PureWow’s Editor-in-Chief on 5 Random but Useful Things She’s Loving Right Now

Here’s a secret: I have never owned a luxury handbag, and I probably never will. (I’m more of a put the extra $1,000 in an IRA gal, but you do you!) But I do seek out purses that are well-crafted, stylish and built to last in terms of both form and function. This durable, leather Sézane offering is the perfect middle-ground in terms of price and fanciness, and I love that it can be dressed up or down and goes with just about every shoe choice—from sensible sneakers to pink suede mules.

Like many of our readers, I’ve scaled back on my alcohol consumption this year—and OMG you guys I have so much more energy. But at the end of a long day, I still like a festive drink with a little bit of bite. Health-Ade’s line of tangy, bubbly kombucha flavored with cold-pressed juice and spices truly fits the bill. I pour it over ice in a tumbler or low-ball glass, and it feels like I’m having a cocktail at a fancy bar (even if I can hear my kids playing Mario Kart in the background). These kombuchas also boast all sorts of probiotic gut-health benefits, but honestly, I’m mostly in it for the taste.

I never in one million years thought I’d own an artificial Christmas tree. And yet, after years of wrestling a Vermont-cut tree onto the roof of my car, arguing with my family members about which side is less “bald” and then spending six straight weeks picking pine needles off the floor, I finally took the plunge. And holy cow I’m never going back. This 4’5” to 18’ spruce from Balsam Hill is so realistic looking you would never suspect otherwise (the only giveaway is the lack of scent) and I love how easily it assembles and disassembles: three simple pieces that screw into each other and ultimately fold down into a case the size of a tent bag.

I get a smoothing keratin treatment every spring, but for the health of both my hair and my wallet, I need to keep this to a once-a-year practice. Luckily, I have a secret weapon for those frizzy, brittle months when my keratin has worn out, but before I’m due for a new one: Amika Flash. This hair gloss mask is made with amino acids, red wine extract and hydrolyzed flax seed, and is designed to provide a super-charge of hydration and smoothing. (In other words, it’s an instant keratin.) I use it once a week, running it though damp hair with my fingers, waiting half an hour, then rinsing it out for softer, shinier hair when it dries.

We renovated our kitchen last year, and while I was pretty much a maniac about planning every square inch, there was one area I left open for interpretation: the junk drawer! Thus, as you can imagine, after 12 months of people throwing every plastic fork, soy sauce packet and dried out ChapStick tube into it, it was a goddamn mess. I finally staged an intervention and got a few of these adjustable drawer bins which can be inserted and reconfigured any way you like. The drawer is still super chaotic, but at least now I can separate the extra batteries from the car insurance renewal notice. And that, my friends, is the definition of “random but useful.”