We Aim To Slay

We have officially entered the 2025 Holiday Season! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, here in the United States, and that can only mean one thing – Black Friday & Cyber Monday are around the corner! 

In order for you to take advantage of the best deals of the season, I’ve compiled the 2025 We Aim To Slay Holiday Gift Guide: filled to the brim with items for yourself and all of your loved ones! And this year as an added treat, I’ve created a downloadable and printable edition, perfect to bring with you on your holiday shopping adventures! 

Hair Care

By now we all know that I prioritize my hair care routine! Over the years I’ve tried numerous products, tools, and techniques, and I can confidently say that I’ve found the winning combination for my mixed type curls!

When it’s time for wash day I know I can count on the Love Ur Curls 3 Step System & Exfoliating Scalp Scrub to deeply cleanse, hydrate, and nourish my strands. But on the days when my hair needs a little extra help, I’m turning to treatment products such as the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Conditioning Mask.

I recently shared a tutorial on how I use the wide range of Love Ur Curls products to wash and style my hair, but no matter what, I start every new style with the All-In-One Styler and the Irish Sea Moss Gel – the perfect way to prevent frizz without weighing down my curls. When my hair only needs slight touch ups, I’ll reach for the Love ur Curls Volumizing Foam and Elixir Oil, and when I need extra hold I grab the Pattern Beauty Styling Gel!

Skin Care & Nail Care

When it comes to my skincare routine I don’t mess around! My everyday products include: the Tatcha Rice Wash, the Belif True Cream Aquabomb, The Ordinary Aloe + NAG Serum, Ponds Dry Skin Cream, and the Innisfree sunscreen!

Part of my self care routine is making the time for at home spa treatments. I always like to start by steaming my face and using my pore extracting tools to clear away deadskin and debris, before using a deep cleansing mask – like the Innisfree Volcanic Clay mask – or a deeply hydrating mask, like the wide range of sheet masks by TonyMoly. When I’m treating the sensitive areas around my eyes, I like to use the Fourth Ray Beauty Chill Sesh eye masks beneath the Vintage Cosmetic Company’s cold eye mask (which is also the perfect thing for a headache!).

And I treat my hands and nails with the same care! Ever since I started painting my nails at home – I prefer to use gel polish, as it sets instantly with curing and lasts way longer – I’ve been looking for a way to change up my nail art frequently while still protecting my natural nails.

Olive & June has been my saving grace! Not only do they offer salon quality gel polishes and gel curing lamp, they also have a Peel Off Gel Base which makes it easy to change my manicure without excessive filing. Part of what makes a manicure last is properly prepping and caring for your cuticles – when I’m out and about I keep Olive & June’s Cuticule Serum pen in my purse, and before bed each night I apply a sizable amount of the Sally Hansen Vitamin E Cuticle Oil.

Fashion

Regardless of your aesthetic, there are a few items I recommend everyone have in their wardrobe! These items bring simplicity in their versatility, and because of their longstanding popularity you’ll be able to find the exact materials and colorways to reflect your personal style!

You may have noticed that I enjoy layering, and for me that frequently starts at the top of the outfit. My go-to layering pieces include: bodysuits, button downshirts, and plain tee shirts in various sleeve lengths. For an less conventional twist I may use a bodycon dress as my initial layer, which looks very nice under a long skirt!

Next we move into the bottom half of the outfit. There are essentially three items I think everyone should have: a pair of trousers, a good pair of jeans, and a skirt. What makes these items standout are things like the fit, material, length, and colorway. I tend to dress in a more “preppy” manner – opting for button down shirts, trousers, and comfy knits – but I do so in a darker, more “dark academia” color palette! 

Layering can also apply to jackets and sweaters. I recommend that everyone has at least one blazer, cardigan, moto-shaped jacket, something leather, and a trench coat. Again, the fit, material, length, and color are up to the wearer! 

You can never go wrong with the standard classics – a sandal, a sneaker, and a utilitarian boot; for me I’m picking White Mountain Shoes, Converse, and Dr Martens, respectively. On the dressier side, I enjoy a ballet flat, loafer, or kitten heel for corporate life.

And truly, you can never go wrong with a heeled boot! I believe a heeled ankle bootie is the sneaker of the high heels world, and the knee high variation is her much cooler older sister!

Makeup & Beauty

I strongly believe that true beauty stems from having the confidence to live life authentically. But I also believe in enhancing my facial features by crafting striking makeup looks! 

In order to craft these looks I start with my ideal base makeup: lately I’ve been loving the e.l.f. Velvet Finish Face Primer which creates the perfect base for my foundation of choice, the Clinique Even Better Makeup. My favorite concealer is the Tarte Shape Tape, and I’ve been going back and forth between the Fenty Beauty Match Stix and the Tarte Park Ave Princess for my cream and powder contour, respectively. I’ve been obsessed with the Sailor Moon x ColourPop blush in the shade “Cat’s Eye” ever since it debuted! I finish off my base by setting my eyebrows with the Milani Stay Put Liquid Brow Wax and fill them in, either with the Antastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo in shade “Ebony” or the NYX Cosmetics eye pencil in shade “Black Brown”. Then it’s time to set-and-forget – I start with a translucent loose setting powder, and finish with the Morphe Continuous Mist setting spray.

And finish up with captivating eyeshadows and lipsticks! Lately I’ve been reaching for a few eyeshadow palettes – the Aora Mexico Mirame palette; the Juvia’s Place The Zulu; and the Kylie Cosmetics Blue Honey palette – that are different from my tried and true palettes – the ColourPop Limoncello; the Sailor Moon x ColourPop Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon; the ColourPop Of Quartz; the Juvia’s Place The Nubian; and the Morphe 35H Hot Spot Artistry palette. For eyeliner I go back and forth between the NYX Cosmetics Eye Pencil in shade “Black” and the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid liner in shade “Black”.

I’ve been rotating between these four products for lips and I have to say, I’m obsessed! First up is my tried-and-true, the Jack Black Lip Balm in the Shea Butter and Vitamin E formula – truly the most hydrating, healing, and nourishing lip product on the market! Next up is my favorite for adding a splash of color – Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in the iconic shade, Black Honey! This formula is super buildable, starting at a soft berry hue and ending in a deep cherry red! When I’m temporizing between lip balm and lipstick, I reach for Aora Mexico’s Acariciame Solid Lip Serum in shade “Vanta0.2” or the ColorGram Juicy Drop Tint in shade “Plum”.

And in the last year I’ve become captivated by the world of fragrances! While I’ve used a wide range of scents in the past, I’ve been flipping back and forth between these three scents: the Maison Mariela Replica in “By The Fireplace”; the Skylar Clean Beauty in “Lime Sands”; and the Wish Hydrating Fragrance Mist in “no. 86 Rich Pistachio”.

For the Home

There are a few items in my home that I simply couldn’t live without, starting with my electric kettle! Any time I need boiling hot water quickly, I know it’ll be ready in a few minutes, making it the perfect thing to keep on hand during the busy holiday season.

In a similar fashion, my clothing steamer is never far from hand! Steaming is my prefered method for making my clothes look brand new as it tends to be less invasive. And as an added bonus you can add a few drops of essential oil to add a fresh scent! I also like to add an essential oil to my humidifier – specifically, lavender – to my home a soothing and pleasant atmosphere!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I have a deep rooted love for clothing. In my quest for “the perfect wardrobe” I’ve learned how to store all of my treasures with care! Starting with these multi-level hangars – I have several for my pants, and several for my button down shirts! For standard hanging situations, I prefer to use these velvet hangars, as the texture helps to prevent slipping.

Fur Babies

And speaking of my fur baby, these are some of the most helpful (and beloved!) items I’ve found during my “dog mom era”!

Because my dog, Dante, is a large and active breed we end up spending a lot of time outside. When we’re on-the-go I like to use an around-the-waist leash as it gives me the freedom to still use both of my hands. Similarly, I like to keep a crossbody bag packed and ready to go with all of our hiking essentials – extra poo bags, treats, a collapsible water bowl, and a water bottle with an attached water bowl.

When we’re at home it’s important to ensure he’s still getting enrichment, so I make sure to keep his toy bin stocked! He really enjoys this ice cream mold and dispenser set, which allows me to get creative in the kitchen – so far his favorite flavor is beef broth with Atlantic char!

Like his mother, Dante is a fashionista who enjoys little luxuries, so I make sure to frequent the pet section of T.J. Maxx – where I found his bed, and his array of sweaters! And even more practical, it’s also where I found this clear, lucite food and water bowl holder!

What Do You Think?

And there you have it, all of the items I’ll be hunting for this holiday season! You can find all of these items on my fully shop-able Benable List – The 2025 Gift Guide! I hope you all have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving tomorrow, and an exciting (and safe!) Black Friday weekend! Happy shopping!

I’ll be back next week to discuss my most recent PR collab – House of Lashes!

Have a great rest of your week, and remember to SLAY!