As the editor of Well Spent, I鈥檓 always excited to see what products our writers pick as their favorite skincare, fitness tools, and听gadgets throughout the year. Here, we鈥檝e rounded them up for a quick gift guide. From a budget-friendly foam roller to a luxury face moisturizer, these were our seven go-to wellness听buys in 2021.

LuxFit Premium High Density Foam Roller: Extra Firm ($9)

A good gift doesn鈥檛 have to be expensive鈥�just ask digital managing director Abigail Wise. Even though owns six foam rollers, this simple听model from LuxFit is the one she reaches for most often when troubled by kinks, cramps, and sore muscles from running. 鈥淚ts dense EPP foam was made to smooth away aches and pains, and that鈥檚 exactly what it does. The roller is hard enough to apply some serious pressure to your problem spots, but not so hard that a rolling session becomes unbearable,鈥� she writes.

Purple Royal Seat Cushion ($79)

While a little extra padding for a loved one鈥檚 at-home work setup might not be the sexiest of gifts, it will probably be the most appreciated. Dedicated work-from-homer Molly Mirhashem raves about this thick seat cushion from mattress company Purple, which is made from a 鈥渞ubber鈥攁nd yes, purple鈥攇el webbing and features a zip-on cover with a no-slip grip on the bottom.鈥� She credits the pad for helping relieve some pandemic-induced back and shoulder pain: 鈥淚t successfully upgrades my rock-hard dining chair to at least the level of those comfy office chairs. At the end of a long workday, I no longer feel desperate to book a deep-tissue massage.鈥�

贬补谤谤测鈥檚 Face Wash ($21 for three)

This wash from 贬补谤谤测鈥檚 is great for people who might be looking to upgrade (or just begin) their daily skincare routine. That鈥檚 how senior editor Luke Whelan came to the product a couple of years ago: 鈥渇or the first time in my life, I thought there might be something to all those grooming products out there. It felt good to take care of my skin at the end of a long day.鈥� He especially liked the wash鈥檚 delicate scent, which he describes as 鈥渞efreshing but not perfumy, with notes of hay and earth that I鈥檇 never smelled in a shower product.鈥�

EVA Foam Mats ($1 per square foot)

Gear director Will Taylor had nothing but good things to say about this multi-purpose gift for the whole family. After outfitting his sunroom with these interlocking, 0.4-inch-thick foam mats, the space was transformed into a playroom for his daughter, a gym for himself and his wife, and nap pad for the cat. 鈥淗aving a safe, comfortable space that鈥檚 ready for us at any time, save moving a few toys, means we utilize it that much more. And for two busy parents and one busier toddler, that鈥檚 been crucial to staying healthy and in shape,鈥� he writes.

Skinnies Sungel (from $32)

Labeling a product the 鈥渇irst sunscreen I don鈥檛 hate,鈥� may sound extreme, but 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor Martin Fritz Huber is adamant about his disdain for most sunblock in his review of Skinnies Sungel, a concentrated sunscreen. Unlike other lotions that leave white streaks, the sungel is clear听and easy to rub in. 鈥淚n addition to its discreet application, it dries very quickly, so you don鈥檛 have to spend half an hour languishing in the shade while your friends prance around in their vitamin A-infused ecstasy,鈥� he writes. While $32 for a 3.4-ounce tube might be pricey, Huber says it鈥檚 worth the cost: 鈥渂ecause you really only need a tiny amount, those 3.4 ounces can go a long way.鈥�

Coway Mighty Air Purifier ($230)

Another unsexy-yet-necessary gift: a home air purifier that can help filter dust, fur, wildfire smoke, and other particles. Copy editor Tasha Zemke听loves her model from Coway, which quickly purified her home鈥檚 air and helped reduce her and her family鈥檚 allergy symptoms during pollen season. 鈥淭his lightweight model completely turned around the respiratory situation in our household,鈥� she writes. 鈥淲hen I plugged it in the first time, the intuitive air-quality light turned red鈥攖he most alarming of the three possible colors, indicating unhealthy levels of allergens. It stayed that way for several hours while the machine vigilantly worked its purifying magic.鈥�

Youth to the People Superberry Overnight Mask ($48)

While assistant video producer Evan Grainger tended to lean towards a minimal grooming routine, his introduction to Youth to the People鈥檚 line of skincare changed all that. 鈥溾€楪ame changer鈥� doesn鈥檛 do this experience justice,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淢y skin felt cleaner than it had in months.鈥� His favorite product from his revamp is the Supperberry Overnight mask, which is packed with moisturizing and redness-reducing ingredients. 鈥淚t provides a rich, hydrating experience that leaves your skin feeling plump and nourished in the morning,鈥� he writes. 鈥淎lmost immediately after starting to use it, my skin tone was more even and my face less puffy.鈥�

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I usually believe that our bodies need fewer things than we put on them. In the past, I approached my skin-care routine with a similar mindset: for both my face and body, Dr. Bronner鈥檚 was for cleaning, Lubriderm was for moisturizing. This made me feel like a true pragmatist: I was saving money, I was bucking the trend of using hyper-specific products to solve made-up problems, and I was constantly coated with a thick layer of emollients.

My skin, however, was not happy. Or at least, it could have been happier鈥攊t was often uncomfortably dry and unnecessarily red and inflamed. Then one day, as the story often goes, I tried my partner鈥檚听face wash: . 鈥淕ame changer鈥� doesn鈥檛 do this experience justice. My skin felt cleaner than it had in months. But I needed more.

Within a few days, I was the proud owner of a proper skin-care routine from Youth to the People. This included not only its Superfood cleanser but its听, , and, most notably, its听 ($48). All of the products were great, but the latter resulted in the most notable improvements. The mask is really a thick, water-based overnight cream, made with moisturizing squalene, redness-reducing prickly pear, and maqui berries, which the company says support cell regeneration. It provides a rich, hydrating experience that leaves your skin feeling plump and nourished in the morning. Almost immediately after starting to use it, my skin tone was more even and my face less puffy. With the Superberry mask, I was finally taking advantage of an overnight treatment. In fact, it鈥檚 actually the best period of the day to .

Having a skin-care routine鈥攑articularly one that I鈥檝e invested some money in鈥攈as prompted me to take better care of myself in general. It forms the foundation of a more holistic bedtime routine: I鈥檝e started stretching before bed, avoiding screens at night, and thoughtfully reflecting on my day. The sum of these parts is greater than one product alone. You can see the proof on my face.

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As someone who suffers from asthma, I鈥檝e been told by various physicians to get an air purifier. But when spring and its overabundance of pollen arrived each year, I always reasoned that I had plenty of tissues, over-the-counter drugs, and my inhaler as backup if things became dire.

But this spring, things did become dire. For ten consecutive nights, I could barely breathe from all the juniper pollen, which was visibly caked on the branches outside my bedroom windows. Twice I nearly worried myself into the ER鈥擨鈥檇 never been so scared my inhaler might fail me. Then one morning, I woke up with my eyes stuck together. In Santa Fe, where a low-to-moderate number is five (on a scale of zero to twelve), the index rose above ten and hovered there for two solid weeks. My daughter and our cat went outside for a few hours in the windy, yellow-hazed world that day and returned wheezing. Trips to urgent care and the vet resulted in a general consensus: both had suffered asthma attacks.

That was all the news I needed. I got online, did some quick research, and bought the ($230). This lightweight model completely turned around the respiratory situation in our household. When I plugged it in the first time, the intuitive air-quality light turned red鈥攖he most alarming of the three possible colors, indicating unhealthy levels of allergens. It stayed that way for several hours while the machine vigilantly worked its purifying magic, ridding the air of 97.97 percent of irritants (including dust, fur, tobacco and wildfire smoke, mold, and particles as small as 0.3 microns). I couldn鈥檛 believe how quickly it made a difference. But because one lone purifier can鈥檛 effectively clean the air of an entire home鈥擟oway suggests a maximum space of 361 square feet鈥攁rguments broke out over whose room the Mighty could remain in for the night. The cat took to sleeping in that room.

It鈥檚 another sad sign of our times that so many of us need machines like this one to breathe normally in our homes and offices. My cousin, who lives in the Bay Area, runs two or more air purifiers in her apartment 24/7 just to make it through . And according to by a team of Columbia University environmental-health scientists, pollen season in North America now lasts three weeks longer than it did 30 years ago. Texas and the Midwest are being especially hard-hit.

Fortunately, the Coway Mighty is an effective filter powerhouse. There are three speeds, the lowest of which makes next to no noise (24.4 decibels, the equivalent of a whisper). But I tend to keep it programmed on the energy-saving eco setting, which kicks on automatically when the particle count increases to a moderately high level and turns off when the surrounding air is once again clean. It鈥檚 a cinch to pop open the unit and change the four air filters (one of which can be rinsed under the faucet and left to dry before reinserting), and it resembles a smooth, sleek guitar amp. I place it next to my side of the bed or adjacent to my work chair and it blows cool (but not cold) ionized air up toward my face.

The only real downsides to owning the Mighty have been a nominal increase in my electricity bill (about $10 a month), the expense of (which range from $25 for the pre-filter to $57.50 for a set of two odor filters, to be changed every six months, and a HEPA filter, to be changed once a year), and, my biggest complaint, the brightness of the color-coded air-quality indicator at night. I tend to cover that up with a small notebook. And although Coway does pitch the Mighty as effective at reducing odors, I鈥檝e often wondered why it can鈥檛 do a better job diffusing my husband鈥檚 gas or stinky socks. But, really, if I can smell both of those next spring during the peak of the juniper bloom, I guess I鈥檒l count it as a blessing.

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One of my best friends during adolescence was a Swedish guy who听had a tanning addiction. He was traumatized by the dark Nordic winters of his childhood and would overcompensate by doing all the things that听dermatologists tell听you not to do.听He actively avoided the shade. Sometimes, when riding in the backseat of a car, he would roll down the window, close his eyes, and angle his face into the light like a turtle, risking decapitation for a quick blast of UV exposure. I must have been impressed by his dedication, because, alas, I also picked up some of his tanning听enthusiasm. I鈥檝e always hated sunscreen听and was willing to let my friend convince me that the stuff was secretly bad for me. But while he had the advantage of a swarthy complexion, I鈥檓 at the mercy of my Irish genes. When we鈥檇 hit the town after a day of languid roasting, we鈥檇 roll up as Charles Bronson and Lobsterman.

Two decades later, I鈥檓 pleased to say that I鈥檝e outgrown such folly. These days, I鈥檓 fairly good about lathering up when听outside for an extended period of time. I guess the skincare die hards听have finally gotten to me with their about how excessive sunlight can damage my hide in ways that are undetectable early on but will come back to haunt me later in life. Or maybe it鈥檚 just that I鈥檓 more aware of听the fact that, despite what the skeptics say, sunscreen is a valuable form of melanoma prevention. And after听recently discovering听, I now听hate wearing it听a little bit less.

The big selling point with , which was launched in New Zealand in 2010, is that you do not need very much of it.听The product is, in essence, sunblock in concentrated form: the company claims that a mere 鈥減ea-sized blob鈥� is sufficient to protect your face, neck, and ears. (I usually go with a marble-sized dollop; after my misspent youth,听I鈥檓 hedging my bets.) Unlike your traditional SPF lotions, which tend to be white and runny, Skinnies has a firmer, paste-like consistency and goes on clear. Most of the time, I鈥檒l have a few days鈥� worth of beard stubble, which acts like Velcro听when I鈥檓 trying to schmear on regular sunblock. Part of my longstanding antipathy towards the stuff comes from the fact that, even after several minutes of diligently massaging it into my face, I鈥檒l still have white streaks. Skinnies is virtually invisible.听In addition to its discreet application, it dries very quickly, so you don鈥檛 have to spend half an hour languishing in the shade while your friends prance around in their vitamin A-infused ecstasy.

Skinnies comes in an 听(water-resistant for up to 40 minutes), as well as an (reef safe, water-resistant for up to four hours).听It鈥檚 on the pricier side:听the SPF 30 version retails for $32 for 3.4 ounces, while the same size tube of the SPF 50 product goes for $49.95. That might seem exorbitant, but because you really only need a tiny amount, those 3.4 ounces can go a long way.听While it can obviously be used for full-body protection, I would recommend saving Skinnies for your face and neck and bringing an additional (cheaper) product along when hitting up your local nude beach.

(I also wouldn鈥檛 get too hung up on the labeling. I know it sounds radical, but you actually don鈥檛 need the sport-edition sunscreen to do sports. I鈥檝e used the SPF 30 version for several sweaty outdoor workouts and haven鈥檛 had any issues with stinging eyes or accidental burning.)

In case you鈥檙e wondering, my Scandinavian friend was eventually cured of his habit after another sun-worshipping zealot gave him a salve that was supposed to accelerate the tanning process, but which ended up temporarily turning him into a raisin. Thanks to听Skinnies, I hope I can avoid a similar fate.

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Finding the motivation to exercise this past year鈥攚hen gyms were closed, childcare was spotty, and most of us were trying to accomplish the bare minimum without collapsing in a pile of existential dread鈥攚as听a challenge. I love my daily dose of endorphins, but as the听father of a toddler, I am also just as likely to fall face-first into a nap when I have a free moment听or to choose听playground time over a circuit workout. I savor those moments听with my daughter and appreciate听my rest days, but I find that it鈥檚 all too easy to let one day become two, then three, and pretty soon I鈥檓 off my regime and feeling lethargic.

To minimize excuses that might get in the way of sweating, I place as few barriers between myself and exercise as possible. If I鈥檓 going for a big run on Saturday, I pack my vest the night before. I keep my mountain and gravel bikes ready to ride, with repair kits attached to each. And just on the other side of my home desk is a multipurpose space my family uses听as a sunroom, kid play area, and听workout zone. Beneath the wooden blocks, yoga mat, counting books, pillows, and cat hair, the floor is lined with (roughly $1 per square foot), which keep听the room听ready for whatever our听bodies need at any time of the day.

The mats鈥攜ou鈥檒l probably recognize them from your high school gym or a yoga studio鈥攃ome in 24-by-24-inch听squares with puzzle-like edges that fit together, so you can fill floor spaces in your home as needed, and we like the听straight edge on the pieces, because听the border looks neat. Our room听is four feet by eight feet, which is a great size for spreading out a yoga mat and having extra space off the sides for floppy knees or elbows. We inherited our mats from my in-laws, who, much to this gear editor鈥檚 chagrin, were using them as camping pads before they made a much needed upgrade to cots. They鈥檙e a mix of blue, red, yellow, and green, which our 21-month-old daughter loves. But if I had bought them, I would have stuck to a more refined palette of black.

The 0.4-inch-thick foam is high density, but not so much that it hurts your feet when standing for long periods of time, or your joints when you鈥檙e听in kneeling poses. Our daughter has her 听in there, as well as various books and toys. The padding ensures that when she takes a spill鈥攚hich is often鈥攖he damage听is minimal.

When our daughter鈥檚听not using it as a playroom, my wife and I听use the area to tend to our bodies. This is where we do circuit workouts, yoga flows, and foam-rolling sessions. If I鈥檓 feeling stiff during the workday, I step in and perform听a few quick dynamic stretches. We have dumbbells, , , , and kettlebells on a high shelf that our daughter can鈥檛 reach听but are still accessible to us.

Thanks to these mats, our whole family uses this area daily鈥攊ncluding the cat, who loves lying听on the pad, baking in the sun, and coughing up the occasional hairball (the mats easily wipe clean with disinfectant). Having a safe, comfortable space that鈥檚 ready for us at any time, save moving a few toys, means we utilize it that much more. And for two busy parents and one busier toddler, that鈥檚 been crucial to staying healthy and in听shape.

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When it comes to my morning and evening bathroom routines, I鈥檓 a man of habit. It took years of getting pestered by my dental hygienist鈥攁nd a couple of cavities鈥攂efore I ditched my cheap analog toothbrush for an electric one. I鈥檝e been using the same deodorant since I was 14 (!).听And听until a few years ago, I washed my face every night with the bar of hand soap next to my sink.

The latter habit changed a few months into dating my girlfriend, when I started spending听several nights听of the week at her apartment. Before bed听I鈥檇 steal a dollop of her fancy face wash,听and听gradually, I began to notice that my face was getting less dry and more clear. I kept using it when she wasn鈥檛 looking,听and for the first time in my life, I thought there might be something to all those grooming products out there.听It felt good to take care of my skin at the end of a long day.听

Soon after this revelation, I learned about 听($21 for a pack of three). is best听known for its hipster shaving box that sends subscribers听refill听razors every month. I鈥檝e had a beard since college, so I never needed that sort of thing, but the company also sells grooming products听such as听 and face wash. I decided to give the face wash a go鈥攖he branding didn鈥檛 look too听douchey, like a lot of men鈥檚 skin-care and shower products, and I knew 贬补谤谤测鈥檚听had a good reputation for its听quality. It seemed听like the perfect fit for my evening routine. (I鈥檓 generally听too harried in the morning for more than a splash of water on my face.)

That instinct paid off. I鈥檝e always hated the musky scents of most male hygiene products. The labels tout听sandalwood听and tobacco,听but I just smell my high school locker room and the desperate attempt to cover up teenage body odor. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that 贬补谤谤测鈥檚 face wash had no hint of Axe-brand听odors. It was听refreshing but not perfumy, with notes of hay and earth that I鈥檇 never smelled听in a shower product. After rinsing it off, a pleasant tingle remained on my skin, thanks to essential peppermint and eucalyptus oils. After a week of using it each evening, my beard hair began feeling softer, too, perhaps due to the small amount of shea butter in the formula.

The wash听features听little听bits of volcanic rock. That sounded awesome (exfoliating听your face with lava!)听and, it turns out, also felt awesome. While rubbing the foam in, the particles would gently lift the layer of sunscreen, sweat, and dirt on my face after a听day鈥檚 hike or bike ride. The best part? I didn鈥檛 have to worry about听harming any听critters in the sea, because听, volcanic rock isn鈥檛 toxic to听marine life.

After using up my first bottle of 贬补谤谤测鈥檚, I saw it at Target and threw it in the cart. The next time I passed by it in the store, I threw three bottles in my basket so I鈥檇 never run out. The timing was perfect, because my girlfriend was catching on to the fact that her face wash had begun disappearing at an alarming rate.

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When the pandemic set in听a year ago, there was no shortage of articles telling us听which gear we needed听to work comfortably from home. Scrolling my Twitter feed, it often听felt like every online publisher (including 国产吃瓜黑料)听had听weighed听in on the best home-office products: standing desks, fancy stools, mousepads, extra monitors. I smugly ignored all of these stories. Pre-pandemic, I worked from home three days a week and had no extraordinary aches and pains. My setup was sparse鈥擨 usually edited听from my kitchen table, seated in an Ikea dining chair, with my laptop elevated on a stand鈥攂ut I had no complaints. The people who needed these product recommendations were somehow different from me, I was sure. Maybe they鈥檇 gotten soft from all those days relying on comfy, ergonomic office chairs while I鈥檇 been unknowingly training for our work-from-home apocalypse. But several months into the pandemic, the aches and pains arrived.

I must have been demonstrating听terrible听posture at my computer听before I actually started complaining about my back and shoulder pain.听I only know this because very soon after the aches arrived, my boyfriend received听a stream of packages at our apartment that were full of work-from-home gear. I hadn鈥檛 asked for any of this, but he had ordered it听all for me. (Some gestures can be thoughtful and vaguely insulting at the same time. I cringe thinking about how hunched over my laptop I must have appeared to have prompted the unsolicited gifts.) There was a back cushion, a seat cushion, and a pillowy footstool, all from different companies. Out of desperation (and an attempt to be grateful), I outfitted my Ikea dining chair and got back to work.

I soon realized that I鈥檇 tried to implement too many changes too soon. On day one of my new setup, I felt restricted and uncomfortable at my workstation, but I couldn鈥檛 pinpoint which item was to blame.听Over several weeks, I tested out different arrangements to see what felt best: I reintroduced the items in different combinations and tried to take note of any changes to my overall achiness.

Eventually, I settled on the winner: the 听($79) from Purple, a brand mostly known for its mattresses. The 鈥渃ushion鈥澨齣s made from a grid of firm, rubbery鈥攁nd yes, purple鈥攇el webbing听and features a zip-on cover with a no-slip grip on the bottom. Unlike a regular cushion, the material is supportive and pleasantly solid. (You don鈥檛 sink into it.) It successfully upgrades my rock-hard dining chair to at least the level of those comfy office chairs. At the end of a long workday, I no longer feel desperate to book a deep-tissue massage.听It鈥檚 a bit pricey听but still much cheaper than a high-quality听ergonomic听chair.

I鈥檝e mostly ditched the other add-ons, and I have to admit that I still have work to do to perfect my setup. (For starters, my large monitor has been gathering dust at my office for a whole year while I work from my laptop each day.)听But I still can鈥檛 quite stomach the idea of putting a full-blown ergonomic office chair in my kitchen鈥攊t feels so final, like I can no longer pretend that we鈥檒l be back to our normal office lives soon enough. Until I get over my denial, this seat cushion is an excellent stopgap.

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As听every race I signed up for听in 2020听got canceled, I thought my daily running routine might disappear. But I own two Lab puppies, I value the state of my chew-mark-free home, and听I鈥檝e learned my lesson: a tired dog is a good dog. So I run most days鈥攕ometimes a few miles, sometimes much more鈥攖hrough the sandy arroyos of my backyard in northern听New Mexico. This occasionally听leads to cramps, but while a weird kink in my hamstring once may have earned me a rest day, try explaining an exercise-free morning to a puppy.

Now听every time I feel a tight IT band coming on, the听听($9)听saves my life鈥攁nd the longevity of my chair legs.

My partner, Will, and I听are both long-distance runners, and听we own four to six听foam rollers between us. We have soft ones, firm ones, and ones with ridges. Our fanciest roller features 鈥減ressure points,鈥� lime green ribs, and costs around $35. But the real beauty of the LuxFit is听its simplicity. This thing has no bells or whistles, not even an intricate color scheme鈥攊t鈥檚 plain black. But it鈥檚听the roller we reach for most.

The cylinder听measures听in at a foot long and six inches wide, and it weighs next to nothing. Its dense EPP听foam was made to smooth away aches and pains, and that鈥檚 exactly what it does. The roller is hard enough to apply some serious pressure to your problem spots, but not so hard that a rolling session becomes unbearable. (Don鈥檛 be fooled by the 鈥渆xtra firm鈥� in the name; I鈥檇 rate this a medium softness on the scale of a fluffy pillow to a rock.)听It also comes with a three-year warranty, but even after two and a half听years of near daily rolls, ours is almost as good听as new.

The LuxFit is also helpful听for relieving back pain that crops up in the course of daily life. I find it鈥檚听the perfect way to undo the hours I spend slouched over my keyboard during the workday. Sometimes I don鈥檛 even roll it around: I just place it horizontally on the yoga mat beneath听my upper spine听and let it stretch out my tense shoulders and neck. Will, who鈥檚 a small-scale farmer, uses it before bed to massage his muscles after long days hunched over weeds and seeds.听On more than one occasion, we鈥檝e bickered about who gets to use it first in the evening听or听snapped at each other to hurry up and hand it over.

This humble foam roller has become a household favorite,听transported听from the living room to the bedroom to the kitchen throughout the week to be听put to work.听We pick it up as soon as we get back from the trails,听and it slowly smooths听out any knots and tightness we picked up along the way.

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Exercising in the high desert of New Mexico is a dusty, dry affair. Even when you鈥檙e not sweating, the sun feels unfiltered and harsh, like it鈥檚 sucking moisture from inside your body. As someone who prioritizes sweaty aerobic activities every day in this climate, I try my best to stay hydrated. But if I don鈥檛 drink enough fluids, the听aridity makes it challenging to catch up: no matter how much I chug, I鈥檓 often still thirsty.

I employ a rotating cast of beverages to achieve my hydration quotas:听SodaStream听sparkling water with lime, 100 percent juices cut with听sparkling water, fruit smoothies with protein powder, and my favorite:听 ($25听for four tubes).

These magic disks听are easy to use. Fill a pint glass with water, drop in a听tablet, and in a few minutes the tab will completely dissolve, leaving you with a slightly sweet, effervescent beverage that I find endlessly refreshing. Dripping sweat post-run, I often stand holding听the cup, watching the disintegrating听tablet听float to the surface of my听cold filtered water in anticipation of that first, most satisfying hit.

Of Nuun Sport鈥檚 13听flavors,听I highly recommend , , and . In fact, this听caffeine variety is my go-to (there are听four flavors with caffeine, and dosage varies, so make sure to read the label). Most lunch breaks I return from a run or bike ride and plop one in some water. The combination of electrolytes, minerals, a single gram of sugar, and听caffeine听helps give me the听boost I need to recover and finish out the day鈥檚 work.

The tablets are just as useful on weekends. For rides and runs over two hours, I fill a separate bottle with water and a Nuun tablet and use it听as a听pick-me-up on the trail. I鈥檝e tried countless other during-exercise solutions and found that Nuun products are the lightest and most gentle on my stomach. That counts for a lot when you鈥檙e putting in hard efforts that last听a half day or longer.

Nuun also offers instant powder packets, vitamin tablets, and subscription boxes, but for my money, the Sport听tablets are the best, both in flavor and in satisfaction (some of the powder packets don鈥檛 totally dissolve and are grainy in the water). You may have to wait a few minutes for your drink to be ready, but I find that only builds my anticipation: that initial chug usually empties about half a pint. It鈥檚 that good.

The post I’ve Tried Many Workout Drinks. Nuun Is the Best. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For years, my skin care routine has consisted of cleansing and moisturizing with drugstore products, applying听the occasional facial mask when I鈥檓听in the mood, and always forgetting to put on sunscreen. I鈥檝e never been a big skin care person鈥擨 spent听a few years working at a luxury magazine,听and testing overpriced products left me a bit jaded.听But when the pandemic hit, I waded into the self-care waters, adding 鈥渢emporarily researching skin care routines鈥澨齮o my list of coping mechanisms. I wanted to come up with a simple regimen that would be easy to stick to, and I figured adding two more basic steps鈥攖oning and exfoliating鈥攚ould do the trick.

I wasn鈥檛 in the market for a face mask. I鈥檝e been slowly making my way through a collection of algae, lava, and silica mud masks that generously came with a resort stay听a few years ago. But then I came across in Amazon鈥檚 best-reviewed beauty product list. The one-pound tub consists of just one ingredient,听, a pale-green听powdered substance derived from volcanic ash. The packaging, which features a clipart-style image of an Aztec temple, reminded me of those hilarious, old-school hair gel tubs. While reading through some of the 14,000-plus Amazon reviews, most of which gave five-star ratings, I kept seeing words like 鈥渕agic鈥� and 鈥渓ifesaver.鈥� And in place of the typical wellness musings, the label read, in all caps:听鈥淔EEL YOUR FACE PULSATE鈥� and 鈥淒EEP PORE CLEANSING!鈥�

The mask鈥檚 listing boasts that it helps听solve a strange mix of ailments and can听be utilized in a variety of ways: 鈥淔acials, acne, bodywraps, clay baths, foot soaks, chilled clay for knee packs听and insect bites!鈥� If听that wasn鈥檛 intriguing enough, it only cost $12.75. I wasn鈥檛 completely sold after testing听it the first two times听(as a face mask鈥擨鈥檝e yet to use it for its other functions), but听after giving it a few more tries, this humble mask won me over.

For the past five months, I鈥檝e consistently used it at least once a week, which is more than I can say of other products I bought during that time鈥攁 charcoal toothpaste that promised to brighten my teeth just left them听feeling less clean听than when I started. I think part of my commitment to Aztec Secret has to do with just how satisfying the prep is: you mix the powder with equal parts apple cider vinegar until you get a creamy, mint-colored paste听that looks like something you could have extracted straight from the earth. It鈥檚 cooling and not overly drying upon application, and unlike more expensive products, you don鈥檛 have to think twice about slathering it on. After multiple uses, I started seeing results. My skin feels better than it听ever has: softer, clearer, and firmer.

In the end, I realized I could embrace my lazy-person routine and get away with ditching a few daily steps, like toning, because the after-effects of the mask seemed to last. And the fact that I live in a dry climate and the mask isn鈥檛 dehydrating听means that my skin doesn鈥檛 revolt if I鈥檓 not super on point with moisturizing. After growing disillusioned with $100 serums and the next-best ingredients, the unassuming Aztec Secret made me realize that I was right all along:听when it comes to my skin, less is more.

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