Welcome to Anna’s Favorites! Here you’ll find my absolute favorite items across beauty, style, home, and tech categories.
Before you start browsing, here’s my promise: the products on this page have met my absolute highest standards. If one of these items were lost or broken, I would replace it instantly without exploring other brands or products. These picks are also time tested: I’ve had every item on this list for at least a year, and far longer in most cases!
Also, none of these mentions are sponsored, and no brand is paying me to talk about their products. However, some links below are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you purchase through the link.
Beauty
Tower 28 lip gloss
This gloss is excellent. It’s not sticky and leaves your lips feeling moisturized as it fades. I own and love the shades Wild (my top pick!), Coconut, and Spicy.
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extension mascara
The best! This tubing mascara helps your lashes look extra long and doesn’t clump, smudge, or create a smeary disaster when it gets wet. Plus, it’s one of the few tubing mascaras I can find in brown. I have this on subscription.
Avene skincare
I have incredibly sensitive skin, and Avene products rarely let me down. You can find the specific products in my current skincare routine here.
AmLactin Daily Lotion
I have rampant keratosis pilaris (did I mention my problematic skin?!), and this is the one thing that tames it. Use it regularly for best results – I apply it every three days immediately after showering.
Billie razors
I paid way too much for drugstore razor blades for way too long. These are legitimately great razor blades, and they’re cheap. Plus, the magnetic shower holder gets two thumbs up.
Nizoral shampoo
My scalp is naturally a little gunky, and I make a questionable situation worse with regular dry shampoo usage. I use this shampoo once a week or so, and it’s a great scalp reset that keeps dandruff and grossness at bay.
Megababe Thigh Rescue
This will save your thighs from painful chafing. A summer staple.
Style
Birkenstocks Mayari sandals
My go-to sandals. I wear them almost every day in the summer – I was even (unintentionally) wearing them when Adam and I got engaged! My current ivory ones have lasted for four years and are still going strong, but I will replace them instantly when they finally bite the dust.
Blundstone dress boots
My go-to boots. These look a little sharper than other Blundstones thanks to the square toe, but they are still incredibly comfortable.
Taos sneakers
My go-to sneakers. These are the first thing I pack on any trip that will require a lot of walking, as the support is unbeatable. The canvas ones are great but will get grungy eventually – if that bothers you, they also come in leather.
Beyond Yoga spacedye leggings
These are expensive, yes. But they are simultaneously so soft AND quite durable over multiple seasons of wear. I’ve had mine for years, and they haven’t pilled or stretched out at all! Plus, they don’t fall or roll down, and they have a variety of lengths. I’ve scoured out lots of online forums about leggings and lots of people agree these are an underrated gem. PLUS, if you’re a student, educator, medical professional, or military personnel, you can get 20% off!
Favorite clothing brands for tall women
I’m 6’1,” so clothes shopping can be a trick. Here are the brands where I’ve found the best clothes for tall women:
- Athleta: My go-to for work from home and travel clothes. Don’t miss their dresses!
- Madewell: The best straight-leg and skinny jeans
- Boot Barn: Yep, the cowboy boot place. They have multiple styles of bootcut and flare jeans with 36” inseams.
- Old Navy: Inexpensive but decent quality workout tops and leggings in tall sizes
- Summersalt: Amazing swimsuits in long sizes – 100% worth the hype
- Eddie Bauer and Lands End: Tall coats and outerwear (no more too-short sleeves!)
Home
Woodfire Candle Co candles
I like these candles better than anything I’ve bought at Anthro. They have a crackly wooden wick, are made from 100% soy wax, and don’t give me a headache. My favorite scent is Citrus Spice (but you can order tea light samples to find yours!).
Gammy’s Beezwax candles
I burn whatever scented candles I want in my office while I work, but if we’re burning candles in the rest of the house, Adam prefers these. They have a gentle honey scent, burn clean, and last forever.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day liquid hand soap
This hand soap smells great and isn’t too drying. We use the Daisy scent in the spring and summer and the Acorn Spice scent in the fall and winter.
Target Y-weave bins
If you open any closet or cabinet in our house, you’ll find these. They’re inexpensive, sturdy, and attractive.
Laundry sorter
Presorting our laundry has possibly saved our marriage? We use this as our hamper so loads are always sorted and ready for Adam to toss in.
Pan and lid organizer
Sanity-saving and worth every cent. No more nesting pans! These also work well for organizing baking sheets.
Tech
iOS Notes app
You’re probably already using this, but I have to share because approximately 95% of my brain lives here. I link or scan articles I want to save, note restaurants I want to try, save quotes I find inspiring, take notes while I’m on the phone…truly, I open this app every single day. The searchability, folders, syncing across devices, and ability to pin notes make finding information so much easier.
Trello
When I need notes that are too complicated for the Notes app, I use Trello. It’s where my collection of recipes lives (more about that here) and where I keep track of my to-read and finished book lists (more about that here).
Asana
If you have to organize to-do lists, especially for a group of people, Asana is brilliant. You can categorize your tasks, add deadlines, and assign tasks to other people. We use it at my day job and wouldn’t survive without it.
The Popcast podcast
Knox and Jamie make me laugh so hard and are the only thing keeping me current on pop culture. I am a BFOTS and support them with actual dollars.
Sorta Awesome podcast
I’ve listened to this podcast almost since its beginning. At this point, Meg Tietz and the other hosts feel like surrogate aunts. They’re kind, wise, funny, and have also cultivated a very kind online community. This is another show I support with actual dollars.