Welcome to Your Shopping Cart, wherein we break out the top-ten products that you, devoted Strategist UK readers, all bought in droves. Think of this as the tl;dr of the Strategist UK: If your like-minded brethren are buying these items, maybe you’d like to, too.
The item most purchased by readers this month is this discreet footrest designed to make even Easyjet flights feel fancy. Alyse Whitney bought it on a whim after reading some glowing reviews on Amazon and road tested it on a 20-hour flight to Singapore and Hong Kong. It alleviates swelling and soreness by elevating your feet, and Whitney says it was a success: “With the combined forces of compression socks and the footrest, I had zero pain, pressure, or swelling and was able to sleep for four to six hours at a time.” No wonder it’s been our best seller this month.
We’re huge fans of Amazon’s in-house fashion brand, find., which does understated, elegant pieces like these tapered jersey trousers that look like they could be from Cos. Contributor Jeanne Sutton writes that they are perfect for any situation — networking drinks, coffee with a mate, even a Sunday shop in Lidl. They’re a U.K.-only purchase (which has left our U.S colleagues a bit miffed) and the second-most-purchased item on the site this month.
Any product that has almost 500 five-star reviews on Amazon is going to be worth investigating. And that’s exactly what Alison Freer did when it came to ProLinc’s Callus Eliminator — a product she spied her pedicurist using on her during a recent treatment. “You’ll be shocked at how easily your calluses are turned to dust,” says Freer.
Sure, it may not be the sexiest item of our most purchased, but writer Rachel England says this mould spray saved her from having to get her entire bathroom re-grouted. “Simply walking into the bathroom was making me angry, and having guests over left me cringing in shame,” she writes. A friend put her on to this hero product, created by a Swedish former pool-cleaning expert, and it transformed her gunk-and-fungus-filled bathroom. “This stuff works because it’s superpotent and full of strong chemicals, such as liquid bleach and sodium hydroxide (a corrosive alkaline compound found in industrial cleaning agents),” England explains. “This means avoiding contact with skin is an absolute must, and it’s for white surfaces only.”
Our story on “cheap but expensive-looking” living-room décor was filled with all kinds of affordable accents that will make your flat more stylish. This set of three plants, delivered in lucky-dip style from a range of ten, have proved especially popular.
Another big seller: this faux-fur leopard-print rug, which works great as a focal point of a living room (or draped over a bench).
These metal dining chairs have also been a big hit — and have a pretty decent discount at the moment, too.
This back massager is compact — about the size of a throw pillow — and something of a cult purchase in L.A., where writer Natalie Toren first saw it at the home of a designer friend only to later hear people chatting excitedly about it, well, everywhere she went. “Lymphatic-massage specialist Anna Zahn, the founder of Ricari Studios in Beverly Hills, particularly loves this gadget because it’s among the most inexpensive ways to reap the benefits of her treatments at home,” says Toren.
This roll-on blend — a mix of lavender, ylang-ylang, and palmarosa — is so sweet and potent that health writer Sara Gaynes Levy is asleep within five minutes of applying it in the evening. “The blend is now a crucial part of my nighttime routine,” she says. “Every night, I hit my pulse points and hold it under my nose while I read. I’ve even started spreading it on the bottom of my eye mask so the scent stays with me as long as possible.”
A favourite in the Strategist UK offices. This extra-long charging cable not only comes in a striking red colour but avoids the common problem of “line loss” (i.e., longer cables not charging your phone as effectively) because of its PowerIQ technology.
The Strategist UK is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Read about who we are and what we do here. Our editors update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.