As a blogger, I buy and am gifted quite a bit. Some products are big time shopping fails while others turn out to be amazing gems. I do my best here on Haute Homebody to ruffle through the muck and share only products that I truly think are worthy of you and your money. So I thought it’d be fun today to share the best things I bought in 2020.
Getting older, I prefer to spend money on things like experiences and travel. Our trip to Argentina in January was truly the highlight of the year and getting to enjoy quality time exploring the world with my husband is the best thing money can buy in my opinion.
Buttttt… as we all know, quarantine brought out the shopper in all of us, so I found plenty of treats and treasures over the last 12 months to keep myself indoors and amused.
Best Things I Bought in 2020
Versed Overnight Facial
I picked up this cute little pink tube in Target’s mini beauty section on a whim, and it has turned into one of my favorite face masks. I had never even heard of the brand before. My primary skin concerns are dryness and aging. I put the Versed mask on in place of my nighttime serums and/or oils and wear it to bed. When I wake up in the morning, there’s just that intangible “I look so much better today” quality that’s hard to pinpoint.
Herb Savor
Savoring herbs is one of my favorite past times! I should’ve known when I bought this handy kitchen helper that it’d be a hit. The Herb Savor keeps your herbs from wilting in the fridge. And our herbs seriously will last for WEEKS inside the savor, and I seriously mean WEEKS!
It’s essentially a plastic shell that sits above a small plate of water. Inside, it keeps the herbs at optimum hydration levels. I am a huge basil fan, but I am constantly throwing it out after it goes bad in a number of days. This little gadget is truly amazing and under $30.
Target Egg Chair
Oh man, I try to avoid a lot of blogger trap trends like the “egg chair,” but this was one trend I couldn’t resist. The so-called “Instagram Egg Chair” is a wicker, all-weather, deep-seated patio chair that comes with lovely, comfy cushions, and overall, just looks incredibly cool. I decided to buy it during quarantine when we were stuck in our apartment while our house was being renovated. I wanted a place that I could go sit outside and read and just get out of the space I was confined to 24/7.
What I love about it: it’s really spacious and comfortable. At 5’3, I can cozy up in it very easily. You can almost fit two people it. And it’s just such a statement piece that adds that extra magic to your outdoor space.
The ivory/wicker one I’ve bought is frequently out of stock, so here’s a few similar ones.
Multi USB Port/Camera Card Reader
This is a blogger’s (or really any creative’s) dream. It’s SUPER budget friendly, and I use this every day. It makes uploading from my camera super simple, which I desperately need as I’m taking photos for Confête or Haute Homebody almost daily. I also the ability to have several USBs plugged in to either charge my phone, portable chargers, or have my hard drive plugged in to load photos onto. The exact product I have is out of stock, but here’s a similar one on Amazon.
NYX Professional Slim Lip Pencil in Natural
I love a drugstore beauty product, and NYX makes the best lip liners, drugstore or not. I’m working on a longer piece of my favorite drugstore beauty buys, and so I picked up a few new products to test. One of those was their professional slim lip pencil in Natural.
As for as lip products go, I prefer to go with colors that are as close to my natural lip color as possible. This pencil is a really pretty neutral with pink and brown undertones. I feel like it really enhances my lips in a totally natural way. I usually just pencil the outer rim of my lips, then fill about 3/4 in with the pencil, before smudging it out and applying something like Carmex or Aquafor for an everyday look.
P.S. I’m wearing it in this post’s primary photo.
vintage Louis Vuitton Speedy 40 bag
This is the first luxury purchase I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve always wanted one of the classic Louis Vuitton Speedy bags, and given the rich history of the style, I wanted to find a vintage one. I love the idea of the piece coming with a story of its own and the person who once owned it.
Louis Vuitton’s classic tote bag, the Keepall, was a favorite in the 1920’s, and the Speedy was introduced in the 1930’s as a nod to the world’s newfound desire to live a fast paced lifestyle, complete with rapid transit and automobiles (oohhh ahhhh!). The bag quickly became a favorite of the globetrotting elite.
I’d been keeping my eye out at places like What Goes Around and The Real Real for years, but I then stumbled on an ad for Rebag, which is a similar used luxury goods dealer. One thing I love about Rebag is that most of their products are authenticated, which was really important to me. I was poking around for Christmas gifts during a killer extra 20% off Black Friday deal when I stumbled upon this bag in “very good condition.”
This bag normally retails for $1200, when it’s ever actually in stock, which is rare. In the end, I snatched it up for about $700, which is an incredible deal for a bag that showed up virtually spotless. I was incredibly impressed with the bag and a bracelet that I bought for my mom off Rebag…highly recommend!
Starry Eyed Mesh Maxi Dress
So I kinda bought this…
One of my favorite products of the year is our Starry Eyed Mesh Maxi Dress at Confête. I kept one for myself in the black and gold color scape, and it is seriously one of my favorite dresses in the closet.
First of all, it’s got this intangible magic to it. It’s sparkly and starry and light. It just makes you feel special in it, which is what clothes should be all about.
It’s also really comfortable for a fancy dress. It has a decent amount of stretch in the bodice and it flows nicely into an a-line skirt. It’s perfect for a special birthday, wedding and we’ve even had customers wear it as a bridesmaid dress.
Baleaf Bike Shorts
I basically lived in these during the summer quarantine months. They’re incredibly comfortable and accommodating for larger, muscular thighs. I even do distance runs in these and they don’t ride up. Also they have pockets, so what more do you need.
Aquapaw
Ahhh the Aquapaw. Winston hates bath time and loves getting dirty. Quite the conundrum. Enter the Aquapaw.
The Aquapaw is essentially a wearable/ hand-help sprayer for your dog. You hook up the little spraying mitt to your shower head or hose, and slowly pet your dog, releasing a gentle stream of water to clean your pup. It’s really helped soothe Winston and made bathing him a whole lot easier, which is clearly why it’s one of the best things I bought in 2020. It also works on all types of animals!
Orange Print Bathing Suit
You may have seen me share this orange print Amazon swimsuit during my trip to Montana with the family in the summer. Amazon bathing suits can really go either way as I’ve documented in the past, but this one is really delightful.
It has the cutest citrus print on a pink ruched high waisted brief and crop top. It also comes in really cute floral prints.
Headlands Bell Pendant Lights
You can certainly find similar lights for cheaper, but I couldn’t resist picking up the Serena & Lily Headlands Bell pendant lights for our kitchen peninsula. They truly make the room.
One thing that I’ve learned during this home renovation is that details matter, and adding just a touch of something personal or unique can really add to a design. Also, spending on one signature element is the easiest way for high-low design in home decor and style.
