With the end of January (and my full recap of these past few weeks!) upon us in just a couple of short days, it’s about that time for me to share some of my favorite things from the beginning of 2024- including purchases, gifts that have carried over from the holidays, subscription services and video games that have made snowed-in days so much more fun for my friends and myself.
That’s right- it’s the first “Favorite Things” roundup of the year- and it’s quite a collection!
For those who may be new to these monthly posts, I put together the things I’ve been loving over the course of the month- like accessories, makeup, gadgets, music or movies/television, etc., and showcase them here on ‘Coffee & Chiffon’. I often share photos of the things I could take pictures of before I delve into some of the miscellaneous odds and ends.
It’s one of my favorite blogging traditions- and I’m excited to be doing it again this year. So without further delay, let’s take a look at what I’ve put together for January!
At the beginning of every year, I almost always share my weekly/monthly planner in my “Favorite Things” collections and for good reason- they’ve been lifesavers ! While I’m almost fully digital these days, there’s something about having a tangible planner in my hands that better allows me to keep track of appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays, goals etc. I find that I’m able to stay more organized and on top of everything I want to accomplish/tackle when I carry this planner with me- especially because I don’t have to worry about my entries getting erased or lost should there be a technological glitch or a battery getting drained!
This year I picked out this blue planner from ECCOLO with the inspirational “Always Believe That Something Wonderful is About to Happen” written on the front. There’s plenty of space to utilize for daily/weekly activities, objectives, or lists- and it’s the perfect size to carry around in my work tote so I never have to worry about forgetting it anywhere!
I’ve been all about comfort and coziness this past month- making sure my apartment is toasty, my sheets are soft, and that I have cocoa or an extra fluffy blanket within reach whenever I need it. So when it came time to throw out some old slippers I’d had since the Summer that were starting to fall apart and find an appropriate replacement- I grabbed these super plush, fuzzy slides from Target during a shopping trip after New Year’s Day.
I wear these constantly around my apartment- be it when I’m working from home and don’t need to wear heels or boots, doing laundry, or simply lounging around and watching a movie. These slides have a pretty good cushion to them and a slip-proof bottom, which makes them extra comfortable and easy to walk around in without having to worry about losing my balance around my place- but they’re mostly just very, very cute- like walking around with teddy bears on my feet.
And they come in a couple of other colors, too- so I’ll be getting some backup pairs for sure!
Speaking of keeping comfortable and cozy this Winter, I always want my apartment to smell good year-round, and in the colder months I lean more towards food-centric fragrances- like pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, gingerbread, etc. I’d heard good things about these small, 5-ounce “chocolate croissant” candles from Trader Joe’s around the holidays (that were only $3.99 each!) and once I was able to smell one in-store- I immediately stocked up. They smell delicious.
I keep these lit in my kitchen in the morning while I’m getting ready for work, and within an hour my entire apartment smells like it’s the best bakery in the Pioneer Valley. I am absolutely obsessed, and I hope Trader Joe’s brings these back for the 2024 holiday season, too!
For our belated-Christmas gift exchange this year, my cousin Paige surprised me with these beaded word friendship bracelets that she made herself (and easily rival the $40 ones that have been making the rounds lately!) with the words “TRUST” and “STRENGTH” alongside beads of all my favorite colors.
They’re so beautiful and I was so moved that I immediately put them on- and they’ve remained on every single day since! I wear these at work, at home, out with friends, and people ask me where I got them all the time!
Paige, if you see this- open up at Etsy shop ASAP! These would be a hit for sure!
I know my skin well enough to know that the Winter months here in New England are absolutely brutal on it, and I adapt to the best of my abilities to avoid painful dryness, cracking, etc. I drink more water (which is a good thing to do anyway- regardless of season!) make sure to incorporate more hydrating ingredients in my skin and hair care- and always have a nourishing hand cream in my bag to use generously throughout the day.
Lately I’ve been loving this deeply hydrating Ekos Castanha hand cream from Natura. It smells lovely, absorbs quickly so there’s no greasy residue- and has actually improved the strength and condition of my nails and nail beds with regular use, too! It might be bitterly cold and snowy out this time of year- but my hands look and feel absolutely perfect!
And finally, this past month I have been absolutely obsessing over Native’s collaboration with the Girl Scouts and their range of shampoos, conditioners, body washes and deodorants/sprays that smell like the organization’s most popular cookies. As soon as I caught a whiff of the Thin Mint body wash, I knew I had to have it- along with the shampoo, too!
All of the ingredients in these products are clean and simple- so I can indulge in smelling like the best cookie ever without worrying about loading up my hair and skin with harmful and heavy chemicals. I’m left with soft hair and even softer skin with every shower- and I smell like chocolate & mint for hours afterwards!
My next purchase is going to be the shortbread-scented products before the limited edition collection runs out!
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And while that may be the last of the items I was able to photograph- a couple of other things made the list this month, as well.
– GAMES / APPS / TECH –
“SCUM” – Minecraft meets ‘The Walking Dead.’ That’s how Sean introduced this multi-player/online P.C. game to me earlier this month when we all gathered for his very snowy birthday weekend. With all of us sitting in his apartment on our laptops (and joined remotely by friends who couldn’t make it to Melrose because of the storm!) our group logged on together to learn the ropes and were very quickly immersed in a post-apocalyptic, expansive world where we had to make our own clothes, food, weapons and transport while also fighting off hordes of very fast and very hungry zombies.
And when I tell you that we are all now playing this game religiously, I’m not kidding. Winter has always been a time for our group of friends to stay connected while also staying warm and indoors with video games over the years- so this was the perfect find at just the right time of the season. I’ve been having so much fun with this one and am getting surprisingly good at survival, if I do say so myself!
– MISCELLANEOUS –
Scentbird – Another belated-holidays gift from Paige this year was a subscription to Scentbird, a service that delivers a travel-sized perfume of your choice directly to you each month. After taking a quiz to determine the types of fragrances you like best, you can set up a queue of designer, high end perfumes that match your preferences. Each month, you receive a decently-sized spritzer of whichever perfume is next in your queue, which can be edited/altered at any time.
I love trying new perfumes before I commit to purchasing full-sized bottles- so I’m loving this service so far! My current fragrance is ‘Pure Sugar’ by Eau De Juice and it smells so pretty!
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And there we have it- the first collection/roundup of 2024! It’s an assortment of items I know I’m going to be loving for the next few weeks, as well- so I’m glad I got to share it before I start running out of things like the candles and the body wash!
I’ll have another “Favorite Things” recap before the end of February, and I’m excited to see what new things I’ll discover and fall in love with by then!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 