Some Favorite Small Businesses

April 14, 2020

Small Businesses to Support Now I wit & whimsy

I have always tried to do my best through wit & whimsy to support and champion small businesses – particularly those that are female founded. Now more than ever it is important for us all to shop small (if we’re able) and help support brands that so badly need our dollars to stay afloat. Today’s post was a labor of love but I felt it was important to put into one place the small businesses I love and am a regular patron of. If you’re a long time reader of this blog you’ll recognize a lot of them – a handful of them I’ve been lucky to have as partners on past campaigns of mine. Each of these brands I stand with during this time and I hope you’ll join me in supporting them if you are able.

Small Businesses to Support Now:

Otherland. Affordable and gorgeous candles that burn well and will make your home oh-so-cozy. Their 3 piece gift sets are what I often send as thank you gifts to brand partners.  Personal favorites include Canopy, Kindling & Day Bed. They are also donating 10% of sales to NYC Food Banks right now.

Katie Dean Jewelry. I know Katie personally and she is such a bright light of a person. Her jewelry is so my style – feminine and delicate. I have this necklace and this necklace and this ring and love each of them. Katie works so hard and I’ve loved seeing what she’s built. Her pieces also make great gifts.

Follain. If you’ve read my recent post How To Get Started in Clean Beauty you know that I love Follain’s mission. I also am a big fan of their affordable in-house brand that makes clean beauty more accessible. Don’t miss their hand soap – my personal favorite!

Inscape. The meditation app I swear by. It has truly changed my life.

Youth to the People. I’ve fallen in love with nearly all of the products from this clean skincare brand. I wear their Superfood Cream as my everyday moisturizer, wash my face every morning with their Superfood Cleanser and literally get excited to use their Superberry Dream Mask.

Lilah B. Simple, effective clean color cosmetics. Their matte concealer is amazing. The best dupe I have found for my (previously) beloved NARS concealer.

J.McLaughlin. Preppy, stylish staples that always have you looking put together.

Brooklinen. Crisp, soft sheets and fluffy, plush towels. I’ve been touting this brand for the past five years and continue to shop from them.

Cuyana. Timeless apparel and accessories. I’ve been wearing this brand since its existence and love that it is female-founded and emphasizes owning fewer, better things. The items I have from Cuyana have served me so well and aged really well. Personal favorites include their leather tote (ideal for work and travel), my laptop case, this cape (equally as good for working from home as it is being cozy on airplanes), my beloved travel cases and my favorite t-shirt.

Bastide. A French personal care line. I adore their natural fragrances and the hand lotions.

Lake Pajamas. Beautiful and soft preppy pajamas made in the USA. I love giving these as gifts.

Year & Day. Never thought I could love plates and bowls before I owned them from Year & Day. Elegant and beautiful ceramics that’ll make you excited to cook.

The Daily Edited. The best personalized iPhone cases and one of my most beloved bags.

MM.LaFleur. Striking, timeless workwear that’s thoughtfully designed. I know the founder personally and am amazed at what she has built.

Truffle. Makers of my favorite travel cases for keeping everything organized when it comes to my toiletries, in-flight essentials and misc. chargers.

Emerson Fry. Gorgeous, well-made and functional clothing made in the U.S.A. My beloved teddy coat is by the brand.

Tammy Fender. Clean skincare and body care focused on radiance. The Epi Peel is like a facial in a jar and I use the Awakening Eye Gel nightly.

Summersalt. Swimwear made sustainably and with more than one body type in mind. The brand also now makes loungewear and sleepwear I am interested in trying next!

Everlane. My go-to for wearable, comfortable basics.

Brightland. Delicious authentic olive oil that’s never rotten, over-processed and with absolutely no fillers or artificial preservatives.

Indie Lee. One of my favorite clean skincare and body brands. The toner in particular is a personal favorite.

Sara Happ. The best lip products. I use the scrub (fixes chapped lips in just one use!), the night mask and the every day lip balm on regular rotation. In quarantine in particular the lip balm has been on my lips every day. Highly recommend this set of all three at a good savings.

Kjaer Weis. Clean color cosmetics featuring chic packaging that’s refillable. I am partial to her amazing highlighter and the striking cream bronzer.

Sarah Flint. My favorite pumps and so many other stylish, timeless shoes. I love the team at Sarah Flint and have been honored to work the brand in the past here and here. I wear the brand often and always recommend it to friends. (Use code MEGHAN50 for $50 off your first pair).

Ilia Beauty. My favorite clean makeup brand. I’ve replaced many items in my cosmetics drawers with cleaner versions from Ilia. My favorite products include the finishing powder, the multi-use color haze, the lipstick, the serum foundation, the brow gel, the priming serum, the liquid light highlighter and the concealer.

Hero Cosmetics. My favorite pimple patches. SO effective and so satisfying to use. I also just ordered their new rescue balm to help heal pimples.

Loeffler Randall. Probably my most worn shoe brand. I have a lot of shoes from this brand and wear them often here on the blog. Always worth the investment thanks to the quality and comfort.

Olive and June. Re-inventing the at-home manicure. Their polishes are great and the cuticle serum is a personal favorite.

The Seaweed Bath Company. Affordable, clean body care. The Eucalyptus and Peppermint Body Scrub + Body Wash are my very favorites.

Sezane. French-made stylish and feminine staples for a bit of French girl style in your own wardrobe. Favorite pieces of mine can be found here.

Closed Mondays. Beautiful baskets, trays and homes for plants handmade in Brooklyn by my good friend Bekka. You can shop the brand on WestElm.com right now.

Margaux. Classic, timeless shoes that are as comfortable as they are stylish.

RMS. Beautiful, high-performing clean cosmetics. The pressed blush in Lost Angel is holy grail for me and the pressed highlighter in Grand Dame is another favorite.

Necessaire. Clean body care. The Eucalyptus body wash is my favorite and the body lotion is good, too.

Equilibria. My go-to CBD brand.  Read more about how I use CBD in my life.

Dudley Stephens. Environmentally friendly and stylish fleece styles that bring instant comfort to your wardrobe. I own and love the Park Slope top.

ChappyWrap. Super premium, super cozy blankets and throws to add a dose of comfort to your home right now. Their kids blankets make great gifts, too. I have this style and love it.

Knickey. A friend recommended this underwear brand that features clean, cool, certified organic cotton and I am now totally obsessed with their thongs. Seriously the most comfortable underwear I’ve ever owned.

Kosas. Elevated clean makeup that’s impactful yet not fussy. Their lipstick in Rosewater is a major favorite of mine.

Megababe. Beauty solutions for legit things like thigh chafe. Their Thigh Rescue is holy grail for me in summertime.

Top Tote. Essentials for women on the move. Their hat clip is now a must-travel-with-it for me.

Sunday Forever. A fun store to peruse full of good-vibe gifts. I have their Detox Spray, crystals and worry stone. (All currently in heavy rotation – ha!)

Piccolini NYC. My go-to for baby gifts for my friend’s kids.

Book of the Month. A delightful pick me up in the mail every single month. Choose from 5 books every first of the month.

Wander Beauty. Beauty essentials to streamline and maximize your routine. Personal favorites I use often is Hidden Glow Brightening Cream, Baggage Claim Eye Masks and Do Not Disturb Overnight Repair Concentrate.

W3ll People. Clean, affordable color cosmetics. Their multi-sticks are my favorites.

Catbird. My favorite fine jewelry brand and a must-visit store whenever I am in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Sustainably made jewels in Brooklyn, classic and delicate styles.

Inez. Comfortable shoes made to be stylish and to last. I’ve had the honor of partnering with the brand in the past when I styled their gorgeous Paz boots.

Grayson. Perfect shirts you’ll want to wear all the time. I wore one of their great button down shirts in this post.

Sail to Sable. Preppy and festive clothes I often look to during the holidays and for summer trips.

. . .

What are some of your favorite small businesses? I would love to check them out.

p.s. ways to uplift right now and things getting me through right now.

comments +

  1. Adrien says:

    What a fantastic list! I have also been really trying to prioritize shopping with smaller businesses lately, and although there are a few favorites on your list there are so many I have yet to try. I just opened like 15 new tabs from these links and have a feeling I’m going to be doing some shopping today 🙂 Thank you for this!

  2. Christina says:

    Thanks for this great list! I had been needing some new hand cream so just placed an order with The Seaweed Bath Co, excited to try theirs!

  3. Courtney Hoffman says:

    Paddywax is great for candles too! Plus if you enter the name, city, and state of a boutique that sells their stuff by you they’ll credit that store with the sale. I used the store locator on their site to look up some options before my purchase!

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