If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hairspray and the electric toothbrush. We asked pop trio Avenue Beat’s Sami Bearden, Savana Santos, and Sam Backoff — whose single “#F2020” became a pandemic anthem on TikTok — about the video games, romance novels, and essential oils they can’t live without.
Sami Bearden
I’ve had bright, colorful hair since high school. Now, it has become such a pandemic thing — everybody has a little bit of a breakdown and dyes their own hair. If I may recommend one dye brand, it’s Arctic Fox. They rock. It’s vegan and cruelty-free which — hello — is amazing. It also conditions, because it doesn’t have ammonia or any of those horrible things. In fact, my hair feels softer after I use it. My favorite color is “Neverland,” a really pretty minty green, but I’ve also used “Sunset Orange” and a purple called “Girls Night.” I’ve gone from orange to light blonde to green to brown during quarantine.
It’s peak romance, but it’s not just romance. The main character is a fully developed and badass character, and there’s so much going on. It’s just good. Every woman who’s at least partially attracted to men wants a giant Scottish dude who’s a fighter but who has a gentle soul. There are four or five books and a TV show. I’ve watched the first season, and I fully intend to breeze through the rest.
I think for anyone who makes a living being creative, it’s important to have an outlet where you can be creative that’s not monetizable. I draw on my iPad with my Apple Pencil. I use ProCreate, which is the funniest name of all time. I do a lot of portraits of people and caricatures, but I’m all across the board. In eighth grade, I was really into Disney and wanted to be a Disney animator. Maybe when I’m 50, I’ll pull a 180 and do that.
I don’t know that I’ve ever met a soup I didn’t like, but Trader Joe’s tomato and red pepper soup is unmatched. Take a little bit of a Trader Joe’s bagel, toast it, put some cheese on it, rip it, dip it in the soup. Incredible. Immaculate.
Savana Santos
I love literally everything about Golden Hour. The first time I listened to it, I listened all the way through, and it was a spiritual experience. For real. I’ve listened to it more than 100 times. It’s my go-to.
I don’t want to sound like a nerd, but I play The Sims probably every other night. Whenever I want to escape my reality, I just go to that reality on my laptop. I’ve literally been playing Sims since the first one came out. I’d play it on our family computer in the living room of my childhood home. Sims was everything and will always be everything to me.
Häagen Dazs coffee ice cream was always stocked in the freezer when I was growing up. My dad ate it every night. It’s a family tradition at this point — now I keep it stocked in my freezer. I eat too much ice cream, it’s really not good for me.
The Office is the best escape from my problems. When I put it on, everything else fades away. I only recently got into it, like a year and a half, two years ago. But it’s everything to me now.
It’s a giant white hoodie with a Puma logo. I wear it with black biker shorts. It’s just a fit, it’s comfy, and it makes me feel good. I love to go lazy — lazy is the way.
Sam Backoff
I have a big oversized sweatshirt that I got at her concert. I’ve been to three or four of her shows, more than any other artist. I have a couple T-shirts from different Ariana eras, too. I love wearing them with bike shorts or baggy mom jeans and Doc Martens.
I’m glued to it. I’m the one who responds to all of the DMs on Avenue Beat’s social-media accounts and I’m always on TikTok because I have a problem and I can’t stop. I’m not mad about it, though. Instagram is probably my most-used app, or Snapchat — I Snapchat my little sister all the time.
Because I’m always on my phone, I have to have a phone charger. I don’t carry a purse — I’ll have my phone, my keys, and my phone charger in my hand everywhere I go. I like the extra-long ones, because what if the outlet is too far away from where I’m trying to sit? My mom actually just ordered me a pack of three or four. I go through them so fast.
My mom got me started on essential oils because I’m a super-anxious person. They smell good, they put me at peace. I don’t know whether it’s actually working or not, but it calms me down. I have a diffuser in my kitchen and another one in my bedroom that I use at night. I mostly use essential oils with a diffuser, but I have a roller that I use on my wrist when I’m really anxious. I’ve used it for years, but in the last couple of months, I’ve been cracking it open more than usual.
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