My 20 Best Amazon Purchases of 2018

Whoaaaaaa, it’s the weekend tomorrow! Dontcha just lovelovelove a solid short work week?? It’s like last week was Christmas, yesterday was New Year’s, and now BAM – FriYAY. No complaints.

And ICYMI…Olivia came home!!!!!!!

Biggest news of the century. Or at least of the latter half of 2018. More on her homecoming (+ her NICU stay) to come. But until then, we’re just hanging out, getting ALL the newborn snuggles, + hardcore relying on my own fabulous mama to help me get my sh*t together STAT in being a new mom myself. Because holy moly. Mommin’ ain’t no joke.

I digress. 😉

You guys loveloveLOVE when I do Amazon roundups sharing my fave buys or designer lookalikes, etc. SO, jumping off of this post sharing the best Amazon purchases of the first half of 2018, I had to finish it up for y’all with Part 2, sharing all my best Amazon purchases of the entire year! I went through all of my 2018 orders to figure out my *favorite* buys that ended up being musts in everyday life, or just things that I’d really recommend if a girlfriend called me up wanting to hear about something fun to pick up next (and since we’re friends here, too… 😉 ).

 

My 20 Best Amazon Purchases of 2018

1.) High-waisted bikini – Clearly, mama needs a vacation already. HA! 😉 I fell in lovelovelove with a) the cute ruffle top. As someone who is *ahem* not the most well-endowed, any sorta frill is welcomed up top for some added femininity + fun. And as someone who just had a baby via C-section, anything high-waisted is *also* warmly welcome. So I was automatically into this swimsuit. Couple that with the fact that it’s only around $22 in total for the SET and I was sold. And…I was SO pleasantly surprised!!!! It’s friggin’ adorable, fits perfectly (it runs TTS, FYI!), and I already need a beach. Feels a bit retro or a bit Minnie Mouse-ish, and I’m here for it.

2.) Yeti Rambler – Is it just me, or did Yetis blow the heck UP in 2018?! I first heard of Yetis from my mama, who managed to get her hands on one earlier in the year. She hadn’t heard of the rage before – she just happened upon one and gave it a go. Next time she saw me, she was freaking the freak out that her ice water from the morning STILL HAD THE ICE IN IT come afternoon. It was just as cold as when she first poured it. So she was *stoked* to say the least. Fast forward to Christmastime, and SOMEONE’S husband (*cough* mine) continually loses his travel coffee mug for work. No joke, I think I was on the third or fourth one bought for him? So I figured what the heck – maybe if I get him the best rambler ever, he won’t lose it. 😉 I bought him this Yeti and he’s obsessed. Won’t ever lose a travel mug again.

3.) “The Adventures of Otitis” children’s book – This makes me so happy. One of my best friends, Molly, and her grad school roommate had adopted a special needs cat while in school (Otitis). Molly has the biggest heart of maybe anyone I know, so it was no surprise that she brought home a 10-year-old, earless rescue cat. Then turned out…Otitis has quite the personality. Then I got a call one night that over some wine, she + Jess had come up with an entire manuscript for a children’s book featuring Otitis. Then I READ the manuscript…and y’all. This book should be on every kid’s bookshelf! It’s a sweet story about celebrating what makes you “special” and knowing that you’ll always find your people + the place you call home.

4.) Laneige sleeping lip mask – This has been a recent addition to my vanity. Especially come wintertime, I’m on the dry skin struggle bus. Which is normally not the case at all, since girlfriend is typically much more combination-to-oily skin. But I’m also perpetually dehydrated (I know, I know, working on it…), so I notice it on my lips first. This lippy works wonders! I lovelovelove waking up and still feeling it on from the night before, where it feels like it hydrated all night long without being rubbed off. This one doesn’t feel too heavy or sticky in the slightest – it’s justright.

5.) Monitor memo pads – Bought these in the hopes of better organizing my desk situation, so that I could move some of my more important/regularly used sticky notes right in front of my face. And sure enough! This cute little pad comes with some stickies, and you can add them to the side of your monitor to never forget.

6.) Sequin blazer – Sistah’s been on a sequin kick lately – sorry not sorry one bit. 😉 Bought this blazer to wear for Christmas Day, and it brought the house down. I styled just over a simple solid black long-sleeve tee with jeans for something more casual, since we were doing a lowkey day at our house with Liv still in the hospital at that point. It was a hit!

7.) Halo sleep sack – This was something I first learned about while in the NICU, since Olivia was swaddled in one all the time + it WORKED. Especially if you’ve got a baby that a.) enjoys being swaddled, and b.) has a startle reflex still and/or likes being held, and wakes up if they push their arms out and feel no one there…give this a try!

8.) Tassel earrings – These are adorable + look JUST like Baublebar tassel earrings that are twice if not three times the cost! I have the red pair, personally – but I say go for one in every color. 😉

9.) Veggie + onion chopper – WOW, what a life saver. Or hand saver? Either way, found this from another blogger’s Amazon recommendations, and thought WHAT THE HECK. Ain’t nobody got time for chopping 52 things when you’re making something like a hearty wintry soup, etc. Just pop in the vegetable, press down, and BAM – whole thing is chopped up. I will say you have to press *pretty* hard to fully break the skin of the veggie (so that it breaks down into all of the chopped pieces and isn’t stuck), but worth it!

10.) Pumping bra – My actual saving grace while pumping this entire time. With Olivia in the NICU, I couldn’t breastfeed (got to breastfeed her twice before she was transferred to a new NICU and on suuuuuuper strict feeding routine). So I’ve been pumping every three hours to maintain supply. And even still with her home, we’re not allowed to try breastsfeeding again – she’s not even on breast milk at the time being, because she developed a pretty severe milk protein allergy when she had her mystery infection, so she has to be on dairy-free formula until my milk again is totally dairy-free (we’ve been able to test every so often, but the second there’s a drop of any blood in her stool, obvi have to stop + switch back…TMI, but context. Ha!). This pumping bra has been so good for multitasking, so that I can catch up on emails or actually read a chapter in a book while I pump, AND it saves your wrists from the cramping.

11.) Packing cubes – Speaking of saving graces, these were IT for me when traveling for New York Fashion Week this year. Every time I try packing cubes, I’m always SO IMPRESSED by how legit they really are. They always swear to condense your packing down so much, yadda yadda yadda. And then…THEY DO. I separate outfits with them + put undergarments in a smaller one, and then save one of the bigger ones for laundry when you inevitably don’t feel like *folding* laundry to re-pack, but also don’t want dirty clothes taking up the majority of suitcase space. These also make staying organized so much easier, since you can a.) see what’s inside each, and b.) poke through your suitcase without unpacking the whole dang thing to do so. Ya feel? 😉

12.) Blank NYC suede jacket – A totally worthwhile splurge. I pulled the trigger on this bad boy this year and am SO glad I did. It’s so versatile, it’s so classic, and it’s so easily worn through seasons, too. Also obsessed with this pretty chestnut color. Would make a FABULOUS gift, too, if you’ve got a girlfriend/sister/etc that you wanna #treat with something practical, but fun!

13.) Cube timer – If you’re someone who loveloveloves beating the clock to stay focused + on task, this is fo’ you! This handy dandy little cube sits on my desk at all times now. You just turn it on, then turn the cube to face whatever time interval you want it set for. There’s a little screen then that counts down the minutes, and it beeps when done; just flip the cube back to center when that happens to stop the alarm. Super easy + eliminates the potential distractions that inevitably arise (at least for me – ha!) when you’re using your phone for a timer and then find yourself on Instagram, then email, then Facebook…you know.

14.) Teddy bear fleece jumpsuit – The latest addition to Olivia’s wardrobe, and she approves majorly. Such a soft, snuggly jumpsuit! I think she just enjoys the feel of the fabric – girlfriend likes to be cozy AF at all times. Wonder where she got that from? 😉 Would make a cute gift for any little babes in your life!

15.) The Fix sandals – I have these in denim AND pink. They’re totally extra, but totally cool + unique. I get compliments on them whenever I wear ’em! And they’re easily dressed up or down, so that’s a win in my book.

16.) Treatment essence – Word on the blog street is that this essence is juuuuuust like the popular $99 essence from SKII. I haven’t tried SKII’s essence yet myself, so I can’t personally speak to that, but figured you should know. 😉 Said to be soothing, hydrating, brightening, + wrinkle repairing. Also said to have been formuated with a low viscosity, which is said to increase its absorption rate on the skin.

17.) Phone/tablet stand – For the longest time, I couldn’t find a phone stand that I liked that dually worked with my Popsocket. But this one does! I like that it’s adjustable enough, too, so whether you need it to just see what’s popping up throughout the day, or for FaceTiming hands-free…it does the trick.

18.) Studded flip flops – These are less than $15 flip flops that look just like Valentino. So…save the $330+, and get the designer lookalike! If my exact pair that I linked are still unavailable by the time you read this, these look the same!

19.) Red plaid blanket scarf – Amazon has some *fabuous* blanket scarves, all super affordable! This is the one I styled here – lovelovelove.

20.) Acrylic monitor stand – All in an effort to get #organized for the new year, amiright? I picked this up to simply elevate my monitor a little bit (I typically work with double screen action in my office, with a screen on my laptop and then a screen on a monitor) + keep things as clutter-free as possible on my actual desk space. Elevating my monitor let me slide my wireless keyboard underneath it instead of having it in front, which just cleared up a bit more space for something like a notepad or planner to sit.

What were your personal favorite, best Amazon Purchases of 2018?

Seeing as 90% of the time, I’m filling my own cart based on what I see other folks’ recommend…I wanna know! What are your favorite Amaon orders? What’s been the best thing you’ve added to cart last year? What are some must-buys??? Hollah at your girl.

AND AND AND – December’s Instagram Giveaway winner is…

@lexyhunter

DM me or email me (erica@cominguprosestheblog.com) to claim yo’ prize! WOO. Happy weekend. See you tomorrow for Weekend Reading. 🙂

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