Top Lifestyle News
The best blenders in the US: for smoothies, frozen drinks and more
I tested more than a dozen blenders in Brooklyn, including from Vitamix and Breville for budget, size, mulch factor, speed and whether they had plastic or glass jarsIn the UK? Check out Filter UK’s top-rated blenders hereThere are few breakfasts that feel as healthy and refreshing as the ever-mutable smoothie. You can make them virtuous, with lots of greens and nut milk, or luscious, with full-fat dairy and cocoa powder – but in order to make a good one, you need a really good blender.And while smoothies are the classic use for a blender, these appliances can do so much more; a truly great blender is a kitchen workhorse that can make your morning smoothie, your afternoon dip, your evening soup and even a frozen drink if you’re feeling frisky.Best overall blender: Breville Fresh & FuriousThe very best blender (luxury): Vitamix 5200Best glass blender (also best for ice crushing): KitchenAid Pure Power Blender with Glass JarBest glass blender under $100: Hamilton Beach Smoothie Start Glass BlenderBest compact personal blender: The Beast Mega 1200 PlusBest blender for quick smoothies: Nutribullet Pro 900The most plastic-free blender: Oster Classic Series Heritage Blender with Glass JarOther blenders we tested: What’s OK and what to avoidHow we test blenders: And our mission at the Filter USBlender features you should look for: Figuring out your needsHow to clean a blender: A few small tips to help Continue reading...
This indulgent, self-heating ceramic mug has ruined all other mugs for me
I’m a notoriously slow tea drinker. Ohom’s clever invention means I never have to suffer through another lukewarm cupThe best blenders in the US: for smoothies, frozen drinks and moreSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsAh, November: the start to a season of itchy sweaters, gusty weather and elaborate excuses not to leave the house. For me, this also means a dramatic uptick in tea consumption. Few things make a chilly morning more tolerable than a steaming hot beverage, like this hearty pumpkin and red bean tea I have been quaffing lately.The problem is that I’m a painfully slow tea drinker. I’ll make myself a lovely cup, take a few sips, get distracted by work and remember it exists 45min later, when it’s gone miserably lukewarm. I’ll then drink my sad tea or get up to boil the kettle again (while finishing my sad tea as I wait). In the past, I’ve kept the kettle on to avoid this predicament, but I recently found a much better fix: the Ohom Ui self-heating mug, a small luxury that has made my tea habit considerably more pleasurable, and possibly ruined regular mugs for me for good. Continue reading...
‘Wellness is on the ballot’: why did so many pilates studios tell me to vote in the midterms?
Owners of pilates and yoga studios in the US got political and encouraged their followers to vote on social mediaSend us your questions about the midterm resultsTrack live results from all 50 statesYour local pilates instructors only want you to do two things: breathe through your side-planks and vote.In the days leading up to the US midterm elections, a wave of posts from fitness and wellness accounts blanketed Instagram, eschewing their typical messaging around the importance of strengthening your core in favor of the importance of exercising your civic duty. Owners of pilates and yoga studios and instructors across the US posted reels and pictures on platforms like Instagram encouraging their followers and clients to vote. Engagement varied depending on their following: posts reaped anywhere from 70 to more than 10,000 likes. Continue reading...
What readers bought in October: so many plastic-free food storage containers
In October, Filter readers bought practical everyday essentials and distinctly whimsical gadgetsThis story was originally published in the Filter US newsletter on buying fewer, better things. Sign up here to get early access to itEach week the Filter newsletter cuts through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.In October, we reviewed dozens of items, from sardines to slip-on shoes. Continue reading...
The knuck: how to wear trousers and boots – without looking like a pirate
Forget the French tuck. This year, the fashion press has another style move in mind – and it will at least keep your jeans cleanName: The knuck.Age: A brand new term for an enduring look. Continue reading...
‘Jimi Horsedrix brought me so much joy’: the comic drawing a horse a day – and day 69’s is unsuitable for children
On day 58, he did a boxing Ali horse. On day 67, he did a howling horse. So what made Andy Field suddenly decide to draw 100 equines? And what made day 48’s so phallic?Andy Field was midway through his standup run at this year’s Edinburgh fringe when he was struck by an unusual urge – the urge to draw a horse. “I hadn’t sat down to draw anything since I was at school,” says the 34-year-old comedian. “Drawing was a skill I didn’t have.”He’s not lying. The subsequent horse Field posted to TikTok and Instagram was rather naive, with its four identical straight legs and cartoon eyeball. But the project he announced alongside it – Drawing a Horse Every Day Until I’m Really Good at Drawing Horses – immediately captured people’s hearts. Over a million people watched the minute-long video of him drawing that first horse with a four-colour ballpoint pen. By day three – an undeniably terrible effort in which the horse appeared to have sprouted a platypus’s bill – more than two million, by his estimation, had tuned in. “People were willing the series to continue,” says Field. And so he did. Continue reading...
Khalidah Arifee: Reshaping Real Estate Through Reinvention and Legacy
Behind every closing are people standing at the edge of something new, hopeful and anxious in equal measure, and hoping to find someone worth trusting. The paperwork is only the visible part of the moment; underneath it, people are weighing what comes next, and they want a guide who will stay steady while they decide. […] The post Khalidah Arifee: Reshaping Real Estate Through Reinvention and Legacy appeared first on Grit Daily News.
Benjamin Schwed: Reimagining Real Estate Through Boutique Agility and Local Expertise
Behind every listing and every offer is a person hoping to make the right decision, with someone capable standing beside them. For Benjamin Schwed, Broker and Owner of Soulside Real Estate Solutions Inc., that means understanding each client’s priorities and providing guidance tailored to their circumstances. Serving clients across Erie and Niagara counties in Western […] The post Benjamin Schwed: Reimagining Real Estate Through Boutique Agility and Local Expertise appeared first on Grit Daily News.
Sharon Kushner: Reframing Real Estate Through Trust and Personal Attention
Behind every front door is a decision that carries more than a price: a family weighing what it hopes for, what it worries about, and where it wants to land next. Buying or selling a home is one of life’s biggest financial decisions, and for many clients, the process feels overwhelming. Sharon Kushner doesn’t believe […] The post Sharon Kushner: Reframing Real Estate Through Trust and Personal Attention appeared first on Grit Daily News.
Scott Warren: Reimagining Commercial Real Estate Through Analysis and Enterprise
Every commercial property carries a decision, and behind that decision stands an owner, an investor, or a business weighing what comes next. Scott Warren shows up for those moments differently. He doesn’t just market a property. He evaluates sustainable income, tenant quality, operating expenses, and exit options, and builds a strategy around the property and […] The post Scott Warren: Reimagining Commercial Real Estate Through Analysis and Enterprise appeared first on Grit Daily News.
Sali Hughes on beauty: eye creams that are worth using down to the last drop
Face cream is often enough, but if you want a separate product for your eyes, these new ones are terrific valueA hill I will die on: you do not necessarily need an eye cream. There are, I will admit, reasons why you might fare better with one. You may have a very dry eye area and oily skin elsewhere, for example, causing a skincare mismatch. Or, conversely, you may find your daily face cream is too rich for your eyes and makes them puffy, so they need something lighter. You may want a little cosmetic light reflection, or you might use active ingredients like retinol that your face tolerates perfectly well, but that your eyes can take only in a lower concentration.It may, of course, be none of the above, but just that you find using an eye cream a pleasure, which is as good a reason as any. Continue reading...
Tandoori celeriac, kale saag paneer and turnip sabzi: Ravinder Bhogal’s vegetarian recipes for Diwali
A Diwali feast full of light, love and lipsmacking deliciousnessDiwali, the celebration of light, arrives just as we need hope. It marks the triumph of good over evil and reminds us that light will prevail. It’s a time for sensory overload – fireworks, colour, partiesand food, which is traditionally vegetarian. And this isn’t difficult, because Indian cooking naturally brings plants to the centre of the table in smart ways. Wishing you a very happy Diwali: may the year ahead be full of light, love and delicious things! Continue reading...
