Hello and happy mid-December! In other words, it’s that time of year when my social media feeds are filled with curated gift guides, eye-catching ads, and the occasional buyer-beware for an overhyped item. ’Tis the season, right?
But I’ll be honest: I am a sucker for recommendations. I love to hear why someone loves this toaster or can’t imagine a world without that hand lotion or practically lives in those sweatpants, on sale now! I’m always convinced there’s a better version of my life one purchase away.
That’s often not true, of course. I guess that’s why I’m of two minds when it comes to providing recommendations of my own. On one hand, I don’t want to have a newsletter solely dedicated to buying things. But I do think the recommendations that follow made my life better this year. And that’s probably because most of them are books.
And just because it’s fun, I’ll highlight my five favorite miscellaneous things (not sponsored/no affiliate links) that made life comfier/easier/more joyous:
A. Big Bud Press (in black, ofc). These have deep pockets (like, your phone won’t fall out) and an elastic waistband around the back.
B. The album I can’t stop listening to: Tove Lo’s Dirt Femme. Her first independent release, this album explores sexuality and marriage and eating disorders, all to inescapably good beats (including a song that samples Crazy Frog lol).
C. My pantry obsession: Mama Lil’s Hungarian Goathorn Peppers. These level up any sandwich, salad, quesadilla, egg, etc.
D. My favorite nail product: Dashing Diva’s (yes, this is really the brand’s name) gloss gel nail strips. As someone who famously has never had a manicure last longer than five days, these literal stickers are life changing. They tend to last two weeks (if not longer) and come in every color under the sun.
E. The viral item that’s worth the hype: the Uniqlo shoulder bag. It really is a perfect size (can even hold a book!).
I invite you to share your holy grails from this year in the comments, please! And remember: the best things in life are free (like this newsletter, am I right?)!
Happy holidays!