Sabrina

Rounding up my January beauty favorites for the month!

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in the new formula has been a win for me! Full review here and also a demo here. I’ve been reaching for it a lot and love the coverage and naturally glowy finish. This has been the formula I’ve worn the most this month.

I think an updated skincare routine is in order as it’s been a while since I’ve done one, but I wanted to mention a few favorites this past month.

I’ve been using the LED masks more consistently and really love the one from Currentbody. I still have the original but recently updgraded to the Mask Series 2 which has a better fit to the contours of the face. They’ve since added a couple newer versions with different lights that I’m curious about, but so far I’ve really been loving the Mask Series 2. You can use code BEAUTYLB for 10% off.

La Mer is quite the splurge, but my skin texture has improved drastically after using the Regenerating Serum. I’ve been using this for almost two months and it’s really helpled with fine lines and my skin isn’t as dull anymore. I’ve also used up The Renewal Oil and Moisturizing Soft Cream multiple times and recently repurchased over the holidays. My wallet is not happy about it, but no matter what I try, I keep going back to these two. The oil is my favorite and I love mixing it in with other face creams.

Dior Beauty has my heart for new launches! I stopped by my local Dior Beauty boutique earlier in the year and picked up the new Addict Perfumes, new lip oils and Forever Skin Bronzing Balm Sticks. I haven’t done a review but will soon. By now I’ve already almost used up an entire bottle of the Dior Addict Rosy Glow Eau de Parfum (sweet floral) and bought a second. The new Forever Skin Bronzing Balm Sticks are really good (Shade 03 shown). I like them better than the Contour Sticks. The new Bronzing Balm Sticks are sheerer and the colors are better suited for my skin tone for a more natural look.

The Hourglass Cosmetics Curator Palettes have had mixed reviews. I think there are some hits and misses with these. These are great if you want a more natural eye look or don’t wear eyeshadow a lot because the combinations are great for an effortless look. Some of them pull a little too natural looking which is why I give some of them a miss. However, I rediscovered Futurist which is a beautiful one I have been reaching for a lot. It’s in action in this reel here in case you’re curious.

So many of you love Sarah Creal and I have also fallen in love with her products. Her makeup has been in heavy rotation and I find myself reaching for her No Further Questions Glosses and Eyes Up Creamy Kajal Longwear Eyeliners. So many of you have raved about her eyeliners and I agree they are 10/10! They glide on easily without tugging and I love the pigment. I didn’t expect to love the Today’s Highlights Balm Luminizer as much as I do. I think these have the perfect amount of pigment and glow for me. I like blending them on top of a cream or powder blush whenever I feel like the blush color is too saturated. This gives the cheeks that pretty glow.

Tatcha used to be one of my favorite skincare brands but with all the new launches and skincare testing they kind of fell off my radar. I recently rediscovered some things thanks to some recommendations from you and love the Rice Enzyme Powder for a gentle exfoliant. I also love the Kissu Lip Mask for these dry winter months. I tried the Kissu Lip Serum and have to say while I love the packaging and applicator, the Lip Mask is a million times better at hydration (at least for me).

For perfume, aside from the Dior, I also have been obsessed with Creed Pure White Cologne. It’s a fresh clean scent that has Grapefruit, Petit Grain, Bigarade, Jasmine, Orris Butter, Watermelon, White Musk, Ambroxan and Cedarwood. This is the most expensive perfume I’ve ever purchased, but it’s the best clean fresh scent I’ve ever tried and also happens to be Andrew’s favorite scent on me. I personally find it fresh, unique and makes me so happy. I really love the Refillable Atomizers (also here) to fill with my go-to scents and carry them in my purse. These make really beautiful gifts too.

Also not beauty related but I get asked about my jewelry almost daily! I have saved the details on everything I wear to my JEWERLY highlights, let me know if you want an updated jewelry tour! My wedding band and tiny T Wire Diamond Ring is also from Tiffany. The ring on my index is from Mejuri.

My link bracelet is an older style from Tiffany & Co. They don’t make this particular style anymore but it’s one of my favorite gifts from Andrew and I think I’ve had it for over 10 years.

The tennis bracelet was a splurge last year from James Allen and I love it! Some of you might remember from my Instagram stories that I had been on the hunt for one for probably over a year. My wrists are very small so most everything I’ve seen online needs to be custom made which means it will take longer to create and ship. I had planned to visit a few jewelers in NYC but given all the other fun things to do in New York, I never made it to those shops.

After reading a lot of reviews I decided on James Allen last July and I’m 100% thrilled with this purchase. I also have some earrings from them which I really love. My bracelet is s a lab diamond tennis bracelet in the 6 inch length, 5 carats with 14K Yellow Gold. I was able to buy this with a good promo code so the price was very reasonable. Loved that it was in a 6 inch length (my wrist is 5.5 inches) so I didn’t have to get it resized. It did take a little over 30 days for them to make and ship it. The clasp is very strong and it’s a little hard to get on and off on my own, but I think it was 100% worth the splurge. If I had been able to try it on in person I probably would have opted for a larger carat option, but I think this is a great size to start.

That wraps up my favorites this month! I’m working my way through new concealer formulas. You can see the demo of Chanel Ultra Le Teint in BD31 and B40 here (this is the first Chanel concealer formula I’ve actually liked) and also a demo of Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Concealer in 6.5, 7 and 7.5 here. I’ll have a roundup of Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, RMS, Victoria Beckham Beauty and Prada as soon as I can!

What did you love this past month?

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I’ve been MIA on the blog this past year as this has been a year of big changes and transitions for me. Back in the spring Andrew and I finally moved to our dream city and I am so thrilled that we found a place that truly feels like home. Those of you who have been following me for a long time know we moved a lot since 2017 and for me nothing ever quite felt like a place I wanted to stay long-term. Moving to Miami Beach has been one of the best things we’ve done and we are so happy to be here.

I hope to pick up blogging this year. I’ve neglected the blog as my focus shifted to Instagram for social media content. A lot of you have asked if I’ll be blogging more as you seem to enjoy reading the detailed reviews and I hope to be more organized to focus more on what I love most which is this blog.

Here were the things I loved the most in 2025. Many of them are my tried and true and the ones I think I’ll be taking with me well into the new year.

Base Makeup Favorites

There are always a lot of new foundation and concealer launches every year but my favorites were my long-time tried and true.

Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick – This was my most-used foundation this year. I alternate between 2.5N and 3N. Love everything about it from the coverage, color, finish, blendability and lasting power.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – This was my second most-used foundation. Armani did reformulate the classic recently. I’ve been testing the new one for a couple weeks now and will review soon but so far it seems to be just as good as the original. I picked up my usual shade 6.5 in the new formula and it works for me! A few of the shades have changed (I recommend using their shade chart to check your shades).

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation – This will always be a favorite. It’s a classic I love for the shade range, undertone and formula.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powders – I’ve always been a pressed powder girlie but this year I started using loose powders but with a puff and the lasting power is SO much better. I really love all the Laura Mercier loose powders. I alternate between her original Translucent Loose and the Ultra-Blur in Rose which gets the most compliments!

Saie Glowy Super Gel – My skin has been going through changes this past year and a half or so. I’ve experienced dry skin as I age and suddenly so many foundations end up looking cakey my skin. This glowy gel mixed in with foundations has helped tremendously! I love the Rose Glow shade.

Cheeks

Armani Luminous Silk Liquid Blush (review + swatches here) – This is the best liquid blush for the best wear time. I really hope they expand the colors! I tried both the matte and radiant finishes, I have a slight preference for the mattes but both are very good.

Rhode Pocket Blush in Freckle and Piggy (review + swatches here) – Another favorite this year! Love these for the convenience, pigment and lasting power too. I brought Freckle with me on all my trips for the best everyday neutral hint of color.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes (2025 palettes reviewed here) – I really loved all the holiday palettes this year, even with the repeat shades. The color range was 10/10 perfect for me. I love the fun designs they launch every year. Really surprised they sold out so fast this year.

RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush in Crystal Slipper – This was my most-worn blush of the year. It’s one of the best everyday glowy neutral tan blushes I’ve tried.

Chanel Jeux de Lumieres Highlighter Quad (review here) – My favorite highlighters were from this stunning palette! I think this particular collection was my favorite in the entire year.

YSL Make Me Blush (review here) – This was the best powder blush formula of the year. I think 44 Nude Lavalliere is the best color but I also really love 23 Rose Haze. Formula is super smooth and silky. Love that they have mattes and shimmers. More colors in 2026 please!

Eye Makeup

I really tried to branch out for my eye makeup this year, but nothing new really caught my eye.

Natasha Denona hands down wins for the best of the best. The I Need a Warm Palette (swatches + review here) is still my favorite although I really love her My Dream Palette too (swatches here).

Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Original – No matter how many other matte neutral palettes are launched this one remains my favorite. For some reason this is also the palette that gets me the most compliments.

Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Eyeliner – This is still my favorite eyeliner formula but it MUST be set with a powder eyeshadow on top to make it last. Otherwise it will smudge. I love this for the creamy formula and super rich pigment.

Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara XL – This is my most worn mascara formula of the year. It doesn’t smudge or clump. Removes easily with warm water. I wish it lengthened my short stubby lashes more but out of all the formulas this is the best one I’ve tried.

Lip Favorites

I have so many lip favorites this year!

Chanel Rouge Coco Baume Shine (review here) – Chanel launched a shine version of the Rouge Coco Baume this year and I wish they would launch this in more colors! I loved every single shade in this formula, but the best one for me is Honey Bliss 752.

Chanel Le Crayon Levres Longwear Lip Pencil – Chanel’s lip liner remains my favorite although I will say the formulas from Dior, Tom Ford and Maybelline are close rivals. I think the Chanel shades in Nude Brun and Rose Naturel are the best ones.

Prada Monochrome Lipstick in B101 Tiepolo (in action here) – This is one of the shades you loved the most on me. I love the Prada matte lipsticks and I think this one is also one of my favorites.

Dior Lip Glow Balm – This was reformulated yet again and I still don’t quite understand why they keep changing this, but I do think this latest formula is the best one yet. It’s not as waxy as the previous versions and is indeed more hydrating. My favorite shade was 077 Candy which transforms into a warm pink but doesn’t shift too much.

Dior Rouge Dior On Stage Lipstick (review here) – I really love this formula and the slim sleek design of this lipstick. Iconic Rose is the best shade and I really hope they add more lighter neutrals or peach tones in this formula because it’s absolute perfection!

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer – This is still my all time favorite lip gloss formula. It’s a plumping gloss but I really like that it’s not too plumping and on me there is zero tingle or sting.

Tom Ford Lip Color (review + swatches here) – Part of me really misses the old Tom Ford Beauty days. I feel like the innovation isn’t what it used to be but I really did love the new formula of the lip colors from a couple years ago and last year I used Spanish Pink a lot.

Maybelline Lifter Gloss – This is the best budget-friendly gloss. Love all the colors I’ve tried. Gummy Bear is the best baby pink. Also love the shimmers and pigmented shades too.

Nails

My two most complimented nail colors this year were quick dry formulas. Olive and June Quick Dry in Puffball was a favorite since my usual go-to sheer pinks seem to have been discontinued.

OPI RapiDry Quick Dry in Stunn n Done is the nail color I got the most questions about. Also love this one for the color and quick dry formula.

I wear the Essie Speed Setter as a top coat but I’m currently testing a few other formulas to see if there is one that lasts longer.
This year I felt like I skipped concealer and bronzer most of the time. I did wear these occasionally but they didn’t seem like they were part of my regular routine.

That wraps up my makeup favorites for the year! Would love to hear about yours in the comments!