Wow. It seems like a month of pretty random shopping online and in person. God These are the items that have my Instagram followers hooked. From pressure-relieving seat pads to face contouring wands that instantly create cheekbones, here are the products people are obsessed with.
So, it’s obvious we should start with the sexiest item: this “long-term sitting” gel seat cushion with a special honeycomb design that distributes load and relieves pressure on your lower back, buttocks, sciatic nerve, and most importantly, your old fangita, or undercarriage. That’s right, friends, I purchased the seat pad specifically to keep my three-penny area from going numb during long hours of writing at my desk.
I can almost hear you all screaming: “I shouldn’t be sitting there for that long anyway!” “My Apple Watch forces me to get up and do jumping jacks every 20 minutes!!” “I need to get a standing desk!”
Stay calm. If I want to sit at my desk and churn words until I can’t feel my bum anymore, then I will. And thanks to my new gel seat cushion, I can do that for longer than ever before. What a blessing!
Jokes aside, if you have back pain and find all office chairs uncomfortable, this cushion is amazing. It’s not soft and squishy like you’re sinking into the couch, it’s just… supportive. Really forgiving. It’s handy because it allows air to circulate between your butt and the chair, and you can lift it up with the cushion’s special handle (it’s a regular handle, but I’m in QVC mode) to use in the car or at the Globe (if you know what, you know what).
I bought it on Amazon here* – was £24.99
* denotes advertising affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission every time a purchase is made through our link.
I know this is subjective, but I Many There are many earplugs (it would be no exaggeration to say that most of those on the market are like that), and these are the ones that are still in your ears when morning comes.
Most other earbuds end up being groggily pulled out at 3am because they’re too big and threaten to break through the walls of your ear canal, stick out too much and make it difficult to sleep on your side, or are too stiff and leave your ears burning.
Before this type of earplug was introduced, Alpine Sleep Soft (yesI’ve tried the Loop and all the others that are frequently suggested because the soft silicone plugs are easy to get in and out of (no rolling or twisting required), small enough to fit my narrow ear holes (I think most earplugs are made for giants), and provide excellent soundproofing, cutting out snoring while letting higher-pitched noise through.
(Alarm sounds, fox mating sounds, owl hoots.)
I’ve tried almost every type of earplug I’ve tried, except for the custom ones that need to be molded to fit my ears (I’m not that picky), and the Alpine Sleep Soft was the best. However, after that – Alpine Sleep Deep is here!
These are oval shaped and seem to fit just a little snugly on the inside (if you press harder with your thumb they’ll suck into place as if you’re entering the airlock of a satellite in space), and they come in two sizes – and this is important – I recommend the small size unless you have a really big head and/or large ear holes.
As I mentioned before, these are the only earplugs I can wear at night and still have in when I wake up in the morning, which I find very impressive.
I bought my own here* – I bought the mixed pack which had both sizes, but if you just want the “small” size, pick up the version (confusingly) labelled “50 pack” which appears to be the small size on its own.
This is a bit of a cheat entry, as I featured this amazing vest top last week, but it’s still one of my most popular picks this month. It’s a soft, beautifully cut vest top that has built-in underwear so you don’t need underwear underneath. I’m a believer.
you can You can read the full rave review about this top hereOr buy Uniqlo’s Ribbed Bra Top (£19.90). here*
Online facelifts are like extreme sports, with people using clever optical illusions to change their entire bone structure or magically reshape their noses. This looks great on film, but… Completely insane If you actually look at it up close, don’t think you’re missing out on anything if you haven’t covered the whole face in stripes and squiggles with dark brown paint and then buffed it all out to a dodgy finish.
If you’re after the aforementioned “supermodel cheekbone chisel,” my recommendation is to swipe the ELF Beauty Wand Contour (I used the Medium/Tan) just under your cheekbones, then swipe and blend with a fluffy brush. The sponge applicator seems to apply the color better than the stick; it’s less waxy and easier to blend. The shade is well thought out, not orangey, and the color stays on until you wash your face.
It’s a good way to dip your toe into the world of sculpting if you don’t want to invest in pricey contour products, and I love that the plastic tube packaging is lightweight and fits perfectly in my on-the-go makeup bag.
I bought mine at Boots. You can also buy it online here* – It costs £9 but is every bit as good as competing, more expensive products.
Let’s talk something boring. I have a very nice pair of Tiffany & Co. earrings that I was given as a gift many, many years ago. Ten years? In all that time, I have tried to keep these diamond studs in for more than a few days, but have failed. When I try to get the post through, the threads seem to tear the inside of the piercing hole, leaving my earlobe painful and swollen every time, and it takes days for it to grow back.
I made the decision to sell the earrings and buy “new” ones (actually second hand, so new to me, but not new to the world) and this time chose the standard “push in” style back. All is well and my ears are very happy with them., The smooth pillars just slide through, However, I have to say that the lady at the jewelry store did instill fear in me about losing earrings, as she strongly recommended screw-downs to be on the safe side.
I began to do some serious research, and on the short eight minute train ride home from London, I found a potential solution: lockable earring backs from Lox.
This clever backing allows the earring post to slide in, but then locks in place so that even if you apply Hulk Hogan levels of force the backing won’t slide off. It doesn’t move at all. Amazing! To remove it, you simply squeeze the prongs together (a bit fiddly, but not too frustrating) and it slides out.
So far so good – I’ve put them on and taken them off hundreds of times while rocking my back and the LOX has yet to show any signs of weakening.
At nearly £10 for two sets of lockable bags, they might be the most expensive gadgets on the market right now, short of MI5-level hidden spy cameras and nanorobots. But they should be inherently hard to lose, so ideally you only need to buy one per pair of luxury earrings…
I bought LOX on Amazon. here* – £9.99
I didn’t want to self-promote (I wish I did, but I thought I’d save it until last!), but my most purchased recommendation this month is actually my new book. How not to be a supermodelI can’t tell you how many messages I get every day from people who have just finished a book and want to immediately tell you how much they loved it. Or who have just started reading it and can’t put it down. Or who are laughing out loud in public and can’t stop.
I’ve received dozens of wonderful, heartwarming messages and mini-reviews, many of which have quoted the entire passage in response to me. It’s been so much fun to hear people devour this book and then speak so highly of it that they pass it on to their friends and family.
If you haven’t read it yet (or listened to it – audiobooks are available in the usual places like Audible and Spotify), look for it at your local bookstore or order it online. here*If you like what you read on Substack, love That book.
Source: Ruth Crilly – www.ruthcrilly.co.uk
