My 2021 Favorites

I’m an absolute sucker for a favorites blog post or YouTube videos. Even a TikTok. I love seeing what other people love. And a yearly recap of the best of the best? Sign me up!

Therefore, I decided to write my own favorites list for 2021, splitting it up into categories (or else this list would just be too long!). Enjoy!

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Fashion

The winner: Hill House Home & the Nap Dress

This feels like a cop out because it’s an entire brand. However, 2021 was the year I bought my first Nap Dress. Then my second. And then a ton more. I wear one of them every week, sometimes multiple days a week! Safe to say that I’m obsessed. I wrote a Nap Dress review blog post last year if you want to now more, but I’d like to do an updated version at some point since I’ve now acquired quite the collection. Perhaps in time for the next drop on February 2nd!

Runners up: MZ Wallace tote, Sarah Flint heels (use code SARAHFLINT-BATALIAW for $50 off!), and Anthropologie headbands

Beauty

The winner: Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon lipstick

To me, there’s something that’s just so grown up about being a woman who has a signature shade of lipstick. It exudes a sense of energy that says “I have it together.” I bought this on a whim to get to free shipping on a Target order one day. Since then, I’ve purchased it in three more shades. It stays on super well without being drying, and it isn’t a massive pain to take off either. I have the colors Achieve It All (the perfect nude and a dupe for the famous Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillowtalk), Change Is Good (reddish pink), Keep It Fun (a fun vibrant pink), and Seek Adventure (mauve-y pink).

Runners up: Sunday Riley CEO Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil, Drybar Hot Toddy heat protectant, NARS Orgasm blush, and Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil

Books

The winner: Book of the Month and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

2021 was a year full of reading for me! I finished 34 books, which was above my goal of 30. In October, I decided to try Book of the Month after hearing some amazing things about it. I’ve been nothing but impressed thus far! Each month, you get to pick a new hardcover book for an unbeatable price. They have every genre you could think of, plus early releases of some titles! As for a specific book I loved, I read some amazing books this year, so picking just one favorite was super difficult. However, I think I’ll have to go with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It’s about an old Hollywood star who’s infamous for being married seven times and hasn’t talked about her husbands to the press — until now! The book straddles the genre line between romance and historical fiction, but it touches on so much more than just that. I absolutely devoured it. I won’t spoil too much, but the story is phenomenal and emotional. I cannot recommend it enough.

Runners up: Bringing Down the Duke (like Bridgerton, but feminist and about women’s suffrage), Big Little Lies (mom drama with secrets and a possible murder mystery), and One Last Stop (a queer romance and coming-of-age story about figuring your life out in your early twenties, with the most lovable cast of characters)

Lifestyle

The winner: Peloton App

In all honesty, I wish I could afford a real Peloton bike. However, I cannot with my current financial situation. Anyway, I decided to give the Peloton app a try when I heard about someone getting a subscription and a spin bike as a substitute for a Peloton. Pre-pandemic, I loved spin classes. My apartment’s gym has a few spin bikes, so I decided to try the app with those for at least the free trial period. Well, it’s been almost a year, and I’ve kept the subscription ever since. I mainly use the app for their spin and yoga classes, but I’ve done a few pilates classes here and there too. It’s under $15 a month for the app subscription, which is a lot more affordable than a monthly spin class membership.

Runners up: Papier wellness journal and matching pajama sets (some of my favs are here and here)

Miscellaneous

The winner: Gold clothing rack

Welcome to the random category I couldn’t think of a title for, but encompasses all my other favorites of the year! My clothing rack can be seen in the background of all my mirror selfies on Instagram. It’s part cute blogger backdrop, part storage solution to deal with the small closet I share with my boyfriend. I display some of my favorite dresses on it, and I love how it looks. I get asked where it’s from at least once a month. It’s definitely on the affordable side for a clothing rack, especially a nice-looking one. It’s lightweight yet sturdy, and it was easy enough for me to put together by myself. For styling advice, I only use these hangers on it and I try to stick to the same color palette in all of the clothing items. It’s a good decor piece that’s both fun and functional, which is key when you need to maximize storage space.

Runners up: Glamorous Wash laundry detergent, at home wax kit, pink disposable face masks (kids’ size, great for people with small faces like me), and 30 oz tumbler