Fashion stylist and writer Irene Feeley Steele lets us in on the smartest everyday items (and things to do) she wish she had added-to-cart sooner...
Product FOMO is real, trust me! As I sit here typing this, all I can think of is the 200 TikTok’s I’ve currently saved of nifty ‘this-will-change-your-life’ items. Have you ever finally bought that ‘thing’ that everyone has been RAVING about only to realise, you wish you had succumbed to the pressure and bought it earlier? Well this my friends, is a list of random, everyday things I DID finally buy and wish I had bought sooner.
The ‘TikTok’ makeup headband
I’m totally blaming TikTok for this one. Yes I caved and bought myself a dupe on Amazon of the fugly Versed pastel pink headband, which every beauty influencer it seems about to launch into a GRWM video, wears on TikTok. As it’s been interestingly impossible to find the original pink headband from skincare brand Versed (which initially sent out the infamous headband as a seeding campaign to influencers to launch the brand) – I did find a fab dupe equally as plush, made of terry cloth, with pillowy bumps all the way around and which cost me around AED27. Is it worth the hype? I would say yes totally. It’s probably one of the only headbands that doesn’t give me a headache, I can throw it into the washing machine and it keeps my hair completely off my face with no faffing around with Velcro etc.
The Newer Cell Phone fill light
This was something bought in frustration after countless, cheap ring lights I had bought on Amazon eventually died, fell apart, came to the end of their days and were fit for no other place than the rubbish bin. One of my friends pulled out a fancy little ‘bright-enough-to-land-an-A380’ light out of their handbag on a night out which clips onto an iPhone literally lighting up a whole dark room producing professional looking photos, and I immediately knew this would be the end of my ring light journey when I rushed to add this to my cart on Amazon. Did it fulfil my lighting dreams? Yes it did! So much so that now I will only look at the when it comes to purchasing accessories and items I need for work. I also currently only use this light when creating content, it fits in my handbag and can be used everywhere.
Makeup brush cleaner machine
The years and hours I’ve spent painfully washing my makeup brushes individually with a bar of soap on one of those rubber bumpy mats to help scrape off product residue! Years! Until I finally saw the light and bought myself one of those little machines which swirls your makeup brushes around in water and soap, then takes them for a little spin to air-dry them…in minutes!! Why did it take me so long to get on-board with this sorcery?
An Air Fryer
I know, I know! It feels like I’m the last person on this planet to have bought an air fryer to make life easier. I must have been under a rock when the buzz of air fryers was flying around. After feeling serious FOMO with this one, I invested in a NutriCook Air Fryer and I’m pleased to say, it is life changing. No more faffing around with a pan on a hot stove with burning oil popping all over the place! Totally wish I had bought this sooner.
Botox
I’m in my 40’s. I started having Botox when I just turned 40. I now wish I had started it earlier (in my 30’s as is recommended). They say Botox is akin to scaffolding; a little bit is good to maintain structure. Even though I embrace the idea of aging gracefully along with a good skincare routine, diet and exercise, I’m also not closed to the idea of a little scaffolding now and again.
Skims underwear
Whether you’re a Kardashian fan or not, the rave reviews surrounding SKIMS are no joke. I feel Kim Kardashian knew what she was doing when she created this brand. I practically live in the ‘Fits Everybody’ crossover bralette. It’s just the right amount of support, the straps are adjustable and it’s just so comfortable to wear. I’ve started to invest more into the underwear for comfort purposes and the items just wash really well – totally worth the hype and price.
CeraVe skin products
It was my Dermatologist that got me onto CeraVe and after my initial usage, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t bought into this brand before or heard much about it. The brand has recently blown-up on TikTok as the top drugstore brand dermatologists swear by and I can totally now see why. It’s affordable, has simple, yet effective ingredients, has no over-powering fragrance and it’s not harsh. It particularly helped my skin when it was being treated for acne and it was the only product line that worked for me. Since then, I will always have this in my skincare routine and wish I had know about it sooner.
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