Winter Favorites 2025
Where has the time gone?
Are we truly nearing the end of the winter season? I ask, with bated breath.
It’s been a minute since I’ve written a favorites blog (I also have a full-time job lol), so I’ve accumulated a lot for this list.
Before we get into it…
This month, I’m asking my readers to donate to Altadena Girls and their 501(c)(3) fund, set up to provide social, emotional, and mental health support to girls affected by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, CA. To donate, click here.
More information on their initiatives and resources can be found on their website and Instagram.
Now back to the bloggie…
One of my favorite bands, BRONCHO, has returned at long last with new music. A criminally underrated band with a killer sound, I know this album is going to be a great one.
My favorite part of writing these blogs is going through my camera roll and reflecting back on what I’ve done over the past few months.
e.l.f. Cosmetics - Brow Laminating Gel
I received this brow gel as a free sample from e.l.f. (thank you, queens) and at first, I didn’t like it. The more I used it, though, the better I got at using the combs and gel, and the more I loved it! It required a bit of a learning curve, especially since combs aren’t part of my everyday brow repertoire, but I soon became a pro. This product keeps my brows in place, looking sleek and groomed.
This gel also seems like a Refy Beauty Brow Scuplt dupe. If you’re trying to achieve that laminated, sleek brow look on a budget, I recommend this e.l.f. brow gel!
The gel goes on white but dries clear!
e.l.f. Lash EXTNDR Mascara
This is another product I got as a free sample, and I love it! It provides length to my lashes without making them clumpy. It’s also a tubing mascara and is so easy and quick to wash off at the end of the night.
Odele Leave-In Conditioner
In the quest to further and perfect my hair care routine, I invested in a leave-in conditioner, and this one by Odele had great reviews online. Honestly, I should have added leave-in conditioner years ago. It leaves my hair so soft and shiny and is lightweight enough to let my waves bounce freely. It also moisturizes my hair and manages the frizz really well. I highly, highly recommend it for your hair health.
I use a nickel-sized amount and work it through my hair strands (not my roots) and that seems to do the trick to give my hair the perfect wave.
The red tape is stuck on the bottle from when the item was shipped to me. Forgive me.
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
I wanted to get a thicker face cream to put on at night, and this cream by CeraVe spoke to me. It’s super thick and moisturizing! I love that it has many moisturizing ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides. It feels like I’m pampering myself with a luxurious moisturizer each time I apply it.
Orange Spice Tea
It’s always tea time on the blog. I found this box of orange spice tea that I forgot I purchased weeks ago and, yum, it’s great! The tea is aptly named— it is a lovely mix of warm spices and tangy orange. I like mixing it with a little honey for some added sweetness as well.
Stonefire Dippers Original Naan
For nearly every meal, I turn to Pinterest for inspiration and ideas on what to eat for the week. I came across a pin that had mini naan, hummus, and other veggies in a Lunchables-style to-go box. Then, I found the mini naan at my local grocery store and bought it to recreate those lunch boxes. OMG this naan is SO GOOD. After heating them in the microwave for 10 seconds… that’s heaven. It’s so soft, so warm, and so convenient for snacking.
Forgive me for I am a heathen, and I threw away the wrapper to this box before I could snap a photo.
Metamucil Fiber Supplement
It helps.
Thank you to my coworker for inspiring me to up my fiber intake! She outright didn’t recommend that I start taking fiber supplements, but I saw her bring some to work and was inspired by her efforts to better her nutrition and health.
Celcius® Energy Drink
I know, I know, most everyone loves and knows what Celsius energy drinks are at this point. I still wanted to add them to the blog since I drank them a ton in the wintertime. They help give me extra energy I may need throughout the day. I typically drink them before a night out (on my way to a concert, an evening Disneyland trip, or a longer drive to LA or elsewhere, for example).
As someone who typically works between 7 am and 3 pm, it can be challenging to stay up late for events, holidays, and travel. Celcius provides the extra energy I need to stay up later. I also love that the drink is clinically proven to boost metabolism and burn body fat.
I don’t have a favorite flavor, but I like trying a new flavor each time I get one!
Thank you, San Diego Padres, for letting me borrow your stadium for the backdrop.
Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
These chocolates are so so so good, it’s really hard to stop myself from eating the whole bag in one sitting. They’re the perfect post-dinner snack and are a great sweet treat.
Heated Blanket
On the darkest and coldest nights, my electric heated blanket has saved me from despair and doom. There have been nights where I have shivered from the cold— a chilly and unforgiving 55 degrees— and my heated blanket saved my life. I owe it my life.
Actual photo of me bundled up in blankets to hide from the cold and dark.
Lol I’m exaggerating and joking, but it does get cold at night! I love using my heated blanket, even if it’s on the lowest setting, as it makes my bed nice and toasty. I sleep well whenever I use it on the coldest of nights.
If you live in a colder region or your room is the coldest in the house, I highly recommend investing in one!
Poetry
I’m reading more poetry! Yay! Since I’m new to poetry and don’t quite know where to turn (or which poets or books to read), I rely on my local library’s selection and check out whichever poetry books are available and seem appealing.
I’ve read The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath (edited and introduced by Ted Hughes— I did more research and, omg, who allowed that and why), and am reading 100 Essential American Poems, edited by Leslie M. Pockell.
Poetry is so striking, so heartbreaking, and so beautiful. It’s amazing how so much emotion, affection, poignance, and love can be felt from a single poem or even a line.
I love the poems I’ve read so far, but I am still in search of more recommendations. Any and all recommendations of books, poets, and poems are welcomed! My favorite poem right now is “The Two-Headed Calf” by Laura Gilpin, and I’m always reminded of it when I look up to the sky and can see all the stars aglow:
Tomorrow when the farm boys find this
freak of nature, they will wrap his body
in newspaper and carry him to the museum.But tonight he is alive and in the north
field with his mother. It is a perfect
summer evening: the moon rising over
the orchard, the wind in the grass. And
as he stares into the sky, there are
twice as many stars as usual.
Reading!!!
I haven’t just been reading poetry— I’ve also read books and listened to a lot of audiobooks over the past few months. Some of the books I’ve read are Normal People by Sally Rooney, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, and Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley.
The small moments I take to read my books or listen to my audiobooks feel like personal time that belongs to me. I can slow down, lie on my bed, and just relax as I read or listen to a good book. It feels nice to take care of myself and do something just for me, especially in this world faced with constant anxiety, stress, and violence.
My current read at the time of writing: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. I’m about halfway done and so far, 10000/10. The hype is real.
We’ve made it! We’re at the end!
Have you tried any of these favorites? Which are you trying next month?
Thanks for reading until the end! I write these blogs for fun, and I appreciate each of y’all taking the time to read them!
Before you bounce off, please consider donating to Altadena Girls to support girls who lost their homes and belongings in the Eaton Fire. To donate, click here. Check out their website and Instagram, too.
Thanks again!
Until next time, dearest friends.
