Upgrade and Refresh for the New Year

This New Year, I won’t be buying any new clothes to refresh my wardrobe–because I’m not going anywhere that isn’t necessary until the waves of COVID subside.

But there will be upgrades and refreshers for 2022. I’m upgrading my skincare with a quarterly subscription to The Box By Dr Ava. It’s described as a “Derm in a Box,” and the “Derm” in question is renowned board-certified dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., the owner and director of two branded practices: AVA MD, her full-service dermatology clinic with locations in Malibu and Beverly Hills–and her newest concept, SKINFIVE, a tech-based provider of essential face and body treatments located in Pacific Palisades and Century City.

Dr Shamban is well-known as the Extreme Makeover dermatologist, resident expert on the Emmy-winning daytime talk show The Doctors, a regular guest on Steve Harvey and Extra, and author of the best-­selling skincare guide Heal Your Skin: The Breakthrough Plan for Renewal. 

Each subscription box is filled with full-sized products that are all tested and hand-selected by Dr. Ava for results and efficacy. to help you glow. Quarterly membership is $250 per box. Each box is packed with $600+ value of best-in-class brands such as Innersence Organic Beauty, Alastin and BeautyStat. Annual membership is $850 (savings of $150).

As a recent convert to the benefits of ginger in treating digestive issues, I’m sampling the Jinjer Holiday Gift Set, which includes a blend of 100% Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) oil, Jojoba oil and Evening Primrose oil–a formulated ready-to-use essential oil in a 30 ml bottle with a convenient dropper cap.

Not only does this oil promote digestive health, it also soothes aching and sore muscles, reduces swelling and inflammation and is said to support mental wellness.

In addition to the essential oil, the set includes a mini-portable diffuser, an obsidian Gua Sha massage stone and a Jinjer beauty pouch. 

My old non-stick skillet needs to be retired in favor of a new and much better one: the Hestan ProBond Stainless Steel TITUM™ Nonstick Skillet. It’s finished with Hestan’s exclusive TITUM™ nonstick system and features a 5-layer system consisting of 3 layers of PFOA-free nonstick reinforced with diamond particles, anchored to the pan with durable titanium plasma technology. This stovetop skillet is a true workhorse; it’s quick to heat, ideally weighted, and provides 20% more cooking surface than traditional pans its size for better browning. The ergonomic handle is secured with flush rivets to provide a firm, comfortable hold when cooking or serving. It is dishwasher safe for a quick cleanup and oven safe to 500°F for stove to oven cooking. 

Available in three sizes, ProBond™s Professional Clad Stainless Steel frying pans are handcrafted in Italy using a tri-ply body and responsive pure aluminum core for optimum performance, maximum durability, and fast, even heat distribution.

My so-so roaster gave up the ghost during the holiday season, so I’m keeping an eye out for the  Hestan 14.5-inch roaster with rack, which should be available soon. The durable 3-ply stainless steel and aluminum core clad construction are designed for optimal baking and roasting performance. The exceptional heat conductivity makes this roasting pan a fundamental piece when creating sauce-based reductions, gravies, deglazing, or searing on the stovetop.

The chef-inspired design also features flush rivets for the quickest of cleanups, while the ergonomically crafted handles allow efficiency when moving the roaster from the oven to the table for serving. In addition to being oven safe to 600°F, this heavy-duty commercial grade stainless steel roasting pan is broiler safe, induction compatible, and 100% dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. Hestan Culinary | Chef-Proven Performance

As I’m not going to any restaurants in the immediate future, I like the tasting kits from In Good Taste, which feature all new types of wine from around the world. They deliver 8 wines in attractive single-glass decorative bottles directly to my door.  This enables me to find my favorites without wasting a full bottle. Better yet, I can enjoy virtual tastings that walk me through one-of-a-kind, hard-to-find wines. $65 for 8 mini bottles, available at ingoodtaste.com.

With restaurants are out of the picture, I’m bumping up the quality of meats I use with Chopbox. I enjoyed one of their sumptuous prime rib roasts during the holidays, so now I’m sampling more of their delicious products, including steak, scallops, lamb, etc. All their products are shipped fresh and have never been frozen. You can buy their meats in boxes that contain numerous products or a la carte.

As my favorite bedtime “reads” are audiobooks, an upgrade of headphones was a no-brainer. San Diego based 1MORE (https://usa.1more.com/) designs, manufactures, and sells high-end wired and wireless headphones with studio-quality sound, delicate design and excellent build quality. 

I prefer in-ear headphones, so I chose the 1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones, which give me beautiful balanced, quality audio. Created in collaboration with internationally acclaimed producer, mixer, and sound engineer Luca Bignardi they deliver a precise representation of all my favorite “voices'” intended sound.

With COVID on the rise, who knows how long voluntary “hibernation” will last–and what more we can do to make it comfortable?

Feature Photo by Isabela Kronemberger on Unsplash