If you follow Mashable Shopping’s coverage, you know that we live to bring you the best product recommendations we can find based on countless hours of online research. But, what about the stuff that we buy for ourselves? The stuff that made it into our shopping carts? Well, we’re here to tell you about those things, and we’ll be back every month to do so again.
Here’s what the staff bought in March 2021.
“My skin has been in meltdown mode for the past month. I immediately froze most of my skincare routine because I was terrified that some mystery ingredients were reacting badly with each other. However, I knew that moisturizing was one thing I couldn’t pause. This wasn’t my first time purchasing Versed Skin Soak Rich Moisture Cream, but I’m so glad I had it by my side. It has no weird smells and was so soothing on my pissed-off skin.” —Leah Stodart, Shopping Reporter
“I love hiking, but I don’t do it enough to invest in good hiking gear. My friend and I wanted to get out of the city for a day, so we drove upstate to go hiking, and I wanted a backpack that I could keep snacks, water, hand sanitizer, and other little essentials in. The only backpacks I have in my apartment are the giant one I used in college and a small faux-leather one that I use as my everyday purse. So, I got this little packable backpack and it ended up being the perfect size, and surprisingly durable.” —Miller Kern, Shopping Reporter
“Now that the weather is getting nicer, I have more motivation to get back into a workout routine. I’ve been slowly acquiring small workout equipment that I can use in my tiny apartment, and I got this set because I was intrigued by the ab roller wheel. Turns out I’m capable of rolling myself down, but my weak little abs struggle to pull myself back up. Check back in a few months when I plan to be absolutely shredded.” —Miller Kern, Shopping Reporter
A game for some quality time
“I’m really big into gaming, but my girlfriend only plays them here and there. I haven’t had the chance to play a lot of games with her that I think she’d like, but when I first read about It Takes Two, I knew it would be something we’d both be able to enjoy together. It’s a co-op only game that requires a ton of collaboration and helping each other out, and we’ve been having an amazing time with it — it’s also been really nice to share my passion for gaming with her in this way!” —Dylan Haas, Shopping Reporter
“I’ve recently become obsessed with flare pants and came across the perfect pair in a Strategist article. I know they look extremely ugly in the product photos but they are seriously awesome in person, and they’re super affordable. It’s about to be a yee-haw summer.” —Dylan Haas, Shopping Reporter
Some shades to prep for the sunshine
“I can never have enough sunglasses. I buy new ones far more often than I should, but I can’t stop. Anyway, Crap Eyewear is one of my favorite sunglass brands, and they just released a new style that I had to have. I’m ready for the sunshine.” —Dylan Haas, Shopping Reporter
“My fiancé and I couldn’t bring ourselves to drop [redacted] on a Peloton, so we settled on Schwinn’s $899 IC4 exercise bike, which we’re using with the Peloton app and an old 2-in-1 Google Pixelbook. The setup’s worked like a charm so far in the two weeks we’ve had it, though my quads and I aren’t on speaking terms at the moment.” —Haley Henschel, Freelance Deals Writer
“I recently adopted the sweetest rescue pup ever, so naturally I’ve been spending all my money on her and buying all the trendy dog products. I ordered the Wild One walk kit since it matches my own minimalistic aesthetic, and the modern design will ensure I have the most fashionable dog on the block. Overall, everything is really well made — the harness is padded and gives a comfy fit for long walks, the leash is the perfect length and wipes clean easily, and the cute poop bag holder makes scooping poo off the NYC sidewalks a little more convenient.” —Jae Thomas, Shopping Fellow
“When my girlfriend and I brought our new five-month-old dachshund puppy Paulie into our home, we knew we wanted him to be a lap dog, and that the couch would be part of his domain. Even though the short lil’ guy can’t access it without a helpful lift, that didn’t stop him from trying repeatedly to make the leap up — something that, over time, can be damaging to dachshunds’ notoriously injury-prone spines. But since we got this simple and effective ramp, Paulie has learned to embark and disembark the couch at will, using the variable-angle carpeted incline to come and go. And when it’s not in use, the solidly constructed wooden frame folds easily and slides right under the couch for storage.” —Bob Al-Greene, Senior Illustrator
A whiteboard to cut down on grocery trips
“A year into quarantine, we’ve nearly mastered the art of comprehensive grocery trips — once every three weeks or so, making an excursion to Wegman’s or Whole Foods to get everything we need for the next month. But sometimes we still miss something on these excursions — a can of minced garlic here, a package of English Muffins there — and we need to fill in the gaps with short journeys out to the bodega or local Key Foods. Could I keep a running list of items we need on Evernote or my Notes app? Sure. But there’s something more tactile about scribbling these things down as they occur to me in pink marker on a little whiteboard on the fridge. I spend enough time on my phone already, whether it’s doomscrolling or hunting for vaccine appointments, so keeping an IRL shopping list lets me offload a little of that so I can minimize my trips out. Nothing special, but it does the trick!” —Bob Al-Greene, Senior Illustrator
“I decided to bake a cake from scratch for my boyfriend’s birthday earlier this month. Since it’s just the two of us, I looked up the recipes on Hummingbird High and decided on a small yellow cake with chocolate ganache. I bought this 6-inch cake pan, an icing bag, and an icing piping kit. It took me all day and there was flour everywhere, but it was such a fun way to celebrate his pandemic birthday.” —Sophie Laplante, Senior Director of Audience Growth
