As we wind down 2023 I thought it would be fun to share my favorite purchases of the year. Only new stuff. This means that pieces of clothing I rewore again and again and beauty products I repurchased (like the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream, the Necessaire Deodorant, the Clarins depuffing mask, etc.) didn’t make the list… these are my favorite new things! Tell me yours in the comments section if you feel like it!
Beauty
Kate McLeod Breathe Pebbles. These are a bit of an obsession. I gifted them to my mom, both sisters, my best friend. If you are a eucalyptus lover and/or a person with dry skin, you’re going to adore these. There are loads of ways to use them (rubbing directly on your skin in the shower for example) but my favorite is to drop two in the tub and let my body marinate in eucalyptus cocoa butter heavenliness. You won’t even need lotion afterward. I’d rather use these than go to the spa.
Kosas Air Brow. This is a truly wonderful, breakthrough product. I am still torn on whether I like it more than Boy Brow. (If you are a Boy Brow devotee, give this one a try next and let me know how you think they compare. My takeaway is that this gives a more voluminous brow). It does everything you want it to do in a few strokes. Fills them in, fluffs them up, holds them in place all day. I wear Taupe.
Bobbi Brown Shadow Stick in Golden Amber. I am a longtime Bobbi Brown shadow sticks fan but this is a new addition to my lineup and I *think* it is a new color. It is so pretty. Golden Bronze is my longtime favorite but this one is a shade lighter and a little bit warmer. Gives the look of molten metal in a few swipes.
U Beauty Tinted Super Hydrator. Really U Beauty anything, this brand was generally my favorite discovery of 2022 - I wrote a big review of the brand on the blog. This is the best tinted moisturizer I’ve ever used. You can actually skip moisturizer as it’s so hydrating. Redness and imperfections quickly vanish, leaving behind your skin - just better.
Clarins’ Cryo Mask. I love this face mask. If forced to decide between the depuffing mask and this I am not sure which I would choose which says a lot as I LOVE that one. This one cools down your face, calms inflammation, and also depuffs. A new obsession for sure, especially during the summer when the heat here is no joke!
Therabody LED Mask. This, I was gifted when I did a campaign with Bloomingdale’s but I would 1000% buy one with my own money. It’s got powerful LED light but also gives you a little scalp and face massage while you are doing the treatment. I never miss a day as I genuinely look forward to using it!
Fashion
Toteme Alpaca Blend Fuzzy Sweater. This is technically a repurchase but whatever. My friend
influenced me on the light brown one a couple years ago and I love it so much. It is my favorite thing to put on pretty much any time as it is big and cozy but also stylish (and feels a little bit like I’m wearing Tyrion). I wore it so much that this year I bought second one in cream. It is fluffy. It is fun. I love it! So I now own two of these ridiculous Tyrion-esque yetti sweaters but have absolutely no regrets. It runs very large, the XS/S is roomy on me!Anything from Sherman Field - Ugh, this brand. I am sorry. There is a part of me that wishes I didn’t know about it. The lockets. The chains. It’s all just perfect. The true definition of super special heirloom jewelry. I am building a little collection. I want actually everything on her site but it’s very splurgy.
Hanes Tee - I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect tee and think I've found it in this. It is truly just the best white tee! It is just long enough. The neckline is perfect. The fabric is thick but not too thick (so it isn’t stiff). I love this tee. I now own four. I wear it more than all of my expensive t-shirts combined. The greatest simple classic white tee (and it’s often on sale for under ten bucks!). TTS!
High Sport Pants These are my most favorite pants. Period. For me to even be excited about pants is a big deal. Proportionately, I have wide hips and and little legs. Pants never tend to fit me quite right or they aren’t comfortable. A general pants rule for my body type is that if I size up they look dumpy, if I size down they squeeze my middle. These I just want to live in. They are expensive but for me, completely worth it. More about them in my review here (plus some less expensive options).
Eberjey Washable Silk Pajamas - I love my bed, I love to sleep, and nothing makes me happier than doing my skincare and putting on a pair of silky pajamas. I am lucky to get a generous discount at Shopbop (it’s a nice perk of my year long partnership with them) and I have snagged a couple pairs of Olivia von Halle PJs using that. But as lovely as those are you have to dry clean them. I was elated when a reader DM’d these to me (she sent me the malachite pair, now mostly sold out). They are just as silky and fancy but you can wash these (I dry mine too - on low). I bought two more pairs on Black Friday. They’ve held up outstandingly well. They run TTS and don’t shrink; take them out of the dryer quickly so that they don’t wrinkle.
Madewell Kick Out Crop Jeans. These are far and away my most worn jeans. They are so comfy, have just the right amount of stretch, I LOVE them. True to size!
Dôen Smocked Dress To be perfectly honest, for the past year or so I’ve felt like if I saw another smocked dress I’d burst into flames. It was overkill. First there was the nap dress craze when I was living in New York and then I got down here and everyone wears them (a factor of the climate really). I took a break for a while but bought this one to wear on Thanksgiving. I was having bad body image thoughts and wanted something comfortable but still elegant. It fit the bill. That’s the thing about smocked dresses: they generally look good on everyone and they’re really comfortable. Which is why they became so ubiquitous in the first place! So: smocked dresses in small doses. You won’t see me in an “Ella” probably ever again but a smocked dress in a darker color with a unique sleeve detail? Sure. Dôen does smocked dresses in a cooler, more interesting sort of way. I also bought this one. (Both run TTS!).
Amazon Cozy Set. I could not love this set more. I have it in three colors and it is the absolute best for the airplane, movie marathons, etc. It runs true to size (I wear a medium) and washes well. Don’t dry it (or any clothing you buy from Amazon for that matter!!).
Boden Loafers We have talked about these here before but they are truly the best. I saw them first on my friend Liz Adams who partners with the brand regularly and I loved the oversized buckle. They’re comfy, cute, and polished. I have loafers from The Row and Gucci and honestly wear these guys more. They just feel very me and make me happy! Also, they brought back the red! They are true to size; I am an 8.5 and wear the 39.
Loewe Bag. Speaking of things that made me want to burst into flames: logo bags. IDK. (Please know that when I say things like this it is not direction for everyone else to follow but rather how I personally feel). I had been craving something streamlined and minimal and I got this guy at the end of summer. It’s been my constant companion. I like that it is broad but shallow (stores all the essentials and easy to find things).
Sportmax Veleno Coat. This was maybe my best purchase of the whole year; it came recommended by
and it is just so good. I love a beautiful coat which is silly here in Charleston as it doesn’t get terribly cold. But. This coat is just the right weight. It would be ideal for late fall in New York, but works all winter long in Charleston. The drape is just right. I have never found a warm wool material that drapes like this and couldn’t love it more. I got the beige in the 6/36. It’s roomy in the best way. It is sold out at most places but still a few sizes left here. The black is more widely available!Metier Suede Tote. This is another splurgy one but a truly spectacular bag. You don’t see me carrying it much as I typically snap mirror outfits and don’t carry my big totes when we do professional photos but I use this tote daily. As a non-driver, it’s sort of my car? I run all my errands on foot mostly and when I am running around town this holds everything, looks supremely polished and cool… it’s really just a beautiful bag.
Amazon Stripe Sweater. I cannot tell you how often I wear this! It is cut a bit like the La Ligne Marin Sweater with a generous dropped shoulder and an oversized, slouchy silhouette. (Totally different - inexpensive - fabric of course) It’s cozy and the perfect top layer - basically, I wear it in place of a sweatshirt. Walks, the gym, lounging around the house, etc. It has held up really well in the wash (I don’t dry it!). I got my usual medium. It’s big but I like it that way.
Jenni Kayne Cashmere Fisherman Sweater. I am actually not sure if this was a 2022 or 2023 purchase but it got a LOT of wear this year. This is the perfect sweater. It of course looks great on but any time I’m reaching for a sweater to drape over my shoulders I reach for this as it drapes so beautifully. It’s definitely my most worn sweater. A lot of JK’s sweaters run large; this does not: I wear a medium.
Miscellaneous!
Earlybird CBD Gummies. I love these gummies!!!! I will take one of them a few hours before bed (I am usually in bed at eleven and find seven or eight to be the perfect time). It’s like having 2.5 glasses of wine. You feel happy and silly (thanks to 2.5mg THC) and then you sleep like a baby. More info here!
Lusty Monk Mustard.(a nice accompaniment to the Meredith farms “crack cheese” which was definitely a best buy of 2022!). This is the nicest, most special mustard. A girlfriend brought it as a hostess gift and I just love it.
New Towels from Riley Home. I am cheap about stupid things. I’ll spend on a pretty dress that I wear once but towel off using old scratchy towels. Silly! After our stay at Shutters in November I was determined to find the nicest towels possible. I did a LOT of research and read great things about Riley’s spa towels. Man: they are amazing…. can’t recommend them enough! Thick, heavy cotton that is super soft and just feels great. I love a long shower but actually look forward to getting out of the shower to snuggle up in my towel. I def recommend springing for the bath sheet.
My Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. My kitchen is relatively small (by Charleston standards) and I don’t like to have a lot of things on the counter which is why I hesitated on buying a stand mixer but I am so glad I did. It makes everything easier. My grandfather’s eggnog (usually a laborious process) was done in under half an hour. Any sort of baked goods. Mashed potatoes. It has made a lot of recipes that would usually be “projects” into a breeze.
Two of my favorite / best purchases this year (thanks to you!) were those golden under eye masks and the bedside carafe. Game changers!
For local to me purchases: AprèsThreads for my kids and Kohv sunglasses. 🕶️
Mine was my Dagne Dover bag thanks to you - removes all gate check anxiety as European flights tend to gate check the hard cases not soft bags!!