These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things
I am a creature of habit. I tend to favour the same five restaurants in a city with a bazillion, the same brand of jeans with that tiny bit of stretch, even the same buttery Chardonnay. In the world of marketing, I believe they call that brand loyalty. But regardless of my faithfulness, I'm always up for new discoveries, finding new "must have" products that I love and never want to be without again.
And this is what this blog is about…a few of my favourite new discoveries.
These Are A Few of My Favourite Things
OTO CBD Sleep Drops
I have a hard time falling asleep. The upside is that once asleep, nothing short of a natural disaster or the blasted beeping of a low battery warning on a smoke detector can rouse me. Sleep Drops are a pleasant tasting 1500mg CBD oil infused with lavender, blue pea flower and mint. I can't say for sure if they are the main reason I have been nodding off in record, unmedicated time, but I have noticed a drastic difference since I've been dropping that liquid under my tongue. In fact, I have the data to prove it on my new favourite app, ShutEye.
ShutEye App
Shuteye is a sleep tracker that eerily eavesdrops all night while you doze. It records your breathing, talking, snoring, coughing and even flatulence (not that I make those kinds of noises) and presents you with a precise report in the morning. As a girl obsessed with tech and data, I love it. And although it’s not 100 per cent accurate, nor do their sleep stories compare to Calm, see Favourite Things List 2018), it's still pretty impressive. So now, not only do I know how long I take to fall asleep or how many hours of deep REM sleep I got, I now know I had a better sleep than the average person in Finland. Yup, that's what it told me.
ShutEye Subscription £49 per year. Free trial. Sleep Drops £69.99
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Moisturizer SPF 45
If I had one piece of advice to give my twenty-year-old self, aside from "for fuck's sake Christina..CHILL", it would have to be to always wear sunscreen. I used to believe that the higher the SPF, the more spackle-like the sunscreen needed to be. But not anymore. This fluffy-light moisture boosting sunscreen makes my skin feel softer and dewier (it must be the 30% hyaluronic acid). It goes on like a whipped cloud of moisture, almost replacing (almost) my Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Créme (another fan fave). This is really one of the best things I do for my skin. £47.45.
Bioglan Beauty Collagen (gummies).
When I hear the word "gummies", I think of either; the USA, Walgreens and the American obsession with consuming supplements disguised as a sweet, chewy little teddy bear, or a THC edible. So out of curiosity (and convenience) whilst I was visiting the States, I started taking these Beauty Collagen gummies. For those who don't know, collagen can help slow the ageing process, improve skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles and who doesn't want that, right? Although initially consumed by a motivation to improve my skin, and hard to say for sure my skin has directly benefited, as there is a lot I am throwing at it these days, what I can categorically tell you is my nails have never been stronger or longer. There are plenty of collagen supplements out there, but none so tasty. £19.99
Bandolier
If anyone has taken a photo of me in the last year, it’s likely my Bandolier is strapped across my chest, a luxury cross-body iPhone case or what I call wearable tech. They come in a variety of styles and vary in price. Aside from the phone, it can carry several credit cards, a little foldable cash, and my house key. Since wearing it, my phone has not once hit the ground. I say with that alone it has pretty much paid for itself. Starts at £45.
The Ordinary Buffet - Multi-Technology Peptide Serum
I am a bit of a product ho and will not apologise for it. And like a lot of my fellow hos, we are always looking for ways to turn back the clock. Although we can't entirely stop the ageing process, I am hell-bent on slowing it down. This Buffet serum from The Ordinary, which is anything but ordinary, has got my skin glowing like J- Lo at The Golden Globes. And the kicker, as are all of The Ordinary's products, it's super affordable. £14.30.