Bento boxes for the cutest lunches, affordable ballet flats and another phone holder

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I got the under sink storage rack for under my kitchen sink and it looks so clean under there now! It was very easy to set up, although I had to ask my kid to arrange it properly around the pipes, which took him less than a minute. I also got the Naturopathica Gota Kula Intense Repair Balm which Giddy recommended in the last post! It’s a rich almost solid salve that really feels nice around my eyes and has helped treat that area (the dry skin was almost gone already so I can’t say if it would have worked for that). I also used it on my cuticles on my feet and hands and on my lips! It seems like it will last a while as a little goes a long way. (Update: Amazon restocked this so you can still get it for $18!) Here are some more products I want or have ordered.

Two ounces of pure hyaluronic acid serum for $15!
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I’ve been using that three serum set from Eve Hanson and I particularly like the hyaluronic acid as it feels soothing and moisturizing. I use it in the morning as it doesn’t cause redness for me like retinol sometimes can. I highly recommend that set, which has 3 total ounces of product. It’s lasting a long time as you need less than a dropperful to treat your whole face. This hyaluronic acid by cosmedica is just $15 for two ounces! It has over 8,300(!) reviews, 4.3 stars and an A from Fakespot! You can get four ounces of it for less than $24. Women call this “absolutely the best,” say “I honestly saw a difference in my face,” that it gives “visible results,” reduces acne bumps and that improves “skin tone and softness.”

A solid belt hanger to organize all your belts and/or ties
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I rigged up a belt hanger using regular hangers and S hooks and it seemed like a great idea at the time. In reality it was a total mess and the belts fell down a lot. I bought two of these belt hangers for $17, they are also available in a single hanger which holds 12 for $12. This was just what I needed and I’m kicking myself for not buying it sooner. This hanger by Ohuhu has 357 ratings, 4.7 stars and an A from Fakespot. It really helped clean up my belt area. All but the tiniest skinny belt buckles fit the hooks and for the smallest ones I just drape the belt over the hook. This holds a ton of heavy belts, you can put more than one on each hook, and it’s solid without tipping to either side like my DIY belt holder. Really pleased with this purchase.

A bento box to pack fresh portion controlled lunches
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I was asked by Agnes to find bento boxes and rice molds for kids. She would like to pack cute and healthy lunches for her six year-old and is craftier than me. She also wanted some rice molds. I found these food cutters and bread stamps of animals which also work as rice molds. (That product has 4.4 stars, 468 reviews and an A from Fakespot.) The bento boxes by Yumbox (above) are leakproof and have 4.1 stars, 116 reviews and an A from Fakespot. They come in blue, pink, gray and in multiple sizes which you can see on their product page. If you’re looking for a portion-controlled tupperware-like containers I bought a product similar to this a few years ago when I used to pack my son’s lunches.

Ballet flats that are just as versatile as pricier brands
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I keep looking at the Rothys ballet flats but they’re so expensive! You can’t get them much cheaper on eBay either. The competing brands are only slightly more affordable. These ballet flats by Amazon essentials are just $17 and they come in sizes 5 to 13. I’m ordering the bronze ones to go with my new silver purse! They have 775 ratings, 4.4 stars and a C from Fakespot, which is about as good as you can expect from most clothing and shoes on Amazon. People call these “fantastic,” “cute and comfortable” and the “best budget flats ever.”

A car phone vent holder that really works
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Why is it so hard to find a good phone holder for your car? I recommended one, bought a different one which I liked and recommend (that MPow one) and it broke after three months. My friend has this one by Lamicall and I was so impressed by how elegant it looks and how well it works. It has just a couple of moving parts and looks like it will last longer. I’ve only had it for a few days so I can’t vouch for its longevity, but so far it works perfectly. This has 4.7 stars, 232 reviews and a B from from Fakespot.

Rainbow sneakers to brighten up your fall days
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Ever since I saw a post on Go Fug Yourself with rainbow sneakers I’ve wanted a pair! These supercute knit sneakers by Sketchers have a pretty pastel rainbow curve design on the back and sides. So far they only have 8 reviews but that’s ok I can still get them. I also really like these Anne Klein rainbow wedges but I own so many wedges I can’t justify another pair right now. (You know how it is when you go shopping with your friends and end up buying stuff you wouldn’t get if you were alone. Just tell me I need them and I will buy them.)

A personal fan for hot days and hot flashes
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Two women I know are carrying little fans with them for hot flashes, which are not an issue for me yet but I want one for hotter days. This colorful necklace fan by 02 Cool comes in packs of 2 for $16 and can provide relief when you’re outdoors, working in the yard, or just whenever you need it. This has 671 reviews, 4.3 stars and an A from Fakespot. I also had the chance to test one out and it has a nice breeze. People call them a “lifesaver,” “powerful and quiet” and “a nice little fan.”

Thanks for commenting and reading our affiliate post! Please let me know if you have any recommendations. (Also I ordered the cooler featured last week and it’s coming tomorrow. I’ll report back on how it works once I get a chance to use it.)

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44 Responses to “Bento boxes for the cutest lunches, affordable ballet flats and another phone holder”

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  1. Meghan says:

    I have tendonitis so my cheapo $5 flats from Wal-Mart just aren’t cutting it anymore. I keep looking at Rothy’s but they’re so expensive and I’m afraid I will wear them a couple of times and end up not liking them. Maybe I will check out the flats above. I did order the wrap dress on Prime Day and it is so cute!

    • Becks1 says:

      I have rothys, if you need support these aren’t going to cut it. They are better than Tieks, and they are comfy in that they have more cushion to them, and they’re cute, but they aren’t great for support. I have plantar fasciitis in both feet and I can only wear my rothy’s if i’m not walking a lot (like I’m wearing them now, at the office, but I wore a different pair of shoes to walk from the car to my desk.) But the washable aspect of it is pretty cool.

      • Meghan says:

        Thanks for saving me some money! I just know myself and if it fits funny or feels weird, or as you say I can’t walk a lot in them, they’ll just be shoved in my closet and forgotten about. With $17 flats if I can’t wear them to the office at least I could wear them for errands. And my work has been really nice with letting me wear tennis shoes if my foot is bothering me a lot. Hopefully it goes away soon, it went away in my left foot so now I patiently wait for it to go away in my right foot.

      • Lindy says:

        I second this. A friend gave me a pair of Rothys that she’d ordered but that were too small for her. They’re fine and reasonably comfortable but I don’t think they have much more support than thev average basket flat.

        I have years of running injuries and am prone to plantar fasciitis, and basically I wear Birks every day. I get sad sometimes about rarely wearing cute shoes anymore:-(

        One tip if you have plantar fasciitis: the Graston massage technique from a certified practitioner plus Birks plus low-dye taping and mine disappeared.

        Guess where I learned about all that? Right here on CB about 3 years ago!! I wish I could remember who mentioned it so I could say thanks.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Lindy I wear birks all the time too! They are the shoes that I wore from the car to my desk this morning, lol. i’m going to look up that massage technique and then taping. I saw a chiro a few years ago for it and it helped somewhat, but not that much.

      • Celebitchy says:

        @Lindy that was Lizzie in 2017 . She’s still here! She just commented on the Liam Hemsworth story if you want to tell her thanks. -Update- here’s the link to her newest comment and she has the same email address which we can see in our backend.

      • tealily says:

        Man I have plantar fasciitis too and I can’t wear ANYTHING! I’m having a really tough time getting through the day in anything but Asics. I just got some slip-on Vionics so that I can wear something that doesn’t look crazy with my dresses and skirts. They’re super comfortable in the footbed, but they’re too wide for my heels and have been tearing them up.

        @Celebitchy, want to help hunt down some cute/supportive shoes? Bonus points if they come in narrow!

        ETA: @Lindy, thanks for that recommendation. I just Googled it and I see that a chiropractor’s office I used to go to offers Graston. Booking an appointment today!!

      • Becks1 says:

        @Celebitchy I am super impressed you were able to find that comment so quickly, lol.

      • Lindy says:

        Oh my gosh, CB, you’re awesome to have tracked down that comment from 3 years ago! I had a crazy few days with work and kids so I missed this the other day. I’m going to stalk comments till Lizzie comments again somewhere and thank her. It really changed my life–chronic pain is no joke and the help with plantar fasciitis was incredibly valuable.

        Reason number 10000000 that I love this site and the commenters. It’s a pretty cool little community.

        Also, from the perspective of someone who works in tech–your returning active user numbers must be pretty amazing!:-)

    • LadyMTL says:

      I pretty much had to stop wearing cheap ballet flats because they were wrecking me, lol. (I used to get them from Payless.) I have flat feet and a bad back, and now I need to have decent arch support in pretty much every shoe I wear.

      My aunt has a pair of Skechers flats and she really likes them, but I’ve never tried that brand.
      I’ve also heard good things about Vionic but they’re not cheap, and some of their styles are just flat-out ugly IMHO.

      • tealily says:

        I posted before I read your comment… I just bought some Vionics on sale at 6pm.com. They’re really comfy, but not quite the right shape for my foot. I’m going to try another style though. Can’t beat the prices on that site! The only problem is if you’re trying a couple sizes, you have to pay for the returns yourself (unlike Zappos).

    • BeanieBean says:

      Try Taryn Rose shoes. She’s a podiatrist who went into the shoe business.

    • Tigerlily says:

      I have severe plantar fasciitis & over pronation. I tried a pair of Vionic dress shoes but they caused ankle/tendon issues and my podiatrist told me that they don’t provide enough “stability” or motion control. I’ve given up on anything but running shoes that can accommodate my custom orthotics. A trip I took to UK a year ago involved a fair bit of walking on cobblestone surfaces. I wore my Eddie Bauer Lukla lightweight hikers mostly & they were great. More recently on a trip to Italy (that also involved walking) I wore a pair of Merrell mary janes that have “wet grip” soles. These also performed very well. I have kind of resigned myself to not being able to wear pretty shoes as wearing “proper” footwear keeps my feet happy. I also have RA so it’s good to keep my feet as issue-free as possible.

  2. Jessica says:

    anyone know of quality-ish shoes inn amazon for cheap that actually offer cushioning and arch support?

  3. astrid says:

    Just bought the flats in black with some low cut socks.

  4. Agnes says:

    Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely get several things from this list. Lol

  5. JV says:

    I have one of those little fans because I am ALWAYS hot, and while I wouldn’t call it “powerful,” it does help take the edge off. It lives in my purse so I can always pull it out at a moment’s notice!

  6. Emmet says:

    What I am looking for?

    Decent skirt hangers, any recommendations?

  7. original_kellybean says:

    What a ripoff! That hyaluronic acid is $36 on amazon Canada. We are always so ripped off. Boo! But at least we have healthcare…

    • Anners says:

      🤣 amazing! I’m always sad that the cute stuff on here is either 150% more expensive or can’t be shipped to Canada. Le sigh.

  8. Cee says:

    Word of advice on hyaluronic acid, or any acids for that matter: go slowly. You don’t know how your skin will react. HA can be very problematic for sensitive skin. Build up a tolerance for it. HA can also suck the moisture out of you and cause more dryness. Acids should always be applied by someone who knows how to work with them.
    HA wrecked my skin and gave me rosacea like pustules (I don’t have rosacea) and a lot of flaky, irritated skin.

    • Celebitchy says:

      I’m so sorry that happened to you! I have been lucky with the acids. I saw this horrible thread on Twitter this weekend about people getting cysts from certain products, nothing included here and I’d never heard of that brand, but that must have been awful.

      • Cee says:

        Thankfully it only took less than a month for my skin to go back to “normal”. One week after suspending HA my skin improved so much I was a bit disappointed it was the HA causing so much damage. It’s crazy because HA is very popular at the moment and can be found in serums, creams, primers, etc. Quite hard to stay away from it.

    • Nocturne says:

      Yes! I have very sensitive skin and hyaluronic acid has been touted as a miracle product by so many, but it makes my skin feel like it was sunburned. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone mentioning it’s bad for sensitive skin, so thank you.

      It only took me three different toners, a serum, a sunscreen and multiple sheet masks to figure it out. Eek.

    • Nocturne says:

      That’s a really interesting article. Thank you for posting the link!

  9. Nicegirl says:

    You are really good at this, I love your product recommendations.

  10. Nicegirl says:

    One thing I’m looking for is a cool window cat hammock. I’m in love 🥰 with my lil Kitty Mouse and she loves watching from windows so I gotta hook her up with a few cool kitty perches. Thank you!

  11. Kimmie says:

    I’m looking for a stylish magazine rack to put under our coffee table. I’ve seen one a while back that was gold/brass and a leather holder, but of course it’s expensive. My LO has many magazine subscriptions for grandparents and doesn’t want to part with them yet. Our coffee table is starting to look like an old bookstore. Lol. If anyone can help find something similar I’d be grateful.
    I really appreciate these posts. I ordered the wrap dress yesterday and can’t wait to try it.

    • Giddy says:

      Kimmie, for a leather look at my husband’s office I used a log carrier from Amazon. They have several that will work for this, you just need to get one that has ends sewn in so that it will stand up. But my favorite option is a galvanized steel tub with leather handles. I bought one on Amazon for $18.00. I then very sparingly used gold and silver leaf on the top edges of the metal and it looks great. Both the gold and silver were imitation to keep costs down, but still look expensive.

      • Kimmie says:

        Thank you, Giddy! I never thought of a log holder. That would actually perfect for what I’m looking for. I bet the galvanized tub looks awesome!

  12. Lila says:

    So tempted by the ballet flats. I’m an Allbirds fan, so I’ve been eyeballing their flats since they came out…but ouch. The price point is better than Rothy’s, but not by much.

  13. TheOriginalMia says:

    I have an O2 Cool fan. It is great. I keep it in my purse and whip it out when I flash.

    • IMUCU says:

      I’ve had a few of those O2 Cool fans now for a few years. They are the best personal fans I’ve come across, great for hot & humid FL weather. I keep 1 in the car, 1 in my travel/camping bag, and an extra to give to visitors who don’t understand how rough summers are in FL until they get here. Also have sent some as gifts to relatives with hot flashes in cooler climates and they like them too!

  14. chlo says:

    Hi! Hopefully someone sees this and can help me out … What was the lip mask for dry lips that numerous people recommended on one of these posts? I think it was the laneige lip mask? I have such dry lips, I need to try something more intensive. Thanks!!

    • Antonym says:

      It was the Laneige lip sleeping mask. I bought it based on the recommendation here.

      South Texas allergies have turned me into a mouth breather (ugh) which in turn has led to parched lips. The mask has been amazing for my lips.

  15. Michelle says:

    My daughter has been using the recommended bento box for two years and we love it. Cute, doesn’t leak, and easy to take apart, wash, and reassemble. It’s also easy for her to open on her own. (Other boxes we tried were difficult to open, leaked, or we were unable to wash parts to my satisfaction.)

  16. vegasschmegas says:

    Love love LOVE these threads.

  17. Antonym says:

    Has anyone ordered bath bombs from Amazon? My lush spending needs to be curbed, but a weekly bath keeps me sane. I tend to be a little concerned about ingredients and I’m just not sure what I can trust on the reviews and there are SO MANY options.

    I bought the closet light from a few weeks ago and love it – though now I feel compelled to reorganize my closet.