9 Weirdly Useful Things To Try Out In May

Including a lipstick lock that will actually stop your lipstick from fading for almost 12 hours.

Tim Lane/ BuzzFeed

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.

Hi! I'm the kind of person that messages my friends with products I'm obsessed with. And at work, my team and I are constantly recommending products to each other. So we thought we'd let you know what we're digging too.

For the sake of transparency, we'll always let you know if we're recommending something that we tried as a press sample/got for free.

1. An anti-spot gel for sensitive skin that actually works.

instagram.com

"I’m a serial buyer of products that claim they can cure my acne so when I saw this on a BuzzFeed post I obviously bought it. I had been using Lush’s Grease Lightning and it really didn’t do anything, but I wear it anyway because I like to think I’m doing something to help my skin, even if it did do fuck all. The Bare Faced Anti Blemish Overnight Gel has actually done something! I keep it on my nightstand so I remember to apply it before I sleep and just kind of put it on the areas that are extra red or where I can feel a spot brewing under my skin. When I wake up in the morning it’s usually gone down a bit and the redness has gone – an actual spot product that works! Maybe it hasn’t blessed me with perfect skin but it’s huge for me to find a product that makes a noticeable difference. I will definitely be checking out their other products." – Cassie Smyth

Get it on Amazon, £11.99

2. A cream that will make your dry heels as smooth as butter.

instagram.com

"This Yu.Be Kit is the only thing I've found that has really helped with my dry heels. I have a thing with being constantly moisturised, so having dry heels is a pet peeve. I got this sent to me as a press sample, and I wasn't sure about it, mainly because I wasn't into the packaging. But it's honestly amazing. The kit comes with a sock – it's a footless sock that can go on your heels and your elbow – and a moisturising cream. I put a quite a lot of the cream on my heels and then wore the sock overnight, and it worked wonders. " – Tolani Shoneye

Get it on Amazon, £21.75

3. A colour-correcting concealer that helps to cover rosacea.

instagram.com

"If you have redness you would like to cover, colour-correcting makeup could be your new best friend. Green products may seem like crazy and intimidating products but they work incredibly well when applied properly. The basic premise is that red and green are opposite each other on the colour wheel, so by applying a green-toned cream it will neutralise the redness in the skin. Bear in mind that these products do tend to work better under foundation or concealer: It's rare that you find one subtle enough to be worn alone, so don't abandon your colour-correcting products just because you start out looking a bit like the Hulk!

I like NYX, £5.50 at Boots." – Lex Gillies

4. A tinted lip cream that is moisturizing AF.

Kiehls

"I bought this in an early morning airport whim, and it's amazing. It's tinted enough so it passes for lipstick, but is super moisturising and creamy, has a high SPF, AND smells like lemons. I need to book a holiday soon so I can go back and buy the other colours." – Megan Cox

Get it at Kiehl's, £19.95

5. A lipstick lock that will actually stop your lipstick from fading for almost 12 hours.

instagram.com

"Rimmel London's Lipstick Lock has been a game-changing high street product for me. I love a bold lip colour, but I am a bit of a lazy girl and often can't be bothered to reapply – also I should say that I'm pretty bad at applying in the first place, so I'm only going to have the patience to get it right once, and I want the work to last! I brush the lipstick lock over the top of any lip colour and it stays for hours – this past weekend I applied at 3pm and it was still about 90% intact when I got home at 1am. But a little micellar oil will take it right off. It has a strong alcohol scne that fades after a few minutes, and can be a little drying, but I combat that with rosebud balm, which I wear pretty religiously whenever I'm not flaunting colour." – Chelsey Pippin

Get it on Amazon, £8.99

6. A high-end jewellery subscription box that lets you pretend to be a princess.

Laura Gallant / Glitzbox

Glitzbox is basically Rent the Runway for jewellery, but you get to keep the pieces for a month. You fill out a thorough questionnaire, mentioning any allergies, the style of jewellery you like (for example, I have a nickel allergy, and hate wearing bracelets). You then receive three pieces, each worth from £40-£150. Wear them for a month, then post them back free of charge.

This subscription box split opinion on my team. I'm someone who likes to spend a little more on jewellery, and I only buy one thing a year (the last thing I bought were these earrings). But Tolani likes to buy little and often, and changes her look day-to-day – and she thought it was too expensive. For now, the box starts at £39 a month. If you want to buy something, each box comes with a £30 voucher to put towards the cost of the pieces, but there are plans to change the pricing.

I wanted to find out more, so I emailed Glitzbox asking for a press sample and some follow-up queries. Do you have to subscribe month on month? "We can pause or cancel memberships anytime users want," they said. "So you could wear the first pieces for 1 month then ask to pause for a couple of months before receiving your next box." They also added that pieces are also sterilised between users, using the same process a vintage or antique seller would use.

I'm not looking to buy new jewellery at the moment, but it's a great way to find new designers and styles, as well as trying out things you're not sure about. The pieces I received were right up my street, and I enjoyed wearing them for the month before sending them back. I was going to buy one of the pieces I got sent, but it was too far from payday. Would I subscribe again? Maybe once a year – when I'm looking for a new recc.

7. A hanging basket that clips on to your drainpipe, perfect for small gardens.

wilko.com

I bloody love Wilko, and their garden range is great for smaller spaces. This drainpipe plant pot holder clips onto your drainpipe, and uses an inbuilt counterbalance to stay put. They recommend only having one per drainpipe, but I've got two – spaced out – and it's fine so far. I used plastic plant pots that I had already, but I also bought this pot for 75p just in case.

Get the holder at Wilko, £2.50

8. A weirdly useful world travel adaptor that will cut down on your packing.

amazon.co.uk

"Do you travel enough to know that travel adapters and extension cords are BAD and BULKY and UGH? For a small amount this item will convert the electricity for 200 different countries worldwide, AND it's got two USB ports, which if we're honest, a _lot_ of your items will run from nowadays – phones, tablets, battery packs etc.

"This is such a little time saver, is really well-made, and is correctly earthed, too, which makes the electrical nerd in me happier than most other adapters, which are 2-pin. WHAT AN AMAZING LITTLE THING I LOVE IT." – Paul Curry

Get it at ">Amazon, £24.92

9. An anti-chafe roll-on that is a saviour for sweaty thighs.

Nation of Amanda/ store.silversprocket.net

This anti-chafe product is marketed towards athletes and marathon-runners, but it is the absolute best for sweaty inner thighs. Do your legs rub against each other in the summer time? Do you resent people who suggest you wear cycling shorts under your skirt? A quick swipe of this in the mornings has saved me so many heat rashes. I recommend it every summer to my friends, and now, dear readers, to you too.

Get it on Amazon, £13.50

And buy a patch of the above illustration here