Here’s one of my fave posts of the year. The one where I get to snoop into your non-beauty lives 😀 I have been asking this question for quite a few years now and it’s always interesting to move outside the scope of beauty for a while, and see what else gave you as much pleasure this year 😀
We are so inundated with beauty on the blog all through the year (naturally, since it is after all supposed to be a beauty blog 😛 ) but I’m sure many of you have interests outside of beauty and I’m quite sure you bought or used or were given something non-beauty this year that you particularly enjoyed.
What is it? Naturally, I’ll share mine 😀
I think the photo above is quite a give away of what my favourite non-beauty item was this year. This year, I left aside the gadgets and phones. Last year, I delved into something very large for my house.
This year, it’s something much smaller but they gave me great joy.
My Zwilling JA Henckels knives 😀
If you know your cooking knives, you’ll know that Zwilling knives are really pricey items. However, at the end of last year, I picked up a Chef’s Knife and a Santoku knife from the Twin Pollux series, as a Purchase-with-Purchase deal from a supermarket, at a fraction of what it’d cost me otherwise. I’d always wanted good knives and it was very exciting for me.
I broke them out to use this year and I love them, OMG! 😀 They are incredibly sharp and precise and make slicing, dicing and cutting items so easy! I used to have to hack at meat but these knives have made it so easy for me and also to slice razor thin slices of meat or, as you can see, limes 😀 So. Much. Fun!
I do have to be extra careful when using them because they are very sharp, but it’s a great feeling to be able to easily and quickly slice through things.
I’m hoping to grow my collection in time with more good knives because if you cook, it is so important to have a good knife. It is part of the joy of cooking! My next item will likely be a good Chinese cleaver. I haven’t been able to find one that I particular like or if I do, it costs so much. Hopefully I find a PWP promo soon 😀
So, what is your favourite non-beauty item of 2013?
I’m amused at how when I started asking this annual question I was all about gadgets. These 2 years, it’s been about the home. I wonder what next year’s will be! 😀 So, what was yours for 2013?
Paris B
Easy peasy lemon squeezy! My raspberry pi! I’ve had so much fun with it and it’s rekindling my love for linux and open source. Next world to conquer? The mysterious app development world for android 🙂 Now if I can hit jackpot on that one awesome app, I can retire for good. How’s that for a dream? 🙂
Ooh when you make your millions from that awesome app, don’t forget me! 😀 Dreams are good to have – it gives you something to work towards.
Knife!!! Hahaha… nice, now I can consider buying them myself! How much did u get it, btw? As for me, I am glad to have purchased my very first house just recently, and it is near my in-laws. It was difficult to find a property that suit our needs but my patience and diligence paid off! I cant wait to move in with my very small family, and I am already imagining all the things I could buy for the new house, e.g. candles, knives!!! Hahaha….
At the PWP promo, I think they were RM59 and RM79 respectively but I might have remembered wrong. They were about 60% off so they usually retail for about RM130 and up. Have been considering getting the set in the knife block though, although the price is staggering! Congratulations on your new house! It’s going to be a fun journey doing it up and making it a home 🙂
Definitely my P90X workout DVDs!
Nice one! An impetus to a good workout 🙂
Mine has to be my pole. 🙂 I had it installed in my house for practice and because of it I have grown stronger and more confident.
Oh man, the things I see you do on your pole boggles my mind! Amazing stuff, Jacqueline!
Aw…., thank you Paris. Merry Christmas my dear!
Mine has to be my Michael Kors tote (with zip top). Bought it last year around this time and has been using it almost everyday this year 😀
Nice pick Effa! I would have picked one for myself if I hadn’t put myself on a bag ban 😀 What colour is yours?
I bought the bag in Luggage. I bought another MK Selma bag in Navy last April but ended up giving it to my mom. It’s quite a heavy bag to be handheld but I love that its a structured bag. I’m bought another bag today, Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB tote in Navy 😛 Haha
Haha! Bags! A girl after my own heart 😉 I quite like the RM MAB but mine is the mini one that isn’t very mini at all! I do find it a bit too heavy though so I haven’t been carrying it as often as I should. Hope you’re loving yours!
Ramekins! I bought 2 this year because I wanted to make soufflé so badly and I was over the moon when my soufflé turned out great. Gonna get more ramekins so that I can make more at one go 😀
Wow! It’s so hard to get a souffle right, kudos on getting a great souffle and I’m sure the new ramekins help too! 😀 Now to get more and make more great souffles 😀 Do you do savoury or sweet ones?
Yes knife is so important. It’s better to get cut with a sharp knife than a blunt one. :p But I hope you won’t have to face that, ever. 🙂
For me… my favourite is my oven. I’ve been using it A LOT and I am developing a passion for baking this year. The smell of freshly baked bread / muffins (the ONLY things I can make now) is priceless. <3
Speaking of getting cut, I did get cut just 2 days ago! LOL Sliced my thumb open but probably thankfully with a sharp knife as opposed to a blunt one (although with a blunt knife I might not have gotten cut at all!) Oh I love ovens! Mine is starting to act up but I’m hoping to get a new one soon. I don’t bake (can’t follow instructions to save my life!) but I love baking, grilling and roasting foods in there. They make such easy meals because you can leave them in the oven and go off and do your own thing!
Yes I love making food with my oven too! Although in the summer time it’s unbearable with the oven turned on… oh well. I guess I could make full use of the cooler temperature at the moment. 🙂
Yikes! Sorry to hear about your thumb!! Must have hurt a lot! A little tip (but one that hurts like hell) when getting cut: squeeze lime or lemon juice on the wound. The acidity is supposed to make blood clots very fast. But man, it really hurts!!
Being sharp, it was a clean cut so healed quite quickly 🙂 I actually sometimes feel a bit mad for cooking in the oven here where it’s hot but then I figure, heck! When else will I eat baked/roasted food? haha
I was going to say my dog but you did say item so I’ll be boring and say my all in one food processor cum blender cum citrus-er. For a Kenwood that’s less than $100 and does all that, I thought it was an absolute bargain.
Oh what the heck, my dog! 😛
Haha I was waiting for you to say Janey to be honest! 😀 Although a food processor is nice too! I’m waiting to get one next year! 😀
My Spiralizer hands down! Making noodles out of zucchini and butternut squash is AMAZING. 🙂
Oh man I want to get one! I have never seen one here but I’ve seen it on Amazon so I hope it ships here because I want one! Zucchini noodles? Yes please! 😀
Interesting post! Mine has got to be the Sony 1-RNC noise cancelling headphones I got earlier this year. It helps me sleep on long journeys, focus at work, and love the sound of music all over again. Isn’t it funny how one single thing can bring lifestyle transformation and some things you hope will do so fall way short of expectations?
I’ve heard so much about noise cancelling headphones, Tracy! I can imagine it would be perfect for travel especially if you are trapped in a plane with crying babies >.< I should look to get one and Sony you said? 😉
It probably has to be my Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine! I like how easily I can make a regular coffee as well as a cappuccino when I’m still half-asleep in the morning 🙂
That’s awesome Sunny! I have read so much about the Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine but still contemplating if I should take my coffee affair one step further 🙂 Glad you have yours!
Woooh! Coffee lover after my own heart, Sunny! I opted for the Nespresso (I actually forgot about it for this post LOL! I’m too enamoured with my knives) but I’ve heard the Dolce Gusto is good too and the variety is amazing!
I drink more other coffee than espresso, so I’m happy with Dolce Gusto!
Ah that will explain it 🙂 I usually take my coffees black so the Nespresso was the right choice for me! 😀
Good choice! I like the Cafe au lait. I would have gotten it if not my new workplace has the machine in the pantry! =D I just have to buy the bullets.
Good knives are to a master chef like good brushes are to a beautyholic 🙂 My favourite purchase this year would be a pair of Rockport heels. Life is too short for uncomfortable shoes.
Well said, Jennifer! Far from being a masterchef but with a set of good knives I can always pretend I am 😀 Oh and you got Rockport heels! I’ve been eyeing a pair for the longest time. You’re absolutely right though. Nothing beats a good pair of heels!
Good knives are important I agree 🙂 I think my fave has to be my mini iPod. I don’t think I can run without it. Phone is too bulky and I hate it when someone calls me in the middle of a song. The mini, I can just clip it on my sports bra and run with good music!
Good job on running! That’s something I most definitely cannot and will not do (being a terrible sloth LOL) so the mini ipod is a nice pick. Would be so boring otherwise without some form of entertainment to keep you going right?
i absolutely can relate to the woes of having blunt knives, it can totally kill me…or not!
not sure what’s my non-favorite beauty item of the year…it’s probably still the bike 😀 or the new addition to the family – nexus 7! love that it’s even lighter than a ipad mini 😀
Wah I’ve heard the Nexus 7 is awesome! I’m still with the ipad which I use mostly for surfing anyway and not much more. I don’t even have games on there LOL!
SNAP! haha. First the Canon cams and now Zwilling JA Henckels knives… what are the odds!
I have the 8″ chef’s knife, 6″ utility, 5″ serrated, 8″ bread knife, and a 4″ parring; and not forgetting the fillet knife, gifted to me for my birthday a couple of years back by my staffs. I do abuse the knives needlessly though, using my bread knife for everything and anything hard to cut. The serrated blade just works so well. I have had to send the chef and utility knives for sharpening twice..the service is free so it is not too bad. Just the bother to send them to the Pavillion outlet. I love the knives so much that I bought my mom the 7 pcs block set!! But my mom being attached to the good old days, keep them nice and shiny for show on her kitchen counter..tsk! tsk!
Riding on my love for the Henckle knives I bought the set of 3 pots a few years ago….sadly, don’t love them as much as I love the knives. They are nice and shiny out of the box but cleaning them is a b**ch. Can’t beat the wok i bought at pasar pudu or even the korea king marble coated pan. That said, I have had my eyes on a dutch oven for a while now….just waiting to take a plunge…
OMG Ishi! LOL! I can’t believe we’ve matched fave items 2 years now 😀 Ahh you have a nice collection of Zwilling knives! I’m thinking of getting the paring one and maybe one of the multi purpose ones and a cleaver to round off the collection. Had been eyeing the 7 piece set in the block for a while but the price! *gulp* I didn’t know we can send them back for sharpening! That’s awesome to know, thanks! Oh stainless steel pots are a real pain! I have some but despite their name, they do stain and the cleaning! Oh my! I always find myself going back to my non-stick pots 😛 I have been eyeing a dutch oven too! LOL! Le Creuset has my eye but not my wallet thankfully 😛
I vote my iPhone 5! Hahhaha
I heard they’re coming out with a 6 in May! :O
hands down my oven! along with full time job and blogging..I am also a full time baker and cannot live without my baking essentials!
Wow Parita, you are quite a busy lady! Hats off to you! And I take my hat off to anyone who can bake because I can’t LOL That’s so awesome. Maybe one day I”ll get to taste your baked goods 😀
Yes! Good knives are essential. I got my first tablet this year and it has made travel a lot easier, so I’d have to go with that… no more lugging around a heavy laptop. 🙂
Ooh tablets are wonderful for people who commute a lot so yay for not having to lug a heavy lap top around! 😀
It has to be Kindle for me, I think. I’ve been reading from it all the time. Best invention ever, after mp3 player, which I am never without.
Ahhh I can never get the hang of e-books, but if I commute a lot, I imagine a Kindle would be an awesome gadget to own 😀
I have the whole set but I have yet to use them! Strangely enough I am waiting for a special occasion to bust them out. Imagine that, waiting for a special occasion to use a set of knives…go figure :-). Happy holidays Paris and have a wonderful new year!
Hahaha I know exactly what you mean you know! I bought it at the end of the year and didn’t take it out to use till halfway through the year and then I wondered why I ever waited so long! I’m so jealous you have the whole set! 2014 shall be the special occasion, so bust it out 😀 Happy New Year my dear!