All Of My Quarantine Purchases

With all the free time (and that gov check) over these past three months, I think I was bound to do some online shopping. Below are my quarantine purchases, a list I’ve been adding onto since the beginning of March!

The majority of these are fashion-related, with some home, wellness and random items thrown in as well. My friend Austen has compiled a list of her quarantine beauty purchases if you’re looking for suggestions on more makeup and skincare beyond my two purchases.

I’m honestly super happy with every single one of these items and how they’ve helped me navigate the new normal 🙂

Supergoop Sunscreen

This was my initial quarantine purchase, though it only just arrived. I got really into my skincare routine throughout my time at home. I used to just use cleanser and moisturizer, remembering serums, creams, etc. a few times a week. Nope. Not during quarantine! I actually applied 7 products twice a day. If I wasn’t going to stick to it now, when would I??? After about a week of this, and my skin feeling fantastic, I realized I was lacking SPF. We were going on long walks every day, and I wanted to ensure I was protecting my skin.

I researched clean facial sunscreen options and decided to order this one from the Sephora sale. It was well worth the wait!!! I like how there is a subtle shimmer when it’s on my face. It’s not cakey. It blends in nicely. It has not caused any major breakouts.

Supergoop Shimmer Shade Eye Shadow

I wasn’t looking to purchase new makeup. I got a $20 Nordstrom note to use, and so I decided to look at their site. Nordstrom was selling a “bundle” of three Shimmer Shades for $44, and each shade is usually $24. I had just cleaned out my vanity of old makeup products and was missing the ease of my Glossier Lidstar liquid eye shadow. I hoped this would be its replacement in my makeup routine, and boy, it has filled the role nicely!

It has a moussey texture. I apply it with my fingers and it blends out nicely. Supergoop is clean, which is important to me, but also is about skin protection. These eyeshadows have SPF 20 to help protect my eyelids from burns and sun damage (and therefore, wrinkes). I have three shades now and will likely buy the fourth solely because I love them so much!

BKR 1L bottle

With my 7-step skincare routine, I had been doing reading on ways to help your skin healthy. I obviously got the sunscreen, but another big thing that came up in every article was drinking water. I love LaCroix but I never really was tracking my water intake. I did for a week and realized I was drinking far below the recommended amounts. I tried just filling up cups of water, but I’d be so zoned into my work that hours would pass and I wouldn’t get up and refill the glass. To fix this problem, I got a BKR 1L water bottle to help me hit my goal of 1 gallon a day.

The main reason I chose this size is that I only have to fill it up 4 times a day to hit my 4L/1 gallon goal! This in itself has been helpful, but also I started not letting myself have a morning coffee until I had finished 2 water bottles full of water. This usually puts me at about 12 before I can have coffee, BUT it also knocks out half of my water intake! I usually finish the first bottle during my morning workout and finish the second as I’m working between 9-12. The other two in the afternoon are easier, and then I will be sure to bring it upstairs with me in the evening if I haven’t hit my 4L/1 gallon goal.

I recommend getting a 1L bottle from BKR’s warehouse sale, where you can get it for cheaper than full-price, or waiting for a site-wide promotion like I did. At first, I was hesitant about paying $30 for a water bottle, but 1: that’s better than $50 full-price, and 2: it’s glass, not plastic, which means it’s safer for you AND dishwasher safe. It’s actually super easy to take off the silicone bottle cover for the dishwasher, there are how-to videos saved to their IG highlights! Watching those also taught me that BKR is pronounced “beaker” haha.

I have already bought a second BKR 1L bottle so I can have a second to rotate through with the dishwasher, and my sister has gotten one for herself after seeing how much I love mine. I think this has definitely had other benefits besides my skin – I feel fuller longer, I eat smaller portions and I just feel healthier overall.

Anthropologie Bed Tray

I was working from my mom’s couch and my bed a lot, and got tired of having my laptop overheat from blankets or make my legs red (IYKYK). I went first on Amazon to see what options they had… all the ones that would fit my laptop were $50?! I decided if that was the “cheap” option, I’d use my gift card and get a cute one from Anthro for the same price. My exact one is no longer sold at Anthro – there’s one for like $120 still though and this similar one from Target. It’s been a game changer for late night blog posts and for…

The Sims 4

At first, I told my sister I was getting it as a joke. I used to play The Sims 2 with my friends in middle school. We were addicts. I hadn’t really thought much about it until I was seeing the headlines of just how long we could all be at home. The Sims 4 base game was discounted (still is), I was really bored, and the rest, as they say, is history. My favorite part is building and decorating the houses, but I also did build up a Mafia family that’s running an entire town. It’s been nice to have something else to do when I’m tired of watching Netflix, working out, or my other “non-work time filler activities.”

Lululemon Hotty Hot Shorts

I’m sure I will probably do another whole blog post about this, but I’ve worked out more during this quarantine than I have during any other period of my life. Never before have I chosen to work out when I was bored, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. I do at least two major workouts a day, usually a cardio or strength training one in the morning, and a long walk in the evening once my mom is home from work. I also walk Sadie in the afternoons. My Nike shorts from 2010 were just not cutting it. I had never worn them with such frequency (I usually wore leggings for workouts in Chi) and I was annoyed by a lot of the design elements. I decided that if a decade had passed, I could get myself new shorts.

I did research on “the best” in terms of quality, comfort, etc. I found the Lululemon Hotty Hot shorts to be the best option for me. I get the 4″ inseam as my legs are pretty long and the 2.5″ look reallllll short on me. There also are “high waisted” options, and I got two of those. I enjoy how those fit, but I don’t mind the usual rise either.

Pro tip: Order a bunch of different sizes and cuts from the Lululemon website so you can do an at-home try on and return what doesn’t work – THEN order the size/fit you want on Poshmark.

I have two pairs from the Lulu website and three from Poshmark, where I paid 40-65% less for NWT shorts. They are amazing, and I intend to follow my pattern of wearing them for a decade (lol)

Lululemon Align Tank

While perusing Poshmark looking for my Lulu shorts, I came across all sorts of “ISO ALIGN TANK” posts. These people seemed desperate to purchase an Align tank, some even commenting they’d pay $200 if another user had their size in stock. I checked and these retail for around $40 – are they really worth that, let alone $200? I decided, what the heck, I’ll do an at-home try on of these, too.. except these babies never left my home again.

I don’t know why I never knew about these before, but I am so happy they’re now in my wardrobe. I followed the reviews and got a size 8 for my chest in both black and white. These things are comfy. They make you look snatched. They make your chest look perky. Would I recommend going on a run wearing just this tank? No way. Would I recommend it for yoga, barre, etc? 100%. Just as I’d recommend it for watching TV, running errands and doing TikTok dances. Any “normal” activity without lots of jumping around, you’ll be fine support-wise.

These have become a staple in my at-home wardrobe and when I make trips to the grocery store (my only real errand anymore). Pair them with shorts, sweats, joggers, anything comfy. When I consider the cost per wear, I’ve already gotten my money’s worth out of both colors of this tank. They do have a cult following and sell out quickly after restocks so if you ever see your size in stock, act fast.

Aerie Bike Shorts

This was one of my earlier buys. Aerie was doing one of their crazy cheap sales and I had always been curious about bike shorts. I got the Real Me wrap shorts as mentioned in my loungewear roundup. These have been worn many times since then and if more colors come out, I will definitely get them!!

Birkenstocks

My 5-year-old Birks tragically broke at the end of last summer, beyond repair. I knew I would have to get a new pair this year because they’re a staple for me. They last a long time. They are oh-so comfy but supportive since they mold specifically to your foot. When you figure out cost per wear, the $130 price tag is more than worth it.

I used to have the taupe leather, and for the new pair, I couldn’t decide between white and gray. I ended up getting gray “real” Birks and white rubber ones for $45. I have worn one of these two Birks every day since they arrived, no joke! I am so happy with both of the colors, and they go with everything.

Barefoot Dreams Blanket

Okay, this one was actually purchased as my mom’s Mother’s Day gift, so it kind of doesn’t belong on this list, but I wanted you to know it is worth the hype. It feels just as cozy as the full-price $200 ones for just $45. My dog has since claimed it as her own. Next time these are in stock on Rack’s website, my sister has told me she’s getting one. I think these make a great gift because who doesn’t love a comfy blanket?? The $45 Rack version is out of stock but I found one discounted at Saks (??) for $70 if you want one right this minute.

Target Essential Oil Diffuser

My $5 Target Dollar Spot oil diffuser sadly broke and I wanted a new one to replace it. When Target was running a promo, I was able to get this cute Opalhouse gold and white one for cheap plus I applied my $15 of Target cash I had earned through their loyalty program. It’s way bigger than my first diffuser but I love that, and the lighting on it is soooo neat. It can be any color, or it can be a rainbow flash! It’s super cool to have on as an accent lighting feature when I’m working in my room at night (using my bed tray table, of course!)

That does it for me and my long list of quarantine buys. When you figure all 11 items were purchased over three months, and that I have not spent any money elsewhere other than groceries, it doesn’t seem so bad, right?? 😉

Hope you all are staying healthy and happy!