My Favourite Things of 2025

Makeup! Skincare! Clothing! The podcast I spent four full days listening to!

When I sat down to write my December favourites (as I do each month!), I had a moment of realisation that a yearly best-of would be FAR more fun. This might even be one of the fastest posts I’ve ever put together. These are all things I’m using, wearing, or doing daily, and if not, at least weekly. Full chest recommendations are what you’re getting here!!! So buckle in, it runs long…

MAKEUP

This is a video I make every year for my YouTube channel, and it’s my 16th year doing it (I’m nothing if not consistent!!), so if that format is more your thing, you can check that out over there. But if we’re talking real standouts, I think the Lisa Eldridge Enhancing Skin Tint* (I use T8) might be my perfect everyday base: it’s light and glowy, has decent longevity, and doesn’t break me out. There are a few things I’ve been using for years that remain in my daily routine, like the Glossier Stretch Concealer* (I use Light 2), Makeup By Mario SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer* (I use Light/Medium), MERIT Flush Balm in Beverly Hills*, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel*, Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in 22M* and Summer Fridays Lip Butter in Pink Sugar*. The best discovery this year? MERIT’s Signature Lip Liner in Beverly Hills*. It’s more of a lip colour than a pencil in that it’s so smooth that it just glides on and you barely need a mirror, so it doesn’t hang around for as long as a classic liner does. But I love the shade because it defines and almost contours my freckly lip line a little, whilst making it look like I have nothing on.

SKINCARE

I have never been so utterly bored with my skincare, but my skin has never looked so good. Do with that information what you will. The turning point for me after years of struggling with hormonal acne on my chin, coupled with closed comedones (FUN!), was finally going to see a Derm (I highly recommend!). She suggested a striped back routine with prescription-strength Azelaic Acid (AM) and Adapalene (PM), so that’s exactly what I do, along with using my Current Body LED Mask* almost daily. My Black Friday basket basically just consisted of restocks of:

• La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser*

• La Roche Posay Cicaplast B5 Serum*

• La Roche Posay Toleriane Soothing Fluid Moisturiser*

• La Roche Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF 50*

HAIRCARE

My haircare routine is a little all over the shop right now. It’s in development, shall we say? I’m toying with the Abby Yung method by doing a double-cleanse with shampoo each time I wash it, and I’ve started using the K18 Leave-In Hair Mask* once or twice a week. I’ve signed up to Hair & Me* as a way to get my hands on Minoxidil, which is apparently helps with new hair growth, which I am DOWN for, because I’ve really noticed my hair thinning this past year. So I’m not exactly brimming with recommendations right now. Check back in 2026!!! However, all year round, I’ve tended to my waves with the Ouai Air Dry Foam*, which is practically the only styling product I use and the Living Proof Dry Shampoo* is one of the best for when you need to save your greasy-looking strands for the school run.

BODYCARE

In contrast, my in-shower and post-shower routine has remained exactly the same all year. It genuinely sets me up for the day, and I feel weird without it. Dry brushing is addictive - who knew?!? If it’s actually doing anything, I’m not sure, but it feels good. My skin is sensitive, so in the shower I use the La Roche Posay Lipikar Wash Cream*. Then, once I’m out, I dry-brush and follow up with this coconut oil*. Every few days, I swap the oil for Tan Luxe’s The Gradual* because I do like to have an air of orange about me, and that’s it.

FRAGRANCE

Perfume isn’t a category that I feel particularly strongly about. Some days I go without, and there are very few that don’t make me feel nauseous. So I keep them light, skin-like and more often than not, a little citrusy (I’m a C.K One girl at heart!!).

• Glossier You* is a forever fave and I always make sure I have a bottle in my stash.

• I pretty much like all the Maison Margiela perfumes*, but I’m particularly fond of When The Rain Stops* for autumn/winter and Never Ending Summer* for spring/summer.

• More recently, I’ve LOVED the slightly smoky/fresh scent of the Ffern Autumn ‘25 EDP* - it’s a real compliment magnet.

NAILS

My bare nails hadn’t seen the light of day for four solid years, until a month or two ago, when I thought I’d see what the state of them was like sans gel polish. SPOILER: It was bad!!! With fingernails like tissue paper, I’ve forged on with an au naturel nail journey that just involves a light at-home mani once a week, takes about five minutes and ends with a layer or two of the Manucurist Active Glow*. Two months down the line, my nails do feel stronger, the gel demarkation is growing out, and I’m saving some serious $$$.

CLOTHING, SHOES & BAGS

I could write a whole post on this category alone (and I will!), but for today, let’s keep it brief. Each day, I’ve logged my outfits in the Indyx app, and it handily spits out stats by the bucketload, so you’re getting the real deal here. Here are the five items that I’ve worn most this year, and I highly doubt there’ll be any surprises:

Le Monde Beryl Soft Leather Penny Loafers* - worn 73 times. They discontinued this style!? Why!? WHY!? They are simply the comfiest, fanciest-looking everyday pair of shoes that I own. I can crack out a 20k step day in these easily, and that’s a serious feat for a leather loafer.

Havaiana Black Slim Flip-Flops* - worn 43 times. On the other end of the scale, a £15 pair of flip-flops. My shoe of the summer, and a helpful component when utilising ‘wrong shoe’ theory.

St Agni Bagu Leather Woven Bag* - worn 36 times. If I have no idea what bag to wear, then I’m wearing this. It fits a decent amount, and I love the rich, warm tones that it brings to outfits.

Toteme Leopard Print Everyday Flats (long gone, but you can still find a few sizes here*) - worn 34 times. I am perhaps one of about five people in the world who find these shoes comfortable, but the numbers don’t lie!! My third most-worn shoe this year, but probably my favourite pair. If ever anyone wants to sell me a backup pair of IT40s, I’m keen! That’s how much I love them.

Dragon Diffusion Small Triple Jump Basket Bag* (currently on sale!) - worn 26 times. This bag reads more ‘summer’? Right? Well, I wore this more last winter to add contrast to oversized wool coats. It adds some balance in colour, being cream instead of my usual black.

ENTERTAINMENT

When I’m not bumping up my daily screentime hours (I do not want to reveal my average daily number to you!!!), here’s what I’m occupying myself with:

PODCASTS: You lot know I’m an avid Wholigan (a.k.a a thrice-weekly, Patreon-tier signed-up listener to the celebrity culture podcast, Who Weekly). So much so that Spotify told me I dedicated more than FOUR WHOLE DAYS listening to it in 2025!! A new addition to my rostser is ‘The Rest is Entertainment’, which is the more higher-brow, U.K-centric version in a way.

ALBUMS: I’m 36 which means not a month goes by without me playing the 2012 Lana Del Rey classic ‘Born To Die’ album at least twice. The same goes for The Kooks’ ‘Inside In, Inside Out’ which takes me back to rididing to my Saturday job at Mothercare on the top deck of the 5B bus. Lana in the winter, The Kooks in the summer. I’m also still not over Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’, which featured second on my Spotify Wrapped for albums. But the top spot went to Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’, probably because I’ve listened to ‘Relapse’ daily since it came out.

TV: I wracked my brains here, but only two shows stood out. You know when you’re watching something and you get sad you’re not going to experience it for the first time again? THAT!! That’s always the sign for me. Severence made me feel that in a major way. The first season was a slow burn which ended with what was probably the best episode of TV I’ve ever watched and for me, the second season didn’t dissapoint. I am a fully fledged Adam Scott stan. Then nothing gave me joy quite like the U.K Celebrity version of The Traitors. I think about this more often than I’d like to admit.

BOOKS: I combed my Goodreads and only three books got a five star rating this year:

• ‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid* - which also wins the award for ‘book devoured the fasted’. I gobbled it up in a solid 24 hours.

• ‘Exit Lane’ by Erika Veurink* - a modern-day ‘When Harry Met Sally’.

• ‘We All Want Impossible Things’ by Catherine Newman* - I don’t think I’ve ever sobbed so hard at a book.

GAMES: I’m newly converted to the NYT Games app. Of course solving the daily Wordle challenge feels like an achievement, even when you’re PANTS at it! But Pips is a good brain tickler too. Although has anyone ever managed to do a ‘hard’ one?! I bow down to your genius.

MISCELLANEOUS

These don’t really fit into any categories, but I feel compelled to mention them here and could easily write a dissertation-length essay of admiration for each:

• My Kindle*. Look, I love a proper book as much as the next guy, and enjoy an airport-purchased paperback from time to time, but the ease of use of an electronic reader is unparalleled and seeing as I use it to fall asleep each night, it means I don’t go into slumber with the bedroom looking like Blackpool Illuminations. I take it everywhere with me.

• This fabric refreshing spray*. It really works. Great for travel or for knits you don’t want to wash all the darn time. A sweaty girl must.

• These weighing scales* and my KitchenAid*. I use my mixer weekly and always say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever been gifted (my husband and my parents went in on one for my 30th birthday). I made banana bread in it yesterday in five minutes flat.

• This Mini Space NK Bag* and a Tide Pen*. I use the pouch to house an emergency kit of sorts (paracetamol, lip balm, hand sanitiser, tissues and that Tide Pen), which I move from bag to bag, and it comes in SO HANDY. I’m never without what I need.

• …and on the other end of the price spectrum, my Peloton Tread and desk set-up*. A very big investment I made at the start of the year, but if it’s a Monday to Friday, then there’s a high chance that I’ve spent at least an hour on my walking pad doing work. I don’t walk fast, but I’m moving and writing. It’s essentially a workaholic Virgo’s dream. I’ve walked almost 300 miles on it this year!! A walking pad and a standing desk would have been a far more sensible financial approach.

• Boujee Christmas wrapping paper. I dream about it all year and spent a solid 30 minutes combing last year’s emails to find the order confirmation, so I could order from the same place again. Completely unnecessary, but wrapping is a task I take great joy in.

• Our trip to New York. Childcare might make the redo of this trip next year tricky (I’m not sure I’ve got the puff in me for international jet lag with an under-5!!!), but I am desperate to make it happen. It’s my happy place, and our visits there fill my cup like no other/I need to conduct another Cinnamon Bun bakery tour.

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