Perennial Faves

I do monthly favorites on the blog, but I wanted to keep a page of things that are always my favorites in all different categories, just in case you're interested. These are the things that would show up on my monthly list every month <3 

PS - None of these are affiliate links. I'm not that cool. I make no money from anything here - I just like to share the things that I love.


Beauty

  • Merit Beauty Minimalist Complexion Stick and Flush Balm blushes
  • Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara and Brilliant Eye Brighteners
  • Kosas Air Brow brow gel
  • Fitglow Beauty Lip Serums - in particular, the clear one called Night
  • Athr Beauty eyeshadow palettes (the only one I have that is still available is the Manifest Palette). Also, their face palettes are my favorite powder blushes and highlighters, but unfortunately, they're no longer available.
  • Fenty Beauty Cream Bronzer and Gloss Bomb lip gloss (in particular, Fenty Glow)


Yarn Craft

  • Patterns by Andrea Mowry - 95% of the time that I'm knitting, it's one of her patterns!
  • Spincycle Yarns - They are more on the pricey side, but they are well worth it, for their business practices as well as their amazing yarn. The color changes are just amaaaaazing!
  • Malabrigo Yarn - My other favorite brand!
  • Knit Picks - An overall amazing brand for quality yarn and tools at lower price points! My go-to needles are their nickel-plated interchangeables. 


Sewing

  • I've been learning to sew through Sew Liberated! I had been in love with their patterns for a long time, and when they launched their Learn to Sew Your Own Clothes series of classes, it was exactly what I needed to get started. 
  • My sewing machine is the CS6000i from Brother. I bought it on Amazon, but it seems to be unavailable there now. It's really awesome and beginner-friendly!


Journaling/Planning/Stationery

  • I'm a bullet journalist, and this is the method I swear by. Note: I am not an artistic bullet journalist. Bullet journaling does not require art!
  • I love writing with fountain pens, and my go-to source for all things fountain pens is Goulet Pen Company and especially their YouTube channel
  • My favorite inks right now are Ferris Wheel Press inks. They have beautiful colors, and also the bottles and packaging are just gorgeous. I go through ink very slowly, so it's nice to have inks that serve a second purpose of looking nice on your shelf!
  • That said, when I need to write on regular copy paper, I reach for my Pilot G-2 gel pen with a 0.38mm nib. :) Available at practically any place that sells office supplies.
  • My favorite notebooks are polar opposites: Archer & Olive with 160gsm dot grid paper and Sterling Ink with grid Tomoe River Paper


Food and Drink

  • Plum Deluxe teas - They are a Portland-based company and have so many amazing flavors!
  • As a Viet girl, I am a diehard pho devotee. Here's my favorite Instant Pot recipe for chicken pho, for when you don't want to wait 12 hours (or order your own). I pretty much make this every week because my kids love it, and it's nice to just always have pho in your fridge.


Reads

  • Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - My favorite adaptations are the BBC version with Colin Firth and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube!
  • The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This is a trilogy. Also, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the audiobooks for this series! It's a full-cast recording with sound effects and everything--it's like listening to a radio drama.
  • Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - You can see the Crows as part of the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix, but just be forewarned that they changed a lot of things. The cast is PERFECTION though.
  • Soulless by Gail Carriger - Also a series (The Parasol Protectorate), but the first one is my favorite. The audiobook narrator is amazing.
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - He's one of my favorite famous humans, and this is his non-fiction work based on his podcast of the same name. John Green is a good YAF writer, but his non-fiction polymathic reflections are where he really shines.


Music 



Other media (basically, podcasts and YouTube) - links TBA
  • Going along with the above, I recommend John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast, as well as the podcast he does with Hank Green called Dear Hank and John. And of course, their vlogbrothers channel!
  • They should really have a podcast family name, but the below podcasts are life-changingly good. And they're all about different things! Michael Hobbes also has another podcast called If Books Could Kill, but I haven't listened to much of it because I haven't read any of the books they've covered 
    • Maintenance Phase (Michael Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon) - taking a look at diet, health, and wellness fads and schemes
    • You're Wrong About (Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes) - I think this was the OG podcast of the group of them. YWA takes a look at major cultural events, particularly moral panics, and goes through the details that people often get wrong
    • You Are Good. (Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed) - their tagline is "A feelings podcast about movies," and I think that sums it up the best. It used to be called Why Are Dads, if that helps give you an idea.
  • Planners and Wine, where Megan and Myra riff on what's happening in the planner world and whatever they are also into (reality tv, Harry Potter, Bath and Body Works candles, Kardashian drama, you name it!) Listening to them feels like hanging out with friends. 
  • The Goulet Pencast, which I mainly watch on their YouTube channel (so I can see the photos of pens and inks, as well as Brian and Drew's facial expressions!), but it's also available through podcast services
  • I'll Knit if I Want To - YouTube "podcast" from Andrea Mowry where she answers people's questions. The questions rarely apply to me, but I feel like I'm hanging out with a knitting group (without actually having to go somewhere in person)
  • You Suck at Cooking - one of my all-time favorite YouTube channels. Yes, a cooking channel, with really good recipes, but also a sense of humor. And some great editing skills!