When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, skincare took off. With makeup less of a priority, men and women started putting more effort into their skin and serving fresh-faced glows. It's for that reason, you can bet at least one friend or family member has some skincare goodies on their holiday wish list. Who are we kidding? We know you have a few gift sets you want to put under your own tree this Christmas.
We get it, that's why we put together this gift guide to point you in the direction of the affordable year-round staples that make great stocking stuffers and the premium products that will transform your face just in time for the new year. If no one's told you yet, now's the time to treat yo'self.
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, xoNecole may earn a small commission.
Milk Makeup Overnight Skin Set
This set is beauty sleep in a bag. Milk's Overnight Serum Stick and Lip Mask are formulated with topical melatonin, Persian silk tree extract, hyaluronic acid, lavender, and chamomile to calm the body and renew skin as you sleep so you wake up looking and feeling refreshed.
Bobbi Brown Deluxe-Size Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Macy's
If you're already a fan of this best-selling moisturizer from Bobbi Brown, you know how fast it goes. Face Base is a 2-in-1 moisturizer and primer that combines vitamins B, C and E, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Shea Butter to smooth and hydrate skin and help makeup go on smoother and stay on. Trust us when we say it's worth infesting in this new deluxe-size option from the brand's Holiday Collection.
Tatcha Pure Skincare Delights
Tatcha
Get all of the essentials in this set from Tatcha which includes its gentle Camellia Cleansing Oil, classic Rice Polish exfoliant, The Essence anti-aging serum, and oil-free hydrating Water Cream.
Simple Pink Clay Calamine Face Mask
Simple
Draw out impurities with pink clay in this mask from Simple which has the added benefit of Calamine. The calming ingredient makes the mask gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin while still helping to soothe inflammation and acne-prone skin.
Vanity Planet Aera Facial Steamer
Urban Outfitters
Get a spa-like facial at home with this steamer from Vanity Planet that hydrates and opens pores for an even deeper cleanse. Add drops of your favorite essential oil for aromatic relaxation.
Kubra Kay Purifying Duo
This creamy face wash from Black-owned brand Kubra Kay can be used on dry skin to remove makeup or on wet skin for a normal cleanse. The cleanser helps restore natural pH while also hydrating to ensure skin isn't stripped of moisture.
GOOPGLOW Glowing Skin Best Sellers Kit
Glow from the inside out with this three-piece set. It includes goop's Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator, Morning Skin Superpowder supplement, and 15% Glycolic Acid + Fruit Extracts Overnight Glow Peel which combine to retexturize skin and reveal a more even, brighter complexion.
H.A. Intensifier
Hyaluronic acid is a key element in any winter skincare regimen because of its super-hydrating properties. This dermatologist-recommended serum helps amplify skin's hyaluronic acid levels by 30%, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improving skin's texture to be more firm and smooth.
Mario Badescu 5-Pc. Rose & Glow Set
Reverse dryness and irritation with this 5-piece set from Mario Badescu which harnesses the power of rose to rejuvenate skin. Rose & Glow includes the brand's popular Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater; the Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner; Rose Hips Nourishing Oil; Rose Lip Balm; and Rose Body Soap.
Garnier Pinea-C Brightening Gel Washable Cleanser
Garnier Green Labs Pinea-C Brightening Gel Wash Cleanser - 4.4 fl ozThis gel cleanser combines pineapple and Vitamin C to remove dirt and makeup as it helps even out skin tone and brighten dull complexions. The vegan face wash is free of sulfates, microbeads, parabens, and dyes and is suitable for all skin types. Pair it with the Pinea-C Brightening Serum Cream for maximum benefit and SPF protection during the day.
Peter Thomas Roth Full-Size Hydra-Gel Eye Patch Party 3-Piece Kit
Whether it's random morning puffiness or chronic dryness and dark circles you want to address, this set has you covered. It features 30 pairs of each of PTR's Hydra-Gel Eye Patches: 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm; Cucumber De-Tox®; and Water Drench® Hyaluronic Cloud.
Spa Sciences SIMA Sonic Dermaplaning Tool 2-in-1 Women's Facial Exfoliation & Hair Removal System
Spa Sciences Sima Sonic Dermaplaning Tool 2 in 1 Women's Facial Exfoliation & Hair Removal System - MintGet rid of all those tiny hairs you only see when you look at yourself really closely in the mirror as well as dead skin and other buildup with this 2-in-1 dermaplaning tool. The painless hair removal and exfoliation system leaves behind the perfect canvas for makeup and also helps skincare products better absorb into the skin.
Urban Hydration Bright and Balanced Aloe Toner
Macy's
A great buy for oily skin, this toner from Black brand Urban Hydration fuses aloe vera with Vitamin A and Vitamin E to moisturize skin naturally without clogging pores or leaving behind a greasy residue.
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Featured image by Shutterstock
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff