Sometimes I buy something and it just becomes a favorite. Many times, the item was never intended to be a must-have, it was either filling a need or was purchased on a whim.

This past year, I had many of those “Surprise, I’m Your Favorite!” moments with things I’ve bought. Here are my 7 best purchases that I made in the last 365 days.

LL Bean Swimsuit Cover Up

I first fell in love with the color of this cover up. Is there a beachier color than this soft turquoise? Second, the fit is perfect: slightly fitted but not skin tight, and it doesn’t stick to your bathing suit so no bunched up weirdness around your middle. The long sleeves make it perfect for early summer, when you need to cover up from the sun, or when you’re lucky enough to be at the beach for the golden hour when the sun dips low and it starts to get a little cool.

Rain Booties by Universal Thread at Target

These were a last-minute purchase before a weekend trip to Cape Cod. (Aren’t the best purchases the ones you make in haste and they end up being a wardrobe staple?). I was headed to the Cape for a long weekend with a dear friend, and a hurricane was making its way up the coast causing a weather forecast of “soaking rain” and “windy conditions”. Determined to not let a little rain stop me (and by a little rain, I mean pouring rain for 12 straight hours during our outdoor Saturday shopping extravaganza), I knew I needed rain boots. I found these Universal Thread booties online at Target, ready for in-store pick up in 2 hours. Perfect! Except an hour later I received an email telling me that they no longer had them in stock and they cancelled my order. Determined to find the pair the website said the store had in stock, I went to the store and scoured all the shelves, and wouldn’t you know, I found the only pair of size 6 black rain booties shoved in with the dress shoes. They turned out being a literal life saver from the deep puddles and sheets of rain we endured. Not only did they keep my feet dry, they were super comfortable (I wore them all day shopping and walking around for 6 hours!) but they almost look like cute little black boots.

lululemon Everwhere Belt Bag

When we booked our trip to Disney for the spring (an entire blog post on that, I promise!), I wanted something to wear in the parks that would carry my wallet, lip balm and phone, that was lightweight for the warm weather, and that allowed me to be hands free. Enter: the Everywhere Belt Bag. You could wear this as a fanny pack (which admittedly I did in Disney) or you can wear it as a sling bag (which is how I wear it now running errands). I love this little bag, and can’t recommend it enough. It beats the full crossbody bag that can cause weird boob cleavage. And I’m a sucker for anything camo.

Long Puffer Vest from Amazon

Yes, you read that correctly, this vest is from Amazon. Their “try before you buy” option is so easy to use, and being able to return Amazon items at Kohls is the best partnership on the planet (and likely what is keeping most Kohls stores open, TBH). This vest came shrink wrapped in a package practically the size of a postage stamp, but once opened it puffed up into a full-length vest. I LOVE this outerwear option because when I wear leggings and a long top, a regular-length coat looks ridiculous with 6 inches of sweater hanging out the bottom. This vest allows me to wear my long tops and also wear a jacket without being too bulky or warm. It comes in a variety of colors but I loved the olive!

Fir & Grapefruit Scented Candle

This is the only holiday scent you will want in your home. I found this candle at TJ Maxx while Christmas shopping last year, and bought it as a gift, and ended up keeping it for myself. After lighting it once, I knew I needed to stock up on the scent. When I looked online for it, Amazon had it but for WAY more money than I paid at TJ Maxx (which tells me that they no longer really make this candle and I was lucky to find the one I did). So one Saturday, I hit up every TJX Companies store in a 25 mile radius and found 5 more of these candles! I included the Amazon link here, but I would scour your TJ Maxx/Marshall’s/Homegoods to find it at a good price! I can’t wait to light it this year for the holidays!

Funnel Neck Sweater from Amazon

This list contains not one, but TWO clothing items from Amazon. Make fun of me all you want, but I have had GREAT luck with Amazon apparel purchases. I bought this sweater in black and olive (is this becoming my signature fall color?) and it pairs perfectly with jeans and is also the perfect length to wear with leggings. It’s not too boxy and not too heavy. Perfect for fall. And would go great with the long length vest…just saying!

COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm

After an almost two-year hiatus from make up, it was time to put some color back on my face. I found this tinted lip balm at the drug store, loved the cherry color, and tried it out. It’s more lipstick than lip balm, though perhaps it does have some moisturizing qualities. But the color is bright and more matte than I expected. That being said, it was the perfect summer color with a tan. It went on easy, was ridiculously inexpensive, and gave me stand-out lips. I just purchased the “Bliss You Berry” color for fall.

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I hope you find even one of these items inspirational or something you want to purchase for yourself. They have all become my favorites!