Every year since it launched in 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle and wellness website, goop.com, has made headlines for its annual gift guide.
Featuring items that are either very expensive, super niche or completely outlandish – or sometimes all three – this year Paltrow has not let us down.
Divided up into "wellness", "kids", "kitchen" and other sections, we've picked 10 of the best and most fun items for you to add to your own wish list.
You can also scroll through the gallery above to see our top picks.
1. Goop Travel Straw, $22
The first red flag here is the fact this straw is made from glass. Glass … travel … we're not sure those two things go together.
The second red flag is the price. That’s $22 for a straw. OK, so it comes in its own recycled plastic case along with a mini-squeegee, but can it code you a new domain name whilst fixing a kale smoothie? No. And that’s what we’d expect if we’re shelling out $22.
2. Aura Stone, $65
Although it looks like something Hawkeye from The Avengers would use as a weapon, Goop assures us that we should: "Smooth this gua sha body-massage stone over your arms, legs, stomach and any other area that needs attention to gently massage muscles and soothe tension."
3. Meditation Pillow, $80
“We wanted a meditation pillow with distraction-defying firmness and shape,” says Goop. But what is so “distraction-defying” about a circle?
Well, they’re the shape of old-school UFOs, bubbles, the Moon, hula hoops, drums. All these things are notoriously distracting. Also … doughnuts. Mmmm, doughnuts. Oh, sorry, we’re supposed to be meditating, aren’t we? Sorry, make that “Ommm, doughnuts.”
4. Pyramid Commode, $35,000
If you’ve got a spare $35,000 knocking about, how about this Elizabeth Paige Smith-designed commode? It’s a 14-drawer storage space which "creates a spatial vortex in whatever room it’s placed in, energetically lifting the vibrations".
Apparently, Kanye West is a client, if you needed another reason not to buy one.
5. Batard Bread Lamp, $210
It’s a lamp. Made of bread. What’s there to not understand? A real loaf covered in resin, it features an "LED light that radiates a warm, comforting glow in whatever room it’s in".
Do you know what else would give you a “warm comforting glow” for a lot less money? Eating some bread.
6. PlantWave, $299
Hook this nifty little machine up to the leaves of your house plant and it will, Goop claims, translate what your greenery is trying to tell you (“The colour of this plant pot leaves me jaded”; “Your cat is trying to eat me again”, most probably) into sounds.
7. Men’s Goop University Sweatshirt, $195
From Goop’s own G Label fashion brand comes this sweatshirt that lets the whole world know you do not respect the education process in the slightest.
It says: “I have an BA in candles”; “Check out my diploma in organic luna recycling”; or, “Might I interest you in medical advice the medical community frequently derides?”
8. Bedtime Rituals Bundle, $84
Consisting of a body oil, bubble bath and a chamomile, silk tree flower and turmeric tonic to "help children ages 2 and up calm down naturally", this ritual pack for youngsters also contains a book called The Lost Elephant.
However, if you pay us $84 instead of giving it to Goop, we will happily come round to your house and wrestle your kids into bed each night.
9. German Oat Flaker, $240
Aside from German oat flakers presumably being superior to other global oat flakers, we can’t quite figure out what this kitchen product is meant to do.
After all, you buy oats from the supermarket already flaked, right? This is not 15th-century England. We're not out here milling our own oats, Gwyneth! There is really no need to re-flake your flaked oats.
10. Efoil 5’6” Cruiser, $12,000
Do your kids love foiling? Do they think it’s “super-rad” and “gnar”? Do you even know what foiling even is?
Us neither, but a quick Google search yielded this result: “A hybrid of surfing and hydrofoil technology, foil surfing replaces the traditional fin at the bottom of a surfboard with a much longer, hydrodynamically designed fin called a blade.”
This gift was in the “tweens” section. So, if you love your tween as much as $12,000, by all means, knock yourself out.
Find the full Goop gift guide here.
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Read more:
When self-care meets skincare: is gratitude the secret to glowing skin?
Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette has landed a pet furniture collaboration
From Michelle Obama to Gwyneth Paltrow: 10 of the best celebrity podcasts that cover everything from wellness to work
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
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The Programme
Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
Saturday, November 16: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Tuesday, November 26: ‘All the President’s Men’ (1976) by Alan J Pakula
Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson
MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5