Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Life-Changing Edition

Okay. We all know that my half-Scottish ancestry, coupled with my somewhat austere Norwegian ancestry, has made a strange consumer of me. Whereas I have more yoga clothes, black footwear, and black sweaters than you could literally shake a stick at, there are a few items that I am so reluctant to purchase that the years pass and I realize how old an item is, and then I find I am horrified with my own cheap self.

Longtime readers will remember my New Year’s Resolution of 2020, which was to buy a new bra. The last bra I bought, other than a sports or running bra, was back in – I believe – 2014. THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, TWENTY FOURTEEN. I also had, in my underwear drawer, a bra dating from 2010, from a trip to Victoria’s Secret in Palm Desert, and panties from the same trip. Suffice it to say that not only were these bras ill-fitting and uncomfortable, they were also pretty worn out. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. I suddenly hit a breaking point.

Reader, I have purchased new bras.

The new bras are so life-changing that I thought I would write about ALL the recent life-changing purchases I have made, so without further adieu I give you…

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Life-Changing Edition

Knix Wear

I was gifted a couple of Knix Wear items last year, and so I was aware of their quality and general fit. Two things about this company that are truly great: a) their sizes are more general than what I would normally find in a lingerie store – a size 2 fits 36A, 34B, AND 32C, for example – and so it’s easier to figure out what size to order, and b) if that size doesn’t work, they have a 30 day wash and wear guarantee, so you can wear and wash it as much as you like for 30 days, and then return it.

I will NOT be returning the two bras I bought, because they are a revolution in bra-wearing. They are as comfortable as wearing my yoga tanks, and they add “contour,” which is something I appreciate, as a less-gifted woman.

Not that you can tell, but I’m wearing the Wing Woman Contour bra, and it is literally the most comfortable bra I have ever worn in my life, INCLUDING SPORTS BRAS.

Other Unmentionables

Buoyed by my Knix purchase, I decided to buy a new strapless bra, my current one that constantly falls down dating from…I don’t know? I think the boys were babies. IT IS TIME. I purchased one online from La Vie En Rose, thinking that if it didn’t fit I could return it to the store that is literally a five-minute drive away.

Look, Mom, no visible bra strap!

Happily, I didn’t have to return it, and because they only offer free shipping on orders over $75, I threw all caution to the wind and bought a bunch of panties. Is there anything more transformative to one’s life than new panties? Maybe a new lipstick. I spent a few moments cleaning out my underwear drawer and realized that I have kept the little inserts that go into yoga tanks, for reasons unknown, for years. I wonder if anyone in my Buy Nothing group will want them. What do you do with all these inserts?

Important note, for those of you wanting your own strapless bra: the key to one that won’t fall down is to size DOWN in the band and size UP in the cup.

Sweet Dreams

Earlier in the year, I bought a couple of soft sleep bras, as I am a strangely rigid person who doesn’t like to, um, flop while I sleep. My last sleep bra was bought – wait for it – when I was PREGNANT WITH MY OLDER SON, BACK IN 2003. At the time, due to pregnancy, I was in a triple-D bra size, so between the sizing and the age of the item, you can imagine the fit was sub-standard. I mean, I am pretty far from a triple-D these days.

Anyway, my new sleep bras were a revelation unto themselves, so soft and comfortable. And they fit my much-deflated bosom! What a concept. While I was at it, I also bought this cute tank top, which summarizes my life up quite well:

Whoaaaaa, Listen to the Music

My husband gave me Air Pods (I am constantly mispronouncing them as Ear Pods) for my birthday and they have CHANGED MY LIFE. He gave them to me because, as he said, I knew you would never buy them yourself and I thought you’d really like them. Ah, marriage.

But he’s right, I DO love them. It took me a little while to figure out the “double-tap left to pause, double-tap right to skip” feature, but I wear them while running, walking the dog, and even doing something that I never thought I’d do: LISTENING TO PODCASTS.

He even got me my own personalized case so that I don’t accidentally take my son’s, or vice versa.

You Can Leave Your Hat On

I have resisted wearing a hat while running for…ever, I guess. However, since I run in the early mornings, the sun is always at an angle and I am either being blinded from it, or completely in the dark when running in shaded parts on the path. I hate regular hats wherein I have to wrangle my ponytail JUST SO to fit, and so I bought this running visor from lululemon, and it’s a game changer.

I admit I had to get over the hurdle of feeling like a Lady Who Golfs/ My Own Mother, but it’s practical, it works, it’s Life Changing, it belongs in this post.

Spinning With Myself

It has been a whole year since our Peloton arrived and my life changed forever. Before the pandemic, I would have never, ever considered a virtual spin class, but here we are. I can never go back to regular spin classes; I can’t, I won’t. For one thing, it is a way more efficient way to get cardio. A one-hour spin class at the fitness club really takes two hours, what with the commute and parking and the locker room and getting there early to get a good bike. Plus, you know, the plague.

Contrast this with the ease of just walking to my basement, choosing a ride based on the excellent roster of instructors and their playlists, and, to be honest, getting a better workout in 30 minutes than in the hours I spent at the club.

I finished 300 rides last weekend! In addition to the cycle program, Peloton offers programs for strength training, stretching, running, barre, Pilates, meditation, and more. The monthly fee covers our entire family and is much, much less than the monthly fee for the fitness club.

For anyone interested, my username is NicoleBoyhouse, and my favourite instructors are Leanne, Alex, Ally, and Kendall, with Becs as my favourite strength trainer.

A Different Kind of Spinning

With my lettuce and kale going crazy in the garden, a salad spinner is a must; that is, if I don’t want soggy salads. We had a salad spinner that I think was purchased back in 1999 and it did not work well. Or really, at all. It hasn’t worked for years, honestly, but it didn’t really matter since most of my lettuce purchases are either Romaine hearts or those clamshells of mixed greens, both of which I find can be easily rinsed off and patted dry.

But fresh-from-the-garden lettuce requires a lot more washing, even if my garden dirt is organic, I don’t really want to eat it. One frustrating use of my cheap, broken salad spinner and I was off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a new one. Who knew that for $20 my whole salad life would change?

I have yet to be disappointed by anything from Cuisinart. They make great products, and this salad spinner is no exception.

Who’s Your (Scrub) Daddy?

What is it about Bed, Bath, and Beyond that makes me feel like my life is incomplete and that I need to buy useless things as a ticket to happiness? I don’t know. It’s a good thing I don’t go there often because it makes me want to Consume.

However, Suzanne (HI SUZANNE) had mentioned Scrub Daddies, and I had admired their cute smiley faces before, and so while buying a salad spinner I decided to pick one up. I loved it so much that I went back to get a second one and a pack of “Scour Daddies” for the bathroom tiles.

While I was at it, I bought a pack of microfibre cleaning cloths, and who knew that such items would work better than the seventeen-year-old flannelette receiving blankets with puppies on them, or ripped up old towels dating from before I got married that I have been using? My housecleaning rituals have been taken up a notch, I can tell you.

These are the things that have CHANGED MY LIFE, I have literally a whole new life now. What things have changed yours? What are you loving these days? xo