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 hair spray and electric toothbrush. We asked comedian and writer Karen Chee — who co-hosts a new podcast, Makes Sense with Chanel & Karen, launching September 28 on all podcasting platforms — about the headlamp she uses to read in bed, the yellow notepad that makes her feel like a “1930s detective,” and the beanbag chair of her childhood dreams.
I got this headlamp because I really wanted to read in bed at night without having to get up and go turn off the light. So I got this, and I was like, This is a huge life hack. I can’t believe nobody else does this. And then I told my friend Chris about it and he was like, ‘Karen, everybody just uses a bedside lamp.’ I don’t know why my brain went straight to headlamp. But it’s kind of fun because now, when I’m reading, it feels like I’m going on an adventure. And it makes you look like Naruto, which is always a huge perk.
I get a lot of adult acne. It really keeps me young. But when I was breaking out a lot, everybody kept recommending salicylic acid serums that were, I’m not even exaggerating, $80, and the bottles were so small. I was like, I just can’t believe this is the solution. But then I went to Sephora and I saw this Ordinary one that was was literally $6.50. I started using it and I think it has legitimately made a big difference. The packaging is very simple, it’s not fancy, but it’s got exactly what I’m looking for. And I saved $74 dollars!
Growing up, I was obsessed with Pottery Barn. I always wanted to walk in when we were at the mall, but my parents were like, ‘It’s so expensive and it sells stuff that we already have — what’s the point of paying all this money for bedsheets?’ So when I moved into my apartment as an adult, living by myself, I was like, I’m gonna get a Pottery Barn beanbag chair. This is my childhood dream come true, and it’s incredible. It’s perfect to read in because your butt doesn’t fall asleep. Also when I watch movies at home, I use a projector to project it on the ceiling and then I lie down in it.
I always stock up on these pens when I go to Korea. They’re just a dream to use. They’re really, really smooth and just glide so effortlessly. They work on every kind of paper surface, and the ink doesn’t smear, especially if you want to write in cursive. I always get the 0.38-mm. ones, which I think is the perfect level of thickness, and it’s also the ideal weight to write with. I’ll use them for to-do lists, for journaling, or if I’m writing a rough draft of a project, I’ll always try to write it out by hand first because it forces me to focus and work a little more slowly than if I’m typing.
I like these pads because they feel very heavy-duty and no-nonsense and not cute. When a notebook is cute or thoughtfully designed, I get too nervous to write anything down. I have a bunch of really beautiful notebooks that I can’t bring myself to pollute. But the yellow notepad is very much for doing whatever you want. You can have really terrible ideas on there, you can tear off the pages. I feel very old-school, like I’m a 1930s detective. I use them to create first drafts of jokes or sketch ideas or short piece ideas, often with the Uniball pen. The dream combination is putting one of these yellow notepads on a clipboard; it just feels so official, whatever work you’re doing.
Every time I use my library card I do have the Arthur song playing in my head. It’s free, but I pay taxes in Brooklyn, so I think it counts. I feel like the library is a place that’s welcoming of everyone, different ages and backgrounds and everything. Every time I walk into the library I’m like, This is what this country should be like all the time. There are so few spaces that are intentionally created for so many different kinds of people. But also, obviously a great place to borrow books and not have to pay for them.
I recently checked out March by Geraldine Brooks, which I thought was incredible. It was such an old copy of the book — it was so worn down. As I was reading, I was imagining the dozens of people that had read this specific copy before me, and that felt very magical.
I really hate loud noises. I find them extremely enervating — if I’m walking around Manhattan, I’ll come home very exhausted, like a child. But these noise-canceling headphones are amazing because they work so well. Even when I’m on the subway, everything gets so quiet. One time I was wearing these on the train, and my friend texted me from across the subway car like, “Hey, I don’t want to bother you. It looks like you’re listening to a really intense podcast.” Not only was I not listening to anything, I wasn’t even thinking about anything. I was just fully zoned out. But if I’m out walking on a nice day, I like to put on a Nora Ephron movie soundtrack and it does feel like, Wow, I’m in the movie version of New York.
I started taking photos when I lived with my grandparents in South Korea for a couple years. I wanted to hold on to all the memories but not feel caught by them, if that makes sense. I didn’t want to be pre-nostalgic for that era, but I wanted to make sure I was preserving all these moments. The disposable is such a good way of doing that because you just take the picture and you don’t think about it, whereas if I’m on my phone, I’ll fall down an immediate rabbit hole, like, I’m just going to take a few photos and see which one is better. I went to this place called Big Reuse in Brooklyn, and they were selling these tiny picture frames by the bulk. I got like 20 of them for a dollar or something crazy, and I just framed a ton of photos of my family and friends. It’s really nice to literally hold in your hand a picture of someone you love.
As I mentioned, I love zoning out, and zoning out while staring at a body of water is incredible. I used to not understand it, but now when I see people just sitting on a park bench doing nothing, I’m like, Yes. That is the dream life. And with this chair you can make anywhere a park bench.
A huge life hack is being 5’1” because you can get kid-size stuff and it’s way cheaper than the adult-size stuff. Also I’m very weak, and because it’s a kids’ chair, it’s much lighter and easier to carry. You can carry it on the subway and it’s not an ordeal.
I got the Switch earlier this year and it legitimately changed my life. For the past couple years, every two to three months, I’d get this overwhelming urge to play Pokémon. I played Pokémon Yellow growing up, and I learned that this game called Let’s Go, Pikachu! is essentially Pokémon Yellow for the Switch. And I had been just felled by this need to play Pokémon for so long that I finally gave in, I played it and it was just so heavenly. I also played Oregon Trail — I read this book called The Pioneers, by David McCullough, at the same time that I was playing Oregon Trail, and it really felt like I was doing the Lord’s work, trying to get these people across the country. Right now, I’m playing this game called Firewatch, which is really atmospheric and beautiful and written really well. It’s really an incredible form of storytelling.
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