The best thing about starting a new year is that we’re forced to reflect on the past and take a look at the wins (and losses) of the past year. One thing I love reading about are the best and worst purchases of the year. I did a recent best and worst Amazon purchases of 2020 post where I did this exclusively for my amazon purchases (you can easily do this yourself by taking a look at your order history). This list is more of a home, style and other lifestyle items I purchased that actually made an effect on my life (good or bad).
There are certainly some things that belong on the “best” list from my 2020 Amazon post but in an effort to not be repetitive, I am keeping this list as is and will not include my Amazon bests/worsts:
Best purchases
**I will include links to what I can find at the end of this section – some of these links are affiliate links and others are not**
1. Bala Weights
I’ve used this item several times and it has made a frequent cameo in my IG stories especially in the summer when boots weren’t a thing. These stylish weights are cute and functional! I get tons of questions about them and I have been loving them so far. You can use these on you arms or ankles and can use them when you’re just on a walk or when you’re doing a workout (barre or pilates for example).
2. Crossropes
Another fitness item that I’ve been loving are my crossropes. I have been skipping rope for years as a form of cardio. I was going through speed ropes pretty often and I did some research and found crossropes. Although these ropes are not cheap, they are totally worth the cost. I got these at the beginning of the lockdown when I stopped going to Orange Theory to incorporate some challenge into my workouts.
If you haven’t tried weighted jump ropes I would highly recommend these ropes along with the app! They’re a great way to incorporate some cardio into your workout routine and its fun!
3. Sorel Kinetic Sneakers
These shoes are something that admittedly instagram made me buy, but I am so glad I purchased them. They are so comfortable and they are designed in a way that is pretty warm and almost non-slip. This is great for transitional weather especially when there is a bit of ice out and you don’t want to wear boots. I just find these shoes so comfortable and great for the cooler weather.
4. Ikea vanity – Godmorgon
During the lockdown we did quite a big of “upgrading” to our living space. One thing we absolutely hated when we purchased this condo was the bathroom vanity. It was outdated and impractical. We purchased an Ikea vanity that had lots of storage and really just gave our bathroom a more modern and clean look.
5. New Kitchen Counter Tops
Another life-changing upgrade are our new quartz countertops. This is a bit of a cheat since we had this installed right before Christmas but the change it has made to our kitchen is crazy! The space is a lot brighter, more aesthetically pleasing and more enjoyable to be in truthfully. Our black countertops were not only an eye sore but were so difficult to keep clean as every streak and spec of dirt was highly visible.
6. Wall Art
We waited so long to get this done. Sometimes browsing on facebook marketplace for random things really does pay off and this time it did! We got a three piece large wall art set that retails on wayfair for $200 for only $90! It was brand new and we got one of my husband’s colleagues to pick it up for us – the seller lived near him. It has made such a big difference in our bedroom and I am so glad I found it at such a great price!
7. Ikea Office Chair
I’m embarrassed to admit that I waited WAYYYY to long to upgrade my work station including buy an office chair. When we went into lockdown in March I truly thought it was temporary and I’d soon be called back into work. When that didn’t happen I continued to use our uncomfortable dining chair to work at my desk until finally I decided to bite the bullet and get my life together. By this time Ikea had sold out of a bunch of their chairs. Thankfully I was able to order this one with minimal wait-time and I am so glad I did. I love the colour and my back and butt no longer hurt from working all day!
8. Ole Henrikson Vitamin C Truth Serum
Ok I discovered this product this year and I have purchased it 3 times. It is such a great and effective product. It has really improved the complexion and texture of my skin and when I am without it for a week or so I can really tell the difference. I suffer from hyperpigmentation especially when I have a blemish and this has really helped fade those dark spots. I will continue to purchase this until I find a cheaper alternative as it is quite costly.
Worst Purchases
Let me just start off with saying that just because I didn’t like these products and they didn’t work for me doesn’t mean they won’t work for you of course. I will include reasons why I didn’t like something and if you are actually looking for something with those characteristics then knock yourself out sis! No judgment here, I’m happy to assist.
**I will include links to what I can find at the end of this section – some of these links are affiliate links and others are not**
1. Drybar On the Rocks Charcoal Scrub
I love a good detox/clarifying scalp scrub. I have been using the briogeo charcoal shampoo for over a year now and thought I would switch it up with this product. I was not impressed. It was very abrasive and the grains of what appear to be sugar were so large they didn’t do much for my hair and it was difficult to get the product onto my actual scalp. I’d imagine if you had shorter hair perhaps this would be more effective it just did not work for me.
2. Biotherm Biosource Cleanser
Ok I’m hesitant to put this down as my worst purchase but when it comes to face wash I am very particular and when it comes to skincare I am certainly a creature of habit. As an adult acne veteran, I have tried many products and there are certain things that cannot be replaced. For me that is my Cerave foaming cleanser.
For the majority of the year, I actually could not find this anywhere (it was sold out seemingly everywhere) so I settled with this Biotherm cleanser. I have always loved Biotherm as a brand especially when I was suffering with acne. It is high quality, great for sensitive skin and is widely available (they sell it at Shoppers Drug Mart). This cleanser was just too harsh for me. I don’t have particularly sensitive skin now and would say my skin is normal to oily and this just dried my skin out. If you have even oilier skin than I do then perhaps this may work out for your but it just didn’t work for me.
3. A&F Soft Joggers
Ok I really wanted to love this I’ve seen a number of girls on youtube and Instagram with these sweats and they are so cute. During the quarantine, I’ve purchased and returned these not once but TWICE. Fool me twice, shame on me. They just were not flattering on my frame. I am on the short side and do not have hips (I have a rectangle shaped body) and these were just not flattering unfortunately. If you are taller/average height perhaps this may not be an issue I would also size up as I think these would have likely fit a little bit better if I had gotten a bigger size I just cannot be bothered to risk it again since I’ve purchased and returned this twice already.
4. J Crew Juliette Cardigan
Another cult favourite that I purchased this year. I actually have been eyeing this cardigan for over a year. I tried it on in the store this year in the camel colour but had my eye on the grey (this colour was not in store). I went ahead and purchased this cardigan online and when I got it it was just too large and unflattering and for the price I really had to LOVE it. I ended up returning it. I just think that the sizing was a bit inconsistent as the camel colour fit well but when I ordered the grey in the same size it just didn’t fit quite right.
5. A&F Jeans
Ok another probably unpopular opinion is that I am not an A&F jeans fan. I also really wanted to love these jeans. I purchased the curve love jeans and a pair of mom jeans. To preface this let me just say I am a Levi’s girl. I love a 100% cotton jean that has no stretch. I know this is strange but I find once these types of jeans are broken in they are totally worth it. They are flattering and just feel like quality.
The A&F jeans on the other hand were thin and too stretchy and just didn’t really feel like denim. I mean, I understand that they aren’t meant to be the hard and rigid Levi’s-style denim but I just could not get accustomed to this style of denim. Again, this is a very personal and unpopular preference. I think that for jeans in particular, this is something that needs to be tried on in-store and I will likely not purchase jeans online again.
6. Justin Bralette
Once thing I left behind YEARS ago are bras with underwire. I am so done with these types of bras. They are uncomfortable and restrictive. I started exclusively wearing bralettes and wire-less bras andI love it. I am also a small chested girl so thankfully this is something I am able to get away with even in a work environment depending on the top.
I purchased a few bralettes during the Aritizia sales. The Justin bralette was a big flop for me. The seams are in the worst spots and it makes the bra very visible under clothing (more so than the regular lace ones if you can believe that!) so long story short I returned the 3 Justin bras I purchased and I am happy I did.
7. Lash Food
I purchased this during the lockdown because I ran out of my eyenvy serum a couple months prior and was really noticing the difference in my lashes. I wasn’t able to purchase eyenvy because you can only purchase this product from an authorized seller (I buy mine from my laser hair removal lady). I lazily didn’t want to coordinate a pickup so I purchased Lash food instead. I used it for 6 weeks and it did nothing for me. I saw no results which was surprising given the reviews online.
Personally, I think if you are looking for a lash serum I would say do your research and if you want to try this product out, perhaps consider purchasing it from a place like Sephora where you can return the product if it doesn’t work for you.
That concludes my laundry list everyone I hope you found this information helpful for your planned purchases. Please let me know in the comments below what has been your best/worst purchase of 2020!
