Yahoo News Best Blue Monday products to lift your mood this January: From salt lamps to scented candles
It’s no surprise that after the excitement and excesses of December, January can feel like the ultimate comedown.
Dreary weather, anaemic finances and grappling with ambitious New Year’s resolutions can leave you feeling ready to wave a white flag and hibernate until the daffodils arrive in spring.
Perhaps that’s why for the last few years, January 20 has been declared the most depressing day of the year. What started as a marketing gimmick now has legs – by the third Monday of the year, who couldn’t use a cheerful pick-me-up to cut through winter’s gloom?
From lamps that mimic sunrise to freshly scented candles and fluffy slippers you’ll never want to take off, these are the products that will keep you going until January 31 – and beyond.
See our favourites below
John Lewis & Partners Bod LED Table Lamp, Grey
Whether you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or just find winter days a struggle, a SAD lamp may be able to help. It mimics sunlight, helping to trigger serotonin levels in your brain to help raise your mood. John Lewis’s version with a frosted shade is perfect for perking you up whether you’re at home or work. It comes with a five year guarantee.
£50 | John Lewis | Buy it now
Arena Flowers Scented Lavender Vase
There's nothing like a bright bunch of flowers to cheer up January's grey filter. Head to Arena Flowers for bright and candy pastel bouquets that will make it seem as though spring has arrived a couple of months earlier than scheduled. The Scented Lavender Vase (pictured) has won us over.
Want to brighten up someone else's day? Try their letterbox flowers, available as a one-off or on a subscription basis.
£34.99 | Arena Flowers | Buy it now
Mela Comfort Weighted Blanket
Curling up under a blanket may be one of our favourite things around winter - until we discovered weighted blankets, that is. Designed to make you feel as though you're being hugged or held, they're particularly helpful for anyone suffering from restlessness or anxiety, offering a sense of calm in an instant.
Mela Comfort's design is super soft and filled with anti-rustle pellets so you'll sleep like a log in blissful silence.
£119 | Amazon | Buy it now
Find more weighted blanket reviews here
Tisserand Little Box of Energy
Dodge the mid-afternoon slump with Tisserand's Little Box of Energy. The kit contains three pocket-sized roll-ons, each filled with essential oils to help improve your focus, energy and mood. Just apply to your pulse points and you'll soon be powering through to home time.
£12.45 | Tisserand | Buy it now
Also available from Feel Unique and Amazon
Reviber Hot and Cold Percussion Massager
There's nothing like a good rub to put a spring in your step, but if friends are unobliging and your nearest spa is booked out, do the next best thing and invest in an electronic massager. While the celebrity endorsed favourite Theragun will set you back a whopping £375, the Reviber makes for a very good second place soother. With five settings designed to iron out those shoulder and thigh knots, it's about time those robots started earning their keep.
£79.99 | Argos | Buy it now
Pasta Evangelists
A good meal can turn a day around, but if the last thing you feel like to schlepping to the supermarket, we have a perfect solution. Pasta Evangelists send letterbox-sized parcels of fresh artisan pasta, sauce and garnishes directly to you, so you can whip up a warming carby feast in as little as five minutes. Sign up for one, three, six and 12 month subscriptions or make a one-off box from the online menus.
Looking for other subscription box ideas? Read our list of the weird and wonderful ones - all with UK delivery
Versed Look Alive Hydrating Plumping Mask (45ml)
Can't remember the last time your skin saw daylight? Hang in there; help is at hand with this no-nonsense hydrating face mask which has nourishing ingredients to do as the label says and get you looking alive. The all-vegan formula comes encased in low-waste packaging and a screw top so you can use as little or as much as you like.
£9.50 | Cult Beauty | Buy it now
Lovehoney Sale
Why wait for Valentine’s Day when Lovehoney has incredible ‘date night’ deals right now? The adult toys and lingerie retailer has 50 per cent off some of its bestsellers, that will liven up both a night on your own or with a playmate.
Vitabiotics Feroglobin Liquid 200ml
For those trying to cut back their caffeine in-take, try adding a spoonful of Feroglobin to your diet. It will give you a boost of energy without making you wired, while the iron minerals and B vitamins will give your oxygen and blood levels a helping hand. Suitable for vegetarians.
£4.49 | Holland & Barrett | Buy it now
Tower T27013 Deep Fill Sandwich Maker
It may feel like we're encouraging you to regress back to your uni days, but a decent toastie maker should be part of everyone's kitchen equipment. After all, January is when you need comfort food the most.
Fill with veggies and the merest sprinkling of cheese if you're feeling virtuous or indulge the glutton within with classic cheese and ham to be devoured alongside a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup.
£19.99 | Amazon | Buy it now
Moon Himalayan Salt Lamp
While there's no proof that salt lamps work to boost your energy levels or soothe allergies (as advocates claim), there's no denying they are really rather pretty. Glowing a soft pink, keep this by your bedside to bathe your space in gentle soothing light when it's dark outside.
£28 | Urban Outfitters | Buy it now
See traditional salt lamps on Amazon starting from £19.99
Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 Wake-Up Alarm Clock
Not a morning person? Turn that around with a sunrise alarm clock, which uses natural-looking light that gets brighter over time to wake you naturally. Surely better than stumbling around half-asleep in pre-dawn light. As well as sunrise, this clock does sunset to help prepare you for sleep.
£74.99 | Argos | Buy it now
Shop more sunrise alarm clocks
Voyage Orange Blossom & Amber Scented Candle
Transport yourself to sunnier climes with Oliver Bonas's scented candle which smells of Orange Blossom & Amber and has a burn time of around 50 hours.
If orange isn’t your thing, there’s also Earl Grey & Rose and Pomegranate & Patchouli to choose from.
£25 | Oliver Bonas | Buy it now
Kantha quilts - handmade king throw bedspread 90x108 Inches
Just because your weekend plans revolve around a Netflix binge, it doesn't mean you can't do it in style. Wrap up cosy in this all-cotton handmade quilt from Kantha Quilts on eBay. Made by skilled craftsmen in Jaipur, India, this one is covered in a beautiful Tree of Life print that will brighten up any bedroom or lounge. And if this one isn't your flavour, Amazon also have a wide range of very affordable Kantha style quilts.
£49.99 | eBay | Buy it now
Nathalie Lete Titania Dessert Plate
Too poor to eat out until pay day? We hear you. Console yourself with this gorgeous painted plate from Anthropologie, a suitably grand setting for your beans-on-toast.
A choice of three designs to choose from.
£14 | Anthropologie | Buy it now
See all the other items in this range – each one is a sheer delight
Cozy Microwaveable Boots - White
Cold feet are the worst. Keep your tootsies toasty with a plush pair of slippers that are not only filled with lavender but are microwaveable too. Instant warmth at the touch of a button – your feet will thank you.
£19.99 | Prezzybox | Buy it now
Clinique Fresh Pressed 7-Day System with Pure Vitamin C
Complexion looking duller than ditchwater? Give your skin a much-needed boost with Clinique's Fresh Pressed 7-Day System with Pure Vitamin C. The cleanser is packaged in single-use doses to preserve the potency of vitamin C, while the serum inside the vial can be used to amp up for daily moisturiser with a brightening hit of Vit C. Standby for younger, more radiant looking skin in next to no time.
£25 | Clinique | Buy it now
Elizabeth Scarlett African Palmier Eye Mask with Drawstring Bag
Looking for a pre-payday treat that won't send your bank manager into a meltdown? This extra wide sleep mask ticks all the boxes. Made from 100 per cent cotton, and filled with soothing lavender it's just what you need to keep dreaming of faraway lands.
£20 | Amara | Buy it now
Cineworld Unlimited Card
If all you want to do is hibernate, at least peel yourself off your sofa, grab some popcorn and head to your nearest Cineworld for all-you-can-watch movies. The cinema chain is offering its Unlimited Card for £8.40 for the first month (and then £18.40 thereafter). The £10-off offer is available until January 27 with the code: BLUEMONDAY, so get your skates on.
With an exciting year for film releases such as Birds of Prey, James Bond No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow and Tenet, it's the best gift for any movie fan, especially if you go to the cinema more than twice a month.
