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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
The endlessness of winter has nothing on this internet-beloved light therapy lamp.
Promising review: "I have no idea how to quantify how well this works, but I haven't needed my inhaler since we got it. Our neighbors (older apartment building) are heavy smokers and my wife and I were both bothered by it. It feels better now. We've been leaving this running whenever we're home. The touch sensor works well to turn it on and off. It does make some noise, but it's just kind of a low ambient fan sound that's easy to ignore. As an unexpected bonus it's really really good at filtering pet smells. I have two stinky male rats in the middle of rat puberty, their bedding gets changed every other day, and when they were due for a cleaning you used to be able to smell it across the room. You can't anymore unless you're right next to the cage. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this but it's worth it for that alone." —Chris
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.
Promising review: "Quarantine made me do it but I’m not sorry. Don’t bother buying the expensive name brand Orbeez — these are essentially the same and work great. My kids LOVE these! A million uses and great for all ages of kids (except for babies). We have filled up a huge bin and used cups to scoop and play. We have put them in the water table outside. We have used a funnel to fill up balloons and make homemade squishy stress balls. We have made foot spas. We have talked about filling a baby wading pool and lounging, but I’m not willing to buy enough. 😂TIPS — a small amount of these goes a LONG way. About half the beads in this container will fill up half of a Rubbermaid garage storage tub. Just pour them into your container with a large amount of water and wait, wait, wait. Did I mention WAIT — It will take ONE TO TWO DAYS for them to fully expand, so plan ahead!!! We’ve gotten hours of fun and I’ve also heard they’re good for gardens, so you can dispose of them there when you’re done (though you might want to do your own research on that one!)" —Deeber
Get a set of 50,000 from Amazon for $7.99.
It even comes with a built-in Bluetooth music speaker so you can sync your favorite songs or audio with it, plus a remote with 10 color and dimming options so you can control it from wherever you are in the room.
Promising review: "Bought this for a galactic-themed party recently, and I'm amazed by the quality! The LED lights are crisp and clear, and very colorful on empty canvases. This can also be used for kids' rooms, gaming rooms, or for a night under the 'stars' when it's rainy out. The instructions are clear on which buttons are which on the remote control, so you can change the colors of the simulated nebulas, set timers, etc. easily." —Shin-Chiao Fang
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
This is designed to make bass more powerful, dialogue more crisp, and even customize voice levels in the audio to make it hyperrealistic.
Here's what Heather Braga, a fellow BuzzFeed editor, had to say about it: "I attached this sound bar to the TV in my living room just in time for March Madness and honestly it felt like we were in the arena watching the games IRL. It's pretty easy to set up and the subwoofer it comes really makes a difference. Can't wait to test it out while watching Game of Thrones! It also features built-in Alexa voice services, making your life easier than every before."
Get it from Amazon for $299.
Similar to other Alexa-enabled devices, the Echo Show 5 responds to voice commands and can be synced with Audible, Amazon Music, Amazon Video, and other apps and programs like Spotify, iTunes, and NPR.
Promising review: "I love this device!!!! I had been eyeing the Echo Spot for a while for its price point and ability to video call and then this Echo Show 5 compact was released: I liked the square screen a lot more than the round one on the spot. The larger Echo Show that I also wanted was just not in my price range — I had to be able to afford to purchase multiple devices for me and my kids so we all have a way to see each other and talk regularly with grandchildren since everyone lives in other states. I actually love the smaller size- it fits better in compact areas like my bedside and on my computer desk. I don’t regret this purchase at all! I love how easily I can connect with family. Everyone loves them! Bonus I can control my smart home devices from this all hands free: lights, appliances, gadgets, and Alexa devices. Best purchase this year!" —Cindylu
Get it from Amazon for $44.99.
It's also teensy for storing and cleans with a quick stream of hot running water, and works on cold *and* hot beverages.
Promising review: "This is seriously my best quarantine purchase and I have made a lot! No need for Starbucks anymore. My craving has been fulfilled. I make at least one fancy drink every morning. To make the cold foam similar to Starbucks salted honey you use a little milk (I use almond), a sprinkle of salt, and some honey then use the frother. It makes so much from a small amount and the taste is delicious!! This will be your new morning best friend. I am so happy!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in 10 colors).
Signet Sealed is a Texas-based Etsy shop established in 2015 that specializes in city-themed water colors and downloadable coloring pages.
Promising review: "Super fun, easy to print. Very satisfied with purchase." —Paige Wynne
Get it from Signet Sealed on Etsy for $3.
Promising review: "This is a perfect companion for my new planner 2020. It’s ideal for me to organize my planner with multi color entries on my planner. 18 color pens are crafted with a style. They are very sturdy and easy to hold on hand. The fine tips give stylish writing. I love to send them as gifts for my kids." —David
Get a set of 18 from Amazon for $9.98.
Promising review: "I was hoping that when I bought this smart bulb that the colors would be bright and they are and I love it. It works seamlessly with my Google Home Mini and I can also tell it what color I'd like it. I am a big fan of Smart bulbs since getting my first C by GE as a Christmas gift. I currently now have ten C by GE bulbs in my home and this is the first color one." —Kis'
Get a two-pack of lightbulbs and a smart plug from Amazon for $60.98.
You can also control the settings with Alexa or Google Home, and even set them on a timer, if you wanted to wake yourself up to some ambient colorful light in your room. It comes with adhesive strips and hooks, a Wi-Fi controller, and an adapter, so you can easily install and sync it in your home with everything included.
Promising review: "With this pandemic I had been looking for ways to liven up the mood and I have to say these lights did the job!! They are so much fun!! They go with the music! If you are looking for ways to bring some fun to your life without leaving home or just to add a touch of brightness to your home, these lights will do the job!" —Haze
Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in two lengths).
Here's a YouTube playlist of mini trampoline workouts to get you started!
Promising review: "My family enjoys the trampoline indoors. I like the bar I can control my balance. Perfect for kids and adults." —Hi
Get it from Target for $114.99 (originally $159.99).
Promising review: "Great little outdoor heater! With weather cooling and the pandemic continuing, we wanted to continue our distanced outdoor visits with friends and family. These heaters made those visits possible on our covered porch. We bought two! I think they’ve saved our social life for quite a while! longer." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $30.99+ (available in two colors).
The fuel source is a standard 20-pound propane tank, which is not included.
Promising review: "This propane patio heater is just what we needed to warm our screened porch. We have high ceilings and this heater is a good height for our space. It is not hard to move around, as needed. The umbrella shade directs the heat downward and keeps your upper torso toasty. Your feet may not get any heat. But we have found this heater meets our needs for sitting outside and grilling during the winter months in this temperate climate." —J Comer
Get it from Amazon for $241.
You can sync this alarm clock with an app on your phone (or with an Alexa or Google Home), and it will gradually brighten the room with red-tinted light designed to fight grogginess in the minutes leading up to your wakeup. By the time your alarm goes off, your eyes will have already adjusted to the "daylight," so you won't be as tempted to hit snooze. It also has customizable sounds to wake you up, like "Hawaiian waves."
Promising review: "Best wakeup light I've tried! It is pretty easy to set up and you can connect it to your Alexa app and control it from your phone! It has a LOT of different alarm sounds to choose from (and even had radio options) and the light from this thing is bright enough to light up your entire room! So much more powerful than previous 'wake up lights' I’ve purchased. I also like the different choices of sounds (I personally like the wind chimes one because it’s not too startling) and you can even dim (or turn off) the clock settings to your liking. This product gradually increases in light and sound intensity as it approaches the alarm set time, which allows for a more gradual morning wake up. I especially like being able to 'snooze' it or turn off the alarm from my phone without having to get up physically. All around, a great product at an even better price!" —alw214
Get it from Amazon for $45.99.
If you're looking for inspo, BuzzFeed assembled a list of copycat air fryer recipes, including copycat McDonald's fries, copycat KFC biscuits, and copycat Taco Bell crunch wraps.
Promising review: "I have been thinking of getting an air fryer for a while now. The price point and the comments regarding customer service finally pushed me to purchase this fryer. Best cooking gadget I have ever purchased! I have had it for four days and have used it every day! I have made fries, fish, shrimp, potatoes, and bacon in this marvel! The flavor is amazing and I have not used any oil yet. I did purchase an accessory kit but have not used it yet — still making things as it came. I am great at burning things in the pan and in the oven. I really like how you can open the basket to check the food as it is cooking without losing the time or the temperature. I have not burned one thing! It is extremely easy to clean! It is large, but I WILL make room for it on my counter!" —CK
Get it from Amazon for $69.99+ (available in three colors).
It comes with eight different light modes, including a *twinkle* mode, with a controller attached to the lights so you can easily switch between them.
Promising review: "OK, so it's quarantine time. Life is a bit grim. You want a little bit more light in your sphere, so you see these, and you think, maybe. Well, I'm here to turn your 'maybe' into a 'yes.' Not only do these lights add a bit more illumination to a bedroom that's quite dark, but they're just so magical and fairy-like. They infuse a little bit of joy into my world that I really appreciate. I have beams going across my ceiling, so I ended up stringing them across the whole room. I also appreciate that the remote (which is another warning part of the actual strand of lights) has various settings depending on your mood. I usually opt for the stable one, but these offer several modes. ENJOY!" —Tess
Get them from Amazon for $17.99.
The objective of the game is to collect matching sets of cards faster than everyone else, which earns you points — but if you happen to be armed with one of the foam burritos and aim it at someone before they can dodge, you can knock their points out (and distract them from finding other matches). The game includes a few other niche rules to keep everyone on their toes, and is good for ages 7 and up and for two to six players.
Promising review: "So... I can’t even begin to describe this game 😂. I’m 32, my husband 38, and our children are 14 and 11. We ALL love this! We had to stock up on games for the quarantine and this has been our favorite. Make sure to take your glasses off before playing if you wear them 😂 You’ll have bruises. You’ll break things. You’ll yell. It will be the most fun you’ve had in a long time. If you drink and aren’t playing with children, I imagine it would be even more fun! This isn’t hard to play and there aren’t many rules and I love how it doesn’t really matter if you cheat because no one cares as long as you get to throw a burrito. If you have dogs, watch your burritos because they look like fun dog toys and will disappear with a quickness. Just buy this, you’ll have the most innocent fun you’ve had in years!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
Promising review: "This microphone is so much fun! Quarantine doesn’t have to be bland and it is definitely a game-changer with this gem! The sound is amazing, I love how sturdy it is, does not feel cheaply made at all. I spent the better half of my afternoon singing my husband’s ear off and making unnecessary announcements LOL!! Buy one and you won’t want to put it down either, that’s for sure! It also came with a very sturdy carrying case! I give 5 stars!" —Mrs. T.
Get it from Amazon for $21.70 (available in 11 colors).
Promising review: "It grew! And I didn't kill it! I suck at keeping plants alive, or even getting them to grow in the first place, but this cat grass grew fast and adds a nice pop of green to my lanai. My cats and dogs love it. The seeds started sprouting within a day of planting and I had 4-inch tall grass within three days of planting. The description did describe it as 'just add water' but the instructions are actually slightly more complicated than that, but still simple enough for even a kiddo to be able to figure it out. I would definitely buy it again." —sillylilly
Get it from Amazon: the cat grass for $11.99 and the microgreens for $11.99 (available in four varieties).
There are 22 full sets available, ranging from general topics to themed ones like Dinner Party, Date Night, Family Gathering, Teens, and Travel.
Promising review: "My partner and I are currently long-distance and rely on daily Skype calls to keep in touch. It occurred to me that we could be spending this time getting to know each other better rather than just talking about our respective days at work, what we had for lunch, what we're each watching on Netflix etc. I wasn't sure if he would be into the idea but he likes this activity as much if not more than I do. It's amazing the things you realize you don't know about somebody and would never in a million years think to ask, but can be so revealing. Last round we drew 'Would you rather be the best player on a losing team, or the worst player on a winning team?' and the things he brought up as he was reasoning through his answer just reminded me how much I admire about his character. It might sound crazy that we are getting this much out of this simple game but communication is all we have available to connect with each other and this is really working for us. I'll definitely order more cards when we get through these and I plan to keep them on our dinner table when we are one day living in the same location — always more to learn!" —LMdC
Get it from Amazon for $25 (available in 22 themed sets).
Here's how it works: Each month, the service specially curates four books in different genres that they know readers will love. You get to pick which one you want sent to you based on those selections. Fall in love with more than one synopsis? You can do an add-on book for that month! Plus, it you don't like any the books in the selection pool, you can pause for a month and grab a book the next one instead. Books on books on BOOKS, y'all.
Get a three-month subscription from Book of the Month for $49.
Promising review: "This has really gotten the party started in the bathroom, the cat is even more jealous." —Firebox Customer
Get it from Firebox for $14.99.
Promising review: "I bought this for myself as a treat — my whole family uses it regularly and my friends all use it when we have parties. We have s'mores on the weekly anymore because it's so convenient and yummy! I can't recommend this s'mores maker enough, it's super easy to use and clean — my one complaint is that now I'm out of graham crackers and have to go get more! Haha! Would buy again and highly recommended!" —Fadden1
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
Promising review: "This projector has been an amazing addition to our quarantine life at home. Who needs the movies when you have this. The volume is actually really good and the Wi-Fi is helpful. We hook up our Direct TV, Fire Stick, etc, and it all works great with great picture! We’ve been having a blast moving the movies home." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $92.72 (clip the "$55 off" coupon on the product page for this price).
Fun On The Homestead is a Michigan-based Etsy shop established in 2019 that specializes in printables for decluttering, health, pets, and organization.
Promising review: "I really enjoy the organization behind these items! I ordered ink so I can print and laminate these! Thank you!" —Monique Powell
Get it from Fun On The Homestead on Etsy for $1.99.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.