The B.L.I.S.S. List
Blackbird Spyplane has updated and expanded their B.L.I.S.S. List (Beautiful Life-Improving Spyplane Staples), a curated resource recommending quality everyday products across numerous lifestyle categories. The list is exclusive to paid subscribers and reflects the publication's commitment to honest recommendations with no affiliate links or sponsorships.
Summary
Blackbird Spyplane has released an updated version of The B.L.I.S.S. List, a comprehensive guide to recommended everyday products and lifestyle essentials. Originally unveiled in September 2023, the list has been thoroughly revised, renewed, and refreshed after several weeks of careful curation. The guide covers a wide range of life categories including personal care items (incense, deodorant, soap, sunscreen, lip balm, dental floss), apparel (socks, jeans), home goods (bed sheets, laundry detergent), kitchen items (knives, hot sauces), beverages (coffee), entertainment (turntables and speakers), office supplies (notebooks, planners), and various other lifestyle staples. The publication emphasizes that while these are technically "basics," none of the recommendations are ordinary or regular products. The authors stress their editorial integrity by noting there are zero affiliate links and zero sponsored content in the list—they only recommend items they personally own or have owned, with the exception of 0.1% of items that come from trusted friends' recommendations. The list is positioned as an exclusive resource for Classified-Tier subscribers, alongside other premium offerings like their Global Intel Travel Chat Room and Swaggy Parents Intel Zone. The authors invite reader feedback and suggestions in the comments section and indicate the list will continue to be updated as new worthy products emerge.
About this episode
Our Definitive Guide to "Beautiful Life-Improving Spyplane Staples" — updated, expanded & rejuvenated
Key Insights
- Blackbird Spyplane claims 99.9% of their recommended products are items they have personally owned or used, establishing credibility through firsthand experience rather than external research.
- The publication operates a model explicitly free of affiliate links and sponsorships, positioning this as a core value proposition ('Mach 3+ Mensch Integrity') that distinguishes their recommendations from typical product review content.
- The authors argue that basic lifestyle staples can and should be elevated—none of their recommendations are 'regular,' suggesting that ordinary categories (soap, socks, coffee) deserve the same careful curation as luxury items.
- The B.L.I.S.S. List is designed as a living document that evolves over time, with the publication committing to continual revision and expansion as new products merit inclusion rather than presenting it as a static, one-time list.
- The publication frames their readership as 'the most tasteful across all media' and positions reader contributions as valuable firsthand wisdom, creating a collaborative community around lifestyle recommendations.
Topics
Transcript
Blackbird Spyplane … it’s a Full-Immersion Lifestyle Experience. So the blessed readers of Spy Nation routinely hit us up requesting recommendations for the kinds of beautiful banger basics that enswaggen life’s interstices & infrastructure. They wanna know: what incense to burn, what socks to swaddle the dogs within, what natural deodorant keeps us fresh and pleasant to be around, what bar soap and hand soap to scrub up with, which exquisite coffee beans greet us every morning, what laundry detergent is flames, what humane bug catcher is far superior to using a glass and piece of paper to gently escort bugs off your premises, what effective but sheer sunscreen repels the intensest rays of Helios without making us look like…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from Blackbird Spyplane | Unbeatable Recon | Style•Culture•Travel
Upper-class semaphore
Erin from Blackbird Spyplane discusses her decision to skip a Tom Sachs mock-Chanel installation preview, explaining her indifference to luxury brand signaling and her preference for DIY creativity. She introduces the concept of 'C.R.A.F.T.M.A.T.I.C. Mode'—replacing consumption desires with creative making—and previews fall fashion recommendations aligned with this anti-acquisition philosophy.
It’s undignified to carry an iced-coffee cup
Blackbird Spyplane's Jonah argues that carrying an iced-coffee cup in a disposable cup is inherently undignified and swag-depleting in any situation, with Justin Bieber being the sole exception through an unreplicable combination of styling factors. The newsletter promotes drinking iced coffee from glasses or opaque vessels as the only dignified portable options, while also previewing upcoming content about independent fashion designers and lifestyle products.
I used to get paid to hang out with famous people
Jonah Perlin reflects on two decades spent as a celebrity profile writer for major magazines, detailing how the profession has transformed from lucrative contract positions to the current landscape where video content increasingly displaces written profiles, while he has pivoted to newsletter writing as his primary work.
Fall Flung Fits
Blackbird Spyplane's Concorde vertical publishes a fall fashion guide featuring "Flung Fits" — dynamically photographed outfits shot on the floor rather than traditional flat lays or posed photos. Erin shares 10 curated fall outfits combining new pieces with vintage items, extracting styling principles and formulas that readers can apply to their own closets.
More trend-proof than Levi’s 501s?
Blackbird Spyplane presents an updated B.L.I.S.S. List guide covering essential clothing and lifestyle items, featuring a debate about trend-proof denim where Carhartt work pants are positioned as potentially more enduring than Levi's 501s, plus coverage of an underrated U.S.-made alternative to Carhartt double-knees.