Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, both of us have bought a lot of stuff: loungewear, activewear, bras, underwear, sweaters, socks, shoes, nail polish, hair dye, snacks and more. Early in the summer, Hayley went through a big iced tea phase that Victoria soon copied. Victoria made her hair orange, then pink. Hayley got new leggings for her yoga teacher journey. Here is a brief accounting of the best, worst, and weirdest things we purchased during this dumbass pandemic.
The Best Thing I Bought:
A yoga bolster. There just isn’t really a good substitute to use when you’re doing restorative yoga, which is all about making your body feel totally comfortable and supported to release any stress or tension. (Also hot tip: use the code YOGASTUDIO at Gaiam to get a discount.) - Hayley
Animal Crossing: New Horizons for my Nintendo Switch. I’ve definitely fallen off from how much I was playing this adorable game between March and June, but would I have made it through that same period without this distraction? I do not think so. Throwing on a podcast or an audiobook and growing some peaches was soothing for my tired, anxious soul. Honorable mention to my fanny pack. - Victoria
The Worst Thing I Bought:
One of those GoGirl portable pee things. I took a long car trip in August and thought that it would somehow come in handy if I couldn’t find a bathroom that was appropriate? Anyway I can’t figure out how to use this thing without getting pee all over myself, what could be a worse purchase than that? - Hayley
Is it too depressing to say a funeral? Would not recommend that. I purchased some books I was looking forward to and ultimately didn’t like, but it feels rude to name names. Also, together with our friend Brita, we rented all the Twilight movies from Amazon a month before they went up on Prime. - Victoria
Best Snack:
Every year Aldi does this big Oktoberfest celebration and they bring in all these seasonal desserts that are so good, it is hard to pick just one as a favorite. But when push comes to shove it’s probably the Doppel Keks. They’re not overly sweet, and they’re super satisfying. Having one with coffee or tea makes me feel very European. - Hayley
Nuts dot com needs to sponsor me, for all the free press I have given them this summer! I’ve gotten lots of good treats from there — they have really good rainbow sprinkles, which upgraded all my ice cream — but this slightly spicy Indian snack called chakri is probably my favorite. - Victoria
Something I Bought Because Of An Instagram Ad:
Those Lunya ads are everywhere, and I’m only human: I bought the goddamn Washable Silk Pajama Set (then I blocked Lunya so I would stop seeing them.) But, this is undoubtedly one of the best impulse purchases of...my life? It’s almost prohibitively expensive, so I don’t quite feel comfortable recommending them and yet they’re the best pajamas I’ve ever had! I did the no-interest payment plan which was a nice option. -Hayley
There was a point between March and June where every single one of my Instagram ads were for tie dye clothing. There were tie dye sweatpants, tie dye sweatshirts, tie dye shorts, tie dye tank tops. I almost bought this tie dye Knicks shirt, but it was out of stock when I finally clicked on it (It’s in stock now; should I get it?) I ended up ordering this purple shirt from Etsy. It’s fine? Wearing it made me want to go outside, which I was not doing. I almost cut it into a crop top, but ultimately did not. Maybe I will next summer. - Victoria
Something I Most Regret Not Returning:
I REGRET NOTHING! Sorry but it’s true. I overthink everything so when I buy something I have usually considered it from an exhausting amount of angles before purchasing. Except the GoGirl, of course. But I can’t return that. - Hayley
I actually got a really comfy bra from TomboyX, but it’s probably one, maybe two sizes too big. I was too lazy to exchange it for a different size, and I regret it. Probably I will just end up buying another one in the size I want. Boob sizes are the worst. - Victoria
Something That’s Been Sitting In My Shopping Cart The Longest:
I can’t decide if I should get another Washable Silk Pajama Set from Lunya. Is this cheating to talk about again? MAYBE. But I have been thinking about this for...six months? I can’t tell if that is a sign that I should go for it or that I don’t want it badly enough. Please tell me what to do! - Hayley
This One Direction Heavy Metal Shirt went viral on Tik Tok in late summer, and I’ve been thinking about purchasing it for weeks. As I discussed on the We Stan Together Podcast, I came to the 1D fandom relatively late in life — when the last album, which they never toured, was released — so I missed out on years of spending money on ridiculous merch. Sometimes I scroll through Poshmark, looking for old shirts so I can feel like I belong, but they’re kind of all terrible. This shirt is not terrible. My friend bought it for her sister, who turned 13 last week. Should I get it? - Victoria
Something That Took The Longest To Get Delivered To My House:
I watched my Olive & June order make not one, but TWO triangle trips around Chicago and Milwaukee before it finally arrived at my door, which was agonizing. It took almost three weeks to get to me, which doesn’t seem that long but when you have nothing to do but track packages all day, it’s a lifetime! - Hayley
I also went through the same ordeal with my Olive & June order (it’s supposed to finally come today) and my GC leggings, but what took the cake is this tee shirt that read “The 4th HAIM sister”, which I ordered at the end of June. It didn’t ship until the end of August. Then it took three weeks to get her. It was worth it, though; I got compliments for it during virtual book club. - Victoria
Something I Bought Before The Pandemic That I Haven’t Used Once:
I finally invested in a cute spring shoe, a light pink flat from Clark’s with a little stacked heel. I figured it would be a good kind of everywhere shoe, for work and brunch and also just sliding on to run errands. I think I’ve worn them twice? It’s just disappointing to have this shoe I bought when I had a job and could go to brunch and now...nothing. It has just occurred to me that I am potentially channeling some undeserved negative energy into this shoe. -Hayley
Wow I can one up your tragic shoe purchase (they sound so good). I got laid off on March 2nd, before the mainstream public realized coronavirus was going to cancel the rest of our lives. My mom was like, “Don’t worry, you’ll get a new job so soon. You should buy a nice blazer for interviews!” This idea cheered me up greatly, so I got this wrap suit blazer with matching pants from ASOS. I even got two “professional” shirts from Old Navy to wear under it. I have not even had a phone screen. - Victoria
Something I Haven’t Bought Since The Pandemic Started:
Jeans! By now, I definitely would have gotten some new jeans (let’s be real: jeggings) for fall. I haven’t bought anything that isn’t soft or stretchy, now that I think of it. The most restrictive thing I’ve purchased since March has probably been my Tevas? - Hayley
Makeup! I’ve bought nail polish, which I don’t think counts, and I bought one highlighter so I could get my birthday gift from Sephora in August, but compared to how much makeup I usually buy, it’s nothing. I did get some of the Colourpop Sailor Moon collection in the first week of March, though. - Victoria
A Subscription I Started:
Silk + Sonder. It might seem odd to purchase a planner subscription when I am unemployed, but this was the perfect amount of self-reflection and structure that I needed to work on some of my goals and start tracking what was actually important to me. It’s really been wonderful, I even bought a gift subscription for my friend who also loves it! - Hayley
CBS All Access. My mom and I love The Good Fight, and usually I get us a free trial once a year, watch the new season, and cancel. But this time we got really into rewatching The Good Wife so I never canceled. Honestly, it’s a good library, and they have every season of Survivor.- Victoria
A Subscription I Ended:
I had to stop getting my Billie razor blade refills, sad! It’s nothing against Billie, their razor is still the best one I’ve ever used. I just decided to cut back on all nonessential subscriptions. Usually shaving becomes my part-time job every summer and obviously this summer there was less of a need for that, also sad! - Hayley
I canceled my Bon Appetit subscription literally a week before the video channel imploded. Mostly I was mad they had run a huge ad for a weight loss drug and figured I could still see the recipes online. This is related to how Hayley bought a Brad Leone shirt in May and ended up sending it back as soon as it got to her house. - Victoria
[ID: some of the items we’ve bought during quarantine]
Links Victoria Thinks You Should Click
This history of Paris Hilton’s racism, including multiple instances of her using the n-word.
This incredible feature by friend of the newsletter Sarah Kaplan about how scientists can track covid-19 outbreaks, and what happens when they’re ignored.
New York mag put together 171 places to donate to support Black lives. Hopefully if you are reading this, you have already done this recently, but here’s an extra push. You can donate to the Louisville Bail Project to support protesters who are getting arrested this week. I also want to point out Survived & Punished, which supports survivors of incarceration.
The Smitten Kitchen potato pizza.
Stuff That Hayley Recommends With Her Whole Heart
I set up a recurring monthly donation to the Loveland Foundation’s Therapy Fund, which if you have any means to do so is a great way to support therapy sessions and other mental health resources for Black women. You can also follow them on IG here.
Look, I know I am a broken record on this but Olive & June’s nail polish cannot be given enough praise. They also swatch all their colors and do a lot of tutorials on IGTV.
Even though I haven’t worn makeup in 500 years (approximately), my favorite YouTuber is still Samantha Ravndahl. I love watching her tutorials, she is funny and nice and seems like someone I would get along with IRL.
If you want a bizarre and poetic little work of fiction, check out “Pond” by Clare Louise-Bennett. I’ve read this short story collection a few times and I love picking it up and reading a story or two before bed.
Gold-Plated Girls comes out twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays! This Tuesday, Hayley debuted “Timely Stuff,” her period drama review column.