8 Extra But Useful Items You Never Knew You Needed Until Extended CB Hit

Now that the news of Extended Circuit Breakers has well sunken in, you might be pained at the thought of the prolonged period you’re going to have to spend indoors. And just like many of us, you’re also probably searching for means and ways to improve your quality of life at home—anything, really, at this point.

While I cannot guarantee that the next six weeks to come will be easy, what I can do is to suggest just a few ways that might help. If the desire to own the items I’m about to unfold had never crossed your mind before, it probably has now, ever since being confined to the four walls of your home. Behold, 8 extra but useful items you never knew you needed until Circuit Breaker happened. And to make things a little easier, they’re all conveniently available on e-commerce platform, Shopee, too.

1. Wireless Built-in Sleeping Headphones

Now that you have the luxury of taking midday naps (sans your boss’ knowledge), it is perhaps time to invest in a pair of Wireless Built-in Sleeping Headphones—created to let you immerse yourself in comforting, gentle tunes as you drift off into blissful slumber.

This pair of headphones double up as an eye mask, providing the much-needed shade for your nap. The stereo earpieces are attached on both ends of the device, which means you’ll get to listen to the hum of your music without the in-ear discomfort.

On the occasion that you’d like to take everything apart for a good cleaning, each element is easily detachable, tucked under the soft cotton of the fabric. All its functions are also controlled by a central command bar on the bottom left-hand corner of the device.

And the best part is, once the pandemic passes and we’re all ready to return to the skies, these sleeping headphones make for a great companion to calm your traveller’s anxiety too.

Price: S$11.50
Shipping: Up to S$1

Wireless Built-in Sleeping Headphones | Buy Here

2. LCD Titanium Automatic Hair Curler

I’ve always dreamed off strutting down the street with a luscious, curly mane bouncing by my shoulders as I go. But, I’m also lazy, and a fresh graduate who can’t afford to blow half my salary on regular visits to the hairdresser. If you’re in a similar plight as I am, what I’m about to suggest might just pique your interest.

Perhaps you’ve already seen many variants of the LCD Titanium Automatic Hair Curler, but few are as affordable as this. For just S$31, this curler does the styling work for you—all you have to do is feed your hair, portion by portion, into the contraption.

This fuss-free design eliminates two very great barriers to entry when it comes to DIY styling—heat injury, and the struggle with curling techniques. The revolutionary curler comes in jet black or hot pink.

Price: S$31
Shipping: Free

LCD Titanium Automatic Hair Curler | Buy Here

3. EZN Shaking Pudding Hair Color Styling Dye

Now that all salons are closed island-wide due to new Circuit Breaker measures, it is an opportune time for you to take matters into your own hands, and give your locks a new lease of life.

If you’ve always wanted to experiment with wilder colours, but feared to look like a walking paddle pop ice cream bar, the good news is that you can now try that out from the safety of your home—it’s not like you’d be out socialising for a while, anyway.

Even better, if you typically aren’t allowed to have coloured hair because of the nature of your job, defy the rules and live on the uninhibited side of life for just a while (though that might admittedly be tricky during video meetings).

The rationale behind its name lies in the dye’s application process. Inside the package, the product comes with two dyeing agents in separate bottles that fit snugly into a larger container. Before application, the user has to take off the lids of the dyes, seal the container, and shake vigorously in order to mix everything evenly.

What comes after is a viscous, pudding-like consistency meant to be massaged onto the hair. According to online reviews, the whole process is highly intuitive, and will not be a problem to follow even if you don’t read nor understand Korean.

Choose from a wide range of colours including Coral Orange, Cranberry Wine, and Smoky Ash Lavender. So go forth, and conquer every shade of the rainbow while you still can.

Price: S$12.95
Shipping: Free

EZN Shaking Pudding Hair Color Styling Dye | Buy Here

4. Etude House x Hershey Collection: Eyeshadow Range

If you missed the chance to snag the highly coveted Etude House x Hershey Collection when it first hit Singapore stores back in February, redemption is here. The popular eyeshadow palette from the collection has been made available on Shopee, with both variants up for grabs.

Inspired by Hershey’s signature Milk Chocolate and Cookies & Cream chocolate bars, the palettes are great for a sweet, smoky touch or a softer, more neutral look. Apart from looking almost as good as edible, what makes the collection so special is its attention to detail too.

Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that shade 5 of the Cookies & Cream palette has been designed to mimic the chocolate bar itself, complete with the cookie bits appearance. With all this time on your hands during the Extended Circuit Breaker, I can’t think of a better opportunity for you to experiment with different eye makeup looks.

Price: S$6.90
Shipping: Up to S$1.99

Etude House x Hershey Collection: Eyeshadow Range | Buy Here

5. Electric Mug Warmer

Call me spoiled, but one of my non-negotiables when it comes to food is its temperature—where a bowl of soup has to be piping hot, and my bubble tea has to remain icy cold. This is often a struggle, however, and I’m sure we’re all done with having to shield our hot chocolate from the cool draft of the air conditioning.

Enter the Electric Mug Warmer—the handy table companion we’ve always needed, but never thought to look for. Measuring 16cm by 12cm, it has a small, circular heating pad designed to hold a single mug. The mug warmer keeps your hot beverage at a comfortable, warm temperature even in your air-conditioned room.

It whirs to life with a simple touch of a button, which is really the only control you’ll need to know about the device. Choose from two colourways—‘Touch’, which is a seafoam green, or ‘Gravity’, a generic shade of white.

Price: S$10.71 – S$12.52
Shipping: Up to S$1

Electric Mug Warmer | Buy Here

6. Xiaomi Automatic Wine Bottle Opener

If, over the course of staying at home and trying not to go stir-crazy, you’ve developed a serious reliance on booze, I completely understand. Times are tough, and everyone is clamouring to cope in their own ways.

Going through your n-th bottle of wine, you might be sick and tired of always having to play tug of war, struggling to get that stubborn cork off your bottle—the one that stands in the way of you and your sweet escape.

I hear you, which is why this Xiaomi Automatic Wine Bottle Opener should provide some relief to your nightly routine. Because why should your alcoholic needs have to wait?

Simply place the automatic bottle opener over the cork stopper, push the button, and voila! Your liquid getaway is at your perusal, more than ready to be savoured alongside some cheese and crackers.

Its design is more or less straightforward and user-friendly, with a lighted battery bar and buttons for you to control the direction of the electric corkscrew. A handy addition to your kitchen through and through.

Price: S$28.99
Shipping: Free

Xiaomi Automatic Wine Bottle Opener | Buy Here

7. Cat Eyeliner Stencil

Eyeliner is the one makeup look that most girls are daunted by, and find hard to master. Personally, I leave it out of my makeup routine everyday because I run the risk of taking to the streets looking like a fool with uneven eyeliner, and nobody wants that. Luckily for us, this simple yet ingenious tool makes our lives easier in tenfold measure.

The Cat Eyeliner Stencil is great for anyone looking to perfect the rare art of getting their eyeliner on fleek, as it quite literally guides your brushstrokes to flawlessness. Twist and turn the stencil in a myriad of ways to suit the curvature of various parts of your eyes—this comprehensive instrument leaves no stones unturned.

Practise your eyeliner donning skills now, and before long, you’ll find yourself independent of its assistance.

Price: S$0.98
Shipping: Up to S$1

Cat Eyeliner Stencil | Buy Here

8. Rocketbook Everlast / Rocketbook Mini

What started out as a crowdfunded project on Kickstarter has evolved to become one of the most revolutionary notebooks yet. Lauded as the notebook that marries longhand habits with digitisation, the Rocketbook can be reused endlessly due to one defining reason—writings on the pages can be simply wiped right off with a damp towel.

More than its sustainability, the Rocketbook also seamlessly integrates whatever you write with a cloud sharing platform of your choice. After you’re done filling up the pages with scribbles or doodles, ensure the longevity of your notes by scanning them using the Rocketbook app—after which, they will immediately be uploaded to the Cloud.

With all the virtual meetings that are now taking place, there’s a growing need for somewhere to pen your meeting minutes, knowing that they can be effortlessly forwarded online to your colleagues.

Price: S$32 – S$60
Shipping: Free

Rocketbook Everlast / Rocketbook Mini | Buy Here