A Few of My Favorite Things: Gift Ideas for Women 2021

Every year my friend Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick hosts a Favorite Things blog hop and invites a small group of home bloggers to share our top recommendations of things we loved in 2021. I always look forward to visiting all of the bloggers’ product recommendations because I trust their tried and true favorites. Today I’m sharing my tried and true favorites in the areas of home, skincare, and beauty. Click the affiliate links to shop for the products that interest you!

What I’m Currently Loving for the Home

1. RCA 720p LCD/LED Home Theater Projector (includes Roku Express Streaming Player)

I just purchased this RCA projector as part of an early Black Friday deal, and I already love it! Besides being able to host outdoor movie nights, my bedroom wall instantly becomes a projector screen when I feel like watching something on the “big screen” by myself. I don’t like the look of having numerous televisions in rooms so this is the perfect portable option!

2.  Belgian Linen Sheets (Pottery Barn Dupe for much less)

Shop the Room: Rug | Bench | Bed | Duvet & Shams | Charcoal Cable Knit Toss Blanket | Lumbar Pillow | Striped Toss Pillows | Nightstands (similar but less expensive options here and here) | Brass Table Lamps |Decorative Books | Olive Plant | Mirrors (similar) | Botanical Art | Light Fixture 

I’m still in the process of updating our primary bedroom. The picture above is the design board I came up with to inspire the makeover. Everything in the picture is already purchased for the makeover but the walls are holding me up! I hope to tackle them after the holidays.

In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying our new bedding and linen sheets! These Amazon Belgian Linen sheets are a fantastic dupe for Pottery Barn’s for about 1/3 of the price. If you like sleeping in linen, I highly recommend checking these out!  

3. Vitamix 7500 Blender Professional-Grade (Currently on sale for Black Friday!)

We have two blenders on our kitchen counters, a cute Smeg blender, and a less cute but amazingly powerful Vitamix blender. I purchased the Vitamix Blender as a gift for my husband last year at this time, and I’m so glad I did! The Smeg looks great on the counter, but it’s just not sufficient for the smoothies, soups, protein drinks, and purees we make. With the Vitamix my protein shakes turn out perfect every time, and you can actually create a hot tomato soup right in the blender! It was pricey but for the use we get out of it totally worth it.

4. Legend Stainless Steel 5-Ply Copper Core, 14-Piece Cookware Set 

I splurged on this set of stainless steel pans as a generous birthday present to myself over the summer. Our previous pans were 22+ years old and disintegrating. It was time for an upgrade! I wanted pans with a lifetime guarantee, and I wanted stainless steel for health purposes. I was interested in a similar looking set from Williams Sonoma but the price was out of my comfort zone. These pans are also pricey, but I love them so much. They are beautiful, cook food evenly, and will hopefully last as long as I do!

Favorite Skincare & Beauty Products 

The most convenient way to see all of my favorite skincare and beauty products is on my Amazon Storefront! You can click here to browse everything all at once that I currently recommend from Amazon. I have several favorite hair care products listed in my store that I don’t cover in this post including my favorite affordable hair extensions.

Finding affordable skincare and beauty products that work well and improve the appearance of my skin has been much more challenging as I age. I spend a LOT of time watching beauty and skincare tutorials, and I also pour over product reviews to find out what’s working well for most. These products are all my current tried and true favs!

Favorite Skincare Products 

1. Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser  This cleanser is non-drying and takes makeup off beautifully.
2. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water I mostly use this with a cleansing pad to take off my eye makeup and any heavy makeup on my face. It dissolves stubborn mascara gently and thoroughly.
3. Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Peptide I just returned to this product recently and am now questioning why I ever left! It moisturizers my skin so well and helps even out dry patches. I use it both morning and night.
4. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream I use this at night and in the winter when my skin is more dry.
5. Vichy V Hyaluronic Acid I use this in the morning to plump the skin. Honestly, I use it because of all of the glowing reviews but I’m not sure I see much of a visible difference in my skin’s hydration. 
6. TruSkin Vitamin C This helps produce a natural glow and seems to tone down age spots.
7. The Ordinary Rose Hips I use this at night especially under my eyes.
8. The Ordinary AHA’s BHA’s This is a liquid mask that you leave on for ten minutes and wash off. It can be a bit drying so I only use it at most once a week. It’s really helpful in improving the texture of my skin.
9. Glycolic Acid Acid 70% If you’re not careful with this product, you will burn your face! I only use it once a month and dilute it with water before applying. It’s fantastic for reducing fine lines and revealing fresh skin. I also use it on the backs of my hands as well to reduce age spots and am really impressed with the results. Just use with caution if you purchase!
10. A313 Retinol I had originally purchased this product on Amazon but they no longer carry it. It’s a very strong retinol from France that is closest to prescription strength you can buy over the counter. I only use it in concentrated areas on my face where deeper lines are forming. If I use it all over I experience irritation because my skin is sensitive to retinols.
11. ROC Retinol Night  This is a great tried and true mild retinol that is perfect for those just starting a retinol routine. It’s non-irritating for me and can be used nightly.
12. Vibrating Face Roller I love the way this roller feels on my face! It’s very soothing and helps reduce under eye puffiness.

13. Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen Mineral Lotion SPF 70 This is a tinted sunscreen perfect for the face.

Favorite Face Makeup 

1. Elf Mintmelt Primer I don’t always use a primer because they seem to dry out my skin, but out of all of the myriads of primers I’ve tried this one seems to work well at reducing pore size.
2. Covergirl Olay Simply Ageless Foundation This is more like a BB cream than a foundation and is great for light coverage and a glow.
3. Loreal BB Cream Green If you have uneven skin tone and redness, this is an excellent product for reducing it! The product goes on green and magically turns the color of your skin when blending in.
4. Smashbox Halo Tinted Moisturizer I love this stuff! Full coverage foundations no longer work with my mature skin and tend to age me. This product is a light foundation that when in concert with concealer and powder looks beautiful. 
5. Loreal Lumi Glotion When I want a natural looking glow, I will use this under my tinted moisturizer. I will also use it as a highlighter.
6. Elf Camo Concealer This is a fantastic concealer that outperforms more expensive concealers I’ve tried. It’s hydrating and doesn’t settle into fine lines. 
7. NYX Concealer Serum I also love this concealer! It’s very emollient and perfect for mature skin.
8. Milani Make it Last Setting Spray When I don’t want my makeup to budge for the night, I will set it with this spray. It tends to dry my skin if used frequently so I only use it when I’m going out.
9. Physicians Formula Bronzer I love the coconut smell and beautifully bronzed color of this bronzer! It works well to give you some color and can be used to contour.
10. NYX Concealer Highlighter Wonder Stick I’m not much for contouring my face, but when I do this stick is so easy and foolproof to use!
11. NYX Blush Very pigmented and pretty!
12. Elf Putty Blush The putty line of products are all great. I like the color Turks & Caicos.
13. Charlotte Tilbury Powder I’m willing to spend more money on makeup when I see a difference in quality and performance over drugstore options. This powder is unmatched in my opinion. I’m not sure it’s worth its price, but it does make my skin look amazing.

Favorite Eyes & Lips Makeup

1. Loreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara I have naturally very long eyelashes and am incredibly picky about my mascara. These three I have linked are my current favs. I almost always mix at least two different mascaras together.
2. Loreal Voluminous Million Lashes I’ve used this one for years and years and still love it.
3. Maybelline Sky High Mascara  I didn’t like this one at first, but it’s grown on me. It produces a faux lash look.
4. Covergirl Liquid Eyeliner Great liquid liner with a fine tip.
5. Lumify Whitening Eye Drops These whitening drops make a huge difference for me! My eyes look larger and all around prettier with these drops.
6. Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow This is a great eyebrow pencil option for blondes. It helps define and fill in without looking overdone.
7. Milani Keep It Full Lip Plumper Gloss I don’t think it plumps your lips much, but it’s a gorgeous gloss and my current fav.
8. Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick  This product doesn’t dry out my lips and comes in many pretty colors.
9. NYX Butter Gloss Creme Brulee I’ve used the NYX butter glosses for years now and still love them.
10. Milani Lipstick in Lustful This is supposed to be a Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk dupe. It’s a great lipstick!
11. Revlon Colorstay Lipliner The only lip liner I’ll use! It goes on easily and looks great.

Favorite Nail Polish Stickers

I admit it. I was lured in by a Facebook ad advertising nail stickers and I bit. The company is called Vanity Table and they sell press-on gel polish nail stickers as well as press-on nails. I purchased a bunch of gel stickers and the gel light, and I absolutely LOVE them! They have so many cute designs, and I’m always getting compliments on my nails and asked where I get them done. This is much cheaper than manicures and just so much fun! Click the link and enter your email to receive a coupon towards your purchase.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to check out some of the items I’m currently loving! Be sure to visit my friends below to see a few of their favorite things!

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