At Allure, few things are more sacred than Best of Beauty—our annual venture to compile a roster of products that will eventually sit within a beauty editor-verified Pantheon of perfection. What began in 1996 as a novel concept, with just 73 categories, has become for all intents and purposes, the Nobel Prize of beauty. Over the years, Best of Beauty became the seal that guides hands across shelves by empowering Allure readers with the knowledge of what makes a product great… long before the advent of social media and the ubiquitous #GRWM.
Here we are, 30 years (!) later, with more categories than the beauty editors before me could have imagined. Beyond vetting the usual lip oils, hair tools, and cleansing balms, the Allure teamew York City
Allure’s associate social media manager Katie Gunderman reapplies her lip before digging into a Mama’s TOO! pie.
Photo: Giancarlos Kunhardt
To celebrate three decades of Best of Beauty, Allure partnered with Mama’s TOO! this week, doling out top-tier pies at their pizzeria in the West Village. (As a 30-something-year-old myself, I can confirm pizza parties are still very much en vogue for my age bracket.) The inner and outer faces of the pizza box, hovering over the pie itself, feature the unmistakable Allure logo and tagline: “The Beauty Expert.” Now, a bona fide pizza expert, too. Beauty is in the eye of the pie-holder, or however that saying goes. (Also, we must mention here that October isn’t just Best of Beauty’s birthday; it’s also National Pizza Month.)
Best of Beauty has become synonymous with our
“Best of Beauty has become synonymous with our red seal,” Allureeditor in chief Jessica Cruel says. “What better way to represent that than with a pizza—pepperoni and all? So partnering with Mama’s TOO! for this anniversary was a great fit. It’s a New York slice we love, paired with a seal we love even more.”
And what 2026 Best of Beauty winners does the Allure team suggest pairing with your pepperoni pie? Glad you asked. This year’s victorious lip stain, Violette_FR Lip Nectar, is a must (pinky-red Bêtise is a favorite around the office). And in case things get a little messy, the Morphe Lifeproof Continuous Setting Mist can’t hurt. Safety first means a few spritzes of the Touchland Hand Sanitizier before you pick up a slice.
A Mama’s TOO! pie, fresh from the oven.
Photo: Giancarlos Kunhardt
“When Allure asked to partner our knee jerk reaction was to excitedly oblige, as many of our staff members are readers and were pumped to work together,” says Frank Tuttolomondo, founder of Mama’s TOO!. “We’ve done numerous partnerships in the past as they help to broaden our exposure and potentially reach new audiences. It’s always fun to see ways in which brands get creative and see people enjoy our pizza.”
To making Allure pizzas available at the West
In addition to making Allure pizzas available at the West Village shop, Allure and Mama’s TOO! hand-delivered around 20 pies to some of our friends. While we would never share a mascara, sharing pizzas, especially when commemorating such a monumental anniversary, is Allure-approved. (Writer’s note: Let’s make sending pizzas to friends more commonplace, please.)
For more on Allure‘s Best of Beauty 30th anniversary:
•Allure Best of Beauty: Live Is Back—Here’s What You Need to Know
•Best of Beauty 2026: Base Winners
•Best of Beauty 2026: Breakthroughs Winners
