✨2025 edition: My favorite things

My 2025 top 20

Hi! How’s your holiday week going? Mine is great. We went to see friends and family in Philly for a few days and hit up my friend Carrie’s birthday party in Summit, NJ on the way back where my son ran the toddler equivalent of the marathon in the hotel lobby of the venue. We managed not to get sick (shoutout to daily sprays of this stuff) and I got to hang out in cozy loungewear and grippy socks to my heart’s content. We rewatched The Princess Bride (RIP, Rob Reiner) and caught up on Pluribus. Now, we’re home and ready to couch rot for at least a little while before things get going at lightning speed again.

Let’s get into my favorites list! When I looked at what actually made it into my daily rotation this year, what I repurchased without thinking twice, what I recommended to friends unprompted, a clear picture emerged. These are the products that earned their keep—the quiet overachievers, the daily workhorses, and the little luxuries that made my life easier, prettier, or just a touch more delightful. Most of these are things I first tried this year, but a few are old favorites that resurfaced and became fixtures in my routine once again.

ICYMI:

The Sarah Creal Eyes Up Creamy Kajal Eyeliner (black and brown) became my go-to for that effortlessly smudged French girl eye I can never quite achieve with anything else. The smoothest, inkiest kajal I’ve used in years, it glides on like a dream and makes even a half‑awake eye look intentionally smudgy and chic.

Everyone’s Republic Nude Nail Polishes are rare and easy to wear. The “your nails but better” shades that elongates my fingers, making my hands look instantly polished and expensive. Its formula that lasts shockingly long for something this chic and minimal.

I went through three tubes of Olio E Osso Lip Balm in French Melon this year because it’s the only shade that makes me look alive on Zoom calls without looking like I’m trying. It’s the perfect sheer coral that lives in every coat pocket I own because it makes me look alive in three seconds and its special size and shape makes application quick and easy.

Mother Science Hero Serum A quiet overachiever that steadily refined my skin until people started asking what I’d “done.” I recommend this to everyone. I can’t be without this stuff—it faded a horrendous curling iron dark mark I’d been dealing with since April within a week when I first tested it out a few months ago. Also fun fact: The brand was created by Incubus’ lead singer and his wife. When I run out, I buy two at a time.

Good American Soft Tech Straight Leg Jeans are so wildly comfortable and perfectly high-waisted that I've already worn through one pair (within two years) and immediately replaced them—the ultimate compliment.

The Mizz Korea Million Dollar Genes Cream has a name that sounds like a pyramid scheme but a texture so pillowy I forgave the branding immediately. The rich‑but‑not‑greasy cream that convinced my face it lives in a world with perfect humidity. And the price is nice!

My Hulken Bag survived daily abuse and that time I spilled an entire iced coffee inside it without showing a single sign of wear. It’s the only tote that can handle my errands, my groceries, and my delusions of being someone who “just pops to the market.”

Epres bond repair treatment turned my over-processed hair from straw back into something that could pass for healthy, which felt like actual sorcery. AMBER20 gives you a nice discount.

The Overtone Wet + Dry Brush detangled my hair without the usual warfare—no yanking, no breakage, just smooth strokes that actually worked on soaking wet hair.

Ruti On the Loose Work Pants are the only pants I own that make me feel like I have my life together while being secretly as comfortable as sweatpants. They’re that rare work pant polished enough for meetings but comfortable enough to forget you’re wearing real clothes. They’re in my top 5 best sellers this year for a reason! I get texts constantly about how much you love them.

The Forme Power+ Bra Another best seller of the year! A posture‑supporting bra that somehow manages to be structured, breathable, and not remotely medieval. I love this bra and wear it for workouts and beyond. It makes me look as if I’ve lost 10 pounds instantly and keeps my posture in check while being comfy. My tip: Size up. They run small.

Versed Barrier Cream rescued my skin during that weird December cold snap when everything else made my face burn. It’s my winter skin’s emotional support moisturizer—simple, soothing, and reliably effective. This cream feels as if it should cost $100+ and it’s TWENTY American dollars.

Storied Beauty Concealed Tinted Eye Cream is the skincare‑makeup hybrid that instantly wakes up my entire face—hydrating, smoothing, brightening, and concealing in one step. Using an actual concealer and not a tinted eye cream if you’re over 40 is so 2024.

YSL Lash Clash Mascara delivered the spidery, editorial lashes I used to think required falsies or a professional makeup artist.

Relume Full On Brow Pencil finally gave me the feathery, natural brows I’ve been chasing for years without that dreaded “drawn on” look. It’s the easiest way to fake fuller brows that don’t look 2016 blocky. You know what I mean.

Finding Ferdinand Tender Blush in Frenchie gave me that perfectly flushed look that makes people ask if I just came back from a walk (I did not).

Violette Plume Lip in Mon Cheri became my signature shade this year. It’s a featherlight red that feels like nothing but looks like everything. This rose-tinged caramel shade is universally flattering and a wayyyy better nude than those neutrals of yore that made me look undead. It’s made every other lip item I own feel positively pedestrian. It is perfect.

Victoria Beckham Eyeliner in Cocoa Pave proved that brown liner can be just as impactful as black, but with way more sophistication and zero harsh lines.

Sand + Fog California Beach House Body Wash I am patently not at a beach house right now, and when I want to change that, at least from an olfactory perspective, I use this luxe wash as a hand and body soap.

Palladio Lip Pen The surprisingly perfect under‑$10 lip color that glides on smoothly, wears like a much pricier formula, and lives in my bag because it always pulls my face together with zero effort. It gives subtle overlining definition without looking crazy, plus it lasts longer than lip pencils. Mocha Cream is my shade and I apply it just outside of my natural lip line.

Dr. Teal’s Unscented Magnesium Spray is the no-frills, no-scent sleep spray that actually works—like a weighted blanket in mist form. I use it on the whole family for better sleep.

ICYMI: