Here Are A Bunch Of Things That My Algorithms Have Convinced Me To Want Or Gift This Holiday Season

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Dear Santa Claus and colleagues,

Hello! This is Steffi Cao from BuzzFeed News. As you may know, I am a very online person, and even more of a procrastinator, but this year social media has truly influenced my shopping habits. I was hoping to discuss, gift-giver to gift-giver, the various algorithm-inspired purchases I have personally enjoyed and will be presenting to friends and family, as well as the things on my holiday wish list. Thank you for your time.

Here are all the things I will be gifting:

• YouTuber Jihyunkkung was one of my favorite creators this year — I greatly enjoyed watching her pack her lunch and make dinners for herself. It inspired me to buy a bento box for my own back-to-office lunches, which has brought so much joy and excitement toward making meals and going on picnics. (Rico Nasty also packs bento box lunches for her son, which are a TikTok delight.) I’m looking at this one, this one, and this one for friends who are back in offices and classrooms!
• The return of eye glitter on TikTok (whether in the crying-girl look, the Douyin-inspired makeup trends, or glitter cut creases) inspired me to buy the Stila glitter liquid eyeshadow, and I loved it so much I not only wrote about it before, but I will be giving more glitter products to my friends. I’m currently comparing the beloved Stila glitter, the 3CE glitter, as well as the more affordable e.l.f. and Etude House ones.
• A good notebook is one of those items I would never buy for myself but always appreciate receiving as a gift. As Twitter decays, I found myself instead using the aforementioned notebook to process my thoughts and then rehash them in therapy instead of tweeting them. I will be giving this to those who were in an uproar over that woman who drinks coffee with her husband in their backyard.
• Gold jewelry was a constant advertisement on my Instagram feed, and several lifestyle influencers (I’m a Matilda minion more so than a Bella bot) would often post their ring stacks and jewelry collection. As a result, I have accumulated a few pieces I love. I’ll be gifting my family things from my favorite affordable brands, Stella & Haas and Bruna Lima Jewelry.

Here are all the things on my own wish list:

• Charles Gross’s holiday list for BuzzFeed News was the epitome of aspirational luxury, but alas my family isn’t buying me a $2,400 Louis Vuitton trunk. However, he included a candle, and fancy candles make me feel like a cool, fashionable influencer, such as the vanilla-and-clove-scented Contribution candle from LaRoux and the yuzu-inspired scent Lotus Blossom from Monday Eve & Co.
• Shabaz Says is still one of my favorite TikTokers to watch. And although his videos often mock the influencers who have time to refill their freezers with different kinds of ice, a specialty ice tray is on my wish list just in the hopes of one day becoming someone Shabaz drags across his platform. I like the idea of fancy lemon-infused ice! That sounds like a treat.
• The K-pop idol false-lashes trend took over TikTok earlier this year and changed my entire relationship to putting on falsies. It’s difficult to learn to do them for your eye shape, but this trend, and the many new tutorials on social media for different types of eyes, has made me want to buy even more kinds of lashes to play with! Here are a few that I’ve seen while scrolling.

Thanks, Santa.