What a year it's been! The year of the tariff! The year of the TikTok is disappearing! The year of the organic social respect! The year of personas! The year of Net-a-Porter still has me in its grips!
What a year! I say to myself on Christmas Eve. It is always odd to email you on such important days. I hope you're reading this on January 5th LOL but just in case I did catch you, thank you for your time, your readership, and your friendship today and this year.
What a year it's been! The year of the tariff! The year of the TikTok is disappearing! The year of the organic social respect! The year of personas! The year of Net-a-Porter still has me in its grips!
Down memory lane we go...
GO-TO-MILLIONS IN 2025
📣: Most popular tweet:my new job 🥲 🧙♀️: Most-opened edition of Go-to-Millions:Weleda (September 2025)
👆: Most-clicked edition of Go-to-Millions:My dupe-vestigation (February 2025)
💌: Most-replied-to edition of Go-to-Millions:Def when I hard-launched my baby (August 2025). Thank you for that. 💙
💍: Most popular LinkedIn post:engagement has many faces 🧪: New channels I tested: AppLovin! A mixed bag honestly. Great for beauty in my experience. Terrible for supplement. IN MY EXPERIENCE!
🧯: Fire I had to put out: I am scared to speak it into the universe but not once, but twice 2 of my client's had their Meta accounts hacked. Omg I can't believe I just typed I'm sick with memories. IT'S ALWAYS ON A SATURDAY ISN'T IT!!
🧛♀️: Rule I broke: I'm a surf-scaler. Works for me.
🤘: Idea that felt risky but paid off: Getting a new job 5-weeks postpartum.
🕰️ : Old idea that came back strong: Instagram matters more than TikTok and sets the culture.
Also, Merin got this for my baby and it's his favorite thing in the world.
BRAND OF 2025
ALAÏA: Because for about 6-months all I could think about were these shoes. Because they followed me around the internet. Because my friends all wanted them, too. Because they were a trend and you know what it's really hard to be a trend and I give respect to any brand that can take over.
Did I buy them? No! I was gifted them. From the brand? No! I'm not cool. From someone who knew I just fucking loved them because I didn't stop talking about them for a full year.
They are comfortable. They are a trend. But I plan to wear them for so long that they become my signature and I'll have them for when they come back around or when they don't. BECAUSE I LIKE THEM. You can't make me not like them even when they lose their moment in the sun. And, that's on affinity.
WEBSITE OF 2025
Ballerina Farm:Because every part of it that isn't perfect feels like it's not perfect because it's homegrown. There's heart and real marketing chops behind this brand and yes I bought the protein powder and the Vanilla is actually worth it.
My favorite types of websites are the websites that are living and breathing and forever changing. Everytime I go to this site the hero is different or the PDP assets are changed or it's out of stock or it's back in stock or it's winter or it's fall or it's the family or it's the animals. It's never static. It's also definitely never held to the same hero for X amount of visits for stat sig you know what I mean?
They seem to go from the gut and I hope we all find the courage to do a little more of that, too.
Honorable mention to See's Candies for their custom box builder as our website of the year. I bring them up as 2nd place but also because I could really go for a box right now.
Hey, it's Christmas!!
Yours,
Ari
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