Between birthdays, holidays, housewarming opportunities and general well-wishing, it never hurts to have a few gift ideas up your sleeve. In turn, below are 15 brands with interesting products worth looking into, all of which orderable online and available for prompt delivery in case you are wondering what to get someone in the near-future, and many of which friendly to social-distancing.
Withings Hybrid Smartwatch
Withings is a leader within the connected-health revolution by inventing beautiful, smart products and services that help people become happier and healthier. Founded by visionary innovators Cédric Hutchings and Eric Carreel in 2008, Withings is committed to creating enjoyable, empowering experiences that easily fit into our daily lives. Withings has built a range of award-winning products across the health spectrum including activity trackers (Steel, Steel HR, Steel HR Sport, Pulse HR), connected scales (Body Cardio, Body+, Body), Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor (BPM), and an advanced sleep system (Sleep).
Every piece of collected data comes to life in the free Health Mate app where users can find coaching, motivation and insights to shape key aspects of their health. So thanks to Withings, you can track activity – essential for staying fit during the current COVID-19 pandemic – sleep and heart health all at once and in style.
FOCO Bobbleheads & Replicas
FOCO is widely-known as a leading manufacturer of sports and entertainment merchandise. Its product lines include apparel, accessories, toys, collectibles and novelty items, including properly-licensed products related to the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, Disney, Warner Bros/DC Comics, Nickelodeon, Sanrio, WWE, and over 100 colleges and universities.
As a pop culture junkie of past and present, I made 3 recent additions to my home from the FOCO collection that I recommend to anyone and everyone: 1) WWE-licensed Andre The Giant bobblehead, 2) Barbara Maitland from “Beetlejuice” bobblehead, 3) New York Mets Citi Field BRXLZ replica. Conversation-starters to say the least, no?
Nuno
Founded by a graphic designer with a passion for art, fashion and sustainability, Nuno combines all three worlds – “art,” “fashion” and “sustainability,” that is – with a line that is simultaneously trend-forward, eco-conscious and showing artistic expression. Interestingly, Nuno collaborates with up-and-coming artists ensuring each earth-loving piece is one-of-a-kind wearable art.
The brand is also a leader in eco-textiles creating Neosilk fabric to produce each product. This polyester-like material is made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. These plastic bottles are washed, shredded and turned into small pellets. These pellets are then melted and spun into yarn. The yarn is then woven into this fabric with a luxurious feel, Neosilk. Unlike the silk robes and scarves that are dry clean only, Nuno’s NeoSilk fabric is machine-washable – key for those of us still quarantining and/or working from home – and will still stay as soft as silk.
Established in 2012, Cleer Audio — a 3 Times CES Innovation Award Honoree — offers award-winning high-performance headphones and smart speakers unbound by the shackles of conventional thinking, that allows users to discover freedom through unparalleled audio. Per its website, Cleer believes in elevating and transforming every experience through sound, creating with intention, anticipating the consumer’s needs before they are even recognized. Cleer is devoted to pioneering breakthrough, award-winning audio technologies with uncompromising performance.
Its Ally earbuds are perfect for working out without worrying about losing an earbud. Featuring an ultra long battery life, water and sweat-resistant buds and high-sensitivity neodymium drivers for dynamic listening, these are great wireless headphones that I have loved using for long walks and mobile-based Zoom calls on multiple occasions over the past few months. They are available on Amazon just like the brand’s Flow headphones, Enduro 100 headphones and Stage bluetooth speaker.
ChordBuddy
ChordBuddy is a guitar accessories company based in Dothan, Alabama, as founded by Travis Perry. He is dedicated to providing people of all ages and abilities with the opportunity to learn to play the guitar. The ChordBuddy is a gadget that attaches to the fretboard of an acoustic or electric guitar that helps make learning the four beginner chords, G, C, D and E minor, an easy process; the product had previously appeared on the television show “Shark Tank” in 2012 and made a deal with investor Robert Herjavec. In turn, ChordBuddy will even have a non-musician playing the chords of popular songs – one of the few things uniting many of us during the current pandemic – within an hour of installation.
ChordBuddy also comes with a corresponding app for Android and iOS that provides lesson plans to assist visual learners, ensuring that – like the Radiohead songs says – “anyone can play guitar.”
TIDAL
Speaking of guitars and great audio, as someone who is still working from home full-time, music is one of the things that helps keep the day moving ahead for me. As of late, I have been relying on TIDAL for my daily music streaming, whether on my home Sonos system or through the aforementioned Cleer Audio Ally earbuds.
Launched in 2014 by Norwegian public company Aspiro and currently owned by Jay-Z, TIDAL has more than 60 million tracks and 240,000 music videos. Now available in over 50 countries, TIDAL regularly streams concerts live and on demand, offering plenty of exclusive content not found on other streaming services.
Clio Coffee
Elsewhere on the “work from home” spectrum, I have never been a morning person. In turn, I need that immediate boost, which a cup of caffeinated coffee will offer. These days, there is no shortage of ways to prepare or enjoy your coffee. Traditional coffeemakers and instant coffee aside, store-sold cold brew is commonplace at major supermarkets. And that is without factoring in machines which produce single-use coffee capsules.
Nowadays, I am a loyalist to Clio Coffee. Clio is essentially a one-stop coffee solution. The company has both the space-efficient machine it sells and the coffee capsules that go into the machine. After you done initial cleaning of the machine — a simple process that only takes a few minutes after getting it out of the box — it is ready to use. No software to install. The drink comes out hot, but not too hot, and is ready to drink in less than a minute. Each capsule makes a 10 oz. cup of coffee, or double espresso for iced coffee, or iced latte. No pouring apparatus to clean, just need to empty the internal container with the empty capsules every now and then.
Isabelle Grace Jewelry
And while speaking of guitars, Isabelle Grace’s jewelry is individually-crafted by hand and made in the U.S.A. using recycled, sustainable metals whenever possible. This includes the brand’s Guitar Pick Pendant, as made of Fine (.999) Silver. It can be personalized with a name — up to 10 characters — and a date, like many of the other beautiful Isabelle Grace offerings.
I opted to have my wife’s name engraved on the Guitar Pick Pendant, with hopes that all of this staying indoors has her effectively using the aforementioned ChordBuddy.
As stated on the Dash website: “happiness is homemade.” Simply put, Dash aims to make products that make it easier for you to prepare and eat real food at home so that you can feel your best. Whether in the store, in your kitchen or online, Dash gives you the tools and the support to make delicious healthy meals.
Air fryers, juicers, ice cream makers, rice cookers, mixers, waffle makers, toasters, blenders and cookbooks alike, Dash makes appliances for just about every food or drink that you have at home, which is essential given how much more we’ve been cooking in the Paltrowitz household in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The next time I have to purchase a wedding, housewarming or engagement gift, the Dash website is where I am going to be heading. Beyond that, the Dash website includes a free, kid-friendly e-book full of air fryer recipes.
Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night series
Throughout his illustrious and wide-ranging career, Neil Diamond – often referred to as “the Jewish Elvis” – has sold over 130 million albums worldwide and has dominated the charts for more than 5 decades with 38 Top 40 singles and 16 Top 10 albums. He has achieved record sales with 40 Gold albums, 21 Platinum albums and 11 Multi-Platinum albums. Diamond is also notably a member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, and a recipient of the very rare Kennedy Center Honor.
Diamond’s famous series of “Hot August Night” live albums is now entirely-available on vinyl. All 5 editions are now available as both standard black and limited-edition color vinyl 2LP sets; “Hot August Night III” and “Hot August Night/NYC” were previously-unavailable within the LP format. In addition, the 23-track Neil Diamond’s “All-Time Greatest Hits” was released on black vinyl on August 7th.
Vital Choice
Ideal for pairing with what you will get from the earlier-mentioned Grill Masters Club subscription, the 2020 Limited Edition GrillBox from Vital Choice was created with grilling and family meals in mind. Combining 4 barbecue favorites with our easy-to-use Grilling Planks, the box includes Wild Sockeye Salmon portions and burgers, Wild Mahi Mahi, and Wild Artisan Shrimp. Altogether this provides 12+ servings of premium, sustainable, delicious protein. If “poke” is suitable to your dietary preferences, you will want to try the Ahi Tuna Poke Kit, which will provide 4 servings in 1-pound bag, as priced at just $29.00.
In addition to nutrient-dense sustainable seafood, Vital Choice offers an ever-growing range of pastured proteins, organic foods, and marine-source nutritional supplements. A certified B Corporation since 2014 — and founded over a decade prior in 2001 — Vital Choice is privately-owned and located in beautiful Bellingham, Washington. Free shipping comes on all U.S. orders over $99.
Chris Pan is on a mission to bring spiritual and emotional wellness to those who need it the most. Through high school and college, Pan led his youth group and was a motivational speaker. After college he was led to pursue financial security and status, studying at Harvard Business School, working at Facebook and retiring at 35. Following a traumatic breakup, Pan realized money and status do not offer the fulfillment and love he really wanted.
He then started deep inner work for the past 7 years including the MyIntent Project, which has helped millions of people have meaningful connections through finding their intention. MyIntent has served everyone from Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Melania Trump, Elon Musk, Justin Bieber and has been featured on the cover of Time magazine. MyIntent, related to this, makes custom necklaces and bracelets that will help you remember your purpose with a one-word engraving. Looks great, while doing great for you and yours – how many pieces of jewelry can you say that about?
Lavley’s Socks
Colorado-based apparel and lifestyle brand Lavley likes to think that its products are as unique as the individuals that both receive them and gift them. Aiming to be witty, sweet and passionate, with a side of delightful weirdness, Lavley has “a little something for everyone.” In other words, Lavley has a pair of socks for every type of persona you can think of: foodie, medical worker, pet parent, sports nut, grandparent, brainiac, 420-friendly, fabulous diva, outdoor enthusiast — you name it, they have got socks for it.
I have had the pleasure of checking out the “If You Can Read This Bring Me Tacos” socks, as currently priced at $10.95. These socks are comfortable, and oh yeah, their design features tacos, hot sauce, chili peppers, limes, cheese, and avocados. Fun, fashionable and likely to invoke good spirits anytime you look at them.
Cariloha Bamboo
Driven by a comfort and eco-conscious lifestyle, Cariloha joins the style of the Caribbean with “the spirit of Aloha” to provide top-notch natural luxury. Since 2007, Cariloha has grown to become a globally-recognized brand with a retail, wholesale and online presence specializing in bedding, clothing and bath goods made from comfortable, sustainable bamboo.
By turning self-replenishing bamboo fields into luxuriously-soft, earth-friendly bamboo fabrics, Cariloha offers an exclusive collection of bedding, apparel, activewear, bath goods, and more made from soft, cool, clean and green bamboo. It produces sheets, mattresses, pillows, bed frames, apparel, bedding, masks and bath-related items alike. The Cariloha website presently has a sale going on with up to 50 off on some of the available items, while orders over $100 come with free shipping.
Campante 2019 Morgadio Albariño
With the Campante 2019 Morgadio Albariño, a Spanish wine hailing from the Galicia region, you can expect an intense and elegant flavoring with tropical fruit and kiwi complementing its granitic minerality. Made from free-run juice, it is a well-structured, dry Albariño with a long finish. Carrying a suggested retail price of just $21, its palate is refreshing and pairs well with pasta and shellfish alike.
Dillon Forte’s Inkbox Collection
Last but not least, Southern California-based tattooer Dillon Forte recently announced that he has partnered with the Toronto-based Inkbox to release a collection of “For Now Ink” tattoos. The collection includes 24 individually-sold tattoos designed exclusively by Forte that can be shipped worldwide and are easily applied at home. Inkbox takes 1-2 minutes to apply, develops over 24 hours and lasts 1-2 weeks on the skin. Thus, you can that ink on you at the beach anytime this summer.
Ultimately, Inkbox’s direct-to-consumer tattoos will give fans and followers of Dillon Forte’s work a chance to experience his designs on their body without the long-term commitment. Its proprietary technology is made to have Forte’s tattoos look permanent but will safely and simply fade away as the skin naturally regenerates. The ingredients of the tattoos are made with skin-safe ingredients and the active compound is derived from fruit originating in South Africa, where it has been used for thousands of years in body ornamentation. Notably, Inkbox has also strategically partnered with Post Malone, Adult Swim, Marc Bonin, Sleestak, Cartoon Network and Grace Neutral over the years.
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