Best Beauty Discoveries of 2016

January 4, 2017

wit & whimsy's Best Beauty Discoveries of 2016

I try so many beauty products throughout the year and last year decided to whittle them down to my top, top favorites. I’ve decided to do it again this year so I went back through the past 12 months and determined the products that I tried this year, truly fell in love with and now use regularly.

(I’m also working on a roundup of my favorite drugstore products so stay tuned for that later this month!)

 

Best Beauty Products of 2016 I wit & whimsy

Sisley Paris Eye Concealer with Botanical Extracts:

This was one of the more expensive beauty products I bought this year but it was worth every penny! It conceals so well and also feels like it is hydrating the area around my eyes. A little goes a long way so I’ll have this for quite some time which makes the price a bit easier to bear. It is truly the best under eye concealer I’ve ever tried! I use Shade 1 and apply it after I put on my cure-all corrector that also goes on any zits or redness before I apply concealer elsewhere on my face.

Odin New York Efflora Fragrance:

If I had to pick a signature scent this is it. Every time I wear it I am asked what scent it is and am constantly sending people the link to it following their inquiry. It is so light and fresh and in no-way over-powering.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector:

This year I became obsessed with highlighters. I tested out a lot and loved a lot of them but the one I use daily is this one in Opal. It’s so perfectly, subtly shimmery that you instantly get this lit-from-within glow. It looks gorgeous in photos and lasts all day. I highly recommend layering it over the Glossier Haloscope (see below!) Be warned: a little goes a long way!

MAC Prep + Prime 24 Hour Eye Base:

For years and years I was using the Urban Decay eyelid primer and thinking it worked well enough but when my last bottle kept spitting out more oil residue than actual blended product I knew I needed a change. Enter: this MAC primer which, it turns out, works SO much better!! I am seriously obsessed with how well it performs. (Case in point: I broke a cardinal rule after New Year’s Eve and didn’t remove my eye makeup before I fell blissfully asleep and when I woke up everything was still intact!)

Goop Luminous Melting Cleanser:

Cleansing balms were new to me this year and I tried out a few but ended up really only loving this one. It feels so luxurious in texture and in scent that I almost feel like cleansing my face is like a mini spa treatment when I use it! It melts makeup right away and helps to dissolve dirt thanks to all the good oils packed into the formula. Your skin is left g-l-o-w-i-n-g and super soft. Throughout the week I now rotate using this one night, the Burt’s Bees cleansing oil once a week and my Rx cleansers the other nights.

R + Co Badlands Dry Shampoo:

This stuff became my obsession so much so that it got its own blog post! Not only does it work to clear up any oil but it also adds volume and texture and because it is a paste rather than a spray it is perfectly portable for all your travels! I have gotten so many of my girlfriends hooked on this who all now rave about it!

Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil:

Oh man do I love this stuff! I use it at least once a week and always when I am wearing more makeup. I was introduced to it when Burt’s Bees and I worked together last year and I have been using it ever since. It’s so light and hydrating, smells amazing and works so well to dissolve makeup and cleanse throughly. I’ve tried several oil cleansers and this one is by far my favorite and the price of $15.99 makes it even better.

Christophe Robin Purifying Sea Salt Cleansing Scrub:

You may recall me ooo-ing and aahh-ing about this stuff in this post but there’s a reason that beauty editors and myself are obsessed. Not only does it rehydrate and balance your scalp but the sensorial experience is amazing. I seriously make guests at my house all use it because I love it that much! I also bought it for my BFF as part of her Christmas present – ha!

Amope Pedi-Perfect Foot File:

This is something I would have never known I would use so much but now it is in regular rotation! I partnered with Amope on several posts last year and fell in love with this gadget. I leave it in my shower and once a week file away any calluses or dead skin and don’t find myself running to get a pedicure nearly as often which justifies the price. You can read more about it in this post and also the Amazon reviews are all pretty amazing, too.

Alterna Haircare Caviar Style Grit Flexible Texturizing Paste:

This product is unlike anything I’ve ever really tried but has become they key to finishing off my hair upon styling it. It was first featured in this post and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone reading who has layers in their hair or is sporting a lob. It works wonders!

Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish:

I had heard about this cult beauty favorite long before I ever tried it this year and man not only does it smell amazing but it really gets the job done. It smooths out skin, hydrates and leaves your bod feeling oh-so-soft. It’s particularly great this time of year for dealing with dry skin.

Glossier Haloscope:

I first wrote about this illuminator here and am still loving it over six months later. It is great for travel and for those days where I’m running out the door…I literally only swipe on pressed powder, mascara, this illuminator and lip balm and then I’m done! (I use the Quartz shade FYI!)

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Did you guys have any products you fell hard for this year? I’d love to hear about them!

Shop the Post:

p.s. How to fake second day hair and my December Beauty Edit.

comments +

  1. caitie says:

    i’m totally bookmarking this post so i can refer back to it when i need a new beauty pick-me-up! LOVE the fresh brown sugar scrub. definitely one of my favorite winter skin products!

  2. Kendal says:

    I absolutely love the Becca perfectors!! I use pearl every single day. I need to try out the Glossier products now!

    Kendal // Life With Kendal

    • Meghan says:

      Oooo I need to try the Pearl one! Someone at Blushington was raving about that color, too! Definitely try combo-ing the two illuminators – if you do let me know what you think!

  3. Sheela Goh says:

    My experiments throughout 2016 were only with Asian skincare brands, and I must say, I have fallen deeply in love with the Naruko line of Tea Tree products 🙂

  4. Jamie J says:

    For the Glossier Haloscope- which color do you use?

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