This year has been a bumpy one. Suffice to say, I'm pretty happy it's over. But, it ended with me getting a new job and picking up a few products I've been watching. Not a lot, though. Being unemployed made me more considerate when it came to products I needed vs. products I just wanted. Come to find out, I didn't need anything.

Some products made it onto my list at the last minute. That's how good they are.

Here are the 10 products I loved in 2025.

Crown Affair The Overnight Repair Serum Treatment for Dry, Damaged Hair

I don't get too fancy with my hair products and rarely buy very high-end products. But it took one person on social media, whose hair is absolutely perfect, to convince me to buy this serum.

I use it all the time. Before I dry my hair. After I dry it. During the day. It's just that great. It doesn't make my baby-fine, color-treated hair greasy or stringy. It gives me the hair I had before I colored it, which was shiny and frizz-free. And I don't really have to apply it all that often, I just love applying it.

Because it's a serum, if I add it before bed I wake up with moisturized hair. I always forget, cotton pillowcases drain all moisture from your face and hair. This serum really helps keep it alive.

(Tie) mph beauty The Overliner in Tease and Hermes Trait d'Hermes lip liner in Beige Thé

Did I really need these lip pencils? Maybe not, but they're beautiful.

First, the mph Beauty's The Overliner pencil in Tease. No one does a contoured lip like Mary Phillips. I've been waiting for her to release a line. And I knew she'd have a shade such as Tease. It's similar to MAC's Stone liner, but a shade lighter and a bit creamier. The perfect contour shade you can manipulate.

Then the Hermés liner. I just wanted this liner based on the shade and quality, and didn't expect to love it. It's just so pretty. The color. The consistency. One of the few liners I can apply all over my lips and it doesn't dry me out. Can't do that with a MAC liner, or the majority of the liners out there.

I had to have it, so I got it.

Victoria Beckham The Foundation Drops with TFC8® in Shade 5

Expensive - yes, but it works and perfects my skin. Because I don't wear much foundation at all lately, I can kind of justify purchasing these drops. It's a serum, it applies easily and my skin looks flawless; plus, I don't have to use a ton of product.

I'm not a one-product fan of VB Beauty. Her eye pencils cannot be beat and their lip glosses are gorgeous, with interesting colors, and I love her No2 lip liner. And I still have the bronzer she released with Estee Lauder years ago. In that beautiful, faux leather packaging.

VB fan for life.

Pirette fragrance oil

This scent is the biggest surprise for me. I'd never even heard about it but was digging around Frangrantica and someone said it was similar to another scent that was super-hard to find or extremely expensive. I can't even remember what it was.

But I picked up this oil on a daytrip to Newport RI and have been obsessed with it ever since. It's that beachy, Cali concoction of surf wax, vanilla, a bit of amber and wood, and coconut. I love the scent of surf wax, but not too much. I love the scent of coconut, but definitely not too much. So many beach scents hit with too much coconut. I just can't stand that; I think it smells cheap. Pirette has the right balance of soft and surf. I even bought the body lotion.

And, it lasts. If I apply it in the morning, I can smell it on my wrists in bed that night. I think of it as an elevated surfer fragrance.

CoverGirl Enhancer Blush Balm in Toasted Chai

Where did this come from? First, I had no idea CG even released cream blush. And then, I see it matches many of the Rhode Pocket Blush that are everywhere. Toasted Chai is a sort of bronze-y sunburned shade; perfect for my winter gray skin.

It blends like a dream with a bit of glow, and lasts much, much longer than the other Toasted blush. And, the price is, like, $9.99.

CoverGirl has really brought it on in 2025 and I can't wait to see what they release next year. More down below.

Pat McGrath Divine Skin Rose 001 - The Hydrating Essence

I bought this product a bit ago but never used it. New skincare products can sometimes be a huge disruption on your face and, let's face it, if our skin is looking and feeling good, why add a "skin grenade" to mess it up?

Well, this essence is beautiful. I'm really not an essence person. I tried SKII in the past and felt like it didn't do anything; probably because I wasn't consistent with it or applying it properly. I bought the Rose 001 solely because of my love for Pat McGrath.

As soon as the New England weather flipped the switch to cold, I started applying it a.m. and p.m. before my vitamin C serum and was immediately hooked. I apply it everywhere. My face, my chest, my arms. Everywhere my skin is dry. Even my legs before applying body lotion.

Armani Lip Power Satin Long-Lasting Lipstick in 104 Selfless

I already had one Lip Power lipstick in a more natural coral shade, but don't wear it all that often. It's a nice consistency and wears well. It's Armani, afterall.

But I watched an interview with Sydney Sweeney one day, and she was talking about this lipstick and how it was the perfect shade for her lips; like natural lips. That's all I needed to hear. So, of course I had to get it.

It is so pretty. I love when I love a lipstick. Paired with Mary Phillips' Tease liner, it's the perfect lip combination...for me. Yes. MLBB.

Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Serum Concealer in 1N1

I'm still using and loving this concealer. Yeah, I go back and forth with other concealers but this one just can't be beat. It's smooth and doesn't cake or dry out. I've tried and tested so many concealers in my life, and I can finally say I have one I love.

CoverGirl Tru Blend Skin Enhancer Baked Luminous Bronzer in 300 Honey Bun

CG. Again. This bronzer is exactly like the Hourglass bronzer. For a drugstore brand, this product applies like a high-end bronzer. I've seen reviews that say it's "straight-up glitter". Not from my experience. This particular shade is the lightest shade and doesn't show any glitter, at all.

I've worn the Hourglass bronzer and found even the lightest shade to be very orange. And I love Hourglass and its found, Carisa Janes. Most bronzers lean orange lately, anyway. But not this one. I can even apply it to bare skin and it looks like natural skin but better. No shimmer or glitter, just a bit of glow. Maybe it's just this shade, who knows. I even love it on the lids.

Happy New Year.