Cool Gadgets for Women

I love wake-up lights. Basically the light gradually brightens for around 30 minutes before you want to wake up. Your body gradually wakes up as it would in natural sunlight. I'm a complete skeptic about scientific claims, but this really does work. I've been using a dawn simulator alarm clock for about 8 years and it makes such a huge difference.

I wake up feeling refreshed not groggy and I don't mind mornings at all, even in winter. I used to hate those dark winter mornings when my alarm clock would be beeping insistently at me. Wake-up lights are also wonderful for getting kids into a healthy sleep pattern so this makes a great gift for a new Mom.

The Philips Wake-up Light gets excellent reviews and is the best one I can find on the market today.



Philips Hf3470/60 Wake-up Light, White
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This is the basic Philips Wake-up Light model. You can wake up to nature sounds or FM radio. (Actually for me, I don't need a sound, just the light wakes me up reliably, but then I have two small children as backup!) There's a snooze button and the light settings are adjustable. You can also up the Philips Wake-up Light as a lamp.



Philips Wake-up Light Plus, White
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The Philips Wake-up Light Plus has all the features of the basic model plus lots more. It has a dusk simulator to help you gradually drift off to sleep. It has a more attractive display and touch anywhere snooze function.

You can also load MP3 tracks via a USB connector to wake up to your choice of music or sounds.

Gerson Company Flameless Ivory Pillar Candles with Remote Control, Set of 3
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Pretty lights. I love them. Remote control pretty lights, even better. These ivory flameless LED candles with a remote control get good reviews. The candles are made from hand-poured wax for a realistic effect, they also have a natural-looking flicker effect.

Flameless candles are a great choice for anyone who enjoys candlelight but would prefer a safer option.

Butterfly in a Glass Jar - Monarch
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This one is completely frivolous! A Butterfly in a Glass Jar. Tap the jar and the butterfly will flutter around the jar realistically for around 90 seconds. It takes 3 x AAA batteries which are included. A lovely gadget which will become a conversation piece.

Hydrofarm HGTL/HGTLF Thirsty Light Original Digital Indoor Plant Moisture Sensor
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I kill houseplants. They rarely survive because I either over-water them for fear of forgetting, or actually forget. The Thirsty Light is for people like me. It flashes noticeably when a plant need watering. So you can water it at just the right time.

eKitch Large Digital Measuring Jug with built in kitchen scale
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@ Amazon.co.uk BUY NOW(v2 version)

eKitch Large Digital Measuring Jug has a built-in kitchen scale so you can using it for measuring liquid and weighing ingredients. Very neat. I always like to make the least washing up I can and this jug is great for that. It has built in weight/volume conversions for water, sugar, flour, milk or oil. The jug has a big 1 litre (roughly 1 quart) capacity. Great for making pancakes, cake mixtures and pie fillings. And it looks very sleek too.

Cuisinart SBC-1000 Blend and Cook Soupmaker
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@ Amazon.co.uk BUY NOW

The Cuisinart SBC-1000 Blend and Cook Soupmaker is a very clever idea - it cooks and blends soup, all in one unit. I love making soup, but it's fiddly and I am prone to making a mess with my hand blender! Transferring to my main blender creates a lot of washing up and you often need to wait until the ingredients have cooled before using the blender. This Cuisinart Soupmaker gets wonderful reviews for making it easy to make soup (the reviews are on Amazon UK and is now available on amazon.com).

You can make chunky or smooth soups, sauces and baby food. The blender heats and stirs the ingredients. There's an access hatch at the top so you can add extra ingredients that need less cooking time. It uses a timer to know how lomg to cook for. You can also use it as a normal blender for making smoothies, etc.

I love soup. It's what I have for lunch most days when I'm working from home. This is a great gadget for soup-lovers.

Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator
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The Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator is a very popular kitchen gadget. You can use it to dry food to create snacks. Great for creating healthy snacks like dried apple rings and banana chips for kids. Dried tomatoes are very tasty. You can also use it to make homemade jerky. For drying herbs. and also for drying flowers to make pot pourii. You can make fruit rolls (and rolls of other foods.)

Dehydrated foods can be stored for up to a year, or longer if they are refridgerated or frozen. You can make powdered vegetables for use in soups and sauces - great for using up excess food. You can dry leftover bread and make breadcrumbs. There are loads of uses for this kitchen gadget.

The Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator is well-designed and packed with great features. At time of writing this food dehydrator has 276 five-star ratings on Amazon and most of the rest are 4-star. A practical present for someone who enjoys their kitchen gadgets and money-saving too.

Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display
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Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display + Adverts
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Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display
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Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display + Adverts
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The Kindle Touch is the new eInk eReader from Amazon. It has a touch screen interface which is easy to operate and it's smaller and lighter than previous Kindles because it doesn't have a keyboard. The Kindle Touch makes a great gift for women who love to read. If you also get a Amazon gift card to go with it then they can also choose some books to read. Or you can buy Kindle books as a gift.

Polaroid CZA-20011B PoGo Instant Mobile Printer (Black)
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The Polaroid PoGo is an instant mobile printer that will easily fit in a purse. Digital cameras are great but having to wait until you get home to print photos isn't. The PoGo will print small 2" x 3" photos on adhesive-based paper (you can use your photos as stickers.) The PoGo uses Zink Zero Ink technology so there are no ink cartridges to replace and the photos come out dry.

This is not a solution for professional quality photos, but it's great for quick fun snaps. Great for group photos or taking a picture that friends can take away with them. It's fun at parties and great for scrapbooking.

Kandle by Ozeri LED Book Light in White -- Designed for the Amazon Kindle (1st and latest generation), Sony Reader and other eBook readers.
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I need one of these for my Kindle. The Kandle is a reading light for the Kindle and other eBook readers. Great for reading in bed, on night flights or when you are trying to get the kids to go to sleep. Before the Kandle I hadn't found a good solution for reading in the dark with my Kindle so I ended up using my much smaller iPhone as an eReader when putting my kids to bed. I'm very glad there's now a good solution to this problem.

TextHook for Stroller or Gym - black
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Now there's a good idea. A holder for your iPhone, BlackBerry or other smart phone that attaches to a stroller. I wish I'd had one of these. I was often checking the details of where I'd arranged to meet someone or trying to make a call as I walked along. This makes it much easier and reviewers like it. You can use it in the gym too to attach to a treadmill or other exercise machine. Simple, but useful.

Clarisonic Pro Professional 4-Speed Skin Care System, White
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The Clarisonic Pro Deluxe Professional 4-Speed Skin Care System is one of the most popular beauty gadgets at the moment. It's an electronic cleansing brush for getting your skin properly clean. You can use it in the shower.

It claims to get your skin really clean so that your skin better absorbs (expensive) beauty products making them more effective? Does it really work, or does it just make your beauty routine a bit more interesting, I don't know, but its owners really like the Clarisonic.

Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System
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The Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System is another electronic cleansing brush. Less expensive this time, but still with great reviews. The Olay is a smaller device than the Clarisonic. And reviewers say that while the Clarisonic is suitable for other parts of the body, the Olay Cleansing System is best for just your face. The Olay uses an exfoliating cleanser whereas the Clarisonic uses a softer gel but has a more powerful motor. Watch the Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System Video for an overview.

Thermal Spa 49135 Professional U/V Gel Light Nail Dryer
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The Thermal Spa 49135 Professional U/V Gel Light Nail Dryer is a u/v light gel dryer for getting professional salon quality nails at home. Many reviewers have reported being able to succesfully apply Shellac nail polish at home without the expense of going to the salon. This nail dryer gadget gets good reviews and Amazon often offers it for significantly less that the RRP. Ideal for a women who wants manicured nails but not the cost of regular trips to the salon.

Jerdon JGL9W 5X Magnification Tri-fold Lighted Mirror
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The Jerdon First Class Deluxe Tri-Fold Lighted Makeup Mirror offers 5X magnification and has four lighting settings. Ideal for getting make-up just right. The is a well-designed product that allows you to view your face from a wide range of angles, with magnification. It also has a built-in power outlet for attaching a hair-styling gadget.

Caruso C97958 Professional ION Steam Hairsetter
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The Caruso C97958 Professional ION Steam Hairsetter is a steam-based system for curling hair. It gets great reviews from a wide range of customers including older ladies with thinning hair, people setting children's hair for a special occasion and women wanting modern curls without a trip to the salon. The Caruso C97958 Professional ION Steam Hairsetter scores well on ease of use, it's quick and the curls last for a couple of days. Very good value for the price. This hairsetter gadget makes a great fun and practical gift for a wide age range.

Cricut Expression 290300 Personal Electronic Cutter
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The Cricut Expression (you say cricket) is a hugely successful craft-cutting machine. It precisely cuts shapes from craft paper. You can buy lots of different cartridges full of gorgeous craft designs for a whole range of themes for scrapbooking, weddings, making crafts to sell, children's activities, home decor, and lots of other things I haven't thought of! The Cricut would be a very popular gift for anyone who loves crafts.

Sizzix 655268 Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine
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The Sizzix 655268 Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine embosses paper, card or other crafting materials with designs from a huge range of crafting dies. This customer review with video review from a happy and experienced user is well worth watching: Sizzix 655268 Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine review

This is a great gift for crafters who like to make cards, invitations, gift bags and artwork, it's also brilliant for scrapbookers and for children's activities. You can get very professional results without much effort. This gadget has an lovely old-fashioned feel to it, but can be used to make nostalgic or thoroughly modern designs.

Our top health and fitness gadget is the Withings Wifi Body Scale.



Withings Wifi Body Scale
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The Withings Wifi Body Scale is an electronic scale that sends data to a website where you can see charts of your stats. You can read more about the Withings Wifi Body Scale.