Welcome back to “Your Shopping Cart,” where we break out the top products that you, devoted Strategist readers, bought in droves. Think of this as the TL;DR of the Strategist. If your like-minded brethren are buying these items, maybe you’d like to as well.
The unofficial kickoff to holiday shopping — Black Friday and Cyber Monday — is ending soon, which means you’ve only got a few more hours to take advantage of some of the best sales of the year. We know wading through the hundreds of discounts can be overwhelming, so we rounded up the most popular Black Friday and Cyber Monday products that your fellow readers have been buying — all of which are still on sale.
Some of them are everyday items that are super-discounted right now, like a beauty-editor favorite snail mucin and an ecofriendly dry shampoo. Others are highly gift-worthy items, like the silk pillowcase readers have been buying in droves for months and a super-plush bathrobe. However, Cyber Monday ends tonight, so there’s no guarantee they’ll stay on sale or in stock much longer. That means if you see something you want — for yourself or for someone else — don’t wait to buy. If you want all of our favorite deals, check out our big hub of deals. (And to ensure you never miss a good sale again, sign up for our email newsletter.)
This CosRX snail mucin was a reader favorite on Prime Day, and it’s back on sale — for the cheapest we’ve seen it since January. If you need a refresher, this K-beauty staple can hydrate and retexturize dry and acne-prone skin, according to our beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton, who has been recommending it since 2018.
Strategist readers love ZimaSilk’s pillowcase; it frequently appears on our list of the top products readers buy each month, often in the top spot. And it’s a top seller again, at 20 percent off. While it’s “thinner and more textured” than other, more expensive silk pillowcases, according to our writer Tembe Denton-Hurst, “it’s still soft and a good option if you’re making the shift from satin or don’t want to spend a lot of money.” Certain colors are as low as $19 today for Cyber Monday as part of a lightning deal, but even if that deal ends, you can still find most colors discounted by 20 percent or more.
Another repeat Strategist reader favorite (that was a top seller for a year straight), this electric toothbrush is the one writer Arielle Avila bought back in 2020 when she first upgraded from a manual brush. It has all the main features dentists recommend, she says, but its price point makes it a great entry-level brush. Its soft bristles and pressure sensor helped protect her teeth from hard brushing, and its built-in two-minute quadrant timer ensured every area of her mouth got an even clean.
Every year, our gift-obsessed team of writers and editors compiles a list of hundreds of unusual gifts for every type of giftee, and this year, this “trippy nightlight” from Brewfish was one of their suggestions for gifts under $50. You can change the almost-lifelike jellyfish between 16 different colors.
Everlane’s been pulling out all the stops on its sales recently, and these black work pants have become a quick favorite. These Dream Pants are our pick for the best pull-on work pants for women — but they’re comfortable enough to wear even if you have no desire to commute. Writer Ambar Pardilla tested them while working from home and said they felt more like “really well-made sweatpants.”
Among all the portable carpet and upholstery cleaners out there, Bissell’s classic Little Green reigns supreme (especially if you can believe all of those incredibly satisfying TikToks). It gently lifts stains and dirt from secondhand furniture, and it’s especially great for pet owners who need a quick way to refresh furniture.
The Waterpik Aquarius — named our best overall water flosser — is yet another perennial favorite, landing in our top monthly products multiple times over the years. Six dental experts recommend it above all other water flossers because it has the strongest engine on the market, meaning it gives the best clean. And while New York-based writer Arielle Avila said it was too large for her bathroom countertops, it’s a great choice for anyone with plenty of space, and its large water tank means you never have to refill it while flossing, which was the case with more compact models she tested.
It’s not the sexiest gift, but the right person will appreciate receiving this fleece heating pad. (One new mom told us that it’s one of the items she wished she’d put on her registry: “My neck got so sore that I developed ’mommy thumb.’ Because, apparently, the fascia is all connected.”)
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are often billed as holiday-shopping events, they’re also a good time to stock up on super-discounted basics such as hair-care products, and it seems readers are doing just that with this dry shampoo. This formula from French drugstore brand Klorane is especially good for thin hair or people with super-greasy scalps, and because it’s nonaerosol, it’s a bit better for the environment.
Brooklinen’s Super-Plus Robe is a favorite for holiday gifting — and is our favorite fluffy bathrobe. Our editor Maxine Builder bought one for her mom last Black Friday, as did our managing editor Kelsie Schrader (though she bought hers the quick-drying waffle robe version).
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.
