Spark Joy: 10 Things Worth Splurging On As A Young Professional
As your typical twenty-something year old, I struggle between saving and spending. On one hand, I would love to own property in Vancouver one day. On the other hand, the soft opening for a new fusion restaurant is this weekend (ahem Land and Sea) and last minute bookings just opened up…
I had my iPhone 6s for 5 years because I refused to upgrade it. I told myself that I didn’t want to spend $1200 upfront, but I wound up spending that much on meals over 6 months anyway - so why didn’t I upgrade? Stubbornness, probably. My 6s was so old that I had to charge it 2-3x throughout the day (even at home) and I carried a portable charger everywhere with me. When I finally purchased an iPhone 12 Pro in early 2021, I regretted not doing so earlier.
Some friends have asked me for recommendations on things that are worth the splurge and I’ve created a list of my favourite things that have sparked great joy for me as a young professional.
Please note that this post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you choose to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. These commissions enable me to continue to create free content for you and to fund my donut obsession.
1. PROFESSIONAL MANICURES
When my nails are done, I feel like a different person because I am so put together. With a typical corporate job that requires you to constantly sit in front of a computer, gorgeous nails really do spark joy. I used to paint my nails at home every week but it would take 2+ hours including drying and was a horrible use of time because I couldn’t do anything aside from catch up on TV shows as they dried (not a bad thing). Recently, I discovered Essie’s Expressie line - this is a quick drying polish that dries in 1 minute. With Expressie, I can paint my nails at 11pm, be in bed by 12am, and wake up in the morning without a single smudge on my nails. I’m also learning how to shape my nails and I’ve gotten pretty good at it, but doesn’t beat a professional salon mani!
Manicure courtesy of Majesty’s Pleasure in Toronto (Yorkville)
Manicure courtesy of Blissful Beauty Lounge in Vancouver (Burnaby)
Manicure courtesy of Elle Salon in Vancouver (Yaletown)
2. THE DYSON AIRWRAP
I am absolutely obsessed with my Dyson Airwrap - it’s the only styling tool in the market that takes your hair from directly wet to curled. Usually, you need to dry your hair before you curl it, and depending on the thickness and length of your hair, it can take up to 20 minutes to just dry it. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I bought my Airwrap in 2020 during the Fall Sephora sale and used a friend’s Rouge account to get 20% off. If you have long hair (past your shoulders), I would recommend purchasing the long barrels as well. There is a bit of a learning curve with the Airwrap due to the untraditional (or innovative) nature of the tool, so please be patient and kind to yourself as you figure it out… I had several instances where I looked like an auntie with a horrible perm, but the first step to getting good at something is sucking at it. And I really did suck at it.
3. HIGH QUALITY LOUNGEWEAR
This is so so so important, especially as we are all working from home! I live in high-waisted leggings, cropped hoodies, and bralettes, but everyone defines comfort differently. Some of my favourite loungewear brands are TNA, Aerie, and Oak+Fort.
My must haves:
Any oversized, cropped sweater, such as:
Nike - Nike women’s fleece crop top
Oak+Fort - cropped sweatshirt
Artizia - Tna cozy fleece perfect shrunken hoodie
Fuzzy slippers to complete the look, because why wouldn’t you?
4. COZY SOCKS
My feet are always cold so this deserves its own category. Knee-highs, thigh-highs, wool, slipper socks… the list is endless.
If you have hardwood floors, get the ones with rubber grips on the bottom so you aren’t at risk of slipping as you run to the kitchen to grab water/caffeine/a snack between back-to-back meetings that you are already late to. (Does this sound like you? It’s definitely me. Sorry team.)
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
5. NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES
I splurged on the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones on Black Friday 2019 and two years later, I still swear by them. Pre-COVID, I sat in the Bullpen (think open area, similar to the bullpen you see in Brooklyn 99) at work and between the 5 of us, someone was always on a call. I found it challenging to focus due to the noise and needed a solution that would allow me to block everything out. Now that we are working from home, I live in a loud neighbourhood that is currently redeveloping, so construction is the norm. These noise cancelling headphones have been a godsend during the pandemic as they’ve allowed me to stay focused during calls and as I work, despite the chaos outside. The audio quality is also spectacular for all the a cappella that I listen to.
Please note that Sony has moved on to the M4s now… linked here!
Update as of Dec 2022: the M5s are a thing now. I can’t keep up!
6. CLOTHING DEFUZZER
Are your clothes pilling? Defuzz them with this handy battery powered clothing defuzzer. I showed my mom and she immediately ordered 5 so that she could gift them to friends and family - in a strange turn of events, I feel like I’ve become the mom friend. I generally defuzz my clothes once a month - I’ll go through my closet and look for the culprits, blast a wonderful Spotify playlist, and get to work for an hour or two. Good as new!
7. A STOCKED PANTRY WITH YOUR FAVOURITE SNACKS
Life is too short to eat subpar snacks, especially when you are working from home for a minimum of 9 hours per day. Some of my pantry staples are Calbee’s curry chips, almond crush Pocky, Hardbite’s sweet ghost pepper chips, Larabars, and a flat of bubly.
8. SIT-STAND DESK
As I stand at a staggering 5’2” (if even), typical desks and typical office chairs don’t do the trick for me because I end up sitting like a deformed worm. I’m also extremely flexible from years of dance/yoga so I don’t even notice how uncomfortable or unnatural these deformed worm positions are - I just have back pain a few days later and simply cannot understand why. Usually, my legs dangle or my shoulders are uncomfortably tense. When my firm went remote due to COVID-19, I bit the bullet and bought a SmartDesk Pro standing desk from Autonomous.
The desk has been a total gamechanger as I am able to sit properly (elbows at 90 degrees, feet flat on the ground) without straining my body and have the flexibility to stand when I feel like I need to stretch. The movement also helps me stay awake during particularly gruelling calls, so it’s a win-win either way.
Photo by Trinity Nguyen on Unsplash
Photo by Luke Peterson on Unsplash
9. CABLE MANAGEMENT BOXES
Holy heck, if you are anything like me, you probably have a fiasco of cords powering various electronics, culminating in a delightful, tangled mess. Prior to purchasing a cable management box, my external monitor, desk, desk lamp, personal laptop, and work laptop were all plugged into the same power bar. I bundled cords together when possible, but it became a pain to undo when I needed one specific charger (i.e., work laptop charge because I was heading to the office). My poor Roomba, George, would also get stuck in that corner of my room because he couldn’t navigate the pile of cords. I originally thought that $22 for two plastic boxes with three slits in them was ridiculous and held off on the purchase for a few months, but the sense of organizational peace that they have provided me far exceeds the price tag. That’s 4 bobas that I can do without.
10. HOT WATER BOILER/THERMOS
This will transform your life.
The hot water boiler/thermos is iconic in any Asian household but my non-ethnic friends are always baffled when they come over and see this mysterious tool that dispenses boiling water on-demand. I grew up drinking room temperature/warm water and still do, to this day - I take filtered water, add in some boiling water, and I’m ready to go. Are you craving tea at this exact moment? Instant cup noodles on-demand? The hot water boiler is your best friend.
They are also virtually indestructible if you take good care of them… I think I’ve had mine for almost 10 years and she is still going strong!
BONUS: A NEW IPHONE
Just a suggestion. Don’t be like me ;)
