I can’t believe 2023 is almost done.
It’s been a really weird year. I had a very long summer spent working on wildfires, so most of the products I bought and used over the course of the summer were all products that helped me out with my job.
We’ve still got some wildfire activity on our forest, but it’s slowed down quite a bit, which is good.
However, Ryan and I are preparing for a move next week — which means we’ve been doing way less shopping and buying, and way more downsizing and donating.
But, I have found a few cool things lately that I wanted to share.
I’ve made a few household purchases from Amazon, including my favorite purchase in quite some time. (Spoiler: it’s the electric blanket.) I’ve also tried a few new skincare products, some new snacks and — of course — I’ve been LOVING everything and anything Taylor Swift does.
Pst… affiliate links!
・・・
Olly multivitamins. I’ve been trying to take care of myself a little better as I age, so vitamins it is. My sister force-fed these to me while I was visiting her in Michigan this past summer, and I bought some for myself because who doesn’t love healthy hair and nails?
Glow Recipe’s Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum. My dermatologist recently upped the dosage of my Tretinoin prescription and this has been a lifesaver for helping combat dry skin since I can’t use hyaluronic acid out here in Arizona.
Aquaphor. Similarly, I started applying a thin layer of Aquaphor on my face at night before going to sleep, and it helped combat the Tretinoin peeling quite a bit.
Hero Cosmetic Mighty Patch zit stickers. More Tretinoin-related purchases! My skin started very mildly purging for about two weeks, and these stickers helped clean out my pores and forced me to refrain from picking at my face. As a bonus, Ryan loves them too.
Collapsible food storage bins. I invested in these a few months ago, and since I’ve had a few visitors and have been dining out more than usual as of late, they’ve come in handy throughout the last several months. I love that they fold down and store easily in my backpack/ Jeep, so if I head out for a meal, I don’t have to throw away a single-use plastic to-go container when I have leftovers.
Beautyrest heated throw blanket. I grew up avoiding electric blankets since they were considered a fire hazard when I was a kid, but after a friend let me try hers earlier this year during a weekend trip out to Colorado, I was sold. I bought a heated throw blanket last month, and it’s so nice to lay it over my duvet at night and then pre-heat my bedding so that my bed isn’t cold when I get into it, especially on nights when Ryan is gone for work.
Over Easy Breakfast Bars. I feel like I get tired of granola bars really quickly. (I still can’t eat Kind bars after eating WAY too many of them during grad school.) I’ve been bringing these along on hikes lately, and they’re better than a lot of other granola bars, even if they are a little pricey.
Biena Chickpea snacks. Here’s another hiking snack I’ve been liking lately. I tried these a few months ago when I was looking for a quick pre-yoga snack at Whole Foods, and I’ve been buying them since. The honey roasted flavor is so addicting!
Eagle Creek “Pack-It Reveal” packing cubes. I’ve been trying to do a better job of staying organized when packing for fires and these packing cubes have been a godsend. They’re great for wrangling together odds and ends in my bags, and I imagine I’ll use them for future non-fire travels as well.
1989 (Taylor’s Version). Enough said! My favorite vault song is “Is It Over Now?”
・・・
So, that’s some of the shit I’ve been loving, lately. As much as I’m not looking forward to the whole moving process, it’ll be nice to get settled into our new place — and maybe have a little more time to start experimenting with some new products and purchases.
Happy shopping!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.
