Go-To HQ is crammed with beauty fiends. So, I forced them all to pick their very best beauty discovery from the last year. The game-changers. The must-haves. The desert-island-status stuff. Enjoy! Or else!

I’ve always maintained that it’s not wrinkles that age the face, it’s uneven skin tone, and as the sun sets on my 30s, I felt it was time to do something about it. ‘Something’ turned out to be micro-needling in clinic, and introducing retinol into my night-time skin care a few times a week. These two have made a pretty wonderful change to my skin tone (fading the hyperpigmentation I have accrued from having from babies/UV damage) and also my skin texture (bouncier, less crinkled). They’re both a step up in ‘seriousness’ for me, and my sun protection has jumped about 400 levels up to compensate, (hard, since it was already at infinity), but I am wearing almost no foundation now, and I really do feel my skin looks younger. –Zoë, Founder and CCO.

Foreo! I am eye-rollingly late to the Foreo party but now I’ve arrived, I am overstaying my welcome and never leaving. I use it with a gel cleanser and my skin is noticeably smoother and presumably cleaner. (Also dry conditioner) (Am I late to this too? I don’t know. But game-changer.) . –Jess, Senior Brand Manager

Is it too dramatic to say a vitamin c serum changed my life? Maybe best beauty discovery of the year is a more modest testament. The Drunk Elephant C-Firma Serum has been a sensation for my skin. I’d been eyeing off the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic and settled for the more modest alternative, but turns out, I wasn’t settling at all. Compliments galore! Brightness abound! –Emily, Social Media and PR Executive

Why do I have to pick just one? I’m going to say two. Emily, if you read this, Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum is so worth the investment. I am not just on the hype train, I genuinely have seen such a difference in my skin. I would also have to say Eco Tan Water. So simple but genius. No fake tan smell, no stickiness, no hassle of having to wait and wash it off, no overdoing it, no streaks. Because I already broke the rules, I won’t mention the dermal roller or Microcurrent NuFace toner. –Makenzie, Wholesale Operations and Sustainability Manager

Transformazing! Look… I know they pay me BUT this face mask is by far my favourite product probably ever! I love a little self-care sesh and this just gets me pepped up for the week. Also the best thing ahead of the festive season! I will be popping one of these into all my girlfriends Chrissy presents. -Christine, Office Manager & EA

Coming from an avid brow plucker (OK. Everyone’s been there..) this year I’ve treasured a full brow, and with that, a decent eyebrow gel. I’m not a huge fan of tinted gels as they’re always the wrong colour, but a sweep of Anastasia’s Clear Brow Gel… well, holy BROW! Long gone are the days my brows look like they’ve taken a thick nap at 3pm. No unruly stragglers in sight! –Georgia, Community Coordinator

Out of pure laziness this year I cut foundation from my routine and started just using concealer (this RMS one, specifically) for my day-to-day base, and holy shit I wish I’d started doing that sooner. My skin feels fresh (good), it saves me money (better), and I get to sleep an extra five minutes every morning (best). –Megs, Content Manager

Double cleansing for sure! One of the perks of the job is being able to trial products in development and our new (top-secret) oil cleanser is diamonds. Combined with Properly Clean this two-step has my skin super cleansed and as a bonus I think my serums and Face Hero are working much better. –Leonie, Marketing and Communications Director

It would have to be the Dyson Airwrap. It’s definitely an investment, but it’s a game-changer. It blow dries! It straightens! It curls! It doesn’t damage your hair! Plus: I spend way less time doing my hair than I used to (I can go from towel-dried to fancy waves in 10 minutes) and my hair looks better than ever. Add it to your wishlist. Now! -Andrea, e-Commerce Manager

It took me thirty years to figure this out: do not pop pimples. -Hilary, Gro-To Creative Lead

I’m a multiple home locator and live out of my cosmetic bag. It holds all the products imaginable (testament to my guinea-pig day job of product & packaging testing) together with other bathroom basics, so I’ve always got one version or another of my skin care products hand. -Jo-Anne, NZ Production Manager

Muslin cloths! I love seeing how much product, dirt, oil and grime they remove from my face. And how quickly they dry. Forget your old face washer. –Kerry, Group Product Manager

Epigenetics – how environmental factors like nutrients we eat, radiation (including sunlight) and pollutants cause our genes to get turned on and off. Our genes are our cells computer program that codes for thousands of different proteins in our body, such as enzymes, which make shit happen in our cells. Take collagen for example. It is made in our skin cells by collagen synthase enzyme which in turn is made by a gene, when that gene is turned on. As we age and get more exposed to UV radiation from the sun, this gene gets turned off in more and more cells. Less collagen is produced and we get tired, wrinkled looking skin. But the exciting discovery is that we can not only prevent these genes from turning off (wear sunscreen!) but can also switch genes on with certain skin nutrients. Soon we will not only slow down aging but may even be able to reverse it! I love my job. -Pete, Technical Director

This year has seen us living between our home and an apartment in another city. Having all my skin care and makeup at both locations makes our nomadic life a little less manic. I feel a little more like a hermit crab than a snail carrying everything with me. I even have a stash at my sister’s place, including a pair of my favorite slippers. –Linda, Pete’s Wife

Enjoy a glass of your favourite wine to help your blood circulation! –Su, NPD Lab Assistant