In Support of Buying Yourself Presents/What I Bought Myself During Black Friday

Listen here, readers. If you aren’t buying yourself presents, you’re doing it wrong. I used to be squarely in the “gifts are to be given to others” camp, but labeling something as a gift to yourself (even if you were going to buy it anyway) feels good, okay?!? Besides, no one knows what you want more than you.

Quick aside: As a design and shopping editor, I dreaded the holiday season, workwise. The number of gift guides I had to conceptualize and put together every year would frighten anyone. Year after year, gift guide after gift guide. To this day, I’ll see a gift guide and think “I picked that out so and so year” or “oh yeah, that thing.” There are SO many gift guides out there. Every single blogger, influencer, store, brand, publisher and anything that’s left cooks one of these up, so I’m sorry, truly, if you feel GG overload. I do, too.

Which is why this isn’t really a gift guide. It’s more a “here’s what I bought over Black Friday weekend and maybe there’s something here you’ll like for yourself in the name of self-gift giving” guide.

I also want to say that I rarely partake in Black Friday. While I agree there are some really good deals, I also know it’s easy to just buy stuff all knee-jerk like because of some crazy price. Something you may have never bought otherwise. I did fall a bit victim to that this year. I didn’t need half of this stuff…I didn’t need 90% of this, but so be it. I won’t berate myself. I did what I did, but now I get to share it with you in case anything here strikes your fancy. Plus, I’m sure many of us are filling out secret santa lists and wondering “what do I put on this thing?!?” just like I am, so you’re welcome for the ideas. Let’s get into it.

Frasier Fir Diffuser Oil at Thymes, $14: I’ve been a Thymes Frasier Fir devotee for the last few years thanks to some coworkers who converted me. And if you are, too, I’m about to pull a sneak attack because the diffuser oil is EVEN BETTER. I’m actually astonished at how good it is, plus I don’t have to worry about an open flame if I walk out of the room.

Gosund Smart Plug 2 Pack at Amazon, $17: I don’t like to throw around the phrase “life-changing” all willy nilly, but these are life changing. Yeah I said it. I don’t have an Alexa or a Google Home or any of that, so I’m probably only getting half the use out of these, but I bought them specifically to plug in my Christmas tree and lights so I could control them without having to crawl out of bed at midnight when I forget to unplug everything. I’m never going back.

NanoSteamer Large 3-in-1 Nano Ionic Facial Steamer at Amazon, $40: Time will tell if a face steamer does anything other than make my face feel balmy but I’m pretty excited to fold this into my weekly routine. I’ll be sure to report back fully when I’ve used it enough.

Renpho Deep Tissue Massage Gun at Amazon, $109.99: You may or may not know that I’ve had some body issues lately (ha, kidding, it’s all I’ve talked about around here lately). A massage gun was recommended to me and while I considered splurging on a TheraGun, I just couldn’t warrant spending that much money. But this thing is great! It’s super lightweight (whereas the TheraGun is quite heavy), I can use it on myself and it comes with attachments for different parts of the body. If you are active or just achy, this is worth the investment.

Oral-B 3000 Smartseries Electric Toothbrush at Amazon, $66: This toothbrush was at the top of my list for Black Friday purchases. I’m WILD like that. It’s actually the first electric toothbrush I’ve ever owned, so I have no idea how it compares to others but I love it so far. I find excuses to brush my teeth “welp, ate a pickle, time to brush my teeth again.” It comes with a stand that cradles the brush while it charges as well as holds four replacement heads. I feel like my teeth are very clean after using, so, it does what it’s supposed to do!

Back Stretching Device at Amazon, $23: Okay, so I didn’t buy this exact one. I bought something called the SpineDeck, but I didn’t know it shipped out from China and I’ve been waiting what feels like forever for it to clear customs. But I’m pretty sure this is the same thing, for $15 less than I paid. Everyone who hunches over all day working from home could probably use this thing.

Glowy Super Gel at Saie, $25: Saie is a new brand for me, but I love what they stand for and what’s not in their products. My skin has been a bit dull lately, so thought I should fake it ’til I make it with this glow gel. Note: I haven’t received this yet, so not sure how it is, but will report back.

Perfecting Skin Tint in G8 at Glossier, $26: While I typically prefer a much heavier foundation to camouflage acne scares and imperfections, I wanted to try something a bit lighter since, you know, pandemic and all (meaning, half my face is covered most of the time anyway with a mask). I used this for the first time today and it’s very subtle. At first I thought too subtle, but when paired with the concealer below and some setting powder, I’m actually quite pleased with it. I think I found my new day-to-day makeup.

The Pedi System at Olive & June, $70: Olive & June has some of the best nail polish I’ve ever used. Where even OPI and Essie chip for me within a day or two, this stuff has held on for well past that. So when I saw the full pedicure system was on sale last week, I scooped it up faster than you could say “OH NO, MY NAILS!”

Mega Greens Galaxy Pack at Glossier, $22: Glossier was having their “we only do this once a year” sale, so I bought a handful of things I’ve been wanting to try. In a time where the sheet mask reigns supreme, I really miss the gloppy old-school face pack. I’m strangely drawn to green ones, too. Perhaps it’s nostalgia. Anyone, this one was great! It was not drying at all like many mud masks can be, and left my skin really soft and glowing.

Stretch Concealer in G8, Glossier, $18: I like this! It’s not an eraser concealer in that it only provides light coverage, but it layers very well, doesn’t cake up and works really nicely with their skin tint. Where concealers normally look VERY obvious if you don’t blend well enough or don’t have the right color for your foundation, this was kind of idiot proof.

Cloud Paint in Spark at Glossier, $18: Friends of mine have been singing the praises of Cloud Paint for years and I finally decided to try it (a sale will do that to you). I picked Spark, which is a very cheery reddish pink. Probably best for medium to darker skin tones, tbh. But in general, this stuff, regardless of the color, is WONDERFUL. It blends so well, you need truly the tiniest bit, so the bottle will probably last me a solid year or more. Can’t wait to try other colors.

Elle Metallic Card Holder at Anthropologie, $24: I’ve been trying to limit what I carry when I leave the house these days so I’ve been contemplating switching my full wallet to a small card holder instead. Anthro was having a huge sale on their sale items, so I bought a similar one to this that is now sold out.

Always Pan Blue Salt at Our Place, $145: UGH I was influenced. This pan is everywhere. It’s the honorary pan of Instagram and I’m annoyed with myself that I get sucked into the hype. But it was $50 off and curiosity got the best of me. Hopefully Charles is not reading this because he will most definitely ask me where I plan to put this in our already overstuffed kitchen cabinets, but don’t worry…I’ll find a place for it. I always do.

Essentials Knife Set at Misen, $155: The truth is, I haven’t purchased these yet. They’ve been sitting in my cart since last week, as I eye the countdown to when their sale will be over. The final price for these is about $100 until Monday and I can’t decide. Does anyone have a knife from Misen? If so, please let me know how you like it. I have a full knife set already, but don’t have a proper serrated knife and could use another chef’s knife as Charles and I usually prep ingredients together while cooking.

Women’s Stretch Woven Lined Pants at Target, $32: I snagged these for 40% off this week along with the sweaters and the shoes shown here. I’ve been all about the jogger pant lately over too-tight leggings!

Women’s Natalia Microsuede Pointed Toe Block Heeled Pumps at Target, $28: My lovely friend Sara (the lady behind the lens of most of the photos of my home you’ve seen) bought these last year and I’ve wanted them ever since. At 40% off, I finally snagged them and can’t wait to wear them inside my house for myself and my walls to enjoy this holiday season!

Women’s Slouchy Crewneck Pullover Sweater at Target, $25: It’s been chilly here in LA which quickly made me realize how ill-prepared I am to dress myself for “cold.” Again, sweaters were 40% off so I picked up a few including this one. I love a slouchy sweater that doesn’t feel oversized, and this fits the bill.

Ilana Matte Mugs, Set of 4 at Anthropologie, $48: Sitting by my front window in the mornings drinking my coffee has quickly become one of my favorite things. While I have a set of cute mugs already, they’ve started chipping, so a deep discount on these convinced me I needed them. I LOVE a wide mug over a tall one (feels better in the hand) and this color made my heart pitter-patter.

Women’s Crewneck Pullover Sweater at Target, $20: This and the following sweater have the same product name, but they’re actually different. I very much love a winter white knit sweater and this one hits at just the right length for my petite frame.

Women’s Crewneck Pullover Sweater at Target, $20: Everyone looks good in red. EVERYONE. It’s one of those colors I rarely buy for myself, but anytime I wear it, I feel so good and I swear it makes my complexion glow. But I don’t actually have much red in my closet, so wanted to fix that.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. I’m actually embarrassed by the sheer number of purchase I made, but what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t put my shame out in the world for others to judge/empathize with, hm? Anyhow, please do share anything you bought recently and loved in the comments. Thanks again for being here and I’ll see you again soon!

*Featured image by Sara Ligorria-Tramp (from last year)