You know Oprah's Favorite Things, the annual list of high-end shit she recommends we buy? Well, my list is kinda like O's, but way more trashy.

The following are some of my favorite items, digital platforms, services, and publications that I've been keen on in 2017. Some of these things could make great gifts for people you feel obligated to buy gifts for, or you can just treat yo' self. Up to you!

I'll be sorting my 26 favorites using the categories from my blog: Beauty, Lifestyle, and Fit Shit.

Let's begin, shall we?

Beauty

1. The special edition Star Wars Mascara by Covergirl! You guys, this is actually the best mascara. I discovered it a couple years ago around the time when Episode 7 came out and was all bummed because it was only available for a limited time, but it's back, baby! I guess it makes sense Covergirl would capitalize on that shit again. There's hope for me as long as Disney keeps producing Star Wars movies! They came out with some "Dark Side" lipstick too, which is obviously on brand for me.

special edition covergirl star wars mascara review

2. Kiss My Face SPF 30 sunscreen. Since I use Retin A, I need to use sunscreen every damn day of the year, even in winter, and even though I live in Oregon. Because of this, I'm often the palest one in a room, but I'm totally okay with that if it means I will age gracefully. This sunscreen is super moisturizing, light enough to go under makeup, and it's all natural, honey.

3. Boy Brow eyebrow filler from Glossier. This stuff is the bee's knees, for real! I used to use Anastasia's DipBrow pomade, but Boy Brow is much more convenient. Also, did you know that Glossier, which is a super successful beauty startup, was founded by "The Super Intern" who outshined Lauren and Whitney on The Hills?

4. Ritual vitamins. After about 6 months of taking them, I actually do think they've been really good for my skin. Find out why I initially signed up for a $30/month vitamin subscription here.

5. My Birchbox subscription. Birchbox really is one of the OGs of monthly subscription services. I've been a member for almost 5 years! That's a lot of beauty samples. But honestly, I keep a couple things from each box and save the items I don't want and give them to my sisters or friends, which I actually really love doing. Plus, I always have plenty of travel-size toiletries, so for 10 bucks a month, I feel like I get enough out of it that it's worth continuing with the subscription.

6. The Frosting Lotion. You can read about why I'm so obsessed here.

Lifestyle

7. The Paperian Monthly Manager, which is a desk pad calendar I use for scheduling out my blog, Instagram, and freelance editorial. There are like 80 sheets on the pad, so Joe and I are also using it for our last few months of wedding planning.

8. Speaking of Instagram editorial, I've been using the UNUM app to plan out my grids. It allows you to place photos that you want to post, move them around, and see what will look best as a whole in the upcoming days.

9. Our quip toothbrushes. quip is this very sexy electric toothbrush company and subscription service we signed up for last year. The toothbrushes are the size of a manual brush, they look cool, they come in iPhone colors, and they send you replacement heads and toothpaste (including travel toothpaste!) every 3 months. Anyway, the quip brushes have a 2 minute timer on them so you brush your teeth for at least 4 minutes a day. Last time I went to the dentist, I got an A+ grade, so I'll let that speak for itself.

10. Sun Basket meal delivery! I know I name drop Sun Basket a lot, but it's because they're the best ever and have totally spiced up our lives.

11. My MyPillow. I'll be honest: I spend a lot of time in bed, but it's not what you're thinking! (Well maybe it is a little bit what you're thinking. What are you thinking?) What I'm trying to say is that I read in bed, I blog in bed, I watch my favorite shows in bed, I browse and posts to Instagram in bed....I'm really sounding like a sloth here, but the point is that my bed needs to be comfy. Joe got me the MyPillow for Christmas last year after we saw it on an obnoxious infomercial. I don't know why he got me one and didn't get one for himself (big mistake!) but I'm pretty sure he sleeps with mine when I'm away. (We also have one of these memory foam mattresses from Amazon that ships for free and comes in a big block that expands into its full size within 24 hours.) This pillow is the most comfortable thing. It's really soft and squishy but also super supportive. Best of both worlds!

12. Speaking of pillows....this mother fucking massage pillow, you guys! This thing has 5/5 stars on Amazon with over 6,000 reviews, which is what sold me on it in the first place. If you crave a super deep tissue massage every day of your life like me, get this massage pillow! I'm serious. After trying ours out, 6 of my friends ordered one, I kid you not.

13. Forever Stamps. Over the past year, I've started a stamp collection and have also been sending my friends and family a sheet of Forever Stamps for their birthdays. It's kind of an old man's hobby, but I read the Wikipedia page about U.S. postage, and stamps are a thing that is super American, but also very progressive. They feature civil rights themes and leaders, like Black Heritage, Women's Suffrage, and Harvey Milk. And did you know that U.S. stamps are not allowed to feature tragedies? So no to 9/11 stamps, but yes to marriage equality stamps. Ugh, I could go on for days about stamps. I was going to do a whole post about them, but thought I might lose some followers.

14. I've been listening to The Influencer Podcast quite a bit lately and learning a lot from it. Julie Solomon has a ton of great tips for bloggers and influencers which is perfect because I'm trying to soak up all the information I can at this point.

15. Melatonin. I take melatonin tablets on a somewhat regular basis to help me get to sleep. I can totally sleep without it, but I get up hella early to work out on weekdays and perform better if I'm asleep by 9:30pm. We all have our vices. Back off.

16. The ASOS unlimited 2-day shipping (from Europe!) for a whole year deal. I signed up for this over the summer when I kept ordering the wrong size bridesmaid dress for my friend's wedding. By the 3rd dress, I just said "Fuck it!" and signed up for the unlimited option. It's actually been super useful for other purposes and Joe and I have been kinda on a roll with ordering stuff for our wedding and honeymoon. Returns are free too. You just put what you don't want back in the shipping bag and stuff it in a mailbox. Easy-peasy.

17. The new Superzoom feature on Instagram stories. It zooms in on your image and adds suspenseful sound effects, like in a movie. It's pretty damn hilarious. I like to use it on bowls of ice cream and my fiancé's face.

18. These red copper string lights we put around the baseboards in our living room for a simple festive decoration. The place I live now with Joe is the most grownup, spacious, legit home I've ever lived in (except my parents' house growing up) and it's been nice to feel like seasonal decor is actually worth the time and fuss.

19. Squarespace, hi. This is the platform and CMS I used to build my blog.

Fit Shit

20. This retro Gatorade Squeeze Bottle. The instructors don't really pause for water breaks during barre classes, so being able to quickly squirt some water into my mouth instead of unscrewing the cap of a bottle saves me valuable seconds. These bottles probably have BPA poisoning or whatever, but you gotta pick your battles, you know?

21. Tavi Noir sticky socks for barre class. I tried out a few different kinds of traction socks and these are by far my favorite. They're hella soft. And they don't slip around on my feet, which allows me to go low, low low, low, low, low, low (in the tune of T-Pain's "Low".

22. I've been making my own frothy lattes at home lately, and Nut Pods dairy-free half n' half is just what I need to cream up my coffee. It's made with coconut and almond milk and is Whole30-approved. Plus, it comes in a 4-pack, so I don't have to keep running to the store when I'm out of creamer.

23. Do you know about ghee? Well, you should. I've been getting down with 4th & Heart Ghee in the Himalayan Pink Salt flavor. I use this for everything. I put it in my coffee, I drizzle it on vegetables, and I drench my 2-ingredient pancakes in it. The pink salt flavor is pretty salty, which I personally love, but they have vanilla, chocolate, truffle, and a plain flavor too.

24. Okay, so avocado oil is pretty comparable in price to olive oil and has its own special set of health benefits. Both are great to have on hand, but avocado oil is better to cook with since it has a high smoke point (similar to coconut oil), meaning heating it doesn't mess with the nutritional value. Olive oil is all fine and dandy, but is more beneficial if you consume it raw, like in salad dressings. This is why (I recently learned) raw nuts and nut butters are better than the roasted kind, because when some types of oils and fats are heated, the nutritional benefits shift. Avo oil is also great in smoothies because, I know no one wants to admit this, but avocado basically has no flavor.

25. The Spanx high-waisted faux leather leggings. Did you know that the lady who invented Spanx cut up some high-waisted tights she owned in order to smooth things out under a pair of khakis and now she's a billionaire? You go girl! I'll probably also be getting a Spanx thong to wear on my wedding day—I like thong shapewear because they tighten the tummy and leave the booty alone!

26. ClassPass. I really owe it to them for getting me back into working out regularly and for making me feel willfully cultish about snobby barre studios.

You know why people like online shopping? It's because you get a thrill first when you make the purchase, and then another thrill when you receive the item in the mail. Science! Perhaps I'll do a bi-annual favorite things list. I have a feeling I'll have more to say 6 months from now, especially post-wedding.