When the weather turns colder, we all crave a little comfort. For some, that’s a cosier bed, complete with a new memory foam mattress topper, or a more comfortable office chair. For others, it’s a waterproof hooded scarf to keep your hair dry in style – or a hair dryer to blast it again.
And it seems that for some of you, it means fringed party skirts and a cheese box through the post. Who are we to judge? Here are the things you loved the most this month.
The mask for better sleep
MyHalos eye mask
When lifelong insomniac and Filter reviewer Jane Hoskyn tested out some of the best (and weirdest) sleep hacks, she didn’t expect a basic sub-£10 eye mask to result in nine hours of shuteye. “The best masks genuinely block out all traces of light without pulling flat or tight across your eyes,” she wrote – and the MyHalos was her “perfect match”.
The bargain beauty calendar
W7 Advent calendar
If you’re surprised to see an Advent calendar top the list of your favourite products in September, the phenomenon of beauty Advent calendars must have passed you by. People spend hundreds on these selections of beauty products that promise big discounts on the value of the items inside. But your favourite – perhaps not surprisingly – is the “staggeringly cheap” W7 calendar. The products inside “rival some of the best in the business”, according to our reviewer Sarah Matthews (although predictably many of them are minis).
The office chair upgrade
Slouch Task One
If you’re still sitting in a dining chair when you work from home, please stop. Often second only to our mattress as our most used piece of furniture, it’s just as important that your work chair be supportive and comfortable.
Our reviewer Stuart Andrews works long hours and nights at his desk (plus many hours of gaming), so he was the perfect person to test out the best office chairs. This Slouch Task One was his overall favourite in testing, giving “everything you’d want from an office chair”.
The eco-friendly scourer
Kilo non-scratch scourer
Cotton scourers are a great way to cut down on plastic waste in the kitchen. “These things are absolutely brilliant for washing-up,” said Filter reader Maggie in our guide to sustainable swaps. “They don’t get clogged up with food the way a sponge scourer does, but I chuck mine in the wash with the towels every week to keep it fresh.”
The stylish rain cover
Waterproof hooded scarf
It’s hard to stay looking stylish when it’s raining one minute, sunny the next. But our fashion writer, Charlotte Gornall, has created the ultimate guide to looking good in the rain – and your favourite tip has been this waterproof hooded scarf. “If your jacket doesn’t have a hood, why not accessorise with one?” Charlotte wrote. It channels “the late Queen Elizabeth in all the right ways.”
The letterbox cheeseboard
Perfect British cheeseboard
Of all the gifts that can fit through a letterbox these days, is there anything better than a good-quality cheeseboard? Clearly not, as your favourite from our guide has been this selection of three cheeses (Blacksticks Blue, Button Mill and Sunday Best) with Tracklements fig relish and Peter’s Yard crackers.
The best budget hair dryer
BaByliss Hydro-Fusion
“In my years of reviewing beauty tech, it was upgrading my hair dryer that made the biggest difference to my beauty routine,” wrote Sarah Matthews in our guide to the best hair dryers. “Modern hair dryers have stepped up their game.” Sarah’s favourite budget option, the BaByliss Hydro-Fusion, is “well built and powerful” – and currently reduced to £31.99 at Amazon.
The mattress topper
Panda Bamboo topper, double
“A mattress topper is like a slice of cheese in a burger,” writes our reviewer Jane Hoskyn. “Not strictly necessary, but potentially transformative, especially if your bed has all the cosiness of stale bread.” Jane found the Panda Bamboo the most cooling, despite its memory foam construction, in her test of the best mattress toppers. Many of you were clearly tempted by the idea that “you won’t feel the fidgeting of a restless partner”.
The party skirt
Fringe detail mini
“This M&S skirt is a total winner,” wrote Jess Cartner-Morley in her September style essentials. “I mean, look at it. All-over tassels, a great length (short but not too short) and a chic off-white colour.” And clearly many of you agreed, as this party-season skirt was your favourite in the piece.
The last-minute clothes steam
Russell Hobbs Steam Genie
“I begin every school year with the resolve to become the kind of woman who irons her clothes,” writes Kate McCusker, in our guide to back-to-the-grind style for all ages. “But as I’m still waiting for this to happen, a quick go-over with a steamer in the morning has saved many an outfit from looking as if I slept in it.” Many Filter readers are clearly still waiting for this to happen, too.
The ceramic frying pan
ProCook Elite Tri-Ply
While faddy kitchen gadgets come and go, the trusty frying pan remains one of the most used implements in our kitchens. We want one that will last, won’t be a nightmare to clean and, preferably, doesn’t come coated in forever chemicals. Is that really too much to ask? Dale Berning Sawa tested 12 of the best frying pans with some of the most challenging foods around: salted caramel, sticky marinated pork and – of course – scrambled eggs. Your favourite was this ProCook ceramic-coated frying pan, which stood out “thanks to its pleasing build quality and relatively affordable price” – perhaps because it’s currently reduced.
The MP3 player – no, really
Snowsky Echo Mini
If you thought you’d entered a time warp when you saw the Advent calendar above, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling to spot an MP3 player (especially one shaped like a cassette tape). But digital audio players are back, appealing to many who want to disconnect from streaming platforms and take control of their own music. This budget option from FiiO subbrand Snowsky leans “into the charm of retro rather nicely”, wrote Alan Martin in his test of the best, while “providing a far richer soundscape than that offered by any other budget device I tested”.
