10+ Best Purchases (and Some Duds) in 2023
The end of the year seems the best time to analyze how the year went. That’s why I talked about my favorite outfits of the year earlier.
And today, I wanted to share the things that I am SO glad have found their way into my house and even a couple that are regrets.
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You may think that this post would be all about clothes, but no. As much as I LOVE my clothes, that’s only a small amount of my best purchases.
This may sound familiar as I shared some of my best purchases earlier this year, but they encompassed things bought in the last couple of years. So I wanted to update it with only the items from this year and some that are new since summer.
I’ve shared other articles about the best blog posts of years gone by in the past.
Hair
Hair was a big one this year. As I’ve been growing it out and trying to get it healthier, I’ve tried a variety of things.
- Faux ponytail–Since my hair is long enough to pull back into a ponytail, I wanted something to give it more volume. I tried a different one but sent it back. This one stays put and is a winner even though I had to add fabric paint to it to make it darker. I created a video about the experience of painting it if you’re interested.
- Bb Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil–My friend gave me a sample of this when I was telling her that my hair tends to be frizzy. It works great for my fine, thin hair so I ordered a bigger bottle during the Sephora sale.
- SuperHair supplements–It’s taken me ages to realize that the nutrients in my body affect my hair. So I finally broke down and added hair supplements to the mix. I’ve been alternating between these SuperHair ones and Nutrafol but I’ll be sticking with SuperHair because they are a tad less expensive. I compared the ingredients and they are both very similar.
Daily Inspiration
Does this need any explanation?
- Inspirational Daily Calendar–Every year I usually buy a new daily calendar like this, but this year I realized that I could use one like this. There is no start or end, so you can buy it and continually use it which is more sustainable plus easier on my wallet.
Kitchen
My husband was on a mission to get new, healthy pans since we cook so much at home. After returning a couple of other ones, we settled on these and we couldn’t be happier. Even I have to admit how easy the cleanup is, and you don’t need a ton of oil when cooking.
- Altenbach— This is a German-made brand and higher quality than our usual. Rob wanted to compare it to the less expensive set. It’s really fabulous, and it’s nice you don’t need an oven mitt to grab the handle when it’s hot.
- Gotham Steel— We replaced almost all our old pans (except our 2 cast iron pans) with this set. You can tell they are not as high quality as the Altenbach but they work great.
Body
We call this the year of the massagers, and they have helped us tremendously. We also added a neck massager and percussor to our household, but this one is our true favorite.
- Back Massager–We had to get this after trying it in a store when visiting Barcelona. It’s called a back and neck massager, but I think it’s awkward around your neck. However, for your back (low, middle, or high) or even your legs, it’s AMAZING. Especially because you can choose to have it be heated too. It lives on one of our living room chairs full-time now. And it was less expensive than our percussor.
Clothing
I couldn’t write an article about my best purchases without including some clothes, right?
- Ivory Puffer Jacket–This exact puffer is sold out, but I found many similar ones if you’re interested. Who knew that I would “NEED” a puffer living in Arizona but since we are out walking the dog in the early mornings when it’s 40 degrees and colder, this has been my most worn jacket this fall and winter. Heck, even my stepmom, Nancy, bought a similar one while we were celebrating Christmas together.
- Gatherall adhesive bra–I’ve talked about this item at length in this article. But this year I bought a replacement using their UPDATED SIZING CHART, and it’s even better. It’s so freeing being able to wear any top I like and not worrying about will my bra straps show.
- Off-White Combat Boots–These boots came as a PR item, but I have worn the dickens out of them. I feel like the off-white color works so well in my closet, and they are truly comfy (I sized up a half-size so I could wear thick socks with them). Considering their price tag, they are a great deal and even come in other colors.
Makeup
Even though I wear makeup almost daily, I don’t buy it yearly. Maybe I need to purge some old makeup?? Because of that, I only have one makeup item to share as a “best”.
- Laura Geller’s Serum Blush–I was excited to win this in a giveaway in 2 different colors. The Poppy Peach is my favorite, and I’ve always liked the idea of a cream blush, but hadn’t replenished mine years ago when I ran out. I just dab it on in spots and then use my blush brush to even it out.
I like purchasing from Laura Geller’s website because there are often great deals. But you can also find it on Amazon.
Insider tip: One of my readers shared that Laura Geller’s website was easy for returns and that their customer service was wonderful.
Health
I consider our health our best investment, and both Rob and I spend a lot of Money on supplements as well as nutritous food. In fact, if you get my emails, then you know that I love to share exercises and videos that can help all of us.
- Sea Buckthorn Oil–this has been magical for my nasal issues. Many of you shared your nasal issues when I first talked about getting the balloon sinusplasty which didn’t make a difference for me (but it has helped a couple of my friends).
Then I heard a doctor talk about how the nasal cavity dries up like the rest of our skin and bodies after Menopause. This doctor suggested Sea Buckthorn Oil Supplements and I decided it couldn’t hurt.
If I could blow noisemakers and make confetti come down right now, I would. It’s been life-changing for me to take this supplement. I take 2-4 every morning and no longer struggle with a snot glob and post-nasal drip. We buy these on iHerb and they can also be found on Amazon.
Insider tip: I’ve heard people talk about not trusting supplements from Amazon. We have noticed that the Sea Buckthorn oil purchased from Amazon was a different shade of black than the ones purchased on iHerb, but I have no idea if the effectiveness was less.
- Ryze Mushroom Coffee–There are many ways to get the benefits from mushrooms. Like eating them. LOL. However, since Rob and I rarely do that, we have researched mushroom supplements. However, since we take over a dozen different pills, we thought we would try this mushroom coffee instead.
We don’t use it as advertised. We add a scoop to our non-toxic ground coffee before brewing in the morning, so a bag lasts us 2 months. - Ryze Mushroom Hot Cocoa–Ryze just came out with their nighttime hot cocoa, also with the benefits of mushrooms. It’s meant to help with sleeping, and since we only use a scoop of the coffee daily, I thought this was a great addition to the winter evenings. It’s not sweetened with sugar (or any sugar substitute) which is great for us since we gave up sugar.
Insider tip: I signed up to be an affiliate of Ryze since we loved it so much. That means you can get a discount on anything on their site with the code JodieF15.
BTW, they have an automatic subscription with their products. While it can be annoying, they are very good at emailing you BEFORE it’s sent so you can postpone or cancel it.
Duds
Now I will say that just because something doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it’s not good for someone else.
That’s why it’s nice to hear “why” something works or doesn’t work for someone.
- Il Makiage concealer–I got suckered into purchasing this brand after seeing a FB ad. At first, I bought the foundation because it was supposed to be amazing. Plus there was a satisfaction guarantee. Well, I didn’t love the foundation. And they gave me my money back.
But then they also sent me $30 to try something else, so I bought this concealer. Granted, I don’t normally use concealer, and maybe there’s a reason for that. I wasn’t impressed and threw it out. It settled into my lines and seemed too thick. - Zima Dental Pod–I read about this cleaner in an email from a natural dentist who I follow. Both Rob’s and my nightguards need better cleaning so I thought I’d try this. It’s basically an ultrasonic machine like I had at my dental office, and while it worked okay, it wasn’t as magical as they stated. I think I do as good a job manually.
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