The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in February

My yoga mat has been peeling for about two years now, so every time I used it, a million tiny flecks of vibrant green foam scattered all over my floors. As you can imagine, that was beyond annoying, especially for someone who is obsessive about cleanliness. But I don’t let myself have nice things — let alone fully practical things — which is my one consistent personality trait. So since my mat wasn’t actually broken, I could never justify buying a new one. But when I saw this one was on sale for less than $10 during REI’s Presidents’ Day sale, I couldn’t justify not buying it. I don’t use my mat as much for yoga as I do for core workouts and such, so having it be anti-slip is not as important to me. This 10 mm.–thick one is much cushier than my old one, which is nice when I’m doing, for example, Russian twists. More important, I haven’t had to crawl around on my hands and knees picking up foam flecks every morning, which happens to be life-changing.

I’ve admired these for several years now, but you really need at least six for any configuration to look good, and I’ve never been in the market to drop $300 on them. But someone on Facebook Marketplace was selling a set of six for only $50 (three big, three small), in perfect condition, which feels like a bit of karma I’ve done nothing to deserve but will accept all the same.

For her birthday this month, my sister said she wanted mulch for her garden. She didn’t specify what kind of mulch or how much — just mulch. After consulting with my mom, I decided perhaps that’s more something she should gift herself (with a gift card from my parents) because I didn’t want to buy her dirt, and I’m pretty sure I would buy the wrong kind anyway. Instead, I found this molecular-gastronomy kit. She loves cooking and science, so I figured this combines two of her biggest interests. At the time I’m writing this, she has not received it yet, so I can’t share her reaction. But I can guarantee she will love it.

I was just really sick of peeling garlic by hand. It works just as you would imagine it to. You throw the garlic inside, roll it back and forth a few times, then out plops perfectly peeled garlic.

The combination of winter and living in an apartment without a dishwasher has been rough on my hands. So instead of going through hoards of hand lotion, I decided to take a different route. I dug through the Strat archive, read about these dishwashing gloves that Rachel Khong wrote about in 2017, and immediately bought them. After using them for about a month, they’ve completely transformed my dishwashing experience, from dreadful to, dare I say, delightful. And my hands are definitely thanking me.

Every parent tells you that you shouldn’t spend too much money on kids’ apparel or buy that much stuff at all because they grow out of everything so quickly. Sometimes I think I take it to the extreme: I rely on hand-me-downs and make a couple of clothing orders a year for special occasions or when there’s a really good sale. In terms of shoes, Augie currently has one pair of slip-on sneakers and a pair of rain boots that are frankly getting too small. All winter, he relied on those two pairs, and I sometimes felt bad sending him to school in rain boots when there was still snow out. (He never complained.) Now that spring is approaching, I thought I should get him some better all-weather sneakers and settled on these popular Merrell hiking shoes that reviews say are great for general wear and are super-durable. They’re not waterproof, but they are machine washable, and they feel (and look) like real adult Merrells, and I imagine they will take him at least through the summer, when I’ll be getting him a new pair of Crocs.

In an attempt to give my butt a comfier seat when my boyfriend and I eat dinner from the living room, and in an attempt to create more seating in general when guests come over, I bought this West Elm floor pillow, which is truly so plush (I didn’t even realize I was on the kids’ site until after the fact). It’s somehow bigger than I envisioned, but honestly that’s a good thing.

Last month, Strat writer Chloe Anello featured Sandy Liang’s third collaboration with Vans, and when I finally sat down to look over the collection, I was too stunned to speak. As a Lower East Sider, I frequent Liang’s brick-and-mortar store, and I can’t say enough about her whimsical New York City brand. I’ve wanted a pair of black SK8-Hi Vans for a while, but these put the perfect novel twist on a beloved shoe. They also come with a removable lug sole that hooks onto the bottom of the shoe, which gives you two sneaker-style options in one.

My sister has a February birthday, so earlier this month I was on the hunt for the just-right gift to match her bright Y2K closet. When I stumbled across Les Miss in Nolita, I knew I was in the right place. Founded by Leah Gans, the store is bursting with trendy clothes, delicious handmade jewelry, and even some very charming home décor. The Green Shroom earrings, which also come in red and purple, are frankly edible. It’s safe to say I struck gifting gold.

February is my dad’s birthday month, and, as I was trying to find a gift for him, I remembered that he had been talking about the U.S. premiere of the Jamie Lloyd Company’s Cyrano de Bergerac at BAM. It stars James McAvoy, which is one of the main draws for both me and my dad. And it won the Olivier Award for Best Revival for its run in London. I bought two tickets in the section I think of as BAM’s sweet spot: within three rows from the front of the balcony. It’s much cheaper but still affords a great view.

I have been aware of Olaplex for a long, long time. But I finally bought this leave-in-conditioner stuff last week after getting an Olaplex moisture treatment at a salon I love in Brooklyn. As I get older, my hair has been getting frizzier and more prone to breakage. I’m getting married in July, so I decided I need to take control of the problem starting now. I was so impressed with the sleeker and softer result from the salon treatment that I bought the at-home Olaplex, too. So far, I can’t tell what is from the treatment and what is from this little bottle, but I’m feeling less freaked out about my wedding-day hair.

Last year, I was generously gifted an Ember mug, and as the type of person who frequently microwaves forgotten coffee or tea multiple times throughout the day — or, rather, used to — it has truly improved my mornings. I recently picked up this universal silicone lid to go with it; it not only helps extend the mug’s battery life by trapping heat but it’s extra-useful when I occasionally take the mug in the car. The simple, squishable disc is dishwasher safe and fits snugly inside multiple mug sizes, so if you have a favorite that could use a little more insulation or spillproofing, it’s an inexpensive and very handy accessory.

Mix a pop fidget toy with a child’s board book and you get the Poke-a-Dot! book series by beloved toy-maker Melissa & Doug. I bought a couple of these as gifts for my 2.5-year-old niece, and they were an instant hit. I love that they add a layer of sensory input and keep-’em-busy distraction to the typical toddler tome.

I have chronically dry feet. I haven’t found a moisturizer that works, and, to be honest, I’m not consistent enough to see a change. I figured I’d start from scratch. If this peel is anything like Rio says it is, I look forward to watching my skin fall off over the next few days.

I regret to inform you that I’ve only become a sillier melon since last month’s haul, so to commemorate reaching my ultimate form, I’ve found an earring from U.K.-based jewelry brand Laugahey that is hand-painted with those exact Chinese characters. Designer Kate Lau’s Hong Kong collection features other highly relevant phrases, including a dim-sum-related one and 哎呀, an interjection expressing surprise or exasperation that I use on the daily because I am as much a grumpy Taiwanese grandpa as I am a goofy cantaloupe. And even though my outer-ear piercings were carefully done à la Repossi, I may have to add more to accommodate the entire range (in increasing order of profanity).