Hello! How was everyone’s holiday? Ours was lovely, but like aways, it went by in the blink of an eye. We had so many things going on and while I’m a bit sad that they’re over, I’m equally looking forward to a bit of slowness.

As we closed out the New Year, I turned to our wonderful community and asked what was your favorite purchase/recommendation that I made in the last year. There were a lot of answers, but I wanted to narrow down to the top answers that were mentioned over and over again.

The Top Twelve: Your Favorite Purchases from my Recommendations

In no particular order, here were the items mentioned the most, some over 100:

Clothing & Accessories:

New Balance 327

I never thought that a sneaker would be in my top three items of 2021, but it was! I don’t think I’ve ever been tagged in more photos “recommended by @brooklynblonde1…” than I have with these New Balance 327’s. They’re a little hard to come by in certain colors, but I’m hoping they restock soon. Here are some colors that are either in stock or available for preorder: cream with rust detailing, neutral with white (a few sizes), white and burgundy (but at a premium price).

Wolford Colorado Bodysuit

One of the key power players in my entire wardrobe and it seems that many of you feel the same way. Not surprised at all. I’ve accumulated four colors at this point (tan, ivory, black and caramel) and wear them all the time. For sizing reference: I can wear a small or a medium, but probably prefer the medium, especially in the lighter colors.

Amazon Leggings

Possibly my #1 amazon purchase, as crazy as that sounds.  I’ve ordered several 3 pack’s at this point because they’re that much of a staple in my life. Also, one of my top selling amazon products, maybe ever?

Isabel Marant Lecce Belt

This belt made my personal “favorite items & purchases from 2020” list and I was so happy to see that this past year, many of you added it to your favorite recommendation from me. For reference, I wear a size medium and own both black and tan.

Sleeping

This past year, we seriously upgraded our sleeping situation. It’s been such a game changer in the quality of our sleep, I sort of wish we did it sooner. I’ve been such a broken record over stories, that many of you took the same plunge.

Nest Mattress in Sparrow Signature Hybrid

The biggest upgrade has been swapping our mattress. Not only did we go from a Queen to a King, but the quality of our mattress has been nothing short of life changing. I was actually quite surprised to see how many of you mentioned the mattress, but simultaneously, not surprised that it made the list.  For the specific details: I went with the Sparrow Signature Hybrid in medium, which is their #1 seller. However, I do recommend chatting with one of their specialists to figure out which one would be best for you.

Casper Pillow

In addition to our mattress upgrade, I knew I wanted to upgrade our pillows. After turning to all of you, one of the most recommended was the Casper. Fast forward to a few months later and I have purchased them for Brooklyn and for our Pennsylvania home.

Beauty:

The Light Salon LED Mask

At first, I was a little hesitant to recommend this LED Mask. While I know how much I love it, I feared that some of you would shell out big bucks and not feel the same way I do. However, it turns out that it’s quite the opposite! So many of you said it was your favorite recommendation of mine, to which I sigh in relief. Yes, it is steep but it’s easily my favorite beauty investment in 2021. You can read my in depth review here and if you’re interested, use code BROOKLYNBLONDE20 for 20% off.

Hourglass ‘Unlocked’ Mascar

 Not surprised by this one! Possibly my favorite beauty purchase from the past year. 2020 was the year that I discovered tubing mascara, Thrive mascara to be exact, which was a game changer for my typical, raccoon eye situation. 2021 was the year I discovered Hourglass Unlocked. I have several of you (who DMed me, insisting I try it) and TIBAL, who reiterated that I need to add it to my Sephora shopping cart, to thank. The rest is history and many of you agree. I like the Hourglass even more (than the Thrive) because it’s actually buildable and creates beautiful, fluffy lashes with zero smudging throughout the day.

K-18 Leave-in Hair Mask

 2021 was also the year that I’ve replaced my Olaplex with K-18. It’s a similarish concept in that it helps repair your hair from bleach, color, chemical services and heat, but I (and many of you) find it to be a lot better. Thank you to Sarah from My Sister Made Me Buy It who was he first one to share this brilliant product.

Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

 Another one of my holy grail favorites and one of my top beauty sellers this past year. I often say, if money were no object, I’d splurge for Bader The Rich Cream every single time. However, right underneath is this one from Tatcha. I use it most nights, typically before I layer on a facial oil. If my skin is feeling extra parched in the AM, I use it underneath my SPF. You could read my current AM skincare routine here.

Yves Durif Brush

The other day, my friend Sai from Scout the City was sharing a video of her combing out her daughters curly hair. She was not using the Yves Durif and I sort of aggressively messaged her and asked “why don’t you own the Yves Durif?!” She asked me if I thought it would work and my reply was an enthusiastic “YES!!”  While I don’t have her curly hair, I have friends who do and they’ve gone out of their way to express how it’s been a game changer for them.  Long story short, it’s an incredible tool for combing out hair, whether curly or straight, after showering without any snags. Glad many of you are happy with the purchase.

Elemis Cleansing Balm

At this point, an oldie but a goodie! Another holy grail in the beauty arsenal and always one of my top recommended products.

Anything on this list that you tried and loved? Would love to hear!