Whoever said the original always has to be the best? We’re sick of that trite little piece of inherited wisdom! On that note, then, we’re going to list ten items we think are much better in their new and improved form than they ever were before. So here they are: ten imitations that beat the real thing.
1. The Mocktail
Meet the “Mocktail”, a cocktail minus the alcohol. A travesty I hear you cry, but no, not at all. You get all the benefits of a delicious fruity cocktail that is sweet and colourful and mini umbrella to boot. Sure, they’re little more than fruit juice, but you get to leave behind the dreadful hangover the next day, you aren’t ‘mixing’ alcohol’ types and the calories are decreased. Why don’t you try a “Berry Sweetheart”: cranberry juice, apple juice and honey? Delicious I hear you say and 100% alcohol free. Who needs booze when you’ve got these delicious little beauties.
2. i-Paper
Aren’t you fed up of reading a conventional newspaper, having to deal with the largeness of it, trying to turn the pages in the most confined of spaces on the morning commute, not to mention getting the ink all over your hands? All this and you have had to pay for the experience? Well, meet the “i-Paper”, aka all the news in the regular paper delivered to you in a mobile app. Most of these news apps are free, contain more up to date information than the newspaper and no page turning necessary. What’s more, you can easily sneak a peak at the showbiz gossip or horoscope discreetly!
3. Window Boxes
Huge lavish gardens with exotic plants are great if you like spending most of your time keeping them that way. Welcome to the “Window Box”, a self contained planter box affixed on an outside window sill. Herbs, flowers, grasses; whatever you choose to plant in the window box, it is easy to keep and looks fabulous on any window sill. And what’s more, you don’t have to battle the harsh weather conditions to tend to plants; you simply open the window and splash the watering can over them.
4. Fake Tan
Perfecting that perfect sun kissed glow is essential, it would seem, in modern society. You could spend hours basking in the sun getting that glow, and possibly risk getting skin cancer in the process. Want a short cut? Then head to the fake tan aisle in the supermarket instead. Whether you go for the beauty salon spray tan or get your tan mitt out and do it yourself, you can go from pale and pasty to Oompa Loompa in a heart beat, no health risk necessary.
5. Mock Meat
Eating a lot of meat is all well and good but sometimes you can’t help but think of the health risks plus the poor little animals! You need to introduce “Quorn” into your diet; tastes like meat, but definitely isn’t meat! Quorn is far healthier than real meat, tastes practically no different and who wouldn’t want to save the animals?
6. Smart Photos
Using your smart phone to take pictures on the go has never been more popular and adding them to social sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr is definitely the latest craze. But, why would you want to upload the mediocre basic phone photo when you can instantly jazz up the images via apps such as “Instagram” and “Hipstamatic”. These apps transform the photos into much more desirable vintage styles, add light effects and makes them far more aesthetically appealing; so the question is, who needs the original?
7. Computer Pets
You buy a pet; a dog, a fish, a cat or even something more exotic and it takes up all your time feeding it, cleaning it, grooming it, or walking it. Sometimes you just wish you could switch it off and relax. Well, now you can. Computer games such as Nintendo’s blockbusting ‘Nintendogs’ allow you to do all the things you can with a real pet, even name it, and when you’re done for the day you can switch it off and switch back on as and when you choose. The computer pet is much more convenient and much cheaper. Who needs a real pet when you can buy a computer one?
8. Audio Books
We know we’ll get a lot of stick for this one from people saying things like ‘but what about the feel of a real book?’ Well, phooey; sometimes you are just too tired to sit down and read or you’re in a situation where reading just isn’t an option, such as driving your car. This is where an audio book comes in handy. Why slave away reading yourself when you can be serenaded by the soothing voice of Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter or a Christmas Carol by Patrick Stewart?
9. Diet Drinking
“Skinny latte please”, “Fat-free lemonade thanks”, “a Diet Coke please”; they sound better for a start and don’t leave that sugary taste on your teeth or the calories on your waistline either. Why have full fat when you can have diet; the great taste without all the added nasties? And let’s face it, the hunky men on the diet coke adverts are more than an incentive to buy diet!
10. Online Communication
We hope this one goes more or less without saying. Of course, the purists will argue, a letter is more romantic, more personal and unique but in reality a letter is tedious and takes at least a day (if you’re lucky) to deliver. With the rising cost of stamps, romance is the last thing on your mind; going online is far simpler, is delivered instantly and, most importantly, it’s free. With sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, not to mention email, getting in touch has never been easier! Sometimes the real deal just doesn’t cut it!
Help to drag someone important to you into the 21st century with father’s day gifts from Prezzy Box.