What Strategist Readers Are Buying: Vitamixes and Mattress Toppers

1. The 14 Products I Use for My Chronic Raccoon Eyes

What else is there to say about the snail-slime eye patches that beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton buys in bulk? They’ve become such a cult hit, even Strategist editor Alexis Swerdloff has gotten in on the action. Says Viera-Newton: “This is my favorite under-eye product, and don’t make me tell you again why I love snail so much! Its regenerative properties not only work wonders on blemish scars, but also help with any kind of hyperpigmentation, including dark under-eye circles. It’s also super beneficial for helping with wrinkles and dryness.”

2. If You’re Going to Buy One Thing Today, Make It a Vitamix Blender

Lots and lots of you were convinced by Strat staffer Maxine Builder, who cut through the noise of Cyber Monday madness to tell you the one thing to buy on a day of deals was the as-powerful-as-they-say (and very on-sale) Vitamix 5200. Says Builder, who first used the Vitamix while working in the test kitchen of a previous job, “The blender was way more powerful than I imagined it would be, and it readily handled any task I threw at it, be it making a smooth, silky milkshake with Lucky Charms or liquefying a nasty combination of pineapple, matcha powder, and celery during a 40-minute-long round of smoothie roulette on Facebook Live. And if a Vitamix can pulverize celery, with all that stringy cellulose, without skipping a beat, there’s really nothing it can’t do.” While it’s not as cheap as it was on Cyber Monday, it’s still more than $100 off.

3. I’ve Carried This Bag Nearly Every Day for the Last 4 Years

Writer Hannah Goldfield first told us about the leather drawstring bag she received as a gift last year, and it created such a response that we decided to post it again last week. Says Goldfield, “The leather was exceptionally buttery. The simple construction and total lack of hardware meant it transcended eras and styles to be actually timeless: It would look as at home on the hip of an 18th-century fur trader as it would on a chic pod person in some proto-futuristic television show, or on me, with literally any of my outfits. It was Mary Poppins–esque in size, somehow big enough to hold my wallet and cell phone and keys and makeup bag and even a slim paperback book and a compact umbrella, though it didn’t look it.”

4. The Shampoo Replacement I Only Have to Use Once a Week

Anyone who’s used Hairstory New Wash knows what we mean when we say it’s unlike any other shampoo (to call it shampoo is actually incorrect; it’s more of a shampoo-like hair product). Says writer Molly Young: “My long hair air-dries perfectly, with no ‘squeaky’ texture. It is shiny and falls in loose waves, like it did when I was a kid. I don’t need to blow-dry it. My chronic flaky scalp (sorry!) is gone forever. I customarily wash my hair every three days. With New Wash, once a week. When friends remark that my hair looks nice, it’s fun to say, ‘I haven’t shampooed in six months.’ Which is technically accurate.”

5. If You’re Going to Buy One Thing Today, Make It a Parachute Mattress Topper

Strategist senior writer Lauren Schwartzberg first tried the Parachute down-alternative fiber bed last year, naming it her favorite of several. Last week, it went on sale, and she made another strong case for why the plush mattress topper should go on your shopping list: “It’s the best plush mattress topper, period. One that just envelops your whole body in a light and airy three inches of cloudlike fluff that remains evenly distributed throughout nights and weeks and months, thanks to a stitched box construction.”