Here Are The 8 Things We’re Purging In The New Year And The 8 Things We’re Buying
We’re looking to love ALL of our clothes in 2025. Or most of them anyway.
by The Candidly Team
Can we all agree that cleaning out our closets and drawers is actual hell up until that verrrrry last moment when we gaze upon a grand display of organized items we actually like? Clothes we want to wear. Products that actually work.
Well, we’ve decided to work smarter, not harder, this year. We thought a lot about the things that make us the saddest in our closets (and our bathrooms) and decided to purge them in one fell swoop.
We’re talking about the items that are never flattering. The ones that make us look frumpier and older and that aren’t even redeemed by being comfortable. There were 8 things we came up with that had to go, however there are also 8 replacements that are nothing short of life-changing.
And so, let the swapping begin.
1. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Shapeless T-Shirts That Flatter No One
Why: Unless you’re Kate Moss in the 90s, a drab, high-neck tee with zero shape is only going to make you look like a rectangular version of yourself. These kinds of tees cut right into the thickest part of the arm, which makes our shoulders look wider and our chests sort of melt into our bellies so we just look bulkier in general. There are simply much, much better cuts of t-shirt out there nowadays, so it is with no sadness that we say farewell to the stiff, crewneck tee.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Buttery Tees With Flattering Necklines
Why: The neckline is 90% of what determines how good your tee will look on you. It’s also what makes your outfit look like an outfit instead of just a sloppy tee and jeans. That said, allow us to introduce our favorite tee of all time.
The Best: Everlane The Luxe Rib Scoop-Neck Tee
The scooped neckline makes our chests look lifted and our shoulders look narrower. At the same time, the really skinny ribbing holds us in, nipping our waistline. And finally, the 3/4 sleeve flatters our arms more than any other length of sleeve. It’s just a flawless tee all around, so owning it in multiple colors instead of 18 other sub-par tees has been one of our wisest closet-related decisions.
Also Amazing: Frank & Eileen Patrick Popover Henley
We genuinely wrote an entire article dedicated to this shirt. It’s a different take on a t-shirt and is especially great for those of who 1) don’t love to show their arms and 2) like to throw on one thing that does all the work to make them look “styled.” (Sooo, us.)
2. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Eyeshadow Palettes And Powders
Why: Powder eyeshadows make us look older. This was true when we were 16 and it’s even more true when we’re 46. The texture tends to settle into creases and highlight the finest of lines. In the end, everything looks dryer without any smooth, youthful dewiness to be found. Again, there are just so many superior alternatives out there, so we’re bidding adieu to cakey shadows.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Creamy Shadows That Don’t Settle Into Creases
Why: As we said, powders can be like like little flashlights for wrinkles. Creamy formulas are the answer. We’re not through with a smokey eye. We’re just trying to do it better.
The Best: Merit Solo Shadow
Finally a shadow seemingly made for women over 40. It’s so smooth with a pitch perfect pigment that will not smudge or cake all night. The colors are all beautiful. Vachetta looks stunning on every complexion, but you can’t really go wrong with any of these pretty little pots.
Also Amazing: Jillian Dempsey Lid Tint In Bronze
We wrote about this exact eye color is part of one of the most iconic makeup looks we always find ourselves striving to achieve. The radiance is unmatched. Here’s what it looks like on:
3. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Long, Box-Shaped Blazers
Why: Even though we’re not really “trend people,” we are certainly not against the trend of wearing oversized things. We love it in a cozy, cocooning sweater or even a very, very smartly tailored blazer or coat. BUT so many bigger blazers just make every curve on our bodies disappear and leave us looking like a larger, linebacker version of ourselves. Anything that makes us feel like we snuck into our dad’s closet to borrow the suit jacket our mom bought him at Express Men in 2001 is not chic. It just isn’t.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Tailored Little Jackets That Make Waists Look Nipped And Legs Look Longer
Why: We all need to stop acting like cropped tops are what they were in 2001. We’re not talking about midriff-baring Brittany Spears bralettes that leave 16 inches before reaching the top of low, low-cut jeans. We’re talking about pieces that hit right at the top of our high-waist jeans, and therefore, make our waists looks smaller and our legs look longer. Shorter pieces of outerwear are one of the easiest hacks in the world to get more flattering proportions. Here are two of our favorite examples.
The Best: Aritzia Wilfred Little Cropped Jacket
This is one of our favorite things we’ve bought all year. You won’t believe how well it works with a thousand different looks. We have 2 more colors in our cart as we speak.
Also Amazing: Madewell Shrunken Zip-Front Jacket in Leather
The clean lines make it timeless and classic and cool all at the same time. But the length is astoundingly flattering.
4. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Stiff Jeans We Dread Wearing Because They Make Our Bellies Protrude Whilst Flattening Our Butts
Why: We all know the feeling. That thick, stiff, starchy, restrictive waistband digging into our flesh, while our bottoms magically disappear. No, we are not wearing jeans that are a size too small. In fact, the second we size up, it’s waist gap city and these weird spacious flaps appear under our butts. They’re just bad jeans. Not soft or flexible. The pockets aren’t in the right place or they’re so small our pancaked backsides also start to look wider. There are gorgeous, game-changingly flattering jeans out there, so all those uncomfortable ones taking up prime real estate are going.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Soft, Flattering Jeans That Keep Their Perfect Shape No Matter What
Why: Why are jeans (the thing we wear the MOST) the hardest things for us to justify spending money on? There are two pairs in our closet it has taken us a lifetime to find. One is the best-fitting, sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants pair that is magic and therefore, worth a little more of a spend. The other is only $50 but incredible in terms of comfort and fit BOTH.
The Best: Paige Anessa
These jeans come in full-length and ankle-length and consequently, they are our best full-length and ankle-length pair of jeans. They’re extremely soft, and yet, they never, ever, ever stretch out. They glide over curves, then smoothly button at the waist without any gap or any feeling like you’re being squeezed. And just look at the prime pocket size and placement:
They come in every wash you could desire. And to help a little with the price, Paige was nice enough to give us a code for 15% off. Use CANDIDLY15.
Also Amazing: Quince Comfort Stretch High Rise Relaxed Straight Jeans
And now for that $50 pair we can’t say enough good things about. We’re honestly blown away by the comfort and the flattering fit of these jeans. They’re not just great jeans for the price. They’re great jeans, period. It’s no surprise, they sell out all the time, so if they have your size, even on preorder, we highly recommend you pounce. You won’t regret it.
5. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Face Cleansers We Give Zero Thought To Because They’re All The Same Right?
Why: As much as we love and research and write about skincare, even we are guilty of treating face wash like the least important afterthought in our routine. We buy it at Target without even reading the label and at airport newstands after forgetting to pack it amidst our 18 expensive face creams and oils. Keeping our face clean while still being gentle and non-stripping is one of the most critical steps to glassy, glowy, younger-looking skin. So while it’s true that face wash doesn’t need to be a splurge, it shouldn’t be something that immediately takes us two steps back when launching into our skincare routine.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: K-Beauty Face Wash That’s Incredible On Our Finicky, Over-40 Skin
Why: We recently started this exact, wildly affordable K-beauty routine, and it’s transformed our skin in ways we, as editors who have been lucky enough to try some of the most acclaimed of skincare products, are frankly stunned by. And it all starts with this face wash.
The Best: Hanskin Pore Cleansing Oil
No cleanser this silky and gentle has ever been this powerful at flushing out our pores. The perfect first-step to glassy, over-40 skin.
6. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Itchy, Pilling Sweaters That End Up Looking Cheap
Why: You know what we’re talking about here. The sweaters that have lost any semblance of softness, the ones that are so pilled we’re embarrassed to wear them outside the house. Time to say goodbye. There’s something magically better out there. Trust us.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Actual Cashmere That Doesn’t Cost A Fortune
Why: We’re at a point in our lives where we’re tired of stuffing our closets with cheap crap that falls apart after a year so we have to replace it even though we never really loved it in the first place. We want a capsule wardrobe of chic and classic pieces. That said, we don’t have $500 to blow on a sweater. Enter Quince. The quality of the cashmere is astounding for the price. The sweaters run from about $50 to $150, so it’s not dirt cheap, but most cashmere at this level is 3X the price at least.
The Best: Quince Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman Cropped Cardigan Sweater
This sweater is the kind of soft we never want to remove from our skin, but the cut is so cute and understated, we can wear it all the time and feel chic instead of just cozy. It comes in every creamy neutral color you could want, as does most things on Quince. Needless to say, we all own it in at least two colors.
Also Amazing: Quince Mongolian Cashmere Boatneck Sweater
We’ve been wearing this whisper soft boatneck sweater as a shirt and we never look more put together or “styled” despite feeling like we just wrapped ourselves in our favorite throw.
7. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Dark Lipsticks That Make Us Look Like Our 90-year-old Grandmother
Why: We love, love, love the idea of a red lip, but as we get older, we are going to be very honest in saying, there is not a single dark red we have tried that hasn’t aged us 15 years. We write a lot about how our makeup can make us look older. So if flaunting a red lip makes you feel good, we’re absolutely all for it. But for us, when compared with a glossy, glowy, natural, our-lips-but better look, most of our old, red lipsticks rattling round our drawers just never get used. In fact, we’re pretty sure they’ve expired anyway. So to the bins they go.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Your Lips But Better Glosses And Balms
Why: Do we not all want that plump, glowy, glossy, healthful pout that looks like we were just born with god-given gorgeous lips?
The Best: Yves Saint Laurent Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick
Welp, here is the glossy nude balm that we’ve been looking for all our lives. It does it all. On. Its. Own.
8. WHAT WE’RE PURGING: Ratty, Old Sleep Shirts That Aren’t Even Soft
Why: If you have a buttery soft, ginormous sleep tee that makes you feel like the most loved, nurtured, freed up version of yourself, cradle that t-shirt to your chest and never let it go. But the bad ones? The ones that became sleep shirts because they were so ugly and wrinkly and sad and starchy and not at all soft? Let them go, my friends. Let them go.
WHAT WE’RE BUYING INSTEAD: Grown-Up Pajama Sets That Feel Like Heaven
Why: We do not love the term self-care. We can barely bring ourselves to type it. But finally buying ourselves the good pajamas that alter our mood before we go to bed feels like a real act of self-care. And we’re so glad we did it.
The Best: Negative Supreme Track Pant and Tank
There’s a surreal level of soft silkiness in Negative pajamas that we firmly believe has improved our quality of sleep. But who are we kidding? They’re so prett, we wear them all day.
Also Amazing: Z Supply Dawn Smocked Rib Pant and Zoe Silky Rib Tank Bra
It’s actually hard for us to put words to the spongey yet light-as-air, cloud-like softness of these pajamas. Buy them for everyone you love who deserves to be hugged 100 times a day, starting with yourself.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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