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As the best beauty products list I published recently was so popular, I thought I’d follow it up with a general “completely brilliant things” list – here’s my current top 9!
There’s no theme whatsoever to the items I’ve included – they’re all completely random and could be beauty, homewares, fashion or health and fitness products. What they DO all have in common, however, is that I bought them to either solve a problem or because I thought they’d spark joy in me à la Marie Kondo – and they’ve all turned out to be a lifesaver/godsend/brilliant problem solver/all-round excellent product.
While none of the 9 things have been gifted to me this time, I may well repeat this list in the future with more brilliant things, and I won’t discount anything if they’re PR samples.
Everything comes highly recommended by me, and I hope they may solve a few problems and/or bring joy to you as well. Happy new product discovering…!
This has been SUCH a lifesaver. I’ve had so many people ask me where I got this from: it’s basically a crossbody mobile phone case/holder/bag thing. I have it on me all day at home – it means I won’t miss a call, misplace my phone down the back of the sofa or drop it down the toilet because I’ve put it in my back pocket (hands up everyone who’s done that =holds hand in the air=). It saves you having to take a bag when walking the dog (or just going out for a walk) as your phone is always there ready rather than you having to scramble around for it in your pocket or bag. That’s good both for security reasons and for easy access if you want to take a quick photo.
There are quite a few online, but this one comes in loads of different strap colours and is available in just about every size for all phone models, plus the case is very thick and protective if you unfortunately drop it. I’d be lost without mine.
I’ve honestly found the Holy Grail of wear-them-all-the-time earrings. I love wearing statement earrings to match my outfit, but even on days at home in my comfies and no makeup I still like to have a little sparkle on my earlobes. It makes me feel a bit less minging than I do when I’m not front door-presentable.
However, I can’t sleep in studs as the pointy backs dig into my neck, so I take them off each night. I had the bright idea of getting some small hoops with a click clasp (no butterfly/stud back, in other words) and came across these Orelia hoops. I didn’t want a £4.99 pair of earrings as they’d tarnish quickly, so a gold-plated pair at £20 seemed like a good bet… I couldn’t have chosen a better pair. Not crazy expensive (it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I lost one), but good enough quality not to go green after a week’s wear. They have just enough sparkle to make my ears look pretty and are comfortable enough to sleep in.
I think these would make the perfect present – for all the reasons I mentioned – and there are loads of metal/stone colour variations on this page if this exact style isn’t quite for you. I have a feeling these won’t be the only pair I’ll be buying.
I can’t tell you how much money AND food we’ve saved since using these. If, like us, you buy berries, loose vegetables, etc., then these magic sheets will keep your fresh produce fresh for SO much longer. For example, we find that raspberries, strawberries and blueberries start going mouldy after just a couple of days in the fridge – these sheets mean they never go bad before we use them. Don’t ask me how they work, it’s some herbs infused into the paper or something. We put sheets in with veggies, fruit and salad in the fridge, in the fruit bowl, and in the cupboard with things that don’t need to be refrigerated, e.g. onions, potatoes, lemons, uncut butternut squash, etc.
They’re not cheap at £5.99 for 8 sheets, but they last quite a while, can be reused several times and save us a ton of money by stopping food going to waste. They’re also brilliant because they’re biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. The company also makes bread saver sheets to keep your loaf fresher longer (bread rarely lasts long enough in our house for the sheets to be needed, however)!
Now, I KNOW these aren’t sexy(!), but when you find a pair of super comfy, don’t-ride-up-your-bum pants then I feel it’s your duty to share them with the world. I can’t deny that dependable underwear provider M&S have created what, for me, is the best pair of everyday pants I’ve ever bought. My days of wearing “sexy” thongs are long gone – though I think said garment died a death along with Britney’s youth and innocence sometime around 2007 – and I’m not ashamed to admit I want my pants to be practical and comfy these days. (Yes, I do wear pretty matching sets on occasion, but these are my go-to for everyday wear.)
If these are too high rise for you (I like them higher in the winter to keep my belly warm) then they do have a low rise shorts version.
If you’re a fan of boiled eggs then I can’t recommend an egg boiler enough. Watching a pan of boiling water and getting the timing right for your perfect boiled egg is a bit of a pain in the arse, but this boiler takes the headache out of it. Admittedly I don’t like 3-minute runny eggs – I’m a 10-minutes-plus eggs girl all the way – so I mostly only use this to make cold, hard-boiled eggs. But this boiler will automatically cook eggs runny, medium or hard for you as well as doing poached eggs (which I haven’t actually tried yet).
When I went on my health kick to get fit over the summer, I’d have a cold hard-boiled egg and a raw carrot for breakfast (I still do on most days). I cook the maximum seven eggs for Keith and myself in advance and put them in the fridge for the next few days. This model turns itself off when the eggs are cooked, but others have an audible sound as well to tell you when they’re done. (I think the latter is better if you’re having soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, whereas I put mine on, walk away and leave them to cool). Boiled eggs have never been easier – I use my egg boiler nearly every other day.
I first saw this on Kimberly’s Swoonworthy interior design blog and straight away bought a yellow and a grey one as we have so many plants – one for upstairs, one for downstairs. As well as being a functional design it’s sculptural and looks good left on a shelf (which can’t be said for many indoor watering cans). As well as the grey I mentioned it also comes in Royal Blue and Black… what else is there to say? I love it.
Another product that I’ve attributed my successful fitness regime to, this bottle ensures you don’t forget or lose track of how much water you’ve drunk (or haven’t drunk) throughout the day. The straw design means there’s no tipping your head back to drink (good for when you’re out walking) and you only have to refill it once halfway through the day before starting on the times again.
It also has all the usual “good plastic” attributes: BPA free, nontoxic and phthalate-free – a reusable bottle saves on disposable plastic ones too, of course. The times thing is SO handy.
Something I’d been meaning to buy for ages, I’ve used cotton wool pads with cleanser to remove makeup for years and years… I just wish I’d bought these sooner (mostly because I didn’t know they existed)! I get through them at a rate of knots, but a pack of 20 is easily enough for you not to run out of clean ones before the dirty ones are washed. They’re made of organic bamboo. They’re chemical free. They stop me putting cotton wool into landfill. They’re brilliant.
Oh lord, this ball is a GODSEND and actually saved me a trip to the doctor. On the advice of the personal trainer I had while I was at the Slimmeria detox retreat, I bought this pack of massage balls to relieve what he said was plantar fasciitis; in other words, pain in the heel and arch of my foot. I’ve had it for a while and it was, at times, so painful I could barely walk. I’d actually booked a doctor’s appointment to find out what it was. I asked the PT last time I was at Slimmeria, and he said to try one of these balls… it was an absolute miracle worker. You just roll it around (with pressure) under the affected area of wherever your joint pain is* (it’s also very good for shoulder and neck pain), and although it’s excruciating, it really does help massage the pain away after regular use.
My pain hasn’t disappeared altogether – I still have to use it often – but the massaging helps keep it at bay. I used to sit at my desk, lie in bed or watch TV and think about how painful my feet were… not any more, the pain rarely bothers me. And if it does, I just give the ball a roll under my foot and it goes within a day or so.
*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor – this is just something that may help ease joint pain. I’d always advise you get your pain checked out by a professional…!
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