# From crew neck knits to alcohol-free ‘tequila’: what you loved most this month

We also suspected that Valentine’s Day might be dead, crushed into irrelevance by out-of-season rose bouquets and late-night-garage teddy bears. But your response to our non-traditional Valentine’s gift ideas surprised us – and proved that romance is alive and well, even if in 2025 it looks like  and .

Romance or no romance, many of you have been bed-oriented this month, with pillows, mattresses, and alarm clocks all making an appearance among your most loved items. Here are your February favourites.

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## The Gentle Wake-up



While some of us have been lucky enough to see a few days of sunshine this month (sorry, ), these dark winter wake-ups are no joke, interfering with our body’s natural circadian rhythms. Our group test of  changed reviewer Pete Wise’s life – as he wrote about in  – and this medically certified model from Lumie came out top. “I woke up feeling great,” he said. “The device is supposed to realistically imitate the lightening shades of a sunrise – and it does so more convincingly than any other sunrise alarm clock I’ve tested.” Its more basic, non-certified sibling is , too.

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## The Classic Crew Neck



Stylist and writer Peter Bevan proclaimed the crew neck jumper to be “the crowning jewel of the knitwear world” in his guide to the . And this affordable Uniqlo lamb’s wool crew neck was your favourite of the bunch. It’s unisex and available in nine colours – although, as Peter warned, “the best shades tend to sell out every season” and some sizes are already out of stock.

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## The Customisable Pillow



“This pillow was lauded by side and back sleepers alike, due to its adjustability and squishy, down-like comfort,” said science writer Linda Geddes in our roundup of the . Its unusual padded outer case can be filled with different combinations of inserts and microfibre padding, making it fully customisable to your own sleep needs. It also performed very well in Linda’s pillow fight test.

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## The Modern Mix Tape



The disappearance of mix tapes has been an unfortunate side-effect of the streaming age. But these cute personalised keyrings – featured in the Filter’s Lily Smith’s list of  – are laser engraved with a link to any Spotify playlist, song, or album, so you can bring a physical element to your carefully curated mixes. All without the pain of the tape running out halfway through a song.

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## The Beautiful Yet Affordable Lingerie



“Do you know Bluebella? I feel like not enough women know about Bluebella,” said Jess Cartner-Morley in her . This balconette Camelia bra looks much more expensive than it actually is, and “looks great under clothes, which is something a surprising number of underwear brands don’t think about”.

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## The Comfortable Mattress



Jane Hoskyn’s  had been months in the making, involving . But mattresses are a huge investment, and ones that will be with you for many years, so they’re well worth the time we put in to testing them. Jane’s overall favourite was this Otty mattress, which she slept on for two months before recommending: “ a firm but cosy and supremely comfortable mattress that helped me sleep fantastically from the first night of testing,” she says.

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## The Surprisingly Good Alcohol-Free ‘Tequila’



This zero-proof agave drink was an “unexpected hit” in Joanne Gould’s humungous  – and it was an unexpected hit with you as well. Whether you’re  or maintaining your good habits after Dry January, this Lewis Hamilton-founded non-alcoholic spirit will keep the margaritas flowing. “It has an immediately distinctive agave aroma, smelling and tasting extremely convincing,” says Joanne. “It’s genuinely nice even for sipping straight, but when made into a spicy margarita or mixed with grapefruit in a paloma, it’s fantastic.”

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## The Return of the Scarf Coat



The explosion in sex toys and sexual wellness products in recent years has been great for bringing these once niche, almost shameful products out of the shadows and into the mainstream. But less great for consumers who don’t know their rabbit from their bullet – or indeed, where to start.

So we commissioned Alix Fox, a multi-award-winning sexual wellness and culture writer, broadcaster, and educator with more than two decades of experience, to demystify them for us. She put an impressive  (you’ve all been loving the ). Consider it public service journalism – as Fox writes: “There is a significant correlation between intimate toy ownership and greater life satisfaction.”

## Editor’s Pick



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## In Case You Missed It



Maybe you recently invested in one of the Filter’s favourite  or , or maybe you just want to give your bedding a spring freshen-up. We spoke to bedding, textile, and beauty experts to find out  – and found out .

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## Get Involved



What everyday item or new habit has helped you cut down on plastic? Whether it’s switching to refills or taking a Thermos to work, investing in a tea strainer to use loose-leaf tea or ditching single-use razors, we want to hear from you.

Let us know by emailing us at .
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