Rated & Ranked: 8 Self-care Winners and Losers of January 2025
Check out the best self-care products tested in January, when it's all about renewal, moisturizing and hydration. Featuring Tatcha, The Ordinary, Zo Skin Health, Dreo and more.
In Healing After Trauma: Self-care as a Coping Mechanism, I share how basic but proactive self-care routines soothed me after battling demons:
Today, I’m sharing my favorite ways to handle stress of everyday life at 40.
This inaugural edition of Rated & Ranked1 combats the winter blues and dry skin, focusing on hydration, moisture and light.
Check out my winners and losers below!
Editor’s Note: I’m playing with product links and I may (hopefully) make a tiny percentage (max $0.10, no big) off of a purchase you make if I’ve done it correctly.
🥇 January’s Champion: TATCHA™️ Indigo Overnight 🥇
Oh, Tatcha, how I love you so…
A devotee of The Rice Wash Soft Cream Cleanser ($40.00) and The Dewey Skin Cream ($72.00), Sephora fed my addiction with free samples of the Indigo Overnight Repair cream.
Seriously, this Indigo Overnight Repair dewey potion is magic - even the experts at the med spa were impressed.
A sweet treat before bed, seal in your hydrating serums with a thin layer of moisturizer - your skin will thank you the very next morning.
While it may feel slightly greasy for a minute or two, it absorbs within minutes.
Any redness or dry spots are lessened, if not healed, within days (nights?).
My skin texture allows for a smoother makeup application - but with skin this soft and dewey, I may not need any.
Most importantly, I notice how my skin suffers if I forget to use it.
While quite pricey, I’ll admit, this is worth every penny.
Rating: 📕📗📘📙📚 (5.0 books)
🥈 January’s Runner Up: Dreo 6L Humidifier for Bedroom with Smart Warm & Cool Mist 🥈
I originally purchased a Dreo humidifier because it looked sleek and had great reviews, was easy to fill and clean. It lasted a year - which is longer than most last and it’s possibly fixable.
Sleek. I looked into various brands to replace it, but Dreo pulled me back in - the designs are more sleek and chic.
Sometimes, we all deserve a second chance.
Warm mist. My favorite feature is the warm mist setting. It’s absolutely lovely this time of year. It’s wonderful for your sinuses, skin and hair.
Babbling brook. It also makes a very quiet bubbling noise on this setting - even on silent. Personally, I find it delightful, like rain on the roof or a gently babbling brook lulling you to sleep.
Easy app and cleaning. This time, I’m also using the smart features and app, which remind you when to clean, when it’s shut off, etc.
Challenging to incorporate into my aesthetic. I still haven’t found the best and most attractive place for this.
Note: I also purchased FITORCH Humidifer Tank Cleaner for extra cleanliness but regular cleaning is still a must.
Rating: 📕📗📘📙📖 (4.5 books)
🥉 3rd Place: Happy Moon Lamp, Light Therapy🥉
We all suffer the winter blues when the sun hides away, temperatures plummet and inclement weather induces hibernation. And as the dreariness increases, my productivity nosedives.
Enter a …. magic lamp?
Refusing to slow my roll this year, I decided to experiment with light therapy, purchasing the Happy Moon Light.
Productivity levels increased. I never believed a lamp would make a difference to my mental health, dang, this little 1000 lumen lamp motivates me to start my days earlier, maintain productivity levels and finish chores in the evening.
My productivity levels roar to life within 20-30 minutes of sitting near this lamp.
Remote, timer, options. There’s also a timer, remote with natural lighting and level options to mimic the natural light.
Unattractive base and requires outlet. However, I do wish it were portable with a more attractive base (which I may paint).
Not for the light sensitive. Pre-Botox, a light this bright would trigger the migraine from hell. Fortunately, Botox across my forehead has been life-changing. But I would never sit with this in my direct line of sight if I were risking a migraine. The glare from my glasses is bright enough sometimes.
Even if it’s not beautiful, the results are astounding - and making progress towards goals is phenomenal for mental health.
If it’s a placebo effect, so be it.
Rating: 📕📗📘📙📖 (4.3 books)
🏅 Honorable Mention: Zo Skin Health®️ Exfoliating Polish (4th) 🏅
Zo Skin’s Exfoliating Polish, a gift from my sister-in-law, deserves an honorable mention at the least.
I absolutely love the way my skin feels for a solid day after use.
I’ve long used AHA’s and BHA’s - the chemical exfoliants to keep the dead skin cells off my face.
But during the winter months, that isn’t always enough.
Surprisingly gentle. Featuring magnesium oxide crystals, Zo Skin’s physical exfoliant is surprisingly gentle - just enough for my skin to really soak up the hydrating serums.
While the full size product is expensive at $68.00, this exfoliant requires a tiny amount (but on pretty damp skin please). The travel size retails for $22.00 on Zo®️ Skin Health’s website - it may be enough to last all winter.
A quick adjustment. I’m still hesitant to rough up my skin but this hurts far less than the ten minute, AHA+BHA mask. I’ll take the experts’ advice and balance the two in my winter regimen.
But my skin glows, looks bright and feels silky smooth after using (then hydrating and moisturizing, of course).
Travel size is available on Amazon so you can test it out before making the investment.
Thrilled with this gift.
Rating: 📕📗📘📙 📃 (4.25 books)
🌟 The Ordinary, Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion (5th) 🌟
As our largest organ, our skin deserves love from head-to-toe at an affordable price - and no one does that like The Ordinary.
The Ordinary’s Face and Body Emulsion is designed to reduce dark spots, improve texture and help you glow. I haven’t noticed changes in dark spots, but those aren’t my primary concern.
The skin on my neck, décolletage and arms is stunningly soft - and my hands? Finally starting to feel moisturized and less death-like!
The product is quite thin and milky, so we’ll see how long it lasts. It absorbs into the skin quickly with no residue or scent.
Rating: 📕📗📘📙 (4.0 books)
⭐️ The Quick Flip Go Water Bottle Stanley (6th) ⭐️
I know. I know. I know.
But I bought one but for valid reasons:
24 ounces. Out of all the water bottles at my city Target, it was the only size with a decent amount of ounces to keep me hydrated without being too heavy.
Ergonomic mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is brilliantly shaped and the top pops open with a button instead of a straw. This seems better for my pout.
Easily weaponized. The top handle allows me to swing it more easily (like a bat) should I need to defend myself. Another reason I appreciate that it’s not too heavy and uses a pop off lid versus a straw.
It’s a really good color of super light blush pink.
Easy to clean. Again, hygiene.
But it’s still too trendy and feels like it puts a target on my back.
Rating: 📕📗📘📖 (3.75 books)
💫 STAR MOON Candle Warmer (7th) 💫
I love these plug in wax warmers. Pretty self-explanatory and easy-to-use - plug in, place wax in center, let wax melt.
Glow and pop. STAR MOON’s models glows perfectly during the winter and are available in practically every aesthetic, adding a small pop of style and personality to your wall.
Affordable and environmentally friendly. Candles can get expensive and never last as long as I’d like. However, STAR MOON’s plugin wax and candle melters retail for as low at $13.50 (prices range) and are refillable.
Aromatherapy. In 2025, we should all know what aromatherapy is and how scents affect our moods. Fortunately, Target’s mastered affordable aromatherapy. Try their scented wax melts by Threshold - clean scents without overwhelming your nose.
Ambient Lighting for Renters. Wall wax warmers are a practical way to stay on trend when done correctly. The little light lends the room a warm glow that perfectly compliments ambient lighting to enhance the mood and your space.
Not sturdy. The ceramic part leans maybe 15 degrees and requires constant straightening.
No timer, low-tech option seems like a safety hazard, but still more safe than a candle.
Rating: 📕📗📘 (3.0 books)
Next time, I would purchase a Happy Wax warmer instead because they feature: A timer, which seems significantly safer.
Free-standing options.
A variety of aesthetics - more chic, black and/or masculine options
Even easier wax removal with a silicone dish.
Understandably slightly more expensive.
💔 Least Loved: LivaClean Steam Eye Masks 💔
LivaClean’s disposable eye masks add a luxurious touch of warmth to my favorite Kitsch Satin Sleep Maskhttps://amzn.to/4hTtk78. I don’t know what the mineral rich thermal moisture does, but it feels great.
Hygienic. One of the reasons I love this is why I hate it: each eye mask is pre-packaged and disposable. Which means it is hygienic…
And ruining our planet with extra packaging, easily imagined in a giant trash heap or floating in the ocean.
So much trash. It’s also a mess in my room, waking up with extra trash strewn about my sheets and floor.
Soothing while sick. While down with the flu, I grabbed these for my aching eyes and finally felt relief.
Scent options are light, not overpowering, but there is an unscented option.
Masks required (but not the COVID kind). The ear loops are a joke. The only way to properly secure these is underneath a proper eye mask.
A part of me loves this product, but ultimately, the guilt wins out.
Rating: 📕📗📖 (2.6 books)
Next time in February’s Rated & Ranked:
Hopefully a new overnight lip mask
What are some of your favorite self-care products? Recommendations and questions are always welcome!
Drop your suggestions in the comments!
Products are tested over a 30 day period and rated according to effectiveness, value for price, impact of mental and emotional health, according to me.
📕📗📘📙📚 - 5 points
📕📗📘📙 - 4 points
📕📗📘 - 3 points
📕📗 - 2 points
📕 - 1 point
📖 / 📃- less than 1 point, as indicated.
I think I might try the indigo cream.🙂
I have this moon lamp! Bought it on the spur of the moment during Black Friday and LOVE it!