Beauty Bits

My body care routine has now become as extensive as my skincare routine which seems to be more and more necessary the older I get. I am also someone who loves a body product that is scented in addition to providing skincare benefits. Salt & Stone is a brand that I have seen so many people talking about so I finally had to try their products for myself.

My skin is currently struggling with all this cold weather we have had the past few weeks. As someone who used to have oily/combination skin but now has dry/mature skin, I am constantly on the hunt for products to help soothe and comfort my skin in the winter. And because my skin is changing so much (thank you, perimenopause), things that used to work for me no longer do so I am always trying to find what will make my skin happy in the present. I’ve been cycling through a handful of products to figure out what can help my skin not feel so dry, tight and uncomfortable.

The year is coming to a close so I love to look back and share what my favorite items were from beauty, fashion, accessories, etc. I will be sharing a few more blog posts with my more of my 2025 favorite but today’s post is focusing on the hair, body and fragrance items that really impressed me this year. These are the pieces I used the most and would continuously recommend over and over.

If you are looking to elevate your body care routine but not spend a ton, Saltair is the brand to try. I’ve been using and testing their products for the past 6+ months and find them to be some of the best formulas ever. The brand, founded by influencer Iskra Lawrence, was created to provide products with efficacious results, active skincare ingredients, nourishing oils and exotic botanicals to treat the skin. Elevating the everyday rituals of caring for our skin is one of Saltair’s core principles.

I love all lip products from lipsticks, to lip oils, glosses and lacquers. But the one lip product that I’ve never used consistently are lip liners. It felt like an unnecessary extra step most of the time……until I reached my mid-40’s. My lip line has slowly been disappearing so I have been using lip liners nearly every day to give some definition and dimension to my lips.

So much emphasis is put on skincare for the face and treating it well but the same attention and care must be paid to the rest of the skin on the body too. I used to only take care of my face and was lazy about treating the rest of my body. But in the past few years I have made a dedicated effort to treat the skin on my body with as much (or close to) care as I treat the skin on my face.

I’ve always loved wearing makeup just for the sake of wearing makeup. I enjoy the process of putting on, the ritual of it and how it makes me feel confident. Even though I wear makeup nearly every single day, I have always preferred a lighter and more natural look. I still wear a full face but I try to chose lightweight formulas and blend them in so they look like second skin. I look for shades that enhance my natural features and formulations that suit my dry mature skin.

I’ve been sharing my monthly favorites nearly every month for the past 10+ years but only on video (IG, Tiktok, YouTube). I’ve never shared my favorites in a blog post but thought I would begin doing so in case you ever miss my monthly favorites video. These are all my favorite, most worn and most enjoyed products from the month. I love putting these lists together and sharing the best of the best with all of you! Here are my favorites from the month of November 2025.

I’ve been on a mission these past few years to discover as many smaller beauty and skincare brands as I can. There are so many amazing brands not sold at huge retailers and I want to highlight the ones I love and use. Dr. Whitney Bowe is a board certified dermatologist who became popular on social media because of her focus on skin cycling routines.

I’ve always been a skincare lover and enjoy testing new products in my routine regularly. But over the past few years, I’ve noticed a major shift in how my skin looks and feels even when using my favorite products. As my skin matures, I’ve had to really change up my skincare routine and reevaluate all the products I use.