It didn’t take me long to realize that my last post, “My Top 20 Quarantine Favorites That Spark Joy,” was missing some amazing products that I simply ran out of space to include. Therefore, I’m writing this part II edition to feature more random favorites at home – kitchen gadgets, organizational must-haves, self-care loves, and more. At the end, I also have a list of things I’m looking for in 2021 and would love recommendations if you have any!
Aerogarden
We’ve had and loved our Aerogarden for a while now – long before it became so popular this year! We use the herbs we grow on a weekly basis in cooking or brewing fresh herb tea (mint is our favorite!). Specifically, we have the Harvest (6 pods) and another one with 3 pods. It’s also makes great gift. In fact, all of our parents have been gifted one!
Electric griddle
After having an electric griddle, I don’t know why anyone would choose to make pancakes in a pan on the stove. It’s so much easier, even for me who doesn’t do much cooking! You can also make omelettes, and so much more.
Sushi bazooka
The Christmas present I gave my boyfriend that everyone is asking me about – the sushi bazooka kit! I bought it from Etsy but I also see it’s available now on Amazon for less, of course. Don’t worry, I have a full review coming soon!
Good quality cheese knives
We have made our fair share of cheese and charcuterie boards in the past year! It’s no change for us really – it’s something that has always been a part of my diet. Fortunately for me now, it’s also keto but still feels like a treat. My dad used to sell high-quality cheese knives from the brand Laguiole by French Home at his gourmet store and gifted it to me once I moved into my apartment. I know they will last for years and years!
Homemade ice cream supplies
We haven’t made any recently but at the beginning of quarantine my boyfriend was making homemade ice cream, and it was SO GOOD! You can see examples of some of the flavors on my Instagram in my “At Home” highlight. He used the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment.
Screen Mom Screen Cleaner
If you hate having smudges on your phone, iPad, laptop, desktop computer or any other screen in your life, you need to buy this Screen Mom kit from Amazon. It works far better than anything else I’ve ever tried. Pre-COVID when I was working in the office, I kept one at my desk too.
Luvscrub
I discovered Luvscrub, a mesh washcloth meets loofah alternative, from Grace Atwood’s blog, The Stripe. I love it! It’s a black-owned brand I’m so happy to support. It’s easy to use and clean, and best of all, it eliminates any need for a body scrub that will make a mess of your shower, or a wash cloth/loofah that you use repeatedly and collects bacteria.
Aquis Hair Turban
I was never a person to throw my hair up in a towel after washing it in the shower. I used to squeeze it out in a towel and put it in a bun until it was less damp, then add treatment oil/serum/styling cream in and brush it out. My shower/hair routine has been forever changed by the Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban. I use it every single time, and pre-COVID, I was traveling with it too! There’s more affordable alternatives on Amazon, but either way, I highly recommend one if especially if you have long hair or a lot of hair like I do.
Revlon One-Step Hot Air Brush
The brush EVERYONE has been talking about – the Revlon One-Step Hot Air Brush! I haven’t been applying any heat to my hair in quarantine unless I had an important Zoom meeting where I need to be on camera or if I had specific plans of going out for something special, which these days is as simple as dinner at a trusted local restaurant. This tool makes the process really fast for me to go from freshly washed hair to out the door, and I love that it gives the voluminous, flipped ends blowout look.
I can’t give an honest review without mentioning that it is awfully loud and gets really hot. You’re unable to adjust the temperature at all, so make sure you coat your hair in a lightweight heat protectant. It’s also a good idea to let your hair dry as much as possible (like in your Aquis hair turban) before using it, if you have the time, which you should unless you procrastinated. I’ve heard some of the brand-name, higher-priced alternatives such as Amika and Drybar are less damaging to your hair, but at the moment I don’t feel the need to experiment with that since I’m not using it very often.
Stackers jewelry organizers
Early in quarantine, I came up with organizational projects I could do around the house. I turned to The Container Store and discovered the Stackers jewelry organizers, which were perfect! I have a narrow drawer in the dresser in my closet that both the Medium Expandable Necklace Tray and Supersize 41-Section Tray fit perfectly. The Stackers brand also has customizable jewelry boxes that I would’ve purchased if I had room for it to go on top of the dresser.
Memory boxes
Also from The Container Store are these Bigso storage boxes I first discovered on The Home Edit (Reese Witherspoon’s closet – swoon!). I bought 6 of the Stockholm in steel blue (a much more mid-tone, true blue than the baby blue the photos show on The Container Store, but much more realistic on The Home Edit site) and 1 of the Oskar Storage Boxes in white for larger items to put in the middle.
Specialty dishes
An unexpected home category that brings us a lot of joy is specialty dish ware. We are putting to use items like tea cups and glassware that have been passed down to us from our parents and grandparents or things we found at local vintage shops, instead of letting it sit on a shelf forever. Our Asian dish ware collection in particular has grown and is used often. Once we eventually make a dream trip to Japan, shopping will be a highlight I’m sure!
Costco
Since we haven’t been going out much and we’re both working from home, we’re consuming our groceries faster than ever before. We’ve been long-time fans of Costco and have enjoyed being able to stock up on essentials and try some new things too. I want to go one more time before writing a post, but it is in the pipeline.
Thrive Market
This is a recent addition to our favorites but it’s been so fun and easy to browse the Thrive Market offerings, especially now that I’m doing the keto diet. The prices and quality of the items stocked are great! I’ll write a post about our favorite discoveries soon, because for now I can only speak to the keto items.
What We’re Looking For in 2021
- Blue light glasses – I bought some off Amazon on a whim that really aren’t good. Any recommendations for a decent quality pair?
- Yummy beverages with health benefits, like CBD sparkling waters and non-alcoholic alternatives to cocktails such as Bimble, Nixie, Poppi, Sweet Reason, Sunwink, Haus, Jukes Cordialities, Kin Euphorics, Seedlip Spirits, and Ghia. If you live on the West Coast, Cann looks good too!
- Handheld electric milk frother to make lattes – Like the Golde Superwhisk or one from Amazon for my matcha, chai and golden turmeric lattes.