favorite things 2025
not selling, just sharing :)
Previous editions here, here, and here.
Beauty / Personal Care
The Compeed blister stick. I hate wearing socks, and this little stick saved me many times when I was trying to break in a pair of loafers. Turns out the loafers were a half size too small, BUT the stick still comes in handy!
Sofie Pavitt mandelic acid serum. Tretinoin isn’t safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding, so I switched to this serum to manage my acne. It clears up breakouts quickly without leaving dry, flaky skin. This product really simplified my routine. I don’t love the price, but the bottle lasts me about four months with nightly use.
Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer. I am very pale, and this gives me the most subtle wash of color. It makes me look alive! I never learned how to contour properly, but that’s what I attempt to do with this and it never looks streaky or like I have dirt on my face, which I always fear with traditional bronzer or contour sticks.
Practical / Daily Use
Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. These were a gift from my father-in-law. If you are bold and immune to judgment, I would put these on your wedding or baby registry because WOW, do they come in handy. I thought about getting airpods for stroller walks with Georgia (over-the-ear headphones strike me as inside headphones!), but these are just so comfortable and get the job done.
Brother HL-2350DW printer. We’ve had this printer for a few years now. I am including it on the list because it has never given us any trouble, it’s not an ink-guzzler, and having a printer is extremely convenient! I use it primarily to print recipes, which I keep in a big binder with my cookbooks.
Schoolhouse utility stool. Jonny surprised me with a stop at Schoolhouse on my birthday this year to pick up this step stool after I had mentioned I wanted one over the summer. I now use it as a plant stand for my monstera plant. I am sad to see that Schoolhouse appears to be liquidating their entire inventory right now, but you can grab it now for a major bargain.
Clothes and Accessories
Universal Thread denim jacket. I’ve worn this jacket about 25 times since I bought it, which says a lot considering I have [redacted number] of jackets in my closet. I already waxed poetic about it earlier this year. If you see it on resale sites, grab it! It is the perfect layer-over-a-sweatshirt jacket.
These two scrunchies. I bought them when we were on vacation in Dallas, and they are making the list because they cost $3 a piece, which is EXACTLY HOW MUCH A SCRUNCHIE SHOULD COST (more feelings about how much things should cost coming in 2026…).
Novelty keychains. My favorite one is this cherry one made from paracord that I got for less than $10 off Etsy. It just looks cute and makes me happy!
Warby Parker Simon glasses. I hate wearing glasses. When I wear glasses, it feels like my face is doing a job — my ears, eyes, and nose bridge get so tired. This is the first pair of glasses that I can wear all day without my face screaming at me. As much as I love these glasses, I was disappointed when they got scratched last month and I found out that the scratch repair warranty is now six months (it used to be a year!). I can get these repaired or just buy a new pair for nearly the same price, which bums me out.
Everlane weekend tank dress. Another item I’ve mentioned previously — it carried me through a summer pregnancy!
LL Bean Boat & Tote. I have the medium with a zip top and long handles. I use this as our diaper bag. I love it because it stands up on its own! I’ve never had a tote bag that does that, and now I see why this tote bag is superior to all others (though I’ve heard the Lands’ End version has more pockets, which sounds appealing). I haven’t embroidered anything on this because I have decision paralysis, but I love it and I am so glad I registered for it.
Kid Stuff
Yoto Mini. This was a gift from my mom to Ari when he was three, but he didn’t *really* start using it until this year. Currently, he enjoys the Magic Treehouse series, cards, the dinosaur set, and for the longest time, this Jazzy Ash song collection. My only complaint is that you can’t get Yoto cards from the library. I am hopeful that changes soon!
Gap knit baby pants. I’m not exactly proud of the chokehold Gap has had on me this year, but I LOVE these little baby pants and would order a complete size run in every color if I could justify it. They’re so cute and soft and wash well.
Hanna Anderson pants. Specifically these colorblock joggers and checkerboard pants. I haven’t had to buy Ari much clothing until recently because we inherited quite a bit from our four nephews who live locally. I’m not super picky when it comes to his clothes because everything ends up stained and worn through the knees from preschool, but I like the design and heft of both of these pieces.
Wildbird Aerial Carrier. I did not do much baby wearing with Ari because I had the Solly baby wrap and could never put it on without fearing he would slip out. Then we had an Ergo passed down from a coworker of mine, but I never found it comfortable. My sister-in-law gave us this carrier for Georgia, and I have used it almost every day since she met the weight requirement. It’s snug, cozy, and comfortable.
Miscellaneous and Intangible
Every time my sister marched in my kitchen and started cooking. She doesn’t even ask where things are or go anymore. She just takes charge, and it is such a relief. I love having her and my brother-in-law nearby.
Having my mom stay with us when Georgia was about four weeks old. There is plenty of parental content online about rules for visiting a baby, helping postpartum moms, etc., and I will add that it is frustrating how the help and check-ins drop off so drastically after the first few weeks! When Ari was born, my mom flew out within two days of his delivery. I was in too much of a postpartum haze (and pandemic panic) to fully appreciate her support. This time around, I asked her to come when Jonny returned from his first round of paternity leave (he will take another 12 weeks when I return to work in February). I think immediate help is necessary with a first birth, but given that I had a smooth recovery, I didn’t find myself needing whole lot of outside help until right about when she showed up. While she was here, she held baby Georgia for hours, planted tulips in my front yard, went on walks with me, had a guest room sleepover with Ari, cooked me dinner and froze me the leftovers, and kept me company for many hours of nursing. It was great!
Family photos. We took family photos during my pregnancy and about six weeks after Georgia was born. The second time around, I mixed up the dates with our photographer (a dear friend!), and I only had about two hours to prepare our house, Ari, and Georgia. No time for a postpartum tailspin about how I looked or what to wear! I think they turned out really lovely.
I would love to know your favorite things this year!
Thank you so much for reading and supporting my little corner of the internet.
With love,
Lexie
Listen, whomever is designing for Gap is doing an excellent job, they have me in an absolute chokehold that I cannot stop bc I also have a gap credit card 🙃🙃🙃🙃
My favorite things so far are an owala water bottle, the library, Picasso tiles, watercolor doodling, and getting a divorce but I can’t spread that on Instagram like that LOL
i love when you post!!!!