Nice things we treated ourselves to this month
February was all about jelly, kefir grains and suburban homewares...
February flew by, huh? It began with Laneway, where Rebecca indulged in some brat green jelly shots, and wrapped up with Zoe’s unintentional woo-woo phase (via consumerism). This month’s purchases were a signature Ensemble mix: practical picks like homewares and notebooks, balanced with a touch of frivolity (those jelly shots, and a jelly lip gloss).
As always, this is a strictly #gifted free zone – everything below was bought with our own money and we genuinely think you might like them too.
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Violette_FR Bisou Jelly, $54, from Mecca
As soon as I bought this, I took a pic and sent it to Rebecca with the message, “Ensemble has a Violette problem”. Pretty sure we’ve single-handedly helped clear out Mecca Ponsonby’s stock.
I already own two Bisou Balms but after being relentlessly targeted by TikTok ads, I couldn’t resist the new Jellys when they finally landed here. They’ve got a pigmented core with a jelly outer (which isn’t that hydrating, tbh), making them a mix of gloss and sheer lipstick. Plus, they look delicious; hence the names. I bought Bonbon Caramel, a brownish shade, but wish I’d gone for the red Pomme d’Amour. — Zoe Walker Ahwa
Gregg’s lime jello crystals, $1.60, from Woolworths
Because I seem to be in denial about my geriatric suburban existence, I tried to think of something classy to take to pre-Laneway drinks and brat jello shots was what I landed on. There’s really nothing else to say about that questionable life decision except, thank goodness summer is nearly over? — Rebecca Wadey
Milk kefir grains, $30, and water kefir grains, $30, from Symbiota
Is it completely predictable of me to follow up brat jello shots with fermentation experiments? Apologies for being such a cliche. Long time readers will know I’m always looking to improve my gut health (“put down the jello shots,” you say) and after a few years of making my own kombucha, I have now switched to kefir.
I really wanted to love milk kefir and I did a few batches which were… edible. But then I went away for a weekend and my grains suspiciously died (no one in my household is prepared to accept the blame for this, but all seemed relieved the house no longer smelt like sour milk). On the other hand my water kefir is flourishing and I have a steady rotation of first and second ferments, lots of gifts for friends and some healthy competition going on with my husband who is now trying to muscle in on the action. — RW
Crystal suncatcher, $15, from Crystal Mountain
Sometimes you just need to drive out west to buy a crystal from Crystal Mountain. Which is what we did one weekend when I was fixated on finding one of these hanging suncatchers to bring the vibes (and rainbows) to my new home office. The store/gallery has a weird energy and a quite odd mix of all those crystals, an animal park and ‘dinosaur gully’ outside and peacocks in the carpark (trigger warning for fellow bird phobics). But it’s worth the drive if you too have a crystal fixation.
(We also have this suncatcher sticker from Garden Objects stuck to our kitchen window; it’s for kids but also the young at heart). – ZWA
MamaZing Nebulous kombucha, about $14 (I can’t remember, sorry!)
This and the crystal above make it seem like I was on some kind of wellness/spiritual kick but I swear I’m just as cynical as ever. I bought this purely for the genuine hippie graphic design – a branding agency could never. It was from the (I think anti vax 🫤) health store in Mangawhai which, as a lover of any kind of provisions-heavy shoppy shop, was very good. – ZWA
Le Creuset yellow butter dish, $85
Speaking of a geriatric suburban existence: I celebrated my wedding anniversary this week. We always get something small for the household based on the given theme of the year. 18 years (!!) is porcelain and much as I liked the idea of jaunting off to Turkey for some veneers, instead I settled on this butter dish, extremely important as we head into hot cross bun season.
I like my butter hard so it doesn’t sink into hot carbs too easily while my husband prefers it easily spreadable. So hopefully this dish provides harmony in the household. And if that’s not the most banal heteronormative paragraph you’ve ever read… I completely understand if it puts you off marriage for life. Also yes, I realise this would’ve been much cooler if it was a cute artisanal handcrafted ceramic, but we’ve tried those before and they were weren’t particularly functional (think, butter fingers), so I went with a tried and true brand. — RW
Dyson crevice tool, $17
When I did my annual end of year clear out of household crap, I must’ve accidentally thrown out the most used attachment on our Dyson vacuum. This is its replacement, which still hasn’t arrived so I’m worried Mighty Ape is actually a scam. – ZWA
Monikers, $55, from The Board Gamers
On my recent Scandinavian trip, we were stuck inside during a snowstorm with the most incredible group of people from around the world including friends from Austin TX, who are absolute board game connoisseurs. They even make their own games, including this one designed a few years back by my husband (the link says sold out but honestly I think he bought most of those copies himself so hit me up if you want a film-themed board game). Anyway, we were in Sweden with not a board game in sight, but our friends made their own Scandinavian version of their favourite game Monikers. It was so much fun I immediately bought a set upon arrival home. Obviously we haven’t had inclement weather yet, but I’ll be pulling this out the moment we do. — RW
Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt, $10
I didn’t realise my favourite chocolate brand was from the Netherlands, until I was walking through Amsterdam on Boxing Day and saw the biggest queue of people I’d seen since taking my kids to the Mona Lisa the week previously. I couldn’t quite bring myself to queue hours for chocolate, but if I was going to for any chocolate it would be this one. I can’t help myself picking it up while queuing at Farro (I know, I am unemployed, I need to stop going to Farro!) and always this flavour. I was going away by myself to the Coromandel where I live a very simple existence - but chocolate before bed is mandatory. — RW
Vintage Karen Walker and Kate Sylvester dresses
I’ve written before about my habit / stress release of trawling sites like TradeMe, Designer Wardrobe and eBay for old-season pieces from KW and KS (I also search for Marilyn Sainty). I can spot out something from an ‘old’ collection quickly; these recent purchases were from Kate’s Stop your Sobbing 2005 range, and Karen’s jockey-inspired Lucky in 2008. Both were made in New Zealand, showing how locally well-made garments last. – ZWA (NB: I did have a gifted voucher from Designer Wardrobe)
The Important Flowers 2025 planner by Sofia Coppola
This is another one you can’t actually buy, sorry. But I have to include it because, Sofia Coppola. (Also, I actually picked it up in January but we didn’t do Nice Things at the end of last month). The first shipment of this planner at Lamplight Books at the end of last year sold out so quickly, but I put my name down for the second (and last) drop and managed to nab one.
It’s so pretty that I was hesitant to write in it at first; it emulates the director’s own diary, apparently, with monthly and weekly calendars, pages for notes, a dusty pink linen cover and pages where you can list the books, films, restaurants and hotels (so Sofia) you want to try. There’s also a printed ‘handwritten’ note from Sofia and now book publisher saying, ‘have a good year!’. It’s near impossible to find the 2025 anywhere to buy online, but you can put your name down at Lamplight for the 2026 planner. It’s blue! – ZWA