Yes Soda again. Sorry – I’m slightly obsessed with this online digital store. It came to my attention because my old boss at the Evening Standard now works for them and got in touch last year about a few new products… and from then on I was hooked.
Because as you probably know by now I am a huge sucker for a problem-solver – ingenious little things and clever devices make my little heart go pitter-pat. I am banned from Lakeland, for example, otherwise my house would simply be lifting with banana savers, spider catchers and self-heating clothes hangers.
So Soda is right up my street. The things I have from there, (which they have sent me), have integrated so completely into my life that I often forget I got them from Soda.
Most notably the Bandolier, which is a strap thing that you clip your phone into that also holds credit cards. This means that I can, from time to time, trip off out of the house with no bag at all… which does yes slightly make a mockery of the three whoppingly expensive handbags I do own.
I also have a rechargeable sweater de-bobbler, a clothes steamer, a little wipe-clean digital scribble board that my kids are obsessed with – and a slim little bluetooth keyboard called a “Penclic” that turns my phone into a laptop.
And now!!! They have branched out into beauty. Soda sent me an avalanche of their beauty tech products and I have been testing them all over the last six weeks and here are my favourites:
Due to hormones or stress or both, over December my skin broke out in an array of huge spots – in utterly weird places; on my cheek, above my eyebrow, on my neck (!!!).
I would have been really quite panicked had I not had this little spot-zapping wand. It emits 3 minutes’ of intense red light, which gets faintly warm but not hot. You hold it on the zit for three minutes a day and it stops it in its tracks and gradually sends it packing.
My skin has cleared up recently – again, total mystery as to why – but every morning I preventatively zoom this over my most spot-prone area (left hand side of chin) and so far no breakouts in this most prolific of breakout areas.
I keep mine in the kitchen and apply it every morning while reading the paper or doing other things – it emits a small bleep when the three minutes’ are up.
If you believe in nominative determinism (where accountants are called Rebecca Cash and doctors are called Mary Blood etc, you will like that a zit expert is called Dennis GROSS).
Simple Human magnifying mirror with light
It was only when I held this ingenious little thing in my hand that I realised how much I still miss a round make-up mirror I had between the ages of about 13 and 21 – before it smashed. It didn’t cross my mind to replace it because I had taken it so much for granted.
Once this Simplehuman mirror was in my house I found myself constantly looking for it. It’s also reminded me that whenever you go anywhere overnight, even to the smartest hotel, there is rarely a good make-up mirror and you have to climb onto the sink to get close enough to the mirror to do your eyes.
It has a finger loop at the back so you don’t drop it and smash it and a side button that turns on a surround-light for really close work like checking out your pores, eyebrow plucking and at-home facials (aka squeezing spots). I also have one single very stubborn hair that lurks right on the underside of my jaw area, which drives me mad as I can feel it but not see it – with this I can get right at it with no drama. See ya later you little fucker.
This mirror is fully rechargeable – it comes with a charger but it’s one of those ones you charge a Kindle with, you will already have one in your house.
I use my mirror most particularly for trying to get the hang of doing eye flicks or wings or whatever you want to call them. I feel like 2019 has got to be my year for mastering the flick. I am nearly 40 and have a job that brings in possibly forty or fifty pounds a week – it’s high time I learned how to do a flicky eye.
blendSmart Rotating Make-up Brush
This will be divisive – hopefully not as much as bloody crystals – but I can feel a lot of you will think this is nonsense. What is it? It’s a make-up brush with a spinning head, which blends your foundation, blush, highlighter and contouring whatsit totally seamlessly (though not all at the same time). I know before I even tried it that I would love it and I do.
It sort of stipples or airbrushes the make-up onto your face without leaving smears or daubs or lines or anything. It comes with a couple of different kinds of head for foundation, powder and highlighter, which click into the handle via a magnet.
It also means that you use less of everything because it distributes the product more finely and evenly. It’s up to you how you use it – you can either dab product on and take it from there, or dip the brush in and then send it spinning. The only place you can’t really use it is close under the eye.
Look, like I said – not for everyone, especially if you are a Pears soap and flannel kind of girl – or even if you like a full face but feel that you are quite capable of doing it by yourself, thanks. BUT – if you are into this kind of jag, you will be really into this.
There is a whole host of other funky stuff on Soda – cool glasses that counter-act blue light from screens, a vibrating thingy that promises to firm up your jowels, all manner of silicone scrubby cleansing tools. All fabulous fun.
No self-heating clothes hangers alas, but you can’t have everything.
I have two spider catcher. Two. Get me….
You had me at ‘vibrating thingy to firm up jowls’ … also they sent me sweets with my order (of the Dodow, sleep thingy which WORKS ON MY HUSBAND HURRAH) so wins all round.
Thanks Esther for mentioning Soda last year. The Smartphone picture printer is excellent. Great fun and good value. People love an actual photo to take home from parties etc.
Here’s a nice example of nominative determinism: my old head of chambers went by the splendid name of Igor Judge. He eventually became the head of the country’s judicial system , so he was then Lord Chief Justice Judge. Rather good I thought 🧐. Thanks for the zit zapper info – am going to check it out stat 👍
And of course sitting alongside him for a period was the equally aptly named Lord Justice Laws!
God you’re right! Had totally forgotten! 😀
That’s site’s a real rabbit hole. I like that I can’t always tell what the thing is for until I read the description.
So I’m afraid you weren’t able to persuade me with crystals (goodness, if only hormonal acne *could* be cured by waving a lump of aventurine at it I’d be all over those crystals like, well, acne) but that whizzy blending makeup brush thing looks like it could be just the ticket! I’ve recently been trying out Immaculate Liquid Powder foundation by Hourglass which can be quite good for oily skin days but it’s sort of a liquid that turns into a powder after you’ve applied it and if you don’t buff it into your skin super-fast it just all turns into a streaky, uneven, powdery mess. I think I have broadly got the hang of it using a kabuki brush but this cunning little gadget sounds like the perfect solution!
I am also a bit squeamish about hands/dirt/oils etc near my face and wondered if you had any particular recommendations for makeup brush-cleaning bits and bobs? I’ve used the spray and shampoo-type thing from Bareminerals in the past but both have changed the texture of the brushes afterwards so I’ve generally just ended up replacing the brushes. My dermatologist recently said just replace the brushes annually but that seemed quite a long time if you’re using them nearly daily?
About ten years ago I spent a small fortune on something called a Britebox which was absolutely ginormous and unwieldy and came with a little set of those tiny goggles that people wore back in the days of sun lamps. It was a nuisance to use because you couldn’t do anything else at the same time and the lights were blinding, even with eyes closed, not to mention the unsettling hum when you fired it up, but that little light zapper sounds positively user-friendly and presumably the principle behind it is the same. All in all a great post – thanks Esther 🙂
Hi Abi! I think the modern-day Britebox might the Neutrogena Light Mask, lots of people say that is totally super. As for brush-cleaning I use Real Techniques brush cleaner (from Amazon) which doesn’t change the texture of the brushes and also smells fab xxx
Yikes! the mask is a bit Stormtrooper but it could be a dramatic alternative to the paper-bag-over-head look? Finding myself agreeing with Cindy – Sodasays is a totally brilliant rabbit hole! Who knew that a Dodow sleep aid was just what my insomniac husband needed in his life?! (That SOI handbag light is also what Mary Poppins from the future needs in her carpet bag…) Thanks for the RT recommendation – just ordered from Amazon 🙂
I have commented regarding the Neutrogena light mask before but just to say again, I have found it really excellent for my terrible, terrible skin, especially at such a decent price (it’s nearly always on offer somewhere – Boots, Amazon etc – but even at full price I’d say it’s worth a shot). And I quite enjoy the Strom Trooper/Leatherface aspect of it 🙂
OMG they stock THINX pants! These have been amazing, and no longer do I have to import them from the States! Love Soda, its such a great selection of stuff.
Do you think the SpotLite would help rosacea???? I’m getting married September 29th and I REFUSE to be Blotchy Bride. I’m actually considering wearing a fucking veil now it it hides the bitching redness on my cheeks.
Snolly no I don’t – I think you need a proper dermatologist for rosacea xx
Yeah you’re probably right sweetie 🙁 (as mf always)
I’ve had moderate acne since age13 (now 43, ridiculous number of years with spots – and now the injustice of spots AND wrinkles). Just finished my 4th course of Roaccutane and have been on some form of medication/cream for that whole 30 years bar pregnancies. It’s not terrible compared to some and I’m good at covering it up but it will not go away until menopause (so that’s something to look forward to. Great). The worst place for me is my neck. It’s normal for acne to move from the t zone down the face to the jaw area as you get older so neck is quite normal. I have a load of coping strategies involving wearing my hair down, roll necks and high necked t-shirts in summer as I get it on my chest and back too. Almost different wardrobes depending on what my spots are playing at. I have to think about what I can wear. I’ve had one of these zappers once before and it didn’t do much but I will try this when the Roaccutane wears off in a few months. FYI diet and skin care regimes don’t help me, my mum had it until menopause and my 8 year old daughter is already getting spots, it’s heart breaking but it appears to be in our genes.
Kate don’t buy this – if one before didn’t work for you then this one probably won’t either. I think for chronic acne dermatologists and doctors are where it’s at. I don’t really have the words to express how sympathetic I am about this and words are my thing. To see it playing out in your daughter must be absolutely ghastly