One of the benefits of being a single adult of a certain age and income bracket is once you see something you like, chances are you can pick it up without denting your savings too much.
This does not apply to major purchases such as vehicles and kitchen appliances, which are expensive enough that I will overthink them to the point of exhaustion. But when I’m, say, watching an episode of America’s Test Kitchen and they mention their top-rated cutting board, or when I’m at the kidney doctor and ask about the shoes I’ve seen him wear at every appointment, I’ll make a note to look things up and, if they strike my fancy, buy them.
(Which can make the holiday season tough for my loved ones, because when they ask what I’d like, chances are I’ve already bought everything. This year, rather than purchase everything right away, I took screenshots of a few items so I could suggest them as gift contenders. I also made a list of items that were lower-priced but still relatively expensive for what they were, which could make great presents on their own. More on that in a bit.)
Typically, I’ll wait until the seller is running some sort of promotion — for example, the cutting board below was about 40% off when I bought it. (And I see that right now, they’ll also throw in a few extras, like a companion serving board.) So the prices you see for the items below might not be exactly what I paid, but they’ll give you a good baseline as reference.
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1. Teakhaus cutting board
My parents gave me a giant carving board when I was still in my 20s, and I do love its heft and appearance but its feet are now off-balance so I end up having to wedge a shim underneath to steady it if I use it for cutting. Plus, it’s so large that I had trouble getting it washed in the sink. Lately, I’ve just been hauling it out as a charcuterie board for Mandatory Movie nights and relying on smaller, dishwasher-safe plastic sheets for cutting.
I’ve been watching a lot of kitchen shows — Cooks Country, Gourmet Makes, Pati’s Mexican Table and ATK — and saw a lot of Boos brand boards on display, but because they’re made of cherry, walnut and maple wood, they’re pricier than I felt comfortable spending … particularly because cutting boards are meant to be injured with knife slices. It’d be like buying Smithson stationery for your toddler to doodle on.
Eventually, I caught an episode of America’s Test Kitchen that ranked their favorite cutting boards, and this one from Teakhaus topped the list so I finally decided to buy a new one. It’s probably a little bigger than I need, but I rationalized it by saying that I now have a giant single-basin sink so it will be easier to wash.
Affordable side-gift idea: For Christmas, I asked my sister to get me some Boos Block Board Cream. I’ve been diligent about oiling all my kitchen wood items — cutting boards, knife handles, stirring spoons, etc. — but because oil is a relatively thin liquid, it can be drippy. I’m hoping this cream’s consistency makes it easier to treat the sides of cutting boards and the like without making such a mess. At $13.95 a bottle, it’s a few bucks more than a typical bottle of food-grade mineral oil would be at a hardware store, but it might be a nice upgrade.
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2. Supergoop Daily Dose
SPF40 Hydra-Ceramide Boost
My dermatologist has struck the fear of God into me when it comes to sun exposure and aging. I think I came back from my recent week-long trip to the Mexico coast the same shade as I was when I left, thanks to the bevy of sunscreen products I had packed to try during the trip.
Vacation Baby Oil SPF30 sunscreen: Fun idea and great nostalgic scent, but also as greasy as its namesake, which makes it problematic if you’re wearing street clothing. Also, $20 for 3.4 ounces of a product that’s designed to be slathered from neck to toe, so not exactly practical. (Which could make it a fun gift for someone else!) I left it in the condo when we left, but Mr. Brooks couldn’t stand to see it abandoned and brought it back to America with him just out of principle.
(Vacation recently announced that it is going to release a modern version of Bain de Soleil orange gelée sunscreen [although it does not name the source product by name in its communications]. I am excited to try that because I loved the original and can still sing the jingle. Fools never learn.)
Bask SPF30 Lotion: I picked this up while I was surfing the sunscreen aisles in preparation for the upcoming trip to Mexico. Where other people overpack clothing, I overpack skin-care products, especially when I know I’m going to be checking a bag for the flight. This delivered on its promise to go on sheerer than typical sunscreens, and unlike many sunscreen products, the scent doesn’t scream “Tropical!” It did seem to attract bees, though; during breakfast outings at our favorite outdoor café, I was regularly plagued by curious and insistent buzzing visitors while the rest of the table seemed relatively unaffected.
For my face, I stuck with all things Supergoop. A few months ago, I picked up a bottle of Daily Dose SPF40, a sunscreen face oil you use only six to eight drops of each time. I apply it every morning, along with a water-based moisturizer, even though the only sun exposure I get most days is secondhand sun bouncing off the neighboring buildings and into the window of my home office. Nonetheless, 100% recommend — an easy way to make sure you’re using sun protection, with minimal effort involved.
That said, I did not bring this product with me to Mexico; the opened bottle, with its squeeze-top vial applicator really looked like a leak hazard. Instead, I had picked up a Supergoop travel bag of sample products as a gift with purchase somewhere along the way, which was a good way to test other items in the company lineup without paying full price.
Unseen Sunscreen (top product in photo at right): Fantastic product—it goes on absolutely sheer from the drop and its dimethicone base means it doubles as a skin blurrer (and a makeup primer, if you’re going to apply anything). The consistency reminds me of a discontinued Philosophy product called The Present, which was marketed as a “skin perfector” and I have hoarded away for occasional use.- Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream (at bottom in photo): I thought this could be useful to prevent any sunscreen stinging in the eyes, plus it contains probiotics and caffeine to “brighten tired eyes.” I didn’t realize it was tinted, though, until I opened it and squeezed out a blob’s worth. Thankfully, it blends away pretty easily, and it doesn’t leave your skin looking like you’ve applied a concealer.
- Mineral Mattescreen (in middle of photo): Another product I didn’t realize would be tinted, and thankfully another one that blended away into invisibility—even when I rubbed it into the stubble on my face.
The kit also had a sample of something called Glowscreen, but I didn’t want a shiny or glossy face, so I left that at home. I also didn’t pack the sample of Superscreen daily moisturizer because by the time I discovered the Supergoop kit, I’d already decanted my preferred moisturizer (Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker by Philosophy) into a travel-size container. Now that I’m home, I will try it out before it expires (as all sunscreens do).
I will definitely continue to use the Daily Dose drops, although next time I might try the formula with Vitamin C instead of ceramides, and I will likely pick up the Unseen Sunscreen for my next vacation. The tinted items, meanwhile, aren’t on my must list. I’m glad I got to try them, but if I opt for a tinted product, I’d like it to at least cover some flaws, and I didn’t get the sense these really did.
Affordable side-gift idea: My friend Sharyn gave me a Malin + Goetz travel kit as a Christmas present last year, and I loved it so much when I took it to Puerto Vallarta in March that I decided to give one to my friend Jennifer last month before she joined us for her first trip to Puerto Vallarta.
I gave our fellow travelers Danny and Mr. Brooks a similar kit from Aesop—a brand they’re particularly keen about but rarely buy for themselves, especially after Danny discovered how much the products cost the hard way. (He knew Mr. Brooks liked a particular scent and walked a large bottle of body lotion up to the register without looking at the price, then had a bit of sticker shock when they announced it aloud.)
And I gave myself the travel set of Santal 33 amenities from Le Labo pictured at the top of this post … which was a splurge, but I decided I deserved it after being so nice to everyone else.
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3. Dansko clogs
I had a checkup with the kidney doctor last month, and while I sat in the exam room, I could hear him outside dictating patient notes into a device. When he walked into the room and asked how I was doing, I said, “I have two questions for you, and neither of them involve my kidneys.
“First, what software do you use for transcribing your dictation, because you are using very technical terms, and Siri couldn’t even figure out ‘succulent’ for me the other day.” (The answer: His office, like many medical professionals, uses Dragon Medical Dictation.)
“And second, what shoes are you wearing, and why?” I’d noticed on previous visits that he wore what looked like closed-toe Crocs, or specialized Blundstones, but they turned out to be Dansko clogs. He said he buys himself a pair every year (because when you perform surgeries, things tend to splash), “and they give you about an extra inch of height, too.” Our visit reminded me that the Danskos had appeared on a list of the most comfortable shoes as ranked by people who stand all day, so I decided to give them a whirl.
They are clonk-ier and louder than my usual Converse sneakers, stairs being a particular challenge right now, but I will say they are comfortable and I can see how they provide support other shoes lack. However, even in a Size 44, they look like Little Dutch Boy shoes to me, so I’m having trouble working up the nerve to wear them outside the house.
(My kidneys are fine, by the way. I do need to have a chest X-ray to confirm this, but the lithotripsy procedure seems to have worked its magic.)
SAMMITT 