10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Algae Oil to Lip Oil

Strategist deals editor Sam Daly has been working around the clock to round up all of the best Memorial Day sales. There are a ton of good buys worth browsing, but one of your best bets is this affordable handheld fan that kept one contributor cool during 101-degree days in Milan.

No better time than Memorial Day weekend to start thinking about what everyone will have on their feet this summer. Strategist contributor Fiorella Valdesolo has a hunch that Sarah Jessica Parker — who was just spotted in a pair of Dr. Scholl’s sandals while filming And Just Like That … — called it early. “While these sandals may not be a paragon of orthopedic support, their clunky yet sprightly appeal endures,” she writes, noting that the controversial exercise sandal made cameos in both white and pink throughout SATC’s six seasons.

With Father’s Day less than a month away, we’ve been working on all our gift recommendations for dads and grandfathers to make it easier for you to find that special something for him. In our new guide to Father’s Day gifts for under $100, we included these elastic shoelaces, which we first heard about from actor Adam Scott, and which make it possible for Dad to tie his laces just once and then never again.

We’ve also got a slew of new gift recommendations for recent graduates. Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman, who happens to be a member of the class of 2024, recommends this spice set, which she received as a gift from her parents. “I have used them to make everything from a soothing beef pho to a hearty coconut-chicken curry to tender turkey meatballs,” she writes. “The set has earned a permanent spot in my adult kitchen.”

From our roundup of launches we’re particularly excited about, there’s this fun, colorful pair of tongs from Staff. “The capital-T tongs are made from gold-tinted stainless steel with a blue locking loop and pink and green silicone grips that feature the brand’s smiley-face logo,” Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla says. We also think they’d make an excellent host gift.

Strategist contributor Emily Shwake did a deep dive into LED skin-care devices and spoke to dermatologists and other medical professionals to understand their benefits, which include reduced cellular damage and stimulated collagen production. Dr. Jared Jagdeo, director of the Center for Photomedicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, recommends this one, which has been included in more than 40 peer-reviewed clinical papers and studies.

The latest fermented food to hit grocery shelves is cooking oil, writes Strategist senior editor Kiki Aranita: specifically, oils derived from algae and sugarcane using more ecofriendly methods than those used for many vegetable oils. To put Algae Cooking Club’s and Zero Acre’s oils to the test, she spent a weekend cooking every meal she consumed with them. “If you’re looking for a finishing oil or a punchy, spicy oil to whip into hummus, these aren’t it,” she writes. “But I know I’ll be using them for sautéing and frying on high heat, especially if I want my croquettes shatteringly crisp.”

If lip oil is more your speed, drag queen and artist Sasha Velour told us Lady Gaga’s PhD lip oil is one of the items she can’t live without. After learning about the oil from drag queen Jaida Essence Hall, she grabbed a tube for herself and found it to have the ideal consistency. “You want your lip gloss to be sticky with a little tint, but this doesn’t stick your mouth together and it absorbs,” she says. “It feels healthy, but you still get that glossy teenage-girl fantasy that we turn to our lip glosses for.”