If there’s one word I never want to hear again, it’s “coronavirus.” Once a term you merely heard on the news in passing, coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it’s now commonly known, quickly took over nearly every facet of our lives, from our jobs and our social gatherings to our workout routines and our wardrobes. It’d be an understatement to say that no one expected this sh*t to last for more than half a year. And yet, a good six months after it first entered our vernacular, coronavirus is still here, hanging around. While I’ve largely advocated for staying positive throughout this whole ordeal (and still do—it’s the only way to get through, in my humble opinion!), I am human, and it does wear me down. I want to be drinking beer at a street fest. I want to be getting all dressed up and delighting in an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea party (yes, they exist, and yes, I had plans to go before to one before all of this nonsense began). I want Mötley Crüe, Poison and Def Leppard to be blasting my face off from the insanely close seats I managed to snag for their joint stadium tour. Instead, I am home, typing up a blog post about the few creature comforts I’ve turned to (you know, besides homemade margaritas, copious amounts of wine and dry shampoo) to help quell my disappointment over missing out on these and many, many more of summer’s biggest adventures.
I’m not exactly reinventing the wheel with these finds—loungewear sets and binge watches are hardly groundbreaking, I’m aware—but with everything seemingly going to hell in a handbasket all around us, I think we could all stand to deal with a little bit of the familiar. And who knows? Maybe they’ll give you the slightest modicum of comfort, too: at least until we get some form of vaccine and our lives can somewhat return to normal. (Here’s hoping!)
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1. BP. All Weekend Set: I’m not much of one for athleisure. In fact, I recently bought my first pair of workout leggings (I sh*t you not) from Target, and rather than feeling like I’d been missing out on maximum comfort all these years, all I felt supremely was more aware of the loose skin between my thighs. There’s one loungewear set, however, that I bought at the start of quarantine (or lockdown, or the pandemic or whatever the hell you want to call it), that feels so great, it has since become my favorite slobwear: These BP. All Weekend crop pants ($39) and this matching BP. All Weekend crop sweatshirt ($39). On days where I feel like doing absolutely f*cking nothing—and, let’s be real, there have been a lot of them in 2020—these are my go-tos. They’re soft, cozy, not too hot and don’t make me look nearly as grandma-esque as some of my other non-pj pj’s. In short? They’re a match made in quarantine Heaven.
2. The Bold Type: While I’m normally a murder mystery/reality show type of gal, I found myself in desperate need of something less dark and drama-filled in recent months. Essentially, I needed a distraction from the onslaught of negative, dreary news that’s been bombarding us 24/7. Freeform’s The Bold Type has been just what the doctor ordered. Available for streaming on Hulu, this series about three best friends in their mid-20s living in Manhattan and working for a women’s lifestyle magazine is one that harkens back to a pre-COVID time, when clothes, friendships and boys reigned supreme. Sure, it tries a bit too hard at times to school us all on life’s tough lessons and social issues, but so did Saved by the Bell, and no one’s complaining there! Plus, there’s Sutton, a.k.a. the show’s uplifting, actually funny badass b*tch, to temper her occasionally overly preachy pals, Jane and Kat.
3. Finishing Touch Flawless Vibrating Facial Roller ($18.99): Facials and other spa services may be off the table for now, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all still deserve a little pampering. This twist on the über-popular jade face roller pairs a cooling, rose quartz stone with a gentle pulsing vibration in order to massage your facial muscles (thereby increasing your circulation) and drive serums, moisturizers and the like more deeply into your skin. Most importantly, however, at least for me, it’s a chance to take a little timeout—if only for just five minutes—whenever I need a little pick-me-up.
4. My Trusty Bath Pillow: Of all of the gifts my boyfriend has given me over the years, one of the most useful has been this simple bath pillow—especially post-pandemic life. With this little beauty, I can hop in a warm scalding tub of water and read to my heart’s content without distraction (even my phone doesn’t follow me here) or simply kick back and enjoy a glass of vino without worrying about any uncomfortable plastic that might otherwise poke its way in between my shoulder blades. Since my pillow is mesh, it also dries incredibly quickly, so soggy, wet messes are of no concern. It has since sold out on Amazon, but you can get a similar version ($21.24) here.
5. High Heels: I know what you’re thinking: How in the hell is something that’s akin to a torture device for your foot making you more comfortable in quarantine? Sure, my heels won’t deliver the same fuzzy warmth as my loungewear set, but hear me out: They do provide me with a smidge of normalcy when I put them on—even if it’s just for a run to the grocery store. My favorite pair to slip on this summer have been these Sam Edelman Daffodil sandals ($49.99), in part because I’m loving everything snakeprint these days (watch your back, leopard), and in part because for a pair of heels, they’re quite comfy, if I do say so myself. They also conceal my bunions nicely (yes, I have them, and yes, they’re unsightly as f*ck), and really, what more could a girl ask for from a shoe?
6. Books galore: I’m a big reader under normal circumstances, so needless to say, much of the extra free time I’ve found myself with these days has been devoted to books. Ironically, my 2020 novel selections, much like the rest of the year, have been straight dumpster fires, but there’s at least one pick I’ve read in the last six months that has not only managed to keep my attention, but leave me reflecting on its pages days after I’d finished it: Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays ($11.79). Yes, friends, it took one of America’s classic female authors to snap me out of my literary funk, but good, bad or mediocre, my precious tomes are always there to transport me to another place in time when I’m feeling stuck—Didion’s to Hollywood, Nevada and the expressways in between, where a troubled divorcée is grappling to find her place in the world as a newly single woman in the ’60s.
7. A Giant Sherpa Throw: I’m getting up there in my old age, and sometimes, I need a midday snooze like the 34-going-on-95-year-old woman that I secretly am (don’t judge). It’s in those moments that I retreat to our bedroom to cozy up for a nice little siesta that I most appreciate our giant Threshold sherpa throw, which seemingly has the power to instantly put me to sleep. It has since sold out at Target, but this Koolaburra by UGG Reese throw ($31.99), looks, and I would imagine, feels, every bit as cozy thanks to its reversible Sherpa composition. Trust me: This thing is sure to be your new favorite snuggle buddy.
8. A Casual Jumpsuit: You can’t go wrong with a casual jumpsuit: They’re loose and breezy enough to feel completely at ease but still look put-together enough that you can run to the store or take a walk without feeling like a complete and utter troll. My favorite one is a cropped Wild Fable find (thank you, Tar-jey), but since it’s sold out, I give you the one I’m currently lusting after most: Rag Poets’ Ayana jumper ($76). Not only does it have a drapey, oversized fit that doesn’t look restricting in the slightest (so long, camel toe—yeah, I said it!), it’s made of rayon, which is known for being soft, cool, comfortable and highly absorbent—all things you definitely want in a fabric that’s going to be encasing your entire body.
9. Three-wick Candles From Bath & Body Works: At the risk of sounding utterly basic, I’m a Bath & Body Works candle fangirl through and through. While I’d normally lean in to a more fruity, summery roster of scents in the height of the warm-weather seasons, it’s been the brand’s more warm, inviting fragrances (think White Caramel Cold Brew and Chocolate Marshmallow Cloud), that have made my nights in this pandemic that much more enjoyable. Next up on my “to-buy” list? Pumpkin Snickerdoodle, Fresh Fall Morning and Cinnamon Irish Cream. While they’re currently $24.50 apiece, I highly recommend waiting for one of the store’s regular web sales, when they drop down to roughly $12.
10. Dr. Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask ($60): I have written about this mask (you know, the old school, beautifying kind, not the cloth face coverings we’ve all been forced to endure to maintain our safety in public spaces) ad nauseam, but I truly mean it when I tell you that it will put any other beauty mask—drugstore or otherwise—you’ve ever tried to shame. Not only does it smell like an actual pumpkin pie (my mouth is watering just thinking about it), it really does make your skin glow with its unique blend of pumpkin enzymes (to exfoliate), alpha hydroxyl acids (to help break down any dead, lingering skin cells) and micro-crystals (to polish). The result? A refreshed, dewy complexion that will make you feel like a whole new woman.
11. A bold lipstick: An old friend once told me that the secret to instantly looking less tired was to throw on a swipe of bright, bold lipstick in order to distract the world from your haggard, puffy eyes. While the jury’s still out on whether or not this little hack actually works, I’d like to believe that it does, and that many a Monday zoom call has been saved by Chanel’s L’Exuberante ($38), or more recently, Yves Saint Laurent’s Tatouague in Unconventional Coral ($38).
12. My Trusty Lap Desk: Another gift from my always-practical boyfriend that’s proven to be a godsend? My Sofia + Sam memory foam lap desk ($27.99). Without it, my thighs would have undoubtedly been marred by something known as “toasted skin syndrome“—a skin condition marked by “mottled-looking” epidermis that’s caused by heat exposure—by now. In addition to writing this blog (rather sporadically, as of late, I’m afraid), I’m also an editor by trade, meaning I’m on the computer 24/7. This mini “desk” is thick enough that my legs never feel the heat my MacBook Air is giving off, even when it sounds like it’s about to explode because I opened roughly 2,500 tabs on it … again. Its cushy and comfortable, allowing me to work for however long I need to from wherever I want, be in the couch, the bed or our oversized armchair.
What creature comforts are helping you get by right now? Tell me in the comments below!
Xo, Nicole
