My Favorite Products of 2020

ohhhh hello. We’re back with my favorite products of 2020. As it turns out, I’m not Oprah and I cannot gift them all to you, although I truly would if I could. Today’s products will *mostly* cover all things fashion/beauty/fitness but I did sneak a few home items in there because WOW have I spent a lot of time in my home.

Let’s dive in. I kept this year’s clothing/accessories list at 10 items (you can see last year’s list here!) I will say, I still love and wear (or use) all 10 of my favorites from last year’s list as well 🙂 So maybe this is simply favs part two haha. Based on this list you can see exactly how NOT glamorous my life was this year. But hey, I was quite comfortable. In no particular order…

1.) Waterproof Birkenstocks

Straight up I still wear them now, just with wool socks haha. They’re perfect to run out of the house quickly, or head to the backyard and grill. They were hands down the most worn shoe this entire year. Rivaling only my workout shoes. I packed them for both of our National Park adventures because they look nice enough with jeans (see below) but are totally waterproof and great with shorts/leggings/swim. Arguably the best $45 I spent this year?

2.) Fanny Packs/Belt Bags

I rocked two belt bags CONSISTENTLY this year. First up, my spring/summer one from Athleta (surprise!) It can fit a ton, has a very subtle black camo pattern, and was the only “purse” I took on our National Park trips. This one is definitely more of an athleisure/casual vibe. (it’s now available in a gorgeous mauve color as well!) My second, or fall/winter belt bag is local, from my friend Adrian Butler at Resistant by Nature. It is now sold out, but this one is much larger, holds its shape and is black leather with a white lightning bolt!

3.) Edwin Japanese Sustainable Denim

My favorite jeans. I adore them. You know this by now. I will choose them over leggings. I did tailor them to fit me, you can read more about that here.

4.) Ray Ban Round Classic Sunglasses

Polarized or bust for this gal, but after eyeing the Classic Rounds in green/gold for a year, I sold my reflective ones and scooped these up. I’d say I wear them at least 4-5 days a week. More in the summer because the gray overcast blah of winter doesn’t always require sunglasses. They’re classic, they’re simple, I love them.

See all four of these pieces in action below:

5.) Aerie cropped sweatshirts

Earning their place on this list by the fact I’m wearing the green one while typing this (paired with my Salutation joggers – see #6) and the cream one above in Portland. The Aerie “Sunday Soft” sweatshirts are such a nice weight. Not to thin or think they’re a great layer for the winter, or worn alone the rest of the year. Because I have a ridiculously short torso I love this length. I have lilac, dark green and cream – sadly none of those are left. But here’s gray!

6.) Athleta Salutation Joggers

These are the tits. No other way to describe them. Athleta took the same Powervita fabric (from my fav Elation tight) and made it into a jogger. Lightweight, stretchy, don’t have a saggy butt, have pockets, big wide soft waistband. Trust me (and my friends who have also bought them!)

7.) Sam Edelman Loafers (on sale!)

A gorgeous shade green? Masculine but feminine shape? Gold hardware? SIGN ME UP. I generally stay away from flats and loafers because I have annoyingly narrow feet + get blisters like it’s my job (both things you probably didn’t want to know). But I can attest to these! No break in time, or blisters, AND I’ve walked around Chicago in them.

8.) Patagonia Lunar Frost Jacket

True story I bought this jacket last year but forced myself to return it because I didn’t need to spend the money at the time. When I saw them bring it back this year it was game over. I have worn it 3-5 days a week since I took it on our adventures in September. (The look on the right just screams 2020, don’t you think?)

9.) Target High Neck Slim Fit tanks

These seem quite unexciting (I’m wearing one in the first photo of this post) but they are so comfortable. I love the slim fit/high neck cut. I wore them a ton with shorts all summer and now I layer them under sweatshirts. And, I sleep in them ALL THE TIME. Our upstairs gets really warm so I sleep in a tank and shorts all winter. Fellow members of the IBTC – I love these because they’re tight enough where I don’t bother wearing a bra if I’m putting a loose sweatshirt over. Did I do this exact maneuver to go to Target this week? YES. I have 3 gray and 3 black. One of each is for pajamas only and doesn’t go in public, don’t worry. (They’re on sale for $4 right now, go wild).

10.) Athleta Masks

I haven’t tried a ton of other masks but I have been super happy with these Athleta ones. I wash and dry them no problem, the adjustable ear part is great, and the pleats inside work perfectly for my mask bracket. Big fan!

And now, for the non clothing + accessory items:

1.) El Cholo’s Kid Tote Bag

The perfect bag to carry ALL THE THINGS. I have used it constantly this year – to the pool, the beach, to carry groceries, to pack clothes for a blog shoot, to take my laptop + camera with me, to take toiletries or pack for my parent’s house. Seriously awesome. Not to mention El Cholo’s Kid is a small, ethical, Latina owned biz that uses recycled plastic to make the bags. I previously highlighted them in my Female Owned Businesses post this fall.

2.) Olive & June Nail Polish

I did a test drive and wrote an entire review of this polish back in the spring but I can confidently say that I no longer even want to go to a salon with this. The polish goes on so smooth (bye Essie!), is 7-free and dries quickly (plus they have dry drops!). So many awesome color options that I ended up buying more polish than ever before this year. But, I paint my nails 1-2x per week now.

3.) Built Bars

I’ve been loyal to Quest brand protein bars for actual YEARS. Since college. That is no longer – I was introduced to Built Bars via Paige at Style this Life and I am not going back. Some of the best tasting protein bars I’ve ever had. And they use real chocolate. Check them out.

4.) WHOOP Fitness Watch

I’m quite obsessed. My friends Artur and Lizzie both had WHOOPs and after my old fitness tracker broke this year I joined the crew. Now, this is not a fitness watch for everyone. This gives an absurd amount of data (HRV, respiratory rate, recovery, strain, etc) and performance metrics but doesn’t do the “basic” stuff like step count or time. If you are an athlete, training for something or a super fitness enthusiast, this is for you. If you’re looking to simply increase your activity and steps, this is going to be way too much. I plan to have a complete review go live in the new year where I’ll go into more detail if this interests you.

5.) Mask Brackets

A FREAKIN’ GAME CHANGER. If you have to wear a mask at work all day, or need to wear one in the gym, do yourself a favor and buy these. Mine hook into the pleat in my mask and keep the mask off your nose and mouth so you don’t suck it into your face. In Michigan masks are required in gyms so this makes it way easier to enjoy your workout.

6.) Cordless Dyson V8

This is how I know I am no longer cool. MY VACUUM IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FLIPPING THINGS OF THIS YEAR. But truly, Brendan and I both adore it and use it all the time. Him more than me haha. We got a refurbished one back in June so it was significantly less than a new one but still not cheap. Worth the cost though in our house.

Alright, that wraps it up. Like I said, i still stand by every item on my favorites list from last year, so check that one out again as well. Happy to answer any and all questions on these products! Let me know.
xo, Maddy