Over at the Evening Standard Shopping section, trailing and reviewing products is our bread and butter.
We spend hours upon hours putting the latest and greatest products through their paces so you don’t have to.
Whether it’s a new mattress, or a talked-about beauty essential, we make sure that it lives up to the hype to give you unbiased, independent advice that you can trust.
2020 has been quite a year and for many, online shopping and the thrill of the postman - one of the many hero key workers - arriving has been enough to get us through the Groundhog days.
We’ve also had to invest in a whole home work set-up - despite our initial reluctance. Desks, desk chairs and monitors have gone from luxury items to essentials as we’ve all needed to rethink our WFH situations as the months have gone on. The same goes for newly created home gyms complete with exercise bikes, dumbbells, resistance bands and everything we needed to stay in shape.
Spending more time at home than ever has also seen a huge surge in DIY and home improvement, whether it’s a gallery wall or a fully-fledge painting walls and an entire top to bottom revamp. Ditto loungewear, pyjamas and comfortable underwear as we’ve pushed our smart-casual attire to the back of our wardrobes.
There’s also been unexpected items at the top of our wish lists - wholesome pastimes won the lockdown game as we all were on the hunt for ways to reduce our screen time. We embraced our inner bakers with banana bread, sourdough and now cinnamon buns. To past the time - jigsaw puzzles, candle making, and new hobbies led the charge, while transport-wise, socially-distant wheeled options like bikes, electric bikes and scooters have accelerated in popularity.
To mark the end of the strangest year of our lives, we have gathered the best buys of the years according to the experts, us.
Herman Miller Aeron Office Chair, Graphite
They say what’s cheap is dear and when it comes to your back support, it’s worth forking out for. This chair from Herman Miller has scientific backing, created to help with your posture and spine with a tilt mechanism to keep you always in a natural position.
The Aeron’s innovative 8Z Pellicle suspension material is breathable and ventilated, letting air, body heat and water vapour flow freely for temperature regulation.
There's also a 12 year guarantee for parts so you won’t have to worry.
Shop more ergonomic desk chairs here
Mela Weighted Blanket
Mela’s weighted blanket has the ES seal of approval for its sumptuously soft construction and even distribution of weight.
The internal construction is made up of 10 x 10cm pockets, each filled with anti-rustle glass pellets, while the outer layer is made out of 100 per cent cotton.
There are a range of different weights (5.5kg, 7kg, 9kg and 11kg) available as a UK double (135cm x 190cm) or UK King (150cm x 200cm).
Available fromMela (£99)orAmazon (£119.97)â
Shop more weighted blankets here
Mill Heat 99480 Fan Heater 1800W - White
With both style and substance in spades, this fan heater has it all. It operates at a powerful 1800W output and constantly monitors the room's temperature. Alongside two settings, there’s also a tip over switch that will cut the power if the heater gets knocked over, which comes in handy with curious pets or adventurous toddlers around.
Works most effectively on spaces measuring 10-40 m².
Shop more electric heaters here
Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleanerâ
Charge time: 4 hrs, 30 minsBattery time: up to 60 minsBag or tank: tankCapacity: 0.76LWeight: 3.05kg
Make the cleaning process a breeze by introducing Dyson’s V11 hoover into your life. It comes with a whole host of attachments to suit just about every area of cleaning large or small with a spherical joint for greater manoeuvrability. There’s a super handy LCD display on the butt of the hoover, which counts down the minutes and seconds of battery life remaining.
Also available fromJohn Lewis (£599), andDyson (£599)
Shop more cordless vacuums here
VicTsing 300ml Essential Oil Diffuserâ
Essential oil diffusers are the calming home addition we’ve all needed this year. The VicTsing has a natural wood design that gives Japandi feels. It has seven subtle light colour options, a 300ml capacity — ideal for large rooms — and comes with a timer for one to six hours. The material is BPA-free and the humidifier will power off automatically when it's short of water.
Shop more essential oil diffusers here
MZ SKIN Light-Therapy Golden Facial Treatment Device
Best for: Combination skin
Maskne, lack of sunlight and stress means 2020 has wreaked havoc on our skin, enter the LED face mask.
This option from MZ Skin has been developed by Dr Maryam Zamani – one of London’s go-to oculoplastic surgeons and aesthetic doctor. It has a chic, gold coloured LED mask that emits five different coloured lights to target a variety of skin issues. Each colour corresponds to a different concern; red is to strengthen and firm, blue is for decongesting skin and fighting breakouts, green to reduce the look of hyperpigmentation, yellow to sooth sensitive skin and white to promote healing.
It is powered through a remote control where you can also set your preferred time (15 to 30 minutes is recommended) and the level of intensity.
Sharp R860SLM 900W Combination Microwave
Best for: Simplicity and effectiveness
One of the most essential kitchen appliances, a microwave should offer you a simple, fast and user-friendly experience and Sharp’s iteration does just that. It has a 25-litre capacity, 900W power and best of all, it’s easy to operate.
The R860SLM has clearly marked cooking time buttons (add 10 seconds, 1 minute or 10 minutes); pre-sets for commonly cooked foods like jacket potatoes, pizza and rice; and even uncomplicated grill and convection oven modes.
It cooks evenly without the need for a rotating plate, which makes it possible to cook larger meals than most other microwaves of the R860SLM’s size would allow.
Also available at Argos (£159.99)
Everlast Adjustable Dumbbell - Sports Direct
You may not want to commit to an entire home gym but this one simple piece of equipment will work wonders in elevating your workout a la maison. This set from Everlast is ideal for all levels especially as your training progresses. It can be adjusted from 2.5 to 32.5kg with just a twist of the dial. The space-saving solution you have been looking for.
Herdy Sleep Pocket springs
Best for which type of sleeper? Front, back or side (any) Depth: 26cmTrial period: 100 daysOrganic materials? YesSoft/firm? Medium-to-firmAdjustable? Yes
The Herdy Sleep mattress is here to transform your sleeping experience. It's handmade using traditional techniques, but don’t expect it to arrive as one of those new bed-in-a-box types.
There are around 7,000 pocket springs to give impressive support for back, side and front sleepers.
The mattress is fully sustainable, crafted from 100 per cent recyclable springs and a winning blend of cashmere, cotton, wool and fleece — the latter sourced from Herdwick sheep farmers in the Lake District. Wool is naturally antibacterial, temperature-regulating and hypoallergenic. It proved to be just as cool and comfortable in July as it was warm and welcoming in January.
In terms of softness and squish, this mattress doesn't have a sink-in feeling mattress like its foam competitors, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Tested on three different sleepers, we each found it to be the perfect Goldie Locks combination of not too soft, and not too hard. After almost a year of use it still feels just as plump and comfy as the day it arrived - exactly what you want from such a high-ticket item.
To sum up; this is an artisan mattress that blends natural materials with modern technology, resulting in the most blissful sleep we have had in years.
Single | £649Double | £849King | £999Super-king | £1,099
IQAir HealthPro 250
If you needed confirmation that this air purifier works, it’s used in hospitals and schools. The Swiss company has been making air purifiers since 1963 when they introduced the world’s first ever residential air filter to combat indoor air pollution from coal ovens. The technology created by IQAir has been meticulously tested and methodically developed for over 50 years.
The IQAir uses a superior HyperHEPA filter system that has been tested and certified to have a filtration efficiency of 99.95 per cent for all particulate pollution down to 0.3 microns.
