The Things I Restock

I love watching favorites videos on YouTube, but I feel like so many of them are full of new product. The “favorites” or “top-shelf” videos that I enjoy the most are those that involve a regular restock. I think it’s super telling when someone shares the thing that they keep buying over and over again, or the thing that they’ve loved for years, not just a week or two.

So I gave some thought to the things that I’ve loved for a very, very long time and have already repurchased multiple times over. It’s the kind of thing that if I use it up or lose it, I’m buying a replacement pretty much immediately.

1. Tower 28 Sunny Days tinted sunscreen - I think that I’ve been using this for upwards of three years and this is probably my third or fourth tube of it. The color match is perfect (I’m a Melrose), it sits on my skin in an effortless and natural way, and evens out my skintone without completely changing my face. I tried switching it up for a few other brands and keep coming back to this.

2. Mezcla bars - I especially love this flavor, Japanese Matcha Vanilla, but I’ve liked every flavor I’ve tried. This is my #1 superstar grab-and-go bar when I don’t have time to think about breakfast but need to eat something with my coffee en route to work. I buy another mixed-box every time I run out, I wish that they sold these at Costco because I’d buy the bulk size.

3. Nécessaire’s The Body Lotion - I’m almost done with my second tube of this body lotion and will absolutely be buying a third. Every time they have the little trial/travel size bottles in the Sephora beauty bazaar I cash in some points for the minis as well. This body lotion feel amazing, sinks in quickly, isn’t greasy or oily, and is truly unscented. Honorable mention to their body wash, which is one of my only splurgy replacements for the next item on my list…

4. Basis soap - This stuff is classic. It’s perfection. Affordable, less plastic waste than most bottles of body wash, makes my sensitive skin happy, perfect transportability for travel, and a simple and soapy smell (no heavy fragrance)… it’s just the best. At ~11 bucks for six bars it’s a bargain, and I’ve only had to repurchase once because six bars last me a nice long while.

5. Farmacy Honey Butter Lip Balm - This balm is (pun intended) chefs kiss. Part-way through my first tube of it, I lost it and within 24 hours went out to buy two replacements. It is hands-down my favorite lip balm that I’ve tried in a long time. Love the smell of beeswax, so having it right beneath my nose feels like an absolute delight and it isn’t sticky or oily (I am decidedly not a lip oil person for daily-wear).

6. Smints Breath Mints - This is a childhood throwback that I’m still in love with as an adult. I buy these by the box, they’re hands-down the best breath mints ever. The dispenser is clean in a way that I love with its little push button on top dispensing one mint at a time out of the bottom. Smints give Altoids a run for their “curiously strong” money, and they’re tiny. I have them in pretty much every bag that I own, in my desk drawer, in the car… everywhere. Sometimes they’re a pain to order online, but that’s why I buy them by the box and it’s always worth it to me.

At least half of these favorites can be found in my bag on any given day (Mezcla bars, honey butter lip balm, and smints) and all six are used on a daily (or near-daily) basis. They’ve all been repurchased one or more times, and will all be repurchased again. These are the favorites that I love seeing from other people as well.

Moody Shopping

When I’ve got the itch for an unfeasible shopping spree – either due to budget or physical space – I like to make myself a little wish list. Sometimes there is rhyme and reason to the list, full of items that look nice together or are meant to be used for similar purposes. Other times they’re just nice little objects that have tickled my fancy.

This works well for me for two reasons:

1. If I still want the item and I’m still thinking about the item however many months later, I must really want it. Making the purchase would, at that point, likely be well thought out and no longer impulsive.

2. Assuming I still want the item, I can take my time setting money aside for it or making space for it in my life.

These are some of the things that I’m admiring (but not currently up for purchasing) right now.

1. For any other Wes Anderson fans… Hotel Chevalier Dressing Gown via The Society of the Crossed Keys

2. A fabulous summer bag to go with everything via ALTICASTORE on Etsy

3. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours: Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Anatomy, and the Arts by Patrick Syme because it just looks like a neat book to flip through

4. Like I need another mug to squeeze into my overflowing cabinet, this one from MoMA Design Store is just great

5. I’ve been admiring this Bodum coffee maker from MoMA Design Store for more than six months

Lists, lists, lists

I am a List Person™.

I make lists for pretty much everything - to-do lists, wish lists, grocery lists, pro/con lists - if there’s a thing that could be put in list form, you bet I’ve probably made it.

I also love having a sneak peek into other peoples’ lists. I follow #foundlists on Instagram (love a grocery list abandoned in a stray cart or left on shelf between cereal boxes). When people I admire share lists, offering a little glimpse into their real life, I sometimes save them for “future inspiration”. Some of these include Joy the Baker’s grocery list (via bon appétit), Joanna Goddard’s 40 forever ingredients (via Ali Slagle’s substack), and Joan Didion’s packing list (as written in her book The White Album*). Some I keep a digital copy bookmarked, others I will write down in my own personal notebook or planner for future reference.

* I highly recommend this book.

While reading The White Album, I read Joan Didion’s packing list thinking,

‘I love this, it’s so realistic - toothbrush and toothpaste, basis soap, razor, deodorant. But it also has a certain level of luxury and class - bourbon, mohair throw… unmistakeably Joan Didion.’

Joy the Baker’s grocery list includes details like “pink wine - anything in the $11-15 range, I’m not picky” and “Impulse Buys!” which include extra-large green pimento olives “for martinis”. So very relatable!

As I plan to pack for an upcoming trip to Savannah next month, I found myself considering Joan’s packing list, and as I wrote my short grocery list in preparation for the week ahead, I thought about the dozens of grocery lists I’ve read from other people. I haven’t planned much for my mini-vacation, but I thought I’d share my little grocery list and some of the things I plan to prepare this afternoon to make my week a little bit easier.

Today was a bit of a re-stock on shelf-stable/cabinet staples like capers, jam, tin fish, and coconut aminos.

From the things I plan to prepare today - quick pickle red onions, hard (or soft) boiled eggs, potatoes, vinaigrette, chicken - you might be able to get an idea of how I prepare my lunches for the week. Ingredients that I forgot to include on this list (but did pick up) include tomatoes and green beans.

I pack my lunch for work every day, in part due to my dietary restrictions, but also because it’s budget-friendly. I love to pack salads because they’re so easy for me to prep in the morning if need be, especially when half the toppings (like potatoes, boiled eggs, and pickled red onions) are already prepared.

This applies to sandwiches as well - if I cook the chicken ahead of time, I can either use it in a salad or on a sandwich.

I also happened to make a totally slamming dill yogurt dip to snack on later today and this week, it doesn’t get any easier to make:

• plain greek yogurt

  • (I used a whole 16 oz container of 0% fat Fage, but sometimes I also get the full-fat or 2% or whatever… I’m not devoted to any particular brand or fat content)

• chopped dill

  • (I use a heavy hand here… I think for the 16 oz of yogurt I used somewhere around 2/3 of a cup, give or take)

• hidden valley ranch seasoning powder

  • (This is a lazy move… you could use actual spices to your taste, but I wanted quick and easy and already had this in the cabinet, use as much or as little as you’d like.)

• dill pickle brine

  • (I get the fresh kind of dill pickles from the refrigerator section, my favorite is grillos but I’m sure that bubbies or mclures would be awesome as well… again, use as much or as little as you’d like both to thin the yogurt a bit and to get that cucumbery, briny flavor. I used a hefty splash.)

And mix! The end. I think it tastes better with time as it sits, and I like to eat it with potato chips or sliced radishes.