Hot or not ‘25

Hey! So omfg it’s 2025 and I’ve not addressed this yet in a post. I’m way much more sober than I’d like to be right now, considering both the general state of the world and my mental health. But let’s get into it! Kicking off this new year a week late with a hot or not list -

HOT

-Killian perfume. I know spending £355 on a bottle of perfume is ridiculous, excessive and does make me feel slightly psychiatrically neurotic at point of purchase. But that’s just one of the reasons why I simply adore Killian’s ‘Good girl gone bad’ EDP. It is a rich, creamy, yet aerated and light floral narcotic that manages to get into my mouth with every spritz. -Talk about personality!- Smells evoke strong memories for me, perfume has always been something I’ve used to mark moments in time. A couple years from now I’ll look back, reminiscing over this sublime scent, hopefully coupled with fond memories. Now that is priceless. — As is the total instant street cred you will be ascribed by anyone who recognises this perfume -wafting from your collarbone- as you shimmy past them, ascending a department store escalator or getting off the tube at Bond Street.

-EBay. EBay has never not been hot, but it just doesn’t get the love it deserves. As an avid vintage doll (particularly Barbie) collector, I haunt eBay every day like a bloodthirsty ghost. Though admittedly I have been really getting into Vinted -which is great for selling old clothes- nothing can or will ever quite compare to eBay and the thrill of live bidding!! Something my dopamine hungry brain does competitively in overkill. I just love that you really can find anything and everything -in abundance- on eBay!

-Long skirts. You know me— I’m a miniskirt-so-short-my-ass-is-flirting-with-everyone-in-its-eye-line kinda girl. I absolutely love a slutty mini hemline and a thong! Whatta combo! Talk about a dream team. Since a young teen, I was all about hiking my skirts up shorter and securing them -all rouge- with safety pins. But, times are changing. As a lady more interested by old-school sex-appeal and sophistication, I have seen god and realised longer hemlines can be just as fun… You know me, I love playing with juxtaposition and perversion. A longer hemline adds to the desire of the onlooker, who seeks to undress me with their eyes in the mental realm. There is a great art to showing less skin and yet somehow being more desirable because of it. This is something you deffo only learn in your mid-mid 20’s.

-Regular hair salon visits, more specifically; getting my roots done every four months. Now listen up, I hate the painful monotony of getting half a head of slices done every four months. I can’t sit still for more than four minutes without wanting to tear out of my skin! Let alone the four hours it tends to take. I also hate the way my neck crooks back into the hair wash basin. —Brings a tear to the eye! But trust me. As a not totally authentically blonde blonde, upkeep is hella important. You dance the line from classy to trashy when you have too much root showing! Every four months seems to be an acceptable rate for me to upkeep my hair. Gone are the days of a good inch of root -or more!!- before I’d get it sorted. I realise it’s the little things, like this, that make a big difference.

-Big doe-eyed girls. Move over sultry cat eyeliner and fox-eye-thread-lift girlys. Dear-in-headlights-eyes are deffo the sexiest accessory to petite, skinny white girls. Accentuated by a smudge of smokey, shimmery eyeshadow. Slightly downturned, oversized eyeballs are it girl real estate.

-Antihistamines. I’m allergic to dust, though I don’t usually suffer from summer hay fever. However, this winter I’ve been suffering from what can only be described as winter fever; a constant dry scratchy throat and snuffly nose that is miraculously cured by taking an antihistamine! It’s the most curious thing! But I’ll tell you, Godamn am I greatful for the daily antihistamine I’ve added to my pill regiment.

-Redscare podcast. Say no more ;)

NOT

-MyFitnessPal. For the first time like ever in my life, I’m not obsessively weighing and recording my food and… guess what!! I’ve not gained any weight! It’s remarkable to me, but something that my doctors and loved ones alike have been telling me - eating food won’t make me gain weight? I always thought that you were smoking crack if you said that to me. Turns out you don’t have to be a total calorie Nazi to still be a skinny queen. — Obvi I restrict and have my own special way of ‘dieting’. But at this point it’s more of a healthy Ella maintenance than a starving-myself-skinny eating disorder. I don’t kick myself for eating a couple calories over my daily limit. I don’t painfully weigh my food ingredients like a drug dealer underweights dime bags. I operate with so much more freedom. If I need to keep a handle on my appetite I just use my prescription amphetamines like a good, normal hottie. And drink lots of water!!

-Filler! And oh boy do I have a lot to say. It’s officially out, and here’s why: despite the claims we’ve been fed for years, filler doesn’t just magically dissolve over time. Nope, instead, it migrates—sneaking into places it was never meant to go, throwing off facial harmony. Think puffy cheeks, ducky lips, that overall “off” look. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that Hollywood is dissolving their filler in droves. “Come with me to get my filler topped up” TikToks replaced by “My filler dissolving journey” reels—and for good reason.

For years, filler was marketed as a temporary, no-strings-attached fix—breaking down naturally, they said, so you’d have to keep coming back for more!! But that was only part of the story. Filler lingers and accumulates, blocking natural lymphatic drainage in the face, which can lead to puffiness, inflammation and even more serious health risks.

And dissolving it? The dissolving agent; hyaluronidase doesn’t just break down synthetic filler —it also depletes the body’s natural hyaluronic acid, leaving your skin totally compromised. It’s like paying twice: first to put it in, then to painfully take it out, all while risking damage.

Let’s not forget the irony here. Filler was initially pitched as an anti-aging tool, but when overused (especially in your 20s!!) it makes people look older—defeating its purpose. Youthful faces don’t need filler! If you’re genuinely unhappy with your face, stop being a pussy and get a damn nose job -or whatever!- The result will actually last without bullshit ‘maintenance’. Even if appearing more expensive on paper, I’m sure the cost is mere in comparison to hella filler top up -and dissolving- appointments!

But here’s the deeper issue: why are we so afraid of aging in the first place? The pressure to stay forever young is not only unnatural but deeply problematic. If you don’t want to age, kill yourself and have an open casket funeral. Otherwise, embrace your face and think twice before jumping on trends that profit off insecurity. Nothing ages worse than chasing eternal youth. A real party girl was never afraid of smoking a cigarette. Live a little and let it show!

And oops, this list totally became anti-filler propaganda. But I’m not mad about it, social media influencers have already poisoned your minds, re filller. See this as some good old-fashioned truth telling.