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March claims to be spring – and some of it even reckons it’s British summertime – but even the sunniest days are “summer in the sunshine, winter in the shade”. Judging by the products you loved most, you haven’t decided whether to emerge from hibernation yet, either.
Pillows and bed socks accounted for a quarter of all your favourite things this month, and your fashion must-have was a snuggly hoodie. But your enthusiasm for a glow-up eye cream and a legendary hot brush suggests you’re harbouring an itch to get out.
The best bargain gnocchi
Rummo gnocchi di patate, 500g
Chef Tom Hunt was appalled by the UPF content of many of the products he tested for our guide to the best supermarket gnocchi, but his “best bargain” gnocchi proved relatively low on processed ingredients. “A firm, squishy and familiar texture, but a slightly sour flavour,” wrote Tom of these dinky potatoey pillows, “made with 80% real potatoes(!), as well as durum wheat semolina”.
The memory foam pillow that stays cool
Otty Deluxe Pure pillow
As ever, many of your March favourites were our top budget picks, but you know a great pillow is worth its weight in gold – or £70, anyway. This cooling memory foam pillow from Otty, which also makes your (and our) favourite mattress, “offers a superb balance of comfort and support, making it a great choice for a range of sleeping positions,” wrote Edward Munn in our guide to the best pillows. You can remove and wash the bamboo cover, which helps to maintain that delicious flipped-pillow coolness.
The perfect mocktail aperitif
Mother Root ginger drink
Shaken or stirred but never boozy, a great mocktail helps you celebrate the sunshine without sowing the seeds of a hangover. “Mix with tonic, a sprig of rosemary and a slice of orange, and you have yourself a not-too-sweet, perfectly balanced mocktail,” wrote Jessica Salter in our Mother’s Day gift guide. This spicy ginger aperitif would be a lovely gift for anyone wanting to reduce their alcohol intake without sacrificing fun or flavour.
The brightening eye cream for tired eyes
The Inkey List caffeine eye cream, 15ml
Treat your eyes to a caffeine hit as you emerge blinking from the sleepy months. “My puffy eyes struggle to wake up without its star ingredient,” wrote Sabine Wiesel in our recently updated guide to the best eye creams. “This lightweight, non-greasy formula is easy to apply and feels refreshingly cool on the skin – even more so if you store it in the fridge as I do.” After testing more than 25 eye creams, Sabine keeps coming back to this brilliant budget buy, and it looks like you will, too.
The viral hot brush
Revlon One Step hot brush
“The original One Step remains unsurpassed for its simplicity and effectiveness,” wrote Lise Smith in her roundup of the best hot brushes. “I have actually received gasps of admiration after styling my hair with it.” Not bad for an all-in-one paddle brush and blow dryer that costs under £35 – less than a tenth of the current price of the GHD Duet Blowdry, the only styler to rival the Revlon in Lise’s affections.
The giftable book of poems
They Bloom Because of You by Jessica Urlichs
This gorgeously presented book of Urlichs’ poems on motherhood was one of your favourite items this month. The collection “should provide comfort, as well as nods of recognition”, wrote Jessica Salter – and would make a wonderful pressie any time of year for a mum, nan or mother-to-be.
The toasty-but-breathable bed socks
Merino bed socks, two pairs
Even the brightest days of March turn freezing at night, so socks in bed remain non-negotiable for many of us. These magnificently warm and soft merino socks from the Scottish brand Pairs were another of your favourites from our Mother’s Day gift guide, where Jessica Salter wrote that “they’re exceptionally cosy, non-itchy and naturally regulate temperature – perfect for someone like me who’s always too hot or cold in bed”. They’re durable enough to wear as an everyday outdoor sock, too.
The pillow that will massage you to sleep
Artuvate neck massager
This ergonomic massage pillow was your favourite of the 18 sleep tips recommended by readers. “It’s designed to work for 15 minutes, and I’m always asleep before it switches off,” reader Penny told us. “Also, if I wake up early for no good reason, it will help me go back to sleep for a couple of hours.” It works via USB, so you can power it with your phone cable rather than worry about batteries.
The best value LED mask
Silk’n Facial LED face mask 100
This is the mask to go for “if you want to try light therapy without remortgaging the house”, wrote Sarah Matthews in our guide to the best LED face masks, where a couple of picks cost nearly £500. The silicone Silk’n “covers the basics at a decent price”, and Sarah found it “simple to use and comfortable to wear”. Some features even outclassed expensive rivals, including “built-in eye shields [that] weren’t as bulky as others” and an automatic mode that “left my skin feeling completely comfortable”.
The budget suitcase that won’t let you down
Tripp Holiday 8
Given the state of 2026’s weather so far, your enthusiasm for bright new getaway luggage is no surprise. Tripp’s hard-shell four-wheeler is “an exceptional case for the price you pay”, wrote Pete Wise in his roundup of the best suitcases. Pete put the Tripp Holiday 8 through hell to prove its durability (“while hurling the case from a ladder, I noticed that the material has plenty of give”), and you were impressed enough to add it to your holiday shopping list.
The vacuum cleaner that empties itself
Shark PowerDetect cordless vacuum
The word “cleaning” has a bad habit of tagging along with any mention of spring. You’ve wisely opted to make it as painless as possible by snapping up the self-emptying Shark, named best overall in our guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners. “If there’s one thing that makes cordless vacuum cleaners a pain, it’s the emptying,” wrote Andy Shaw. This one not only performed “a literal clean sweep” in his tests, but also automatically empties its grubby contents into a collection bin when you dock it for charging.
The smarten-up hoodie
Adanola hoodie
“This Henley-style hoodie is a bit preppier than most, and will look smart with straight-leg jeans or tailored trousers,” wrote Melanie Wilkinson in 50 women’s spring wardrobe updates. You loved this oatmeal cotton-fleece top so much that it’s running low in many sizes, but Adanola has plenty of other hoodies that better meet Melanie’s 2026 colour recommendations of “difficult green” and “universally wearable lilac”.
