TOP 10 JANUARY FAVORITE PRODUCT FINDS

Top 10 January favorite product finds – clothes, beauty, household products, books, food, toys, etc.

Making life easier one functional product at a time…

Happy Month of LOVE!

I am still in disbelief that I am saying this, I mean, how the heck did January fly by sooo sooo sooo dang fast? 

I heard one too many people complain about January in that it was the longest month and felt like the entire month was one long Monday 😮 

Now that is such a whining attitude to have!? No offense, but these people clearly don’t know how to make the most of a brand New Year! 

I for one loved January, despite starting the year a week later than most (cuz we were traveling) and despite being sick for a good part of the month. 

I tried to slow down as much as possible on the social media front even though behind the scenes I was/have been hard at work making several changes to my schedule, to our home, getting back into a solid routine, and completing several pending home projects. 

Both my house and I are still very much a work in progress, but I am happy with the progress so far! More to come soon… 

On that note, let’s quickly recap…

TOP 10 JANUARY FAVORITE PRODUCT FINDS

1. ICE ROLLER

A while back, I shared a story on Instagram of me using an ice roller on my face and had a whole bunch of questions come my way. 

Ice rollers stimulate blood flow in your face, drain excess fluids and toxins (lymphatic drainage), and helps your skin better absorb skincare products. 

Facial rollers also reduce redness and puffiness, helps heal breakouts, combats wrinkles and fine lines, decrease dark circles, brightens the skin, and provides an overall calm and refreshed feeling. 

Some people say that ice rolling instantly wakes them up in the mornings. I am 100% awake as soon as I am out of the bed (blessed that way, thanks to my mom’s genes) so I do not see any difference as far as that benefit is concerned. 

Cleanse your face and gently roll the ice roller across your face (in the recommended directions) for a few minutes. And once done just stick it back in your freezer until you want to use it again. 

While you can totally use ice cubes to achieve similar results, holding ice cubes in my hand for even 30 seconds is not something I am a fan of. So this ice roller is an amazing and convenient alternative! 

2. FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES BOOK

First off, I shocked myself by reading 3 books in January! 

Wait, what? Who.am.I? 

I have been telling you guys on Instagram stories that I am reshuffling my schedule quite a bit and adjusting my priorities. And I guess that reading has clearly been bumped up to one of the top on that list of to-do’s, and I am thrilled about it! 

I was all too familiar with the concept of Five Love Languages but I had been meaning to read  Dr. Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages book to grasp the depth of the concept well. He is the one who conceptualized and categorized the 5 different love languages. 

I had heard that the book has tremendously helped a lot of relationships and couples and I was curious. I mean, this book has sold 6 million+ copies to date, and that’s saying something for its content! 

And finally, the time came! 

The concept explained in this book will benefit all relationships and I 100% recommend this book to everyone, whether you are married, engaged, dating, or single, and even if you already have a great relationship with your special someone. 

There is always so much room for improvement, which is exactly what I am trying to incorporate based on my learnings from this Five Love Languages book. 

The idea of the book is that you should love others the way they need to be loved and not the way you think they should be loved (or based on your belief of what love is?). This might sound complicated but it is not at all, grab a copy of the book and you will realize what I am saying. 

Do the quiz first and find out your love language as well as know what love language your partner speaks.

Five Love Languages – Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts. 

3. COLDWATER SHOWER

This zero-cost ‘new’ habit has been doing wonders for me! 

Well, taking a shower in cold water is not entirely new to me. Starting at the age of when I was about 7-8 years old, during the month of maagamasa (holy period our us, it was also one of the coldest months back then) I would religiously shower in cold water around 4 am in the morning every single day & go to the temple to do the puja.

Back then I’d pretty much blindly follow every ritual my mom performed, she never asked me to but I wanted to do everything she did. This continued for several years until I was about 17-18 years old and then I started questioning everything and gave up on the practice (much like so many other things), which I kinda regret now. 

Cuz even though I did not entirely know why my mom practiced a certain ritual, knowing what I now know, everything our forefathers did back in India has strong scientific reasons and are highly beneficial for both physical and mental health and wellness. 

From yoga to cold showers to everything else in between, most of these have strong Indian roots.  Only our generation (well, most of us) didn’t care enough to dig deeper, learn more and continue incorporating them in our lives. But these are now some of the cool millennial things to do as they have gained popularity in the west. 

Anyho, back to cold showers – they benefit the body and mind in several different ways from improving the skin and hair to relaxing the mind to burning calories (increased metabolic rate) to improving immunity (increase in white blood cells) to better overall cardiovascular health (better blood circulation). 

I know, it’s not easy to give up on hot showers, especially when it is so brutally cold outside. But everything becomes easy with practice and perseverance. 

My trick is to do a rigorous workout and then jump in to take a cold shower. Since my body is already warm the cold shower feels like a welcome change and does not feel as brutal. 

And you will be surprised at how quickly your body adapts to these changes. 

4. FOOD HUGGERS

I don’t know why I didn’t look for these food huggers sooner? 

I knew I needed something to solve this problem -> I mean,  who doesn’t hate having to put a saucer plate on top of liquid-filled mugs as you put them in the fridge and worry that the next time you open the fridge you are going to knock them down? 

And who doesn’t dislike wasting precious glass containers (and even more precious space in the refrigerator) only to put half an onion or cucumber or apple or any other cut vegetable or fruit? 

Solution? 

These food huggers come in 4 different sizes and fit perfectly on a variety of fruits and vegetables and can also be used to cover open jars, mugs or cans. 

Not only that, but these Food Huggers also ensures that the unused vegetables and fruits stay fresh longer.

The best part about these huggers is that they are made from BPA free silicone material and they are reusable (so no need to use the plastic wrap). These are also dishwasher safe and hence cleaning them is quick and easy. 

And yes, I do use these for putting a cut avocado or onion, but why buy individual solutions when another solution can solve multiple problems? 😉 

5. LOOPY PHONE CASES

Who else uses pop sockets and hates them? 

I used to use pop sockets on my phone, hated them, so took them off and managed without it for the longest time, i.e. until I found and fell in love with the Loopy phone case.

Loopy sent these to me as a gift right around Thanksgiving, which is when I also bought my new iPhone, talk about perfect timing! 

These Loopy phone cases do a great job protecting your phones from accidental drops (yikes, I have had quite a few unfortunate accidents happen to my phone and the pain it caused is something not many will understand, sigh) #StoptheDrop™

These cases not only protect your phone better than the rest of the cases but also don’t add extra weight so your phone doesn’t feel bulky. 

The loop feels extremely comfortable and provides solid finger grip and secures your phone while taking photos or when you have to hold the phone while also delicately balancing a dozen other things in your hands #TrueStory

The loopy case was a life (aka phone) savior when we were in New York City during the holidays doing all the touristy things on crowded NYC streets #TrueFunctionalityTest 

I also got one for the hubs and thought he might whine that it doesn’t fit in his pockets. But to my surprise he has had no such complaints, he appreciates how functional the loopy cases are and loves it just as much as I do. 

6. VACUUM SEAL STORAGE BAGS

Vacuum sealed storage bags are mainly used at home for storing seasonal clothing items and/or big bedding and linen items. But they are also ideal to pack your belongings while traveling. Vacuum sealed bags have the ability to reduce the volume by 80%. 

You all know that I LOVE my packing cubes for travel, but what you do not know is that I also LOVE to pack in vacuum-sealed storage bags to maximize space in the luggage during travels, especially for long trips. These are also great to pack bulky items like sweaters, jackets, winter coats, etc. 

Vacuum sealed storage bags are basically like large ziplock bags with a tiny valve that is used to squeeze the air out of the bags.  Simply pile everything you want to pack and vacuum out the air using the hand-held pump that comes with the bag. 

NOTE: Make sure to carry the hand-held pump that comes with the vacuum-sealed bags 1) so you can pack everything back exactly as you did before you left on the trip 2) In case your bag is opened for inspection then they too should be able to put everything back in your luggage. 

7. ELECTRIC MAKEUP BRUSH CLEANER

Who here else is guilty of not cleaning your makeup brushes as regularly as you are supposed to? 

Even though we all know that it is important to clean our makeup brushes at least once a week to get rid of bacteria as well as the leftover makeup junk, do we do it? 

Nope, we don’t!  We continue to use the same gross makeup brushes on our faces over and over (and over again) with rarely ever cleaning them.

Why?

Because it’s a freaking tedious task! 

Who has the time to clean the brushes and then dry them to an extent (using paper towels and whatnot, that in itself is bad on so many levels) and then wait for it to fully dry? 

Not me for sure! 

That means no matter what amazing products we use and how much we clean our faces, it is always going to be prone to breakouts and whatnot thanks to the unhygienic makeup brushes we use on our face, Ewww! 

But thank god for this 2 in 1 electric makeup brush cleaner and dryer, my habits have dramatically improved as far as makeup brushes go, because – 

1) it cleans and also dries my makeup brush in less than a minute 2) keeps my brushes clean and prevents the spread of bacteria 3) makeup products go on my skin more smoothly and seamlessly 4) makes applying makeup much faster and more pleasing 

There’s something so satisfying about cleaning your makeup brushes and then using those clean brushes to apply makeup! Right? 

8. DETANGLE HAIRBRUSH

Perks of cleaning out my makeup cabinets?

Finding brand new products (unopened) from old subscription boxes that were hidden deep under dozen of other products 😮 

Methinks that I probably received this Detangling Hairbrush ages ago in one of my subscription boxes but I had dismissed it without giving it too much thought. Because I didn’t think I had the need for it as my regular hair brush did the job for me. 

But I couldn’t have been more wrong! Styling my hair with this Detangling Hairbrush is quicker, easier, and pain-free. 

With the Tangle Teezer Hairbrush, there is no cringing or no going ouch as my brush my hair and there are zero tangles in my hair with almost zero effort! 

You can also use the Tangle Teezer in the shower to work your products into your hair. 

The bristles of the Tangle Teezer are firm yet flexible and move with the hair, and instantly detangles wet (most important) or dry hair by gently getting the knots out without causing any damage to the hair. It makes untangling my dense, coily and tangled hair (especially after oiling and washing it) a breeze. 

I can’t wait for my MIL to try this Detangling Hairbrush as she has the hardest time brushing her hair, curly hair problems! 

Other hair tools I love here and here. 

9. BOOM + BATTEN RESTAURANT 

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I figured it is apt for me to share my love for food and highlight the newest waterfront restaurant, Boom + Batten, in Victoria. 

I mean, it doesn’t get more romantic than that! 

Situated right on the water (you can even kayak to it), in the Victoria International Marina, Boom + Batten is Victoria’s newest eatery. They hosted us during our recent visit to Victoria and we were blown away by their food just as much as by their location. 

Surrounded by the restaurant’s warm and modern atmosphere, cozy up with your special someone to a delightful drink and indulge in a decadent and romantic meal as you watch the scenery outside through the floor to ceiling windows.

They even have an exclusive vegetarian menu and I legit wanted to order one of everything on their menu. Every dish we tried had us floored and we couldn’t help but overstuff our faces 😉 

I bet that with V-Day being less than 2 weeks away, they have something undeniably delicious and special on their menu for the special occasion! So if you are around in Victoria then make your way to the restaurant or better yet, plan a trip and make a weekend out of it. 

10. ORAL-B ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH

Now I know this is no groundbreaking find! 

I am pretty sure that many people use electric toothbrushes, or probably not? Maybe electric toothbrushes are not as common as I think they are? If it were then the dentists wouldn’t probably be the least favorite people to visit!?

I am quite certain that the dentist visits 100% tops the charts on most people’s least favorite things to do, ever! 

The hubs and I have been using electric toothbrushes forever, so my excitement isn’t about electric toothbrushes in general, but it is about this specific electric toothbrush, Oral-B Pc2000 Dual. 

We used to buy an older version of Oral-B’s electric toothbrush from BJ’s when we lived on the east coast. But when we moved to Seattle we couldn’t find the same ones here, so I would have my brother buy them for us when he would visit us from the east coast (see how loyal we were to that toothbrush). 

That was also because those toothbrushes were so much cheaper than the other electric toothbrushes and also did a terrific job (per our dentist’s acknowledgment)!  

When we recently visited my brother during the holidays we made a quick stop at BJ’s to pick up a few new ones and turns out that they no longer sell them, Oral B probably discontinued making those, sigh! 

And I was desperate for a new toothbrush so I picked up the Oral-B Pc2000 Dual toothbrush at Costco. If I loved my old electric toothbrush from Oral B before, I now LOVE (in bold capital letters) this new one from them 10x more. 

The shape and size of the brush make it so easy to reach all tooth surfaces, even all the way at the back without having to put much effort. Now every time I brush my teeth I feel as if I got my teeth cleaned at the dentist’s (minus the painful feeling of going to the dentist of course, haha). 

“The Oral-B Pc2000 Dual is a rechargeable toothbrush featuring 3D cleaning action that oscillates, rotates and pulsates the round head to break up and effectively removes more plaque. It has a Built-in Pressure Sensor which signals you anytime when you’re brushing too hard. The toothbrush also has 2 Customized Brushing Modes and a timer that pulses every 30 secs to let you know when to switch areas of the mouth”

Honestly though, anything to avoid those painful visits to the dentists. And in comparison, the cost of the Oral-B Pc2000 Dual toothbrush is way way way cheaper than shelling out thousands of dollars for most issues related to your teeth. 

So pay utmost attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of those pearly whites and hop on the electric toothbrush train if you already haven’t! 

On that note, don’t lose steam cuz it’s not the New Year anymore but continue to focus on your goals and stay persistent. 

Happy February! 

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” 

xoxo,

Kusum