Cheryl Shops

Halfway through January 2025, I seriously thought I wasn't going to make it through the entire year. That may sound a little dramatic, but January was a rough month for me. I started the year with an intense respiratory infection that would not go away and had a very unexpected professional development arise mid-month. And then there was the inauguration and the chaos that ensued (and is still ongoing, to be honest). Thankfully things got better from there. While I am fairly dependent on the Internet for my livelihood, I slowly started living more of my life offline and re-learned how to be more in my senses. I spent most of May traveling, first to New York, then to Italy. I started a new job in June that I am so much happier doing. I tried (tried!) to save more money and spend more consciously. I feel so much more calm and balanced than I did at this time last year, when I basically went on a bacchanal in NYC to blow off some steam (note: it did not work). You may notice that I'm not on Instagram as much as I used to be; that is intentional and I highly suggest trying it. In a world that's quickly moving toward AI slop in so many places, I want to embrace what's authentic and human. But before I do more of that, here's a look back at 2025.

This is an outfit we shot back in October and never used on the blog—the season has passed, but I still love this transitional look!

Normally I'd combine my best buys of the year into a single post, but I had so many good products I wanted to tell you about, I decided to break it into two. Last week I recapped my favorite clothes, shoes, and accessories of 2024; this week, it's the best beauty products I tried in 2024. In full transparency, because I receive so many gratis products, I haven't actually paid for all of these with my own money, but I am noting which ones I received for free. That said, I highly recommend (and would spend my own money) on all of the following, so let's dive in.

I've always been fascinated by which posts attract the most clicks on this blog; some get a bunch of views from Pinterest, others pull in heavy search traffic, and some are good old direct load. No matter how you're getting here, I'm glad that you've come, and I hope that you stick around. And by looking at—and analyzing—the most-viewed posts of the year, it helps me create even more compelling content for you going forward. But before we move into 2023, here are the top 10 most popular posts of 2022. 

 As I noted last week, I'm changing things up a bit with my year-end recaps for 2021. I've shared my favorite outfits of 2021, so now it's time for your favorite posts of 2021. I was not super surprised to see that 6 of the 10 posts were from my honest review series—they tend to attract a lot of search traffic, but hopefully they're helpful for my regular readers as well. I have a whole new bunch of reviews planned for 2022, so stay tuned for those! I am going to take next week off to spend some quality time with my family and friends, but I'll be back in January with one last 2021 recap, featuring everything you guys bought this year. In the meantime, here's a look at the top 10 most popular posts of 2021, according to you!

Enough about me—let's talk about you. This blog is called Cheryl Shops, and while shopping is what I do, it's what you do too. Plus, I love getting feedback on what you liked (or didn't like)—it helps me create better content for you. So without further ado, here's a look at what you browsed, clicked, bought, and loved in 2020. 

I know, it's kind of weird to think of 2020 in terms of "the best" or anything great happening, for that matter, but it wasn't all bad. I actually started the year on a good note, with a trip to NYC for my dear friend's 40th birthday, a long weekend in Healdsburg, and I even spent my birthday in Paris and London. Of course, I've pretty much been stuck at home ever since, but hey, at least I created a lot of content (and based on my traffic, y'all have been reading it). Here's a look back at some of my most viewed, most commented-on, and most loved posts of 2020. 

I wrote 2020 for the first time today and wow, was that weird—it truly is a new decade! That said, 2019 ended just a few days ago and I’m still in recap mode. So while my year in review post from Tuesday was all about me, this one is all about you: what you browsed, clicked on, and bought. I obviously love data, and analyzing it helps me deliver more content that you’ll (hopefully) enjoy. Plus, it’s fun to see what you got! So without further ado, here’s how you shopped in 2019.


OUTFIT DETAILS: Zara blazer | H&M tee (similar here) | Free People Normani skirt | Staud Bissett bag| Golden Goose Superstar sneakers

You know how all the best-of lists come out in mid-December? Those seemed to appear so quickly this year (I’m still blaming our late Thanksgiving), but I was really thrown by the plethora of end-of-the-decade stories. How did a whole decade just happen? It feels like 2010 was just yesterday, although, to be fair, a lot has happened in my life—and in the world—since then. That said, there’s a lot that I’m proud of having accomplished, especially in the last year. I love the optimism of starting a new year, but before I jump headfirst into 2020, let’s take a look back at 2019.

Well, it's been a year. There have been some amazing ups (yay women!) and some incredible downs (um, the President). On a personal level, I went on a few incredible vacations, took a big step with my boyfriend (and photographer), and most importantly for you, dear readers, started blogging again after a three-year hiatus. (If you're newer to Cheryl Shops, you can read about it here.) It's only been four months since I've been back at it, but I'm incredibly proud of all that I've achieved so far, and I'm truly thankful for all of you who read, comment, like, and support me. Here's a look back at 2017.

Most-viewed post
As of today, my most-viewed post was What to wear with bright yellow, followed closely by What to wear with track pants. Both featured bright color, and both were shot in my neighborhood, just walking around. Coincidence...or not?



Most-commented-on post
With 13 comments, What to wear with a pleated velvet skirt was my most engaging post (and also one of my personal favorites). And update: I did not end up wearing this skirt for Christmas, because I didn't bring the right sweater.


Least viewed post
With a mere 75 views, you guys clearly didn't want to know How to make a barrel-aged Negroni. Which is too bad, because they're delicious! But, message received.


Most engaging Instagram post
With 289 likes and 13 comments, my pleated velvet skirt was also my most engaging Instagram post.



Most re-pinned Pinterest post
Is it my outfit, the way my hair is blowing in the breeze, or the golden hour lighting? Who knows?! This pin from What to wear with a pleated midi skirt was my most repinned of the year.



Most liked Facebook post
Somewhat surprisingly, What to wear on date night had the most comments, likes, and clicks of the year. Since there appears to be a hunger for it, perhaps I will do a few more posts on this in the coming year!


Most liked tweet
Real talk, I'm not very active on Twitter, in spite of having quite a few followers there. My most liked tweet was about the sunset in Kauai...and it was liked by two IRL friends of mine. So, goals for next year: step up my Twitter game.



My favorite post
What to wear with a T-shirt dress was probably not our best shoot, but it was the one where I really started to feel like I knew what I was doing. It didn't hurt that the weather was beautiful and we were shooting outdoors, in lovely San Francisco. Also, I'd like to give a special shoutout to my photographer, who is amazing in many, many ways. I can't wait to show you what we create in 2018!