I don’t know about you, but on day one of quarantine when everyone else was panic buying toilet paper, I was adding everything but the kitchen sink to my Amazon cart. Having been physically distancing and working from home since mid-March, I’ve saved so much money on gas and Starbucks, that I figured, why NOT buy that expensive duvet I’ve had my eye on. I also went into full “surviving quarantine mode” – buying toiletries, self-care products, small appliances and things to keep me busy in case I never get to go to Homesense again.

We’ve all had a solid two months now to find our self-isolation groove, and some of us have really taken this time to better ourselves. And by better ourselves, I obviously mean binge-watch Love is Blind on Netflix, which coincidently made us all feel better about ourselves.

Navigating my way through this new world of uncertainty, I finally feel like I’ve become one with the couch my new at-home routine so, I’ve compiled a list of the things (twelve to be exact) that have made quarantine a bit more bearable for me (all products are linked throughout and at the bottom of this post).

Saje Essential Oils

I’m so glad that I recently stocked up on Saje products before all of this Covid-19 stuff happened. I have been a big fan for years and have a diffuser on almost every level of my house. The rollers have really been amazing for keeping me alert throughout my workday and even help me sleep better at night. Here are a few of my go-to’s:

• Peppermint Halo – The holy grail of Saje oils. I roll a bit on the back of my neck when I’ve been staring at my computer screen too long. It also provides amazing headache and tension relief.
• Energy – A little bit of citrusy oil on my temples and wrists before my mid-day workout, and I’m good to go! This also saves me from having to have a third cup of coffee in the afternoons.
• Sleep Well – When I first told my boyfriend about this sleeping oil, he thought I was nuts. But now even HE has been rolling this on the bottoms of his feet every night before bed! It’s tempting to stay up a little bit later than normal since most of us really have no place to go. But keeping a normal sleep schedule is key to avoid hitting the 3 p.m. wall.

Healthy Snacks

For the first month of quarantine, my version of a healthy snack was only eating HALF of the family size bag of Dorito’s and not the whole thing. But the reality is, there’s nothing productive about feeling sluggish all day. I’ve slowly started to trade in my chips and gauc for some Skinny Pop popcorn, smoothies, and some healthy(ish) homemade muffins. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still eating a lot more than I normally do, but the one thing that I’ve haven’t scrimped on, is drinking a significant amount of water. If you have an off day, just double your water intake for the next few days and all will be right with the world. Or at least that’s the little white lie that I keep telling myself.

A Productive Workspace

Let’s be honest, by productive, I mean “pretty”. When I first started working from home, I set myself up at my dining room table. Mostly, because I wasn’t sure how long all of this was going to last. Although it was functional, it was far from aesthetically pleasing. Realizing that I’d probably be working from home for a while, I finally set up a proper workspace that is both pretty and productive. Just adding in some flowers, a soy candle, and a few of my favourite little trinkets that I was able to gather from around the house (because Homesense is closed, remember?), I now look forward to my morning commute from the second level of our back-split down to my corner office with a view….in the family room.

Milk Frother

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t add coffee to this list, but that’s really just because it’s implied. If anyone is surviving quarantine without coffee, find out their secret and bottle it. I recently up’d my coffee game and added a new kitchen appliance to my countertop, a milk frother! And it’s changed my life (it clearly hasn’t made me any less dramatic though). Being able to make lattes at home just makes the day feel a little extra special, and it’s making me miss Starbucks a whole lot less. The best part is, it was under $25! For anyone trying to do the math, that’s only like, two and a half coffees at Starbucks.

Vital Protein Collagen Peptides

I still have no idea what collagen actually is (more on this in an upcoming post), but I’ve been adding a scoop of Vital Protein Collagen powder to my coffee and my smoothies daily and I’ve noticed a vast difference in my skin, hair, and nails. Considering none of us can get to a salon right now, it helps to not feel like I’m completely deteriorating in the beauty department.

A Hobby

We finally have all the extra time we always said we needed in order to take up a new hobby. Take advantage of it! In my case, that has been tinkering around with my DSLR camera. Since purchasing my Canon Rebel T6 last Christmas, it was always a goal of mine to learn how to use it in manual mode. Taking up a new hobby is a great way to spend your down-time, whether it’s baking, writing, guitar lessons, yoga – the world is your oyster! YouTube is always a great “teacher” too, and absolutely free.

Skip-Bo

I’m a huge board game fan in general, but I’m literally obsessed with the game Skip-bo. Originally just a card game I used to play as a child, I was able to find a board version as an adult which makes it a lot easier to organize player’s cards etc. The best part is, unlike a lot of other board games, you can play with only two players. A simple game of sequencing, numbers, and counting that you can either play with the kids or easily turn into an adult drinking game (there’s no judgment in self-isolation)!

Self-Tanner

I may get heat for this, but I’ve always been a bit of a sun-worshipper. When I was younger, it was nothing for me to be out in the sun all day trying to build that killer base. But I’ve since traded in my olive oil in a spray bottle for an SPF 70, and have limited my sun exposure and tanning bed use for the sake of my skin. In the long winter months though, I do still make a few visits to the tanning salon in order to stock up on my vitamin D. Since my neighbourhood tanning salon was deemed non-essential (which my pasty pale skin would argue otherwise) I decided to re-visit the world of self-tanner. From the fear of turning Snooki orange and staining my bright white Egyptian cotton sheets, I’ve always avoided them, but I must say that they’ve come a long way. I ordered three different kinds, (yes, THREE – what did I say about judgment?) a gradual daily tanning lotion, a 1-hour sunless tan mouse, and tanning oil face drops. Let’s just say that people are going to think I spent my self-isolation in Mexico!

Milk Jar Candle Co.

I first heard about this Canadian candle company from the one and only, Jillian Harris. Being a huge fan of her collaborations, when they launched a Jilly branded soy candle, I was easily influenced. I’ll admit, this candle is a bit on the pricey side, coming in at $29, but they are a small Canadian shop and are all hand-poured. This clean-burning soy candle smells amazing and the crackle of the wood wick makes you feel like you’re sitting at a relaxing campfire (without the smoky campfire smell left on your hair and clothes for days following). At first I was taken aback by the one page, double-sided list of instructions (am I even responsible enough to burn this thing?), but the extra care involved in making this candle last was actually completely manageable and totally worth it.

Lululemon Align Leggings

I never really needed an excuse to live in my Lulu’s but there’s nothing like a good quarantine to remind you just how much you love their soft, buttery, tummy hiding awesome-ness. My go-to’s are the Align ll leggings, I have them in multiple colours. Black is of course for formal Monday morning Zoom meetings and purple for casual Fridays. They are as equally functional for mid-day yoga, hump-day budget meetings and late-night binge-watching. A true surviving quarantine staple.

Free People Slouchy Ottoman Tunic

If you know me in real life or follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been LIVING in my pink Free People Ottoman Tunic sweater. I won’t lie, it’s a bit of an investment piece, but I did find it on sale and I finally understand all of the hype that this Insta famous sweater gets. Made popular, again, by Jillian Harris, Free People has designed the ultimate tunic that is amazing quality, washes incredibly well and never loses its shape. It looks great on all body types and goes with leggings, jeans, and even dress pants. It’s money you can feel good about spending because you’ll want to wear it every day. The hardest part will be choosing a colour.

An Amazon Prime Account

Since all of the stores are closed, my Amazon Prime membership has been working overtime (and so has my credit card). Even though their free two-day shipping is majorly delayed due to Covid-19, I’ve still been able to get a lot of my must-haves in record time. Since we’re all running out of things to watch on Netflix, I’ve also been taking this time to explore more of the Amazon Prime streaming options. Some of the Amazon originals such as Modern Love and the plethora of documentaries have been some of our favourite binges lately. I was even able to add on streaming extensions, such as Hayu so I could catch up on what feels like 20 years of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Totally worth the $9 a month, especially when we’re all looking for stuff to mindlessly occupy our minds and distract us from social-distant loneliness.

So, there you have it – my must-have list for surviving quarantine. I’ve included links to all of the items below. Stay happy and healthy, friends.

xo

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1. Saje Peppermint Halo 2. Saje Energy 3. Saje Sleep Well 4. Quarantine Carrot Muffins 5. Milk Frother 6. Vital Collagen Peptides 7. Canon Rebel T6 8. Skip-Bo 9. Luna Bronze Glow Gradual Tanning Moisturizer 10. B.Tan Love at First Tan 11. Tan Luxe The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops 12. Milk Jar Candle Co. 13. Lululemon Align II 14. Free People Slouchy Ottoman Tunic 15. Amazon Prime

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