The last minute buyers guide to Mother’s Day 2020

Online shopping is the way to go this year as Mother’s Day 2020 fast approaches. Given the current pandemic sweeping the globe, home tech, beauty and kitchen essentials are flying off those digital shelves, which is why we’ve pulled together some of our latest favourites from each category. Whether your mum needs to lose herself in immersive travel videos on the best TV you can buy right now, or keep every inch of the house as clean as possible, we got you.

Kitchen

Philips Airfryer XXL

All you’d need to do is type ‘Airfryer’ in on Google to see how ridiculously popular this kitchen essential has become. For those unfamiliar, the massively convenient gadget has become the new ‘must have’ for at-home chefs, especially health conscious ones given the fundamental use of being able to achieve the crisp of deep-frying without the excess oil.

Go with the Philips Airfryer XXL if you’re looking for one with a considerable amount of power, and enough capacity to fit an entire chicken. The easy-to-use device is driven by Twin TurboStar technology which circulates high-powered hot air to cook food, while Fat Removal Twin tech extracts and captures fat so you end up with your favourites and up to 90% less fat. You’ll also save big on oil.

Buy: philips.com.au
Price: $499.00

Victorinox Cutlery

Look, we know there’s a lot of options out there when it comes to kitchen stuff, and choice anxiety is certainly lessened by thinking simple. Go for the bare basics with cutlery, but if you want to make it extra special for mum just opt for something a bit more high-end.

The Victorinox Cutlery collection has a heap of premium tools to make prep and cook times much smoother, from lemon zesters to professional knives ergonomically designed and exceptionally sharp.

Buy: victorinox.com
Price: Various

The Latest Cookbooks

There are few ways to travel from home as immersive as taste bud travel. Cooking up something different in the kitchen brings in that sense of escapism we all need in amidst a global pandemic and the necessary isolation measures. Cookbooks are a sure-fire way to send mum on a trip without her having to leave the home, whether she’s maximising her home-grown ingredients or taking a deep-dive into the rich diversity of Jewish food.

Luckily there’s two new cookbooks to satisfy each need. The more recently released Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots by world renowned gardener Aaron Bertelsen, a gorgeously illustrated 240-age hardcover with 50 recipes amongst valuable personal tips for anyone wanting to grow their own food. Then there’s The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig, which was released in last September and tracks the rich trove of contemporary modern Jewish cuisine which is often hard to come across in Australia. Not only is it a beautiful 432-page hardcover with more than 400 recipes, but also serves as an educational, definitive compendium of Jewish cuisine.

Buy: The Jewish Cookbook | Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots
Price: $65 for The Jewish Cookbook | $49.95 for Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots

Flower Bundles

Nothing needs to be particularly over-thought on Mother’s Day. Quite often the more simple the gift, the better it is. Live in Sydney? Merivale at Home if that’s your line of thought, as their doing up some well curated Champagne, margarita and Palings Flowers bundles for the mum who just wants a good bouquet and a nice drink to celebrate with.

Bundles available online include 5 stems of Big Mama Chrysanthemums with NV Veuve Clicquot Rose; 20 stems of Double Tulips with NV Veuve Clicquot Rose; a Margarita Kit with 5 stems of Big Mama Chrysanthemums; and more.

Buy: merivalathome.com
Price: From $130

Jacob’s Creek Limited Edition Le Petit Rosé

Image by Heidi Willis

A Limited edition version of Le Petit Rose by Jacob’s Creek has been meticulously designed by artist Heidi Willis. If mum enjoys a good glass of exquisite drops, she’ll love the essence of a beautiful rose blended with Pinot Noir, Grenache and Mataro with aromatic flavours of spice and red currants.

Buy: jacobscreek.com
Price: $17.99

Beauty

The Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Collection

The Body Shop is offering a variety of gifts from their renowned skin care range that will put a smile on mum’s face and revitalise her skin. From their refurbished Drops of Youth collection comes their Youth Concentrate serum. With their new added formula of pollution protection fighting against the harsh indoor and outdoor environments to which our skin is often exposed.

The gel-based product is vegan, consists 99% of natural origin ingredients with a boost of antioxidants and moringa oil. Providing hydration and maintaining moisture throughout the day. This will leave mum’s skin fresh, glowing and with the nutritional compounds it needs to thrive. The Drops of Youth range also includes a Gentle Foaming Wash, Liquid Peel, Youth Cream and a Sheet Mask.

Buy: thebodyshop.com
Price: $49.00

Hawaiian Tropic Self Tan Foams

Self-tanning is a life saver, especially as the colder months creep in. Get your mum’s skin glowing with Australian made Hawaiian Tropic Self Tan Foams. Available in a variety of shades such as Light/Medium, Dark and Ultra Dark. Its lightweight application makes it easy to lather and dries quickly without any streak residues. The product is paraben free and infused with vitamin E designed to leave skin hydrated and illuminated any time of the year.

Buy: hawaiiantropicsun.com.au
Price: $18.99 (Light/Medium and Dark) and $23.99 (Ultra Dark)

Tech

Bose Portable Home Speaker

It wouldn’t a gift guide without a powerful speaker for mum to listen to her favourite jams. Bluetooth speakers go strength to strength every year, but there’s plenty of mileage to be squeezed of the Bose Portable Home Speaker, which was released last September and is an absolute beast of an audio device.

The portable Bluetooth speaker is a one-stop-shop for a smart, world-class audio experience, with a sleek and unique look and a range that lets mum stream music, radio stations, podcasts and audiobooks with responsive, lightning fast access to her chosen virtual assistant (out of Alexa and Google).

Buy: bose.com.au
Price: $499.95

Sony Master Series A9G

If you do want to go all out and drop a cool couple grand on mum this year, make sure it’s got the wow factor. The Master Series A9G was rightfully named the best OLED TV money can buy in 2019, and so far the stunning unit hasn’t been topped. Superior upscaling technology thanks to a best-in-class Picture Processor really drives this thing, turning everything into a sumptuous visual feast with focus on details both subtle and obvious.

The Android TV operating system is also one of the best available on a smart TV, so mum will have no issue navigating through to her favourite Apps, especially if she’s a Netflix lover, for which there’s a special Netflix Calibrated Mode (and a dedicated remote button) which basically means the content gods at Netflix have approved the TV for displaying things exactly the way they intended. And if mum is bummed she can’t travel this year, just navigate to a 4K travel video on YouTube and watch the TV really bring it to life.

Review: here
Buy: Sony Australia
Price: From $5,199

Dyson V11 Outsize

Mum in the market for a new vacuum cleaner? If you want it to the best available right now then go for Dyson’s wildly popular V11 Outsize. The new cordless free vacuum is a true powerhouse, with Dyson’s signature high-end design and enough features (and attachment tools) to handle an entire house no matter the size.

The V11 has been re-engineered here, with a sense of “bigger is better”. That means a 150% larger bin, 25% bigger cleaning head and a click-in battery life of up to 120 minutes. Mum will have no issue cleaning just about anything, with 40% more suction power when compared to the Dyson Cyclone V10.

Buy: dyson.com.au
Price: From $1,299

Harman Kardon Citation Series

Many people haven’t updated their home audio system in years. Change that for the household this mother’s day by diving into the Scandi designs of Harmon Kardon’s new Citation Series. They’ve just launched in Australia, sporting simple yet sophisticated aesthetics designed to maximise details and deliver a dynamic listening experience.

The collection ranges quite a bit in terms of price, but luckily there are plenty of options to use the speakers either individually or as one unified, powerful surround sound ecosystem.

Buy: harmonkardon.com.au
Price: From $299.00

Arlo Video Doorbell

If mum’s been thinking of zipping her house up to speed with smart modern trends, then she’ll need at least some form of smart security to go with it. Unless you want to drop a couple of grand and go all out with a full camera set up, start small with the Arlo Video Doorbell.

The reliable brand has finally gotten up to speed with the rest of their smart security products, offering up this wired video doorbell which supports an industry-leading vertical field-of-view with a 1:1 aspect ratio, motion detection and alerts, video calling, quick pre-recorded replies, night vision, HD video and zoom. Note that this is wired so you’d need an existing set-up to support wired doorbells for easier installation.

Buy: arlo.com
Price: $289

Huawei Watch GT 2 Series

There simply is no such thing as an in-touch gift guide without some sort of wearable nowadays. The devices, especially the health-focused ones, make the best gifts no matter the occasion. For Mother’s Day, we’re putting the spotlight on Huawei’s feature-rich Watch GT 2 Series, which was released last year and has since become one of the best looking wearables on the market.

You can get either a 42mm or 46mm model, choosing from Sport, Classic, Elite and Elegant models. It all works incredibly well given Huawei’s Kirin A1 chip and a battery life of up to two weeks. This one has also been finessed from past iterations with enhanced sport and health management features, bringing it much closer to striking a balance between fitness tracker and smart watch. It’s most valuable for those already within the Huawei ecosystem.

Note that Huawei currently have a promotion running for the Watch GT 2 42 mm Sport and Classic editions, you can get up to $100 off RRP if you purchase by 10th May.

Buy: huawei.com
Price: From $369.00

Hue Outdoor Range

Dip into the growing world of smart outdoor lighting to bring mum some playful ways to liven up the backyard. It’s becoming a popular way to do up the garden and curate an area that feels like it’s been lifted from a luxury resort, playing with millions of light hues to arrive at the perfect mood each and every time.

Philips brand Hue have steady grown their Outdoor Range over the years, and right now there’s plenty to choose from to the best suit your home set-up. No doubt mum will have fun playing around with a different kind of home renovation come this Sunday.

Buy: meethue.com
Price: From $149

Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.