My 2025 Beauty Favorites

It’s been awhile since I wrote a “from the desk of…” post, so I thought sharing my 2025 beauty favorites would be the perfect excuse to bring it back. As you’ll see below, my skincare, makeup, body care, and a styling tool picks come from a mix of indie and mainstream brands.

Give me a little lip

Lip products are my absolute favorite beauty category. My collection is every expanding and includes glosses, liquid lipsticks, bullet lipsticks, and balms in a variety of shades and finishes. As you can see from the picture above, I love bold color, high shine, a little metallic topper, and a lot of hydration.

Like many indie beauty fans, I was saddened to hear about Ami Cole's closure. I had the good fortune of chatting with the founder, Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye, at a beauty event last year, and I was looking forward to seeing what the brand would do next. Something tells me we will get to see Diarrha’s brilliance shine as the new EVP of Beauty and Fragrance for Skims.

Not only did I love their clear brow gel, but their Lip Treatment Oils are perfection. They might be the only lip oils I’ve tried that are actually pigmented, high shine, long-lasting, and extremely hydrating. My lips always feel amazing long after I've worn them. I have the clear oil, as well as Romance (cranberry) and Excellence (rosy brown). I will be holding on to these beauties until I use them up or they reach their expiration date. Either way, I will be sad when they are no longer.

Next up is a gloss from Blend Bunny's collab with makeup artist Jordan Liberty. As a longtime fan of Jordan, I knew I was going to be supporting him once again with the release of The Masterclass Collection. The first round of this thoughtfully curated collection featured two face palettes, a set of brushes, and twelve lip oils in various formulas, ranging from sheer to metallic.

I picked up several of the Masterclass Lip Oil Glosses in the sheer and metallic formulations for myself, my sister, and my niece, including the one pictured above, Melrose, a sheer lavender pink. These are also very hydrating and can be worn alone or over other lip products, which is something I love to do. I'm looking forward to seeing what Jordan Liberty does next with the Masterclass Collection.

Finally, we’re getting a little bougie with the Spike Valentino Buttery Matte Lip in Put A Spike On It. Yes, it’s a splurge, but it’s a stunning and refillable one at that. My favorite way to wear this shimmery gold is as a topper. I love how it adds a little extra gold magic to any lip look. (As I'm writing this, I noticed I forgot to take the cap off for the picture, but the shade is basically the same color as the packaging.)

Let my skin glow and my eyes spark joy

As a dry skin girl, I always look for products that can make my skin look glowy rather than matte. When I first tried the Rare Beauty Illuminating Primer, I knew I’d found something special. It reminded me of the Becca Backlight Primer I used on repeat. Always an Optimist gives me a nice pearlescent glow and keeps my face feeling hydrated, no matter how long I wear my makeup. I just purchased a full-size primer so I could get on glowing.

Next is a new brand discovery, Ere Perez. Thanks to an event at a local beauty boutique, Fig & Flower, I was introduced to their full line of products. I instantly fell in love with their Jojoba Eye Pencils. The formula is blendable and easy to work with, allowing you to create a variety of looks. You can wear them smudged and smoky eye or use the pencils for a swipe and go lined upper or lower lash line.

The makeup artist at the event showed me how to use all three shades (Cerulean, Gem, and Stone) to create a unique eye look that was both soft and bold. She blended out Gem and Stone and used the blue of Cerulean to add a pop of bold color on my lash line.

I also had a chance to try out their foundation and concealer. As someone who prefers my foundations and concealers to keep my skin looking like skin, both of these products met that need. I plan on purchasing them once I finish my current foundation, the Chantecaille Future Skin Gel, and concealer, the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam.

Show me your indie eyes

It took me longer than it should have to try Unearthly Cosmetics, but I’m so glad I finally did. If you know anything about Indie beauty brands, you know they consistently have the best and most unique shadow formulations. The Dreamer Vol. 1 palette from Unearthly lives up to the indie hype. As a fan of pinks and purples, I was immediately drawn in, but it was the gray and silver shadows that sealed the deal.

Just take a minute to admire this twelve-pan palette of beauty. It’s the perfect mix of neutrals and bold colors in a variety of mattes, metallics, and iridescent finishes. There is so much you can do with this palette, from creating the perfect soft day look to going bold and sparkling for a nighttime eye look. You can bet I will be trying out more from Unearthly Cosmetics in 2026.

Keeping my skin hydrated and smooth

Having a skincare routine that helps keep my dry, sensitive skin hydrated and looking plump is a must. I try to keep my routine to the essentials, but at the same time, I like trying out new products. This year, I’ve tried out a few different products, including the Nuori Vital Repair Serum and The One Moisturizer, both of which I received in my BoxWalla Skincare box.

I've been getting the skincare box for several years, and it has introduced me to some amazing skincare brands. My dry skin has really benefited from using the Nuori serum and moisturizer in my nighttime routine. Their mix of peptides, antioxidants, and ceramides helps to improve the appearance and texture of my skin. I wake up every morning with hydrated, glowing, refreshed skin. As someone who isn’t a morning person, it’s nice to see that at least my skin looks alive and awake, unlike the rest of me.

In addition to this serum and moisturizer, I use a retinal treatment on my face and the skin around my eyes twice a week. I know there's plenty of discussion about whether skincare designed for the eye area is effective, but at this point in my life, I find it beneficial.

As I've gotten a little older and been dealing with perimenopause, I’ve noticed changes to the skin around my eyes. It tends to look puffy, a little dark, and dull. Using a retinal serum at night for the eyes has helped.

My two favorite retinal products this year have been the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal and Naturium's Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%. Both are highly effective, yet also gentle on my extremely sensitive skin. My dry skin looks brighter, and the texture appears smoother. I’m planning to increase to the Naturium 0.10% serum once I finish the 0.05%.

Back in my pharma ad agency days, I worked on the rebrand/relaunch of AmLactin. In fact, I think some of my copy can still be seen on the packaging. I was fan of AmLactin back when I worked on and am still a fan today. Whenever my skin starts to look and feel like chicken skin, I bring back the AmLactin.

Disclaimer: I'm not recommending this product because I worked on the brand, but because it does a great job of gently exfoliating the bumpiness, or keratosis pilaris away. I use it on my arms and on the skin around my knees to reduce the extra keratin it tends to produce in the spring and summer.

Just remember if you decide to use lactic acid lotion always wear sunscreen because it can increase the risk of burn. I found this out when I worked on the rebranding, which is why there is a sunscreen warning on the package.

The perfect at-home blowout is possible

You would think an 80s/90s girl like me would be able to get my hair to do what I want. After all, the things I put my hair through back then were incredible. The bigger, the better. The crunchier, the better.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to recreating a salon blowout. I typically end up with a frizzy, flat mess, Then I was introduced to the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Oval Ionic Hot Air Brush. I was skeptical about trying another hair tool, as most of the time, they never delivered on their promise, or the learning curve was too steep.

I was convinced this hot air brush might work even for me after seeing it in a YouTube video. The creator made it look so easy, I thought, "I can do that." I was overjoyed to discover how easy it was to give myself a blowout, on dry or wet hair.

I haven’t stopped using this brush since I bought it. Unlike other tools I’ve tried, this one is not collecting dust in my bathroom cabinet. The only thing I would change about this styling tool is the handle. I wish it were a little smaller so my hand wouldn't get so tired holding it.

That’s a wrap on my 2025 beauty favorites

I'd love to know about some of your current favorite beauty products, as well as any recommendations you might have.

And a wrap on my acting like a beauty blogger or influencer. It was fun to take a little trip back to my beauty blogging days, which was a huge catalyst for my love of indie beauty. I can’t wait to see what new favorites I rediscover or discover in 2026. There’s always something new to try or old favorites to revisit.

Speaking of your stash, the end of the year is a great time to do a clean out or refresh. I typically do this twice a year to make sure I’m not using any expired products or to see which products might be getting close to their shelf life. It’s also helps remind me of things I might not have used in awhile. If you have time during this crazy time a year, take a few minutes to go through your beauty products.

You might discover some old favorites. I’d love to know what your 2025 favorites are, so share below.