Mid-Year Favorites 2025: My Best Tech, Beauty, and Lifestyle Products
Products you’ll love to try out in tech, beauty, and fashion.♡
This year has gone by so fast! I’ve personally been through so many things, both good and bad, and you could say that I’ve lived many lives this year. I meant to make this blog post back in June, but because of some personal priorities, I’m just getting to it now.
Every year, I try my best to live purposefully by creating the life I desire. My desire is to live a balanced life, and success to me is bringing my goals to life with passion and joy. Passion is a huge part of my process for fulfilling purpose, and the products I buy and use are products I’m very passionate about. I love writing about products—maybe it’s because I spend a good amount of time designing software, and when I use products I love, I feel excited to document my thoughts in a way others would find enjoyable.
As you read this, I want you to remember that everything is designed to make you experience something. You don’t love your favorite perfume only because it smells good; you love it because it makes you happy when you catch a hint of your scent in the middle of a busy day. Then you remember you smell really good, and maybe that’s enough to get you through that busy day. Or when you’re making dinner in your non-stick pan and your cooking feels seamless. The products you use daily, weekly, or even monthly are designed to create experiences that draw you in and make you desire them constantly.
“The products you use on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis are designed to create experiences that draw you in, and make you desire them constantly”. - Favour Adeniyi
These are a few products that have done that for me this year:
Tech & Gear
My 27-inch M4 iMac
Since Apple launched the new generations of iMacs in 2021, I’ve been in love with them because of the beautiful colors! I finally bought the M4 iMac in December 2024 when I knew it would bring value to my life. The timing was perfect for me because I had been working full-time as a Product Designer for nearly two years while creating content on the side. I used my M2 MacBook Air (my personal MacBook) to do all my editing for my content and also writing my blogs. While my MacBook Air worked for my editing tasks, I just didn’t feel comfortable working on multiple different projects on it. It felt too small, and I didn't feel the inspiration I desired from it.
Entering 2025, I had a lot of ideas I wanted to work on beyond content, and I was entering my businesswoman era. I knew that I needed a stable workstation where I could work on all my creative ideas because that would inspire me to do the work. Adding the Pink iMac to my very pretty home-office setup has been my best investment this year. Anytime I see it, I feel inspired to work. And not only to work, but to create timeless products that the world needs. It inspires me to outdo my best and bring forth excellence. The pink color fits perfectly in my home office and complements the rest of my home décor.
The M4 chip is extremely fast—I’ve never had any issues while editing my content or uploading to YouTube. It’s also great that it syncs with the rest of my Apple devices, so all my info is always here. I’m more than loving it so far, and I’m so excited that I got it because it’s one of those investments that will produce many fruits in my life.
You can watch my full unboxing video on YouTube; I’m sure you’ll enjoy it ♡
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3
The infamous DJI Osmo Pocket 3! It went viral last year, and the virality got to me. I also bought it in December 2024, and I’ve been loving it! I have the Canon EOS R50, and I love the quality, but it’s too bulky to carry with me everywhere, so I mostly use it for sit-down videos while I carry my DJI with me everywhere. The size is compact enough to throw in my purse and even in my pocket. I don’t feel cringe filming in public anymore because it’s quite discreet. I purchased the Creator Combo from Best Buy.
If you’re someone who feels cringe filming in public, or you’re starting to create content, I highly recommend buying this camera. It also takes pretty decent pictures, but I hardly use it for pictures because I have my Canon and my iPhone 15 Pro. My favorite feature has to be the tracking feature. I usually just place it at a good angle in my apartment and film my cute lifestyle vlogs at home without having to move it from place to place. I also got the magnetic case from Amazon, which makes it even more versatile to use. When I’m filming in stores or in the gym, etc., I can place it on magnetic surfaces and get great shots! Another accessory I got for it was this suction mount from Amazon that helps me place it on windows and other flat surfaces to film. It’s honestly a great camera and very versatile, and you’ll get a lot of good use from it. As a first-time user, I watched a YouTube video to help me with the setup and camera settings. I’ve recently been exploring playing with the settings, and my videos have turned out great.
Books
The Good and Beautiful Bible Study by Alabaster
The first half of this year was very difficult for me. I went through so many things that challenged my faith, and what got me through each day was God’s word. I bought The Good and Beautiful Bible Study from Alabaster Co last June but didn’t use it until earlier this year when I needed to read Bible stories of God’s faithfulness.
Alabaster selects different themes and stories from the Bible and compiles them for their Bible Study books, and that’s the kind of book I needed to get me through a season that fought everything inside of me and also drained me. I found myself rereading stories just to keep my hope, and I always read the full scriptures of each story in my Thrive Bible.
The Good and Beautiful Bible Study from Alabaster is truly one of the best books I’ve ever read and one of the most valuable products I’ve ever purchased. It’s literally priceless. May God continue to bless Alabaster and give them more beautiful ideas to bring to the world.
As someone who has struggled with having a consistent Bible Study routine, this book helped me focus on each story and the key takeaways. I’ll recommend it to everyone who wants to improve their Bible Study lives, and it can also be used as a devotional—so that’s a plus.
Reading and loving this book inspired me to buy People from The Old Testament by She Reads Truth. I haven’t started it yet, but I plan to do so this Fall. I think Bible Study books are now my thing ♡
Papier’s Undated Weekly Planner
Like I said earlier, I’m in my businesswoman era, and I need to be organized and productive to bring all my wonderful ideas to life. I’ve been using this Papier undated planner from Anthropologie since last fall, and it keeps me very focused. It’s perfect for me because it’s undated, so I can pick it up and use it freely.
The Weekly Plan page helps me organize my plans for each day of the week. The Daily page is divided into three separate sections: Schedule, Most Important, and To Do. These three sections help me properly plan my day with balance and purpose. The size is my favorite thing about it. It’s 8.5 x 11 inches—which is my favorite page size for journaling—and it’s also spiral bound and hardcover.
Unfortunately, Anthropologie doesn’t sell the exact same planner anymore, but I found it at Target.
Home & Lifestyle
The Mackenzie Childs Tea Kettle
The Mackenzie Childs Checkered Tea Kettle was one of the most trending home items last year. I feel like I watched an unboxing of the kettle every week, and I finally ordered mine in spring this year. Not only is it beautiful, but the quality is absolutely amazing. It boils quickly and is the perfect tea kettle to start your slow mornings with. Before buying it, I always used my Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Tea Kettle, but I use my Mackenzie Childs Tea Kettle more often now. I think it’s one of the best kitchen products I’ve bought this year.
Diptyque’s Rose Room Spray
Diptyque’s Rose Room Spray is a product I recommend to literally everyone. It’s the perfect all-year scent to have in your home. I love floral scents, and this rose room spray brings me compliments every single time. The scent doesn’t fade a few minutes after spraying; it can actually last a few hours after a good spray. My current bottle is almost done, and I’ll be buying a new one soon.
Fashion & Beauty
My Polene Cyme Tote Bag
I’ve loved Polene for years now and have bought three bags from them between 2023 and 2024. I got their Cyme Tote Bag in January this year, just before going on a work trip, and I immediately fell in love with it because of its usefulness. I had previously tried it on at the Polene NYC store last summer, but actually using it during my work trip made me fall even more in love with it. While on my work trip, I carried two MacBooks in it along with a journal and a small beauty bag. It didn’t feel too heavy, and I was able to carry all my essentials comfortably. It’s literally one of the most perfect tote bags on the market, and I love that it can be styled in two different ways. If there’s one bag purchase I’d recommend—especially for the girls who are always on the go—it’s the Polene Cyme Tote Bag.
L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil
Layering scents starts from the shower, and L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil is the perfect product to start with. I purchased my first bottle during Black Friday sales last year, and I have bought multiple refills since then. The L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil has been the best addition to my shower routine this year; I didn’t realize my routine was lacking until I used it! I usually start with Dove Exfoliating Body Wash, then go in with a bar soap, and finish off with the Almond Shower Oil. It leaves my skin feeling glowy after showering and makes me smell amazing even before using any creams or perfumes. This is, by far, the best shower oil I’ve ever used, and if you’re looking to upgrade your shower routine, this is the best product to add—you’ll love it so much!
Full list of products mentioned, you can also shop everything on my Shop My
