It has been eight months since the start of the 2026 Beauty Awards. Since then, our editors and 101 expert external judges have tested more than 3,500 products across skincare, makeup, hair care, body care, drugstore, and nails to determine the best products of the year. On Tuesday, October 6, at Le Jardin sur Madison—an exclusive rooftop on the 28th floor of One Madison Avenue—we finally celebrated all 213 winners with a glamorous celebration, bringing together brand founders, creators, and industry insiders.
On a perfect early October night, guests took in the sunset over Madison Square Park, with views of downtown Manhattan all around. Guests enjoyed passed around canapés, with a large charcuterie spread in the middle of the floor (complete with sweeping skyline views at sunset). For dessert, we debuted Marie Claire-branded macarons. The cocktail of the night? Spicy margaritas, courtesy of our custom menu, along with plenty of champagne to toast our winners.
Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike and Beauty Director Hannah Baxter addressing the crowd with a few words about the 2026 Beauty Awards.
While the venue was outstanding in its own right, in true Marie Claire fashion, we elevated it with a testing station for guests to apply a few of our winning hair and makeup products. Attendees were entertained throughout the night with two haikuists writing custom poems for guests (@haikuists), a floral bouquet activation (@theminiroseco), a DJ set from @djacoop, and a branded photo booth by @majesticbooths. Two photographers from Steck Studios captured step-and-repeat moments with guests and their crystal trophies, while the party continued well past sunset. One of the most photo-worthy moments? A giant Marie Claire-branded ice cube surrounding a bottle of Grey Goose vodka.
We kept the evening centered around celebrating our winners, with brief remarks from Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike and Beauty Director Hannah Baxter. The latter perfectly defined why our Beauty Awards are so important, giving insight into the testing process and sharing that the awards as a whole are “a reminder that this is something that cannot be replicated by AI. It takes human testing. You cannot replicate this, you have to swatch, and wash, and play and swipe. It is just a beautiful reminder that we cannot be replaced, and that we will all be here celebrating beauty for a long time.” In her Manolos, nonetheless.
To close out the evening with a bang, each guest departed with a custom Marie Claire goodie bag, filled with more than 10 of our selected Beauty Awards winners, along with the custom bouquet they created during the evening, the best way to take home a piece of the 2026 Beauty Awards.