I keep looking through Oprah’s favorite things, seeing stuff I like and wondering if I can get it cheaper. Here’s a link to the last post we did with afforable alternatives to Oprah’s favorite things and there’s more below. Ooh I have to say that I have been using that Lavish Lash eyelash serum almost every day and that it works! It took me a while to review it as I wanted to see if it made a difference. I do think my lashes are getting longer as I haven’t switched mascara and they’re bumping my eyelids now. Also I bought this hair treatment stuff by Garnier called Sleek Shot, you mix it with your shampoo in the shower in a one to one ratio. It’s supposed to reduce styling time which I don’t know if it did, but I can’t believe how gorgeous my hair looked afterwards! I didn’t use any other products and it looked like I got a blowout. At first I thought that my hair wasn’t getting as clean with it so I washed it twice that way, but afterwards the results were so worth it. Some people don’t like it but my hair was amazing. Here are some of Oprah’s favorite things and less expensive alternatives. I’m not focusing on the reviews as much as trying to match Oprah’s products. Hecate also contributed this week! She is helping so much with these.
Oprah’s choice: A $195 dimmable light-up makeup mirror with a phone clip for selfies
Affordable alternative: A $35 fold-out dimmable light-up makeup mirror
This dimmable magnifying makeup mirror Oprah is recommending sounds great in theory. It has a place to clip your phone and it’s enabled with bluetooth so it’s easier to take selfies. In practice people say it doesn’t hold a charge, breaks easily and that the selfie function is useless because it’s too bright to take decent photos. Seeing Oprah’s mirror made me want a different one and I found this $35 light-up LED makeup mirror by AirExpect, which is the number one seller in this category. It has three different mirrors, a main mirror and two fold-in side mirrors, all with different magnifying power. You can dim the lights, adjust the brightness and use different color settings. It also is adjustable for the perfect angle. Reviewers call it “perfect,” “a freaking steal” and say it “exceeded expectations.”
Oprah’s choice: An $1,600 exercise bike with a built-in tablet and class subscription
Affordable alternative: A $300 exercise bike and free YouTube spin videos
I’m sure Oprah gets so many kickbacks for these recommendations and there’s no shame in that I’m just saying it explains why she’s recommending this crazy expensive bike by Flywheel. Also, she’s richer than small countries. If you can afford $1,600 for a spin bike with a tablet and two months worth of classes I’m sure it’s great, but that price point is so high. I understand that many people have Peloton bikes and love them, but they seem gimmicky to me. I have a $200 used Schwinn spin bike in my living room which I got at Play It Again sports and I do free classes off YouTube. I either stream them on my TV or laptop, my Macbook Air fits right on the handlebars, however I’m not sure if one would fit on this Sunny bike. (Favorites are Studio Sweat and Global Cycling Network.) This Sunny spin bike is decently reviewed and is under $300 on Amazon. A lot of people just use the Peloton app with it to get more variety in classes. That saves you over $1,000.
Oprah’s choice: $195 beaded stacked bracelets
Affordable alternative: A set of stackable beaded stretch bracelets for around $16
Helen Mirren has been rocking gorgeous stacked bracelets on the red carpet and I want a couple! There’s no way I would pay nearly $200 for one though. This set of stackable beaded stretch bracelets by Riah comes in eight different color options and is only $16. Of course it’s cheaper in materials and doesn’t look as high end as the other one but it’s only $16! Here’s a fun alternative: a boho-look leather cuff magnetized bracelet that comes in so many different cute colors and designs.
Oprah’s choice: $88 for two pounds of bath salts in a pretty tin
Affordable alternative: $15 for one pound of organic dead sea salt bath salt
How can bath salts cost this much money? The packaging is pretty but that’s about it. If you want a nice gift to give a friend, the Era-organics blend of bath salts is specially made to reduce muscle soreness with dead sea salt, epsom salt and essential oils. If you’d like to really save, here are nice lavender-scented bath salts from the Amazon brand, Solimo. You get 18 pounds for $20 and you can make gifts out of it with pretty tins. Here are some decorative tins which are small but would make great little presents.
Oprah’s choice: Hand poured scented wax candles, $55 for a 10 ounce candle
Affordable alternative: Hand poured scented soy candles, $20 for 9 ounces
$55 for one candle that’s outrageous! We got asked for nice scented candles and I’m going with these scented soy candles by Lulu, which come in so many different scents, have a similar minimal package design and are just $15 for 6 ounces of product or $20 for 9. I wouldn’t even spend that much though. You can also get candles in glass at the dollar store. They are decent, some are smelly but they have unscented too. For a dollar you can’t go wrong. You could burn down your whole house for the price of one of Oprah’s candles. (Ok maybe I’m cheap sometimes.)
From Hecate: A comfortable and easy-to-inflate air mattress for holiday visitors
There was a request last week for air mattresses to help with holiday guests, which is a great suggestion. Amazon has a lot of choices and a variety of prices, but they don’t have very good Fakespot grades. This air mattress is just under $50 and it’s the Intext brand. My mom has an Intex air mattress which I’ve slept on, it’s pretty comfortable. Reviews say, “Pretty comfortable considering it’s air mattress. Seems to have good support,” and “It is easy to inflate/deflate, easy to fold and store, comfortable and did not move around on carpet or hardwood floors,” so it fits all your holiday guest needs.
From Hecate: An 8” waffle maker and griddle under $30
I made the mistake of taking my kids to a Waffle House on our southern trip the summer before last. Since then, I am reminded every time I put waffles on the table that they are not Waffle House quality. So I’m on the hunt for a waffle maker that is not a Belgian maker. I have the mini version of this waffle maker and I really like it, it just takes forever to make breakfast for four people. So I’m thinking about this 8” version and I like that it can be used as a griddle as well. According to the reviews, “The waffles don’t take long to make and they brown evenly and just the right amount” and “The interior is also non-stick so it is really easy to clean which was a huge bonus for me.” Yup, this sounds like the one for me. Now all I need is to track down a Waffle House copycat recipe.
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