We write about hundreds of products each week. Here, in our version of the Sunday circular, we’ve plucked some of our recent favorites: expert-recommended essentials, life-changing stuff you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gizmos, and very good deals we uncovered while trawling through the vast online-shopping universe — including best-in-class touchscreen gloves, a spacious tote that can replace your carry-on, and the secret weapon behind Kristin Chenoweth’s soprano.
A festive beauty bundle celebrating the Year of the Rabbit
Lunar New Year festivities officially kick off today, January 22, and last for 15 days. To help get you in the celebratory spirit, we’ve rounded up all the best Lunar New Year–themed gifts from Strat-approved brands. Beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton adores Tower 28’s lip jellies for how they give her lips a subtle “wash of color with a juicy, high-impact glaze.” For the New Year, the AAPI-owned beauty brand has partnered with the Mayfair Group to release two limited-edition bundles, one with a full-size skin-rescuing face spray, the other with a travel-size spray plus a lip jelly in a sheer red shade. Both bundles include a sheet of adorable stickers designed by Korean Canadian illustrator Kimi Kimo.
Touchscreen gloves with top marks
Now that we’re in the thick of winter, a pair of touchscreen gloves that let you send a text without exposing your hands to the elements is essential. Strategist contributor Jack Byram went searching for the Best in Class touchscreen gloves and concluded that this Black Diamond pair beat out all the rest. “I was immediately struck by the comfortable fit — while other gloves can feel bulky, these are made with a stretchy fleece shell that’s highly adaptable while in use. And even though the material is thinner, it doesn’t skimp on warmth on days where the temperature has fallen well below freezing,” Byram writes, adding that he found the gloves’ touchscreen compatibility to be the most sensitive due to their UR fabric. Therefore, it’s a no brainer as to why this pair also made an appearance in our guides to the best gloves for both men and women.
The do-it-all tote that doubles as a weekender
Last year, Luke Leifeste, senior entertainment editor at GQ and Architectural Digest, decided to take advantage of a new nonstop flight out of LGA and go sightseeing with friends in his hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma. For three days, they shopped Black-owned businesses, checked out the museum scene, and went on a craft-beer crawl. “Folks on the coasts may be surprised to learn that Tulsa boasts a wealth of Art Deco architecture, over a dozen craft breweries, and as of last year, the entire Bob Dylan archive,” Leifeste declares. Since it was just for a weekend, he traveled light, bringing only this unexpectedly roomy L.L.Bean tote bag. “This might be the best 45 bucks you’ll ever spend on baggage,” Leifeste says. “It’s especially perfect as a weekender because it’s super durable, holds way more than you’d expect, and doesn’t look bad either.”
Dinnerware that doubles as art
Italian designer Massimo Vignelli’s rainbow-brite plastic dinnerware has been revived by MoMA Design Store. Made from durable melamine meant to last for years to come, this playful multicolored set was first introduced by Massimo and Lella Vignelli and the manufacturer Heller in 1971. When stacked together, these bowls could pass for a de facto work of art; pick up a few before they sell out, and tell friends that you thrifted them.
A tongue-in-cheek bib for your baby …
Last month, readers flocked to Vulture’s investigation of Hollywood’s nepo-baby network, a careful cataloguing of all the actors, musicians, models, directors, producers, influencers, and writers who just so happen to be the children of other actors, musicians, models, directors, producers, influencers, and writers. Now, New York has launched nepo-baby merch for actual babies. In addition to this bib for newborns, there’s a onesie available in four sizes, so you can let the world know your baby’s got some highly enviable, very good-looking parents.
… And sweet Valentine’s Day PJs for your older kid
Spouses and partners often get all the shine on Valentine’s Day, but why not show some love to your little ones as well? Our Valentine’s Day gift guide for kids has tons of ideas, from books on love and friendship to fluffy stuffed animals to fun craft kits. It also doesn’t include any candy, which they’ll surely be getting plenty of in the classroom. We particularly love these jammies from Strat-approved kids’ brand Hanna Andersson for their playful tic-tac-toe-esque pattern of X’s, O’s, and hearts.
A sonic brush to make your grout sparkle
Although Strategist writer Rachael Griffiths loves her London flat for its lovely bay windows and huge closet, the tradeoff is a small, windowless bathroom that was riddled with “black mold, rings of limescale, and stubborn hard-water stains.” To blast away years of accumulated grime, she turned to the Sonic Scrubber. Resembling an electric toothbrush, the scrubber comes with four detachable nylon heads in varying sizes, so she was able to use it on everything from her tap handles to her kitchen backsplash. “What would normally take about an hour of manual scrubbing was blitzed by the brush in around ten minutes,” Griffiths writes. “I now clean my bathroom with my Sonic Scrubber once a week, and it looks cleaner than when I moved in.”
Kristin Chenoweth’s pre-performance throat drops
When we asked Kristin Chenoweth what she can’t live without, she couldn’t speak highly enough of Fontus throat lozenges. “As a singer, I find they’re very long-lasting and moisturizing for the throat. I use them before I go onstage or when I’m on a plane,” Chenoweth told us. But they’re not just for Broadway professionals — whenever her mom comes down with a cough, she just “pops one of these Fontus and it helps.” Chenoweth keeps a few of the green-apple-flavored ones in every purse she owns.
The water bottle that belongs on your camping checklist
In Strategist writer Jeremy Rellosa’s opinion, there are “few things worse than running out of water on a hike.” Thankfully, he no longer has to worry about that now that he owns this LifeStraw bottle, which, due to its integrated filter “that traps bacteria, dirt, and microplastics,” is superior to gravity filters that are bulky and time-consuming or iodine pills that don’t get rid of nasty debris. “I can head to any stream or source of running water, fill up this bottle directly, and start sipping — something I’ve done many times, including one time on a backpacking trip in Patagonia,” he writes. Right now it’s on sale for 40 percent off, so if you’re an avid outdoorsman like Rellosa, it’s worth snagging this handy piece of gear.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
