Some of these products have proved lifechanging... others are gathering dust (iStock/The Independent)
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What’s the weirdest thing you bought during the pandemic? That’s the question we posed to our colleagues in the company Slack channel this week – and their responses didn’t disappoint.
At this time in March last year, it’s fair to say that panic buying had set in. The supermarket shelves had no pasta or toilet paper to speak of, and online delivery times were being pushed by weeks as retailers struggled to keep up with demand.
With salons shut, hair clippers, gel nail kits and eyebrow dyes were also in high demand, and the home workout took on a whole new meaning as we adjusted to life without the gym, sparking queues for Peloton Bikes that were more competitive than the Glastonbury ticket battles of our previous lives.
Fast forward almost 12 months and two more national lockdowns later, we’ve filled our homes with an absolute plethora of weird and wonderful items we would have scrolled straight past pre-lockdown.
From exercise equipment to instruments, here’s what we bought during the pandemic – and whether or not it’s now just gathering dust.
You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
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I bought a ukulele on Amazon after the YouTube algorithm randomly served me a tutorial video. I thought it looked pretty easy! Having sulkily given up learning guitar aged 18 (I really just didn’t have the patience) I had a very basic understanding of chords and strumming patterns already. Within an hour or so of picking it up for the first time I could play a couple of basic versions of easy songs. Now I watch a YouTube tutorial every couple of days and it’s been a great way to relax during lockdown three!
While I gave up trying to laminate my own brows back in lockdown one, I did invest in some beauty gadgets to bring the spa feeling into my home for the many times I needed a pick-me-up over the past 12 months. Nothing beats the real deal, of course, but these come pretty close. Now I do a mini facial every Sunday night to start the week right. For this I use the Clinique city block purifying mask (£30, Clinique.co.uk). One of the best clay masks I’ve ever used, it is also a scrub that provides a light exfoliation when you remove it.
Any time I have a facial, the steaming part is my favourite bit. This Sarah Chapman mini facial steamer (£119, Sarahchapman.com) is a perfect at-home version, with a 10-minute programme that allows you to stop, relax and breathe as nano steam particles work their magic, leaving your pores unclogged.
LED has been a beauty industry secret for decades and now at-home versions are making the treatment accessible for us all. I love the Foreo UFO as it is an affordable and super-quick 90-second treatment with a range of masks and you really do see visible results, with fewer spots and a glowing complexion.
I bought this product in early March 2020, when I could see the gyms were likely to close and I wasn’t able to run because of injury. I was a bit freaked out by the price initially, but it hands-down made lockdown bearable. During the summer I had it out on our small terrace and would spend 30 to 40 minutes on it every morning before work, either doing online spin classes, or just doing my own interval workouts. I also bought a couple of kettlebells and some resistance bands from Amazon at the same time. I’ve loved having the indoor bike so much I’ve actually upgraded to a WattBike atom (£1.899, Wattbike.com) now, which is due to be delivered soon. I don’t think I will bother going back to the gym when it reopens because I enjoy being able to exercise on my timetable at home. It’s been a game changer because there is no barrier to working out – it’s just there, conveniently in your home.
Known as a reading pillow, backrest pillow or, more embarrassingly, a husband pillow, I bought this soft chair with arms to make binging lockdown TV from bed a little more comfortable. There are some more stylish designs out there beyond this no-frills option, but it’s affordable, comfy and gets the job done. Is it worth it? In peak pandemic telly-watching times it was just the added level of comfort I needed. Plus, my dog enjoys resting his head on the pillow arms.
If you’d have told me before lockdown that I would soon become completely obsessed with a board game about trains, I would, frankly, have been insulted. But after the initial couple of months of having nowhere to go, my partner and I got very into the world of two-player board games, and this is by far our favourite. The premise is simple – connect your trains between two destinations to secure the route before the other player beats you to it – but I’ve never played anything that ignites so much joy and fury in both of us in one sitting. It’s caused our biggest arguments in more than a decade, which gives you a small idea of just how invested you become. Set aside an afternoon, and then several more after that. The only downside is that it really made us miss holidays.
Arguably the most pandemic purchase possible, my trusty slippers have been a staple in my loungewear wardrobe since the beginning. While not the most pocket-friendly pair, I’m obsessed – the cloud-like fluffiness means they’re so cosy and they continue to spark serious joy, which I think justifies the price tag. Plus, when we’re eventually allowed to go on holiday (staycation or otherwise) these will definitely be coming with me, keeping the cost per wear low.
