2018 had some of the best investments I’ve ever had!

I am the living, walking definition of a shopaholic. I get a lot of different products to test out and share my reviews of. These are just a few of my favorite things I wear/use multiple times a week and will use for years to come. I also put together a list of my must-watch tv shows, favorite books and podcasts you have to listen to!

Fashion

Black Sunglasses: I wear this black sunglasses almost daily! They’re so inexpensive and look super chic.
Round Bag: I’m sure you’ve seen these round bags everywhere on Instagram, but there’s a good reason. I love mine and it was one of my favorite things to wear throughout the spring and summer.
Paper Bag Pants: If you follow my Instagram stories, you’ll know I live in these pants. They’re super comfy like sweatpants but you can easily get away with wearing these to work or school.
Adidas T-Shirt: You can find me wearing this t-shirt multiple times a week. It’s so soft but the fabric doesn’t get very worn compared to how many times I wear it. Plus, it’s blush which is an automatic yes from me.
Velvet Hangers: This sounds weird but velvet hangers CHANGED MY LIFE! There’s nothing that feels better than matching hangers in my closet. They’re super thin and my clothes don’t slip off like a normal plastic hanger. Make the switch and you’ll thank me later!
White Converse: I’ve always wanted a pair of white converse and I finally got a pair. They’re my favorite shoes to wear with jeans, casual dresses, joggers, shorts, literally everything. It did take a bit for me to break in but once I did, I wear them all the time.

Beauty

Velvet Scrunchies: 2018 is the year of the scrunchie! I fell back in love with scrunchies and wear my hair in one every single night since it doesn’t crease my hair. I love the velvet ones to add some texture to it and add a little extra something to an outfit.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: This sleep mask is what dream are made of and one of my favorite things! My lips feel incredible every morning when I wake up and my lipstick goes on smoother.
Matrix So Silver Shampoo: If you’re blonde, I swear by this shampoo! I use this every time I wash my hair and it helps me last between trips to the salon.
Bye Bye Undereye Concealer: I fell back in love with this concealer this year. Honestly, it’s hard for me to find a good concealer since I’m pale but there’s a good range for this one. It keeps my eyes looking bright and awake which I love.
Japonesque Fluff Concealer Brush: Speaking of concealer, this brush was life-changing for me. It blends my concealer better than a beauty blender and doesn’t waste any product.
Clear Toiletry Bag: I loved using this bag and it’s one of my favorite things for traveling. It’s easy to tell everything I have inside and it is TSA approved for airports.
Living Proof Dry Shampoo: I gave in and tried this dry shampoo at the end of 2018 and fell in love! It works amazingly and lets me go longer between washing my hair. Plus, it smells amazing.
Almay Lipsticks: Almay was so kind and gave me all of their new Lip Vibes lipsticks. They’re all super creamy and pigmented. I love all the colors and they’re so much fun to wear since they don’t dry out my lips.

Lifestyle

Reusable Grocery Bags: We tried our best to reduce the amount of waste from grocery shopping so we got reusable grocery bags. They can hold A LOT more than a normal plastic bag and they lasted the entire year with zero rips or holes.
Erin Condren Planner: I already talked about my Erin Condren planner here, but it’s too good not to mention again. It’s the best way I’ve had to organize my life since I remember things better by writing them down rather than typing them out.
Yeti Microphone: When we started The Early Retirement Podcast, we knew we needed two microphones. This one is relatively inexpensive and work amazingly. They work well for two people as well so we downgraded to just the one now.

Books

Leave Your Mark: This book changed my life regarding social media. If you use social media for a blog, business or even personally, I definitely recommend reading this and taking these skills to heart.
Crush It: Gary V. is a SAVAGE! I listened to this audiobook and he gives the step-by-step process on how to crush it in everything you do. This is an incredible business book but also just a pump up book for anybody.
Crushing It: This is the sequel to Crush It. This book follows real-life people who took the concepts and skills from Crush It and applied it to their lives. It goes through their successes in a variety of fields. I skipped around a lot in this book but I think the information is incredible.
Present Over Perfect: In this day and age, it’s soooo hard to be present with all the distractions we have. Present Over Perfect changed my mindset and brought me to tears many times. Every single person needs to read this. I’m not usually a self help fan but this book is seriously life-changing.
You Are A Bada**: Along with Present Over Perfect, this is another must-read self help book. It’s a huge pump up book that boosted me up into believing I can do and be anything I want to be.
Girl, Wash Your Face: Rachel Hollis is incredible and she debunks popular myths in this book. I read this book in two days because I loved it so much I couldn’t put it down. She gears the book towards women but men can definitely read it too.
Big Little Lies: If you love books filled with twists and mystery, this book is amazing! I read it in my book club and literally gasped out loud when the murder finally happened. Such a good read! It addresses some real life hard things which can make some parts really somber but super relatable.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: This is a lighthearted book filled with teen romance. Netflix made an original movie about it but the book is so much better and it is book one in a three book series.

TV Shows

Survivor: Taz and I went HARD this year and dove straight into watching Survivor. A guy I knew from high school was on the past season so we got very into it. We even watched a couple past seasons including the very first season. It was so bad it looked like an old home movie haha. It’s a fun reality tv show and relatively clean so that was definitely a plus.
Magic For Humans: This is a funny, feel-good show to watch. There’s only one season on Netflix but I was BLOWN away at his magic tricks. Some are very cheesy but others left me questioning life haha.
Sherlock: I watched Sherlock for the third time this year and it’s worth every second. Every episode is about 90 minutes long and you’ll be on the edge of your seat with every episode. The final season is INSANE and if you are going to take any advice from me ever in your life, WATCH THIS! It’s sooooo good.
Stranger Things: Everyone raves about Stranger Things but it’s for good reason. I’m not a scary movie type of girl but this one is a healthy mix of scary and intense. There’s a little language but relatively clean.
Making a Murderer Season 2: Holy moly this show blew me away! Taz and I watched the first season of Making a Murderer and had a lot of questions, but the second season debunked every flaw we caught. It’s very one-sided but getting the details of the real-life murder case is crazy cool. If you haven’t watched this show yet, it’s definitely one of my favorites.
Evil Genius: THIS SHOW! It’s a similar documentary-style show like Making a Murderer BUT this one is absolutely insane. I won’t give you the rundown of the show but if you’re interested in murder mystery shows, you’ll love this.

Podcasts

I listen to a lot of podcasts. (Seriously, A LOT since they’re my favorite things!) There’s wayyyy too many I could mention but these are ones I listen to over and over again. Taz and I have our own podcast (The Early Retirement Podcast) and these are a couple others I love.

Awesome With Alison: This podcast is the first podcast I ever began listening to. Alison leaves me feeling “awesome” after each episode and I feel empowered to do anything I set my mind to. I’m actually listening to her latest episode as I speak.
What We Said Podcast: Jaci Marie and Chelsey Curtis interview different people and cover a variety of topics. I die laughing every episode and is another podcast that leaves me feeling lifted up at the end of each one.

Those are all my favorite things in 2018! Let me know some of your favorite things from last year and what I should try out for the upcoming year.

XOXO Kayla

podcasts