I love best-of lists, but they are always more difficult to write then I expect – and I really should know by now. Skincare is particularly troublesome: I test and use a lot and most of it is good, but I’ve become very tough to impress unconditionally. In addition to this, it’s often hard to tell if something is working or it’s just one’s hormones behaving better than usual.

Anyway, here are my picks for 2016. The pictures are illustrative, as I don’t have all of my absolute favourites on hand at the moment. But everything you see, I’ve liked.

1. Cleanser. I only bought Tata Harper’s Purifying Cleanser in December, but I love it and cleansers can be judged quickly. It’s pretty much my perfect second/morning cleanse: brightening, refreshing, noticeably purifying. If you want even more purifying action, NIOD Sanskrit Saponins is very effective and unlike any other cleanser I’ve tried. My love for Caudalie’s oil cleanser hasn’t diminished and I’ll add a shout-out to Pixi’s affordable balm.

2. Acid toner. This is the year I bought Biologique Recherché P50 lotion/toner. Mine isn’t the original version, but even the “sensitive skin” option (P50W) is strong and very effective. It also lasts a long time. For something gentler, Zelens PHA+ pads are beautiful, but insanely expensive. And there’s always last year’s favourite Pixi Glow Tonic that now also comes in the pad format (I prefer the liquid, but pads are great for travelling).

3. Mist. I didn’t mist much this year, but when I did, May Lindstrom’s Jasmine Garden was my favorite. It smells fantastic, hydrates well and calms effectively. Among mainstream options, Clinique Moisture Surge spray is great.

4. Essence. The reason I didn’t mist much was that I used essences instead. Not too many of them, though, as I’ve been pretty loyal to SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. It makes my face look and feel better and I completely understand why it’s a cult product. Great stuff.

5. Serum. I’ve used many nice serums this year, but the standouts were Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol overnight serum (have I really not spoken about it on the blog?) and Sunday Riley Good Genes (yes, still). If you want something moisturising and mainstream, Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum is lovely. I’ve sneaked a couple of others in below, too…

6. Moisturiser. I don’t usually get excited by moisturisers, but this has been a stellar year for them. If I had to pick one, it would be Sunday Riley Tidal: a brightening, hydrating gel-cream that works well for both night and day. Fortunately, I don’t have to choose, so I can also enjoy Zelens 3t Complex, SK-II R.N.A. Power, Kate Somerville Goat Milk and Dr Dennis Gross Firming Peptide Milk, from the richest to the most lightweight. They are all excellent.

7. Eye cream. For evening, my absolute favourite was Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Cream, for morning Sunday Riley Start Over and for travelling Kate Somerville Goat Milk balm stick (I loved all three goat milk products and the cleanser would certainly have been included in this list, if it hadn’t congealed in the tube before I finished it). For extra nourishment, Chanel Le Lift and SK-II R.N.A. Power eye cream are hard to beat.

8. Mask. My top picks in this category are NIOD Flavanone Mud for a deep cleanse and Biologique Recherché Masque Vivant for brightness and all-around skin health. Both perform very well, but come with a caveat. Flavanone Mud is one of the few skincare products that makes my skin react quite strongly. I know there is supposed to be a warming and tingling sensation, but on me, it really is quite strong. With Masque Vivant, the issue is the scent: it contains yeast and smells vile. I am not overstating the case, trust me. But I love the results.

9. SPF. I used quite a few nice ones over the year, but in the end, Biore UV Aqua Rich outperformed all of them. It’s affordable, but unfortunately difficult to get – at least in Europe. I will see next year if the much-praised The Body Shop sunscreen will work as a replacement.

10. Ingredients. This has been a year of retinol and C-Vitamin for me (plus my old friends acids and a new exciting acquaintance, fermentation). I’ve used retinol almost every single night (it’s not something everyone’s skin can tolerate, but mine can) and C-Vitamin every single day. More than any product, I believe that I have this general approach to thank for almost zero breakouts and much-faded – although not entirely gone – sunspots. I loved the entire Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol series: in addition to things already praised, the pads were fantastic, although way overpriced for someone who wanted to use them every day. I also liked Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift + Retinol and Retinol eye cream; Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair and Age Reversal Eye Complex; SkinCeuticals 0.3% retinol (because I couldn’t get the stronger ones); Dr Brandt Overnight Resurfacing Serum and The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2%. For day (C-Vitamin and antioxidants) let me mention Oskia Brightlight, SkinCeuticals Phloretine CF and Obagi Vitamin C serum.

I’m sorry that this isn’t very succinct, but hopefully it’s still useful. What did you like this year? I realise now that I haven’t covered many of my favourites in any detail, so let me know if you’re specifically interested in something. As a heads-up, separate posts on makeup, perfume and books are on their way.