Grab your Kadak Masala Chai! Today I’m sharing my Holiday Gift Guide: Favorite Things of 2021. It’s one of my favorite posts of the year since I share my honest feedback on products that have been tried and tested and I truly love. These are items I’ve used over and over again in 2021, and I highly recommend all of them, including Krish’s Favorite Toys.
I broke these down into the following categories (shopping links provided below):
Kitchen
Home
Beauty
Fashion
Personal
Travel
Krish’s Favorite Toys
Without further ado, here is my Holiday Gift Guide: Favorite Things of 2021
Kitchen
Kitchen Shopping Links
The Oster Air Fryer has got to be my most used kitchen gadget of 2021. It’s a 9 function Air Fryer that toasts, bakes, broils, air fries, and more.
My next favorite item on this list is the Le Creuset (here and here) dutch ovens. I love cooking most of my dishes here – Indian, Mexican, Thai Curries. They’re so versatile and the quality is incredible.
Other Favorites include this chopper – so handy when chopping veggies and it works so well.
My Instant Pot, of course. I use it for lentils, beans, rice, potatoes, and so much more.
Can’t live without my castiron skillet which I use for eggs, pancakes, and just any dry sabzi.
This Anthropologie holiday mug is so festive, I’ve been eyeing it for so long and I finally got it on sale.
Love this sangria pitcher – can’t wait to share my holiday drink with you guys.
And these measuring cups and spoons from Crate & Barrel.
Home
Home Shopping Links
My absolute favorite home purchase this year has been my Barefoot Dreams blanket. It is so soft, plush, and cozy. It’s perfect for these cold winter days. I use my blanket every single day, it’s literally on my side of the couch and I absolutely love it. Although it is a bit pricey, I use this item the most. This blanket also comes in leopard print.
The other product I love is my Foot Massager which helped me get through my pregnancy and days I’ve been on my feet a lot – and it’s a lot. 🙂
I love these marble cheese board and coasters from Anthropologie. They come in various colors.
The second row are all my Christmas favorites, including my very own first Christmas Tree purchase. I also picked up a bunch of ornaments and an Anthro candle.
Beauty
Beauty Shopping Links
Right now you can take advantage of the Sephora Sale where you’ll receive 20% off any of these items using code GIFTEASY.
Makeup
If I had to choose just one beauty item that I absolutely love, it would be the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadow. What I love about this product is that it’s an eyeshadow stick, but also works as an eyeliner for your waterline. The colors are just beautiful – so far I have purchased shades khaki and forbidden rose. I am looking to purchase plum or rose thorn next during the Sephora Sale (get 20% off using code GIFTEASY).
My next favorite beauty purchase would be the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick shade Bitch Perfect, it is just perfection! It is a pale pink that looks good with any outfit.
I recently switched from Nars Sheer Glow foundation to Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Glow and it’s a game-changer. This foundation is not cakey at all, so on a rare occasion when I do use foundation, this is it.
Also, love my Fenty highlighter – it’s amazing! Rihanna knows what she’s doing. 🙂
A beautiful Mac lipstick shade Mull it Over – it’s so gorgeous like a peach nude.
Skincare
For skincare, my top two picks are the Drunk Elephant Glycolic Acid serum – this serum is my holy grail. It is seriously amazing. If you have those tiny bumps on the forehead, this is the serum that clears it up.
My next favorites are the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream moisturizer and Drunk Elephant Polypeptide Moisturizer. Both are amazing. I alternate between the two. So so good!
For sunscreen, I love the Supergoop SPF 40 sunscreen. I use this over my moisturizer on the days I go out. Since I live in California now, I probably should use it at home too cause it’s always sunny!!!!!
Lastly, love this eye cream by Tatcha. It’s so good.
Fashion
Fashion Shopping Links
Since I don’t shop for clothes all that much except during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and Black Friday, all these items are my favorites. I used all of them so much, but if I had to pick my top two favorites, they would be the Express Midi Sweater Dress (currently 50% off) and the Barefoot Dreams Cardigan. I actually wore the sweater dress during my pregnancy and 3 months postpartum. This dress conforms to your body type so I was able to wear it anytime regardless of my size. The cardigan is great to wear around the house and also while traveling home to NJ.
I love a good pair of Spanx pants. I recently fit into my Spanx for the first time postpartum – it was a moment! For sizing, I recommend going up a size as they are sung, but so comfortable. Just for reference, I am 5’2″ and wear a Petite Medium.
Love this ribbed neck scoop sweater from Express. It’s perfect with jeans.
For bras – my all-time favorite bra is the Natori – it’s sexy, comfortable, and gives you the perfect fit. Also, love this Free People bralette.- I have this in 3 colors now.
Personal
Personal Shopping Links
The one item I love most here is my K necklace from Anthropologie – K for Krish (in case you are wondering). This necklace was a gift from my mother-in-law on Mother’s Day. I wear this daily along with the mama necklace she gave me (unfortunately, the mama necklace at Anthro is sold out).
I also love Michael’s plastic jewelry box. It’s so handy especially when storing Indian jewelry sets.
Also, love these sequin masks for the holidays or desi events. They look so much better than the medical masks.
Travel
Travel Shopping Links
I haven’t traveled much this year except visit family in NJ. When I travel now, I always use these Travel Cubes which makes traveling so much easier as everything is nicely organized. I have a pink one for myself and a blue one for Krish – my husband isn’t on board yet, he has his own system lol.
I also love this Makeup Organizer for travel and home use. It has several compartments which makes finding makeup so much easier. I like this one and this one a lot too.
Krish’s Favorite Toys
Krish’s Favorite Toys Shopping Links
And now to share the most important category of all – Krish’s Favorite Toys of 2021. These are the toys that kept him the most engaged and he has spent so much time playing with these toys. His absolute favorite has been the Jumperoo Bouncer followed by his playmat which he used until he could sit up. He also loves his activity cube and 100 words book.
And that’s it. Hope you enjoyed my Holiday Gift Guide: Favorite Things of 2021. 🙂
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
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