My Current Favorite’s List
Hi everyone, and welcome! I am excited for this piece because it is something I sometimes do on youtube and I wanted to bring it to the world of the written word for a change. It’s not often you see something like this and I think it’s fun to know what other people like. (Isn’t that why we watch Youtube videos and Influencers? If it works for them, it must work for us, so it makes us want to go out and buy it too). However, I do not intend to try and make you like the same things as I do because 1. Everyone is different and has different interests and 2. I don’t want you to buy things…REALLY, unless of course you really want to. 😆 Let’s not get into consumerism, shall we?
I have many favourites in life, but I’m only going to talk about really important things to me that have somehow influenced or changed my life for the better. Maybe some of these things will work for you as well. That is originally what I intended for this blog, and what I set out to do; to give you tidbits of advice and hints from my own life and experiences. So, here we go:
Journals
It is no secret that I love journals. I have written a blog on it here, and I talk about it on Youtube every time I make a new video. I’m not talking about bullet journaling. I’m talking about writing out your thoughts or emotions, on a daily basis. Not only does writing in a journal help me deal with difficult thoughts and emotions, but it gives me a sense of freedom. I know that no once is censoring me or reading my work and I can write absolutely anything that I want. A journal helps to organize the thoughts in my brain and plan for the future by walking me through my thoughts. The best way I learn is from re-reading old journals or passages. I can see where I started and where I ended up. Don’t people always say we should learn from history? It also helps with gratitude, because I can look back on a particularly bad time in my life and remember exactly how I felt in that moment. Then I can see where I have ended up and be grateful for the things that have happened to get me here. As for the particular brand, I really like Peter Pauper Press journals (you can find these easily on Amazon), but I’m really more interested that I have lined paper to write on. I have a huge collection, so I will leave a link to my journal collections on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxKOqzNwn7k and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzXvZ78pBpQ .
Bullet Journals
I am going to be writing my next blog on this topic. It seems (despite my misconceptions) that a lot of people still don’t know what bullet journaling actually is. I will not be explaining that here, but I would advise you to check out my recent Monthly Bullet Journal setups. I have a page right here on my website to make it easy for you! So I do love bullet journaling. I started about three years ago, and I write so much that I go though about four bullet journals per year. My ALL TIME FAVORITE bullet journal over any others is the Scribbles That Matter brand. So, when I first started bullet journaling, these were one of the first bujo’s I ever tried. Back then, they made the books with 100 gsm paper. Since then, Scribbles That Matter came out with thicker paper, most likely to compete with Archer & Olive and also offered inserts to put into covers. I only recently discovered the inserts as these were not as readily accessible in Canada. I’ve tried many different bullet journals since, and I always come back to Scribbles That Matter. I was truly disappointed when I learned that they had changed their paper to 160 gsm. HOWEVER! I discovered today, March 23/21 that they now have B5 notebooks (as well as A5, A6 and B6) on Amazon.ca with the original 100 gsm paper. So, needless to say, once the other Scribble’s Lovers find out about this, these books will be sold out before pen hits paper (Hehe). SO GET YOURS WHILE THEY LAST! (So much for not buying things). Sigh… Here is a link to my bullet journal playlist and also my bullet journal collection video.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtjLNO4DkeKaAWyeYsc4RPkzSGU74J9JZ (New Bujo Setups)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtjLNO4DkeKZ-cW_XLf0kstK71t7XZFCh (Monthly Bujo Setups)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtjLNO4DkeKY6T7mmzf0ryUHRuYZt_plu (Bujo Flip-Throughs)
My iPad Pro
Let me start this by saying that this is HANDS down the best purchase I have made besides my other tech, like my MacBook and iPhone. (Yes, I am an Apple kinda girl, and there’s good reason for it). I have owned many non-apple products and have had bad experiences with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! I’ve owned HTC, Samsung (both phone & tablet), Blackberry, an HP laptop and PC. Apple just makes everything so much more user friendly and organized, and it lets me get what I need to get done quickly and efficiently. So, my friends, my iPad Pro has become my new best friend. Other than dropping my kiddo off at school and going to the grocery store, my iPad comes with me everywhere. I use it to pre-plan, organize, plan and design stickers, draw, and play games, etc… Other than my phone and laptop, it’s my most used tech piece. I originally bought it because 1.) My old iPad Air was cracked and old and 2.) I had a goal/dream to design and sell stickers. I am so grateful that I was able to save enough money to get it and I treat it like gold. It stays far away from sticky little hands and edges of tables. 😂 Here is a link to my unboxing of it on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCx5jVte2JA
Brush Pens
Hands down, my all-time favourite are my Tombow Dual Brush Pens. They are the first brush pen I originally bought when I started bullet journaling, the most used and the longest lasting thus far. They have the widest color selection and I use them for EVERYTHING! Coloring, headers, lettering, calligraphy, practice, etc…As far as brush pens go, these are the best in my opinion. I have a handful of brush pen reviews on my Youtube Channel, so I will leave a link to the playlist here. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtjLNO4DkeKbr1-MT873e-haUvLv3YlDC
Pens
I have a ton of pens… here’s the link to my one and only pen collection and organization video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB9QymUAUso
That is only my art pens, or the ones I use for calligraphy on a daily basis. I also have a drawer or two or three full of regular writing instruments. I used to only use blue ink, ballpoint. I currently love using the Papermate Profile in my regular journal. I love the way the pen smells on the paper. In my bullet journal, I enjoy using the Pentel Energel black ink Gel Pen, 0.7mm because the ink dries super fast and it is waterproof and non-smudging once dry. I even use it sometimes in place of my treasured Sakura Pigma Microns or my Staedtler Pigment Liners. Those are the two main pens I use every day, and of course the ink runs out the quickest. Therefore, whenever I can, I always try to use replacement ink cartridges. For my Pentel, I bought a really nice heavy duty aluminium alloy pink body and just get replacement inks. It works like a charm 😜
Cleaning Products
Alright…so this topic has you totally thrown off, right? I had to include it, because since being a stay at home business mom, I really got into cleaning. Especially now that I’m not spending an hour of my day commuting to and from a job. My first love is Sunlight Dish Detergent, but more specifically, the Lime Mint “Flavor”. (Not that you would want to ingest it though). It smells like a fresh mojito on my hands. Next, is any Method cleaning product, minus the laundry detergent. I found these at a store I once worked at and then only recently I have seen them at Walmart. I love the mint window cleaner, and the eucalyptus germ buster, but the lavender all purpose is pretty great too. Next, for laundry detergent is the Woolite brand. I only used to wash my kids baby clothes in the Baby Woolite brand, and I love the scent so much that I bought the grown up version for myself. Once, my ex-best friend tried to get me to join a pyramid scheme involving green cleaning products. Of course, I said no. I may be allergic as all hell to it, but I agree with my mother that when you truly want something clean nothing is better than bleach. I can’t breath in the room I use it in, but it works wonders on pee-stained mattresses, and I love using it sparingly in the bathtub to sanitize it. I knew those covid masks would come in handy. 😆
Makeup
All right guys, you knew this one was coming. As you may know, I started my main Youtube channel with makeup tutorials. You won’t find any on there now though, because I made them all private and started a new channel, Sandra Dahl Beauty https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj2TnymFlDjnhClNAwx5Stg which is my makeup and beauty channel going forward. So, to truly find a favorite is very difficult. I would have to say the Tarte Park Avenue Princess Contour Palette. This is the very first contour palette I purchased and was so in love with it. That was until I was in Red Deer one weekend and I dropped my makeup bag and all of its contents, including this palette and broke it into a million pieces. I did manage to get a new one soon after, but I was pretty devastated. I would have to say that if I could only have one product and that’s it, I would pick mascara. It would either be a Loreal or Maybelline Drug Store Mascara because I like them the best. I’ve tried fancy mascaras and haven’t liked them as much.
Skin Care
I can’t believe this made the list. Well, I can…but two years ago, it wouldn’t have. I think back then I was using Bath & Body Works Body Cream on my Face. 😆 (Seriously). My first ever “more expensive than drugstore” facial products were the Origins Ginseng Brand. OMG was I ever in love. I still love the gel cream for summer. It wakes you up in the morning because it smells like fresh citrus. If we’re really getting into specifics, I would have to say anything by Olehenriksen, Korres or Caudalie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Caudalie Beauty Elixer. It smells like a green tea herbal mix for your face. Any rich face cream that also has anti-aging properties is totally my jam. For reference, I have normal to dry skin, and it soaks up moisturizer like crazy, so I also always use a serum and eye cream before my moisturizer.
Perfume
I have a lot….NO, really, I have more than 50 high end (expensive) perfumes. I keep mine in a cool, darkish place, since we know that scent breaks down after time. I honestly can’t pick a favorite. I will be doing a perfume collection video that I may need to break down into two parts. Keep tuned for that, because it will most likely be posted to my Beauty Channel. My most recent is the Yves St. Laurent Libre Parfum that I received for Christmas and the one I want next is Thierry Mugler Angel Nova (In a pink Star-Shaped Bottle). My most memorable has been Thierry Mugler’s original Angel, which smells like vanilla patchouli and Vince Camuto’s Bella which smells like Nectarine Blossoms.
So that’s it folks. I think this blog turned out different than I envisioned, but in a good way. I hope this gives you some ideas for things you can check out, or perhaps learn about (like the art of bullet journaling for instance). I tried not to make the list too extensive, because I could probably go on and on. Thanks for reading and have a great week ya’ll!
💖 SAN
