Best of: 2023
Personal favourites and recommendations to close out this year.
Happy New Year! I was hoping to write more over the holidays, but between back-to-back celebrations with family and friends, managing overly-sugared children, decluttering to make space for new toys/gifts, and catching a 24-hour stomach bug, there’s been zero downtime. So, I’ll keep this one short and sweet.
Below, you’ll find a list of random things I loved from this past year—my personal favourites and recommendations. Feel free to share some of yours, too, as I’m always curious about what others had as their top favourites from 2023 and would love to know if we shared anything similar.
I have to say, one of the best things I’ve done this past year is start this newsletter. It’s helped me find a passion for writing again, stretched my creativity, and allowed me to channel my ideas and thoughts into something that feels purposeful. I’m so grateful to all of you for reading.
In no particular order, here are some of my best from 2023.
· Best thing I ate: The veal carpaccio at Osteria Giulia. While their menu is seasonal, this dish has been a mainstay since they opened for good reason.
· Best thing I watched: The final season of Succession and season 2 of The Bear (we all agree on this, right?) For lighter viewing, I also really enjoyed Shrinking and Platonic.
· Best book I read: Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being. The book is divided into “78 Areas of Thought”, offering short bursts of wisdom on everything from tapping into your creativity to moving through self-doubt. I like reading a chapter before I write.
· Best Substack I read: If you’re a parent, do yourself a favour and read Your child shouldn’t be your entire existence on
by . Along with her thoughtful essays on motherhood, she does a fun column on What Mums Wear.· Best splurge: This Toteme double-breasted wool coat, which I would also categorize under the best deal from this year since I got it for 40% off during a Mytheresa sale. It’s warm, classic and fits oversized on me, which I love.
· Best practical buy: It’s not perfect, but this fabric shaver has saved many sweaters from over-pilling and becoming unwearable. For more tips on how to keep your most prized pieces in mint shape,
recently wrote this handy post.· Best jewelry purchase: While I’m pretty minimal when it comes to jewelry, I recently bought Mejuri’s Mega Dome Earrings, and they’ve instantly become a favourite. They’re definitely bigger and bolder than what I’m used to, but still wearable for most occasions.
· Best undergarment: This was the year I finally caved and tried Skims, and now I regret waiting so long. I have the Wireless Form T-shirt bra and the Fits Everybody Push-up bra, and both comfort and fit are just on another level than any other bras I’ve had before.
· Best trend: I know red is the colour of the moment, but the colour that had me hooked this year was brown. Brown belts, sweaters, pants, boots—I wanted them all.
· Best beauty purchase: Hands down, it’s MERIT’s Great Skin serum. I use it every morning and it gives the best glow year-round.
· Best gadget: Very impressed by this portable LED makeup mirror I bought recently to bring along with me on my upcoming travels. The lighting is 10/10 for putting on makeup.
· Best home purchase: After years of searching for the perfect couch, we purchased the Get Together sectional from Sundays and couldn’t be happier. It combines looks with comfort and is low maintenance (no fluffing required and stain-resistant fabric). I’d recommend Sundays to anyone based on their customer service alone.
· Best podcast: Not from 2023, but this old episode of Goop with Oprah is one I keep coming back to. It’s pulled me out of multiple periods of feeling stuck this year. The whole thing is worth a listen, particularly the story she shares at the 24-minute mark, which strikes a chord with me every time.
· Best parenting advice: My girlfriend Justine sent me this reel, which talks about how to deal with your kids’ big feelings using a wave metaphor and it’s probably been the most useful parenting advice I’ve come across.
· Best writing song: Do you have a writing playlist? I do, and I have to admit I stole most of the music from my husband’s cooking playlist. This year, my favourite song to write to has been Tezeta (Nostalgia), which was featured on the Denmark episode of The Bear, season 2 (no surprise, my husband’s cooking playlist is mostly music from the show.)
· Best investment: When I started freelancing, I went the DIY route and created my website on Wix. The best money I spent this year was to have it professionally re-done along with getting new branding pictures (huge thanks to @emilycreativeandco and @kiranoelbrandphoto.) Now feels like a good time for a fresh start.
Looking forward to sharing more with you in 2024! xx
What an honour thank you ♥️