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 the barrier-repairing serum that saved our editor from a “dry-skin perfect storm,” the suitcases gymnast Jordan Chiles takes on tour, and some “preposterously fun” nose-clip readers.
The case that turns our tech writer’s Apple Watch Into an iPod
Our tech writer Jordan McMahon still remembers when he got his iPod in the sixth grade, so when he discovered the tinyPod — a case for your Apple Watch that makes it look like a mini version of the classic iPod — he was charmed. But it turns out the device is for more than just nostalgia: It’s kept McMahon off his “notification-ridden iPhone,” too. “By turning the watch into a pocketable device rather than a wearable, it can act as a substitute for your phone when you’d like to reduce your screen time,” he says.
Filmmaker-approved nose-clip readers
We are in the golden age of reading glasses, according to contributor Kira Garcia, who rounded up the tried-and-true styles worn by eight tasteful people. Filmmaker Par Parekh recommends these “preposterously fun” and inexpensive nose-clip readers. “These were supposed to be my emergency training-wheel reading glasses — purchased during the holidays when everything was closed. They’ve actually made this whole transition to a magnified life kind of joyous.”
A new status hand soap
Seven years have passed since we first wrote about status hand soap (Aesop at the time), and this week, our junior writer Bella Druckman identified the soap that in-the-know people have been spotting at restaurants, bars, and hotels now: Loewe’s Tomato Leaves. Druckman first clocked it when she heard Bowen Yang mentioning it on Las Culturistas, then started to notice it popping up more and more — from buzzy restaurants like Zimmi’s and Coqodaq to a hand-soap-obsessed corner of TikTok.
The screen cleaning wipes Jennifer Aniston relies on
Jennifer Aniston told us she can’t live without these screen-cleaning wipes, which keep disappearing from her house after friends clean their glasses or phones. “It ends up slipping into their pockets,” Aniston said jokingly. “They’re really great, and they don’t scratch your glasses, and they’re great for your screens,” she added.
Barrier-repair complex for “skin turned to sandpaper”
In last week’s edition of The Strategist Beauty Brief, our senior editor Simone Kitchens went full barrier-repair mode and reviewed the Kristina Holey x Marie Veronique skin-care line. After a facialist told Kitchens that she had a “compromised barrier,” she spoke to Holey, an esthetician and scientist, and has been on a Marie Veronique regimen for most of the winter now. Kitchens says the Barrier Lipid Complex, an oily mix of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, is great for someone with postpartum-skin deficiencies like herself. “It’s hard to articulate, but it’s like the hydration is really getting into my skin at a deeper level,” she says of the skin-care products.
The suitcases Jordan Chiles gifted to all her friends
[Editor’s note: The Large Check-In Roller is currently sold out in this colorway, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the product page.]
“I never in a million years thought I would be in love with a suitcase, but here I am,” Jordan Chiles told us. The suitcase(s) in question: Béis’s large-, medium-, and carry-on size bags, which Chiles brought on tour and has even gifted to her friends. “When I did a girls’ trip recently to Cabo, I actually got each of my friends a Béis suitcase as their gifts,” she said. “They were all obsessed.”
The heavy-duty shelving rack our writer is using to maximize closet space
For our “Strategist Brain” series, we heard from our kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman, who bought this heavy-duty wire shelving rack (the kind usually relegated to kitchen or garage storage) to organize her closet. “I wanted to go through clothes, reorganize, and make room for some of my partner’s stuff (he has a separate closet in his office, but if I’m being honest, the overall spread wasn’t fair),” Wartzman wrote. She partially purchased this one because it had good reviews and came in the dimensions she needed to slip it against the back wall. Wartzman says it now holds sweaters, sweatshirts, and pants, with the bottom shelf full of shoe and purse storage.
An alternative to face taping (that actually works)
Face taping might seem like an appealing solution to wrinkles — but does it work? Our beauty writer Rachael Griffiths got to the bottom of things by speaking with experts (a dermatologist, a facial surgeon, and an otolaryngologist), who agreed that overnight face taping isn’t effective at all. Instead, when it comes to addressing fine lines, wrinkles, and collagen loss, Griffiths recommends all of the usual suspects: SPF, retinoids (like Medik8’s retinal with strengths you can gradually build), actives, and light therapy.
Appetizer plates from CB2’s new White Lotus collection
White Lotus enthusiasts will enjoy this week’s Don’t Dillydally, where our writer Ambar Pardilla featured CB2’s limited-edition collection with the show’s luxe hotel chain. Pardilla says the collab is seemingly inspired by the third season’s opening credits, and includes everything from brass-monkey sculptures and lotus-bloom candleholders to sham sets featuring elephants with entwined trunks.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
