tool to massage the serum into my skin so it would deeply penetrate. The tool itself is extremely relaxing and leaves a cooling effect on your skin. It also leaves my face noticeably less puffy. —Stephanie Griffin, contributor

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I’ve got super-oily but also very sensitive skin, so many skin-care brushes are too harsh for me to use. The Clarisonic, though, has never let me down. It’s gentle in all the right ways but still gets the job done to leave my skin clear and more radiant. The Mia Smart version also lets you synch up data to your phone so you can track how your skin responds to your routine. —L.S.

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Sola Wave has done the impossible: It created a skin-care device I actually use on a regular basis. Call it forgetfulness (or just plain laziness), but it’s hard for me to get into a routine when it comes to gadgets. The Bye Acne spot treatment is the only exception, and a few factors are at play: (1) It’s small and easy to use; (2) it only takes three minutes; and (3) it actually helps with breakouts. The power combo of blue and red-light therapy helps nix deep hormonal breakouts before they even have a chance to erupt. I spot-treated three burgeoning zits this week and woke up to them considerably shrunk. This device is magic. —Ariana Yaptangco, senior beauty editor

The inner tech geek in me was immediately intrigued by Droplette’s advanced skin-care technology. For starters, it was literally backed by NASA for its groundbreaking use of micro-mist that shoots into skin at high velocity, delivering active ingredients from interchangeable capsules that reach up to 20 skin cells deep. You can choose from three different capsules: retinol, collagen, and glycolic acid. —A.Y.

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If a microcurrent device and a vibrating jade roller had a baby, this would be their extremely beautiful and talented progeny. It delivers the results of a microcurrent facial and lymphatic drainage treatment at the same time, and I have a theory that’s why the effect is so noticeable even after one use. As the microcurrent gradually lifts my facial muscles and plumps my skin, the added vibrations boost circulation even more and impart the same depuffing benefits I’d experience from a thorough face-rolling session—with barely any effort expended. After one week my cheekbones looked like they had returned fresh from a filler tweakment, and my jawline sharpened up as well (a lovely surprise, considering the vast amounts of pizza I enjoyed during those seven days). —S.Y.W.

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This dermaplaning tool works wonders for my skin’s texture, removing dead skin and hair to make me smooth like a baby. Proceed with caution though—you are holding a sharp blade up to your face. Luckily, StackedSkincare has safety features built into its design, along with a detailed video tutorial on how to use it, so you nail your dermaplaning every time. —A.Y.

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Facials? I don’t know her. Ever since I got my hands on this microdermabrasion tool, I’ve had facial-fresh skin without ever taking a trip to the spa. Treatments are just 5 to 10 minutes long but pack the power of a full treatment, removing dead skin and buildup, increasing circulation, and minimizing pores. —A.Y.

I recently was at Shani Darden’s facial studio in L.A., where I tried out her new light-therapy mask. It’s programmed with the latest LED technology and has a custom-designed neck attachment (never forget about the neck!), plus medical-grade silicone eye inserts. At $1,900, this is definitely an investment, but if you’re looking for a clinically proven spa-grade treatment at home, it doesn’t get better than Darden’s latest to improve skin tone and texture, reduce acne flare-ups, and help to overall firm and brighten. Plus, if you remember to use it regularly, it’s more economical than spa treatments in the long run. —Jessica Radloff, senior West Coast Editor