Over the weekend, hordes of costumed characters descended into lower Manhattan for the 18th annual New York Comic Con, the busiest fan convention on the continent (category entertainment). A few blocks away, the busiest fan convention on the continent (category beauty) was underway: The second annual Allure Best of Beauty Live. No costumes were worn, unless you count concealer and lip gloss.
The event honored the 357 beauty products that earned Allure’s 2024 Best of Beauty seal, culled from the thousands upon thousands more that were submitted and summarily evaluated by Allure’s beauty editors, who showed up in crimson Best of Beauty sweatshirts on Saturday to guide the masses.
And those masses, over 1,000 people, showed up as beauty editors. Immediately upon entering the event, they were swept into a space designed after the Allure Beauty Closet—where every shelf was laden with product, waiting to be tested, swatched, and taken home to love.
Around 9:30am (beauty editors don’t get to work too early), Allure editor in chief Jessica Cruel welcomed guests to a series of presentations wearing ruby glasses and a carmine crochet dress. “We worked really hard, testing for months and months and months, to make sure that you have an amazing new group of winners in the Best of Beauty club,” said Cruel. “I hope you learn a lot about them today. And I hope you get a lot of product. Because we can’t take it back—so take as much as possible!”