We write about hundreds of products every 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 the vast online-shopping universe — including a colorful tablecloth that’s good for hiding stains, Joanna Goddard’s everyday underwear, and a good-looking sponge holder that won’t look out of place in a newly renovated kitchen.
A whimsical pair of toast tongs
When our writer Katherine Gillespie came across wooden toast tongs, tucked into the slots of a vintage toaster during her recent vacation in Paris, her breakfast routine changed forever. Her revelation? The French refused “to endure pain while extracting their pain,” and she would accept nothing less for herself. Among the tong options she found was this fun pair whose business-end beak is covered in silicone.
Our beauty writer’s $13 electric-blue mascara find …
Writer Rachael Griffiths has been obsessed with finding the best blue mascara since she spotted some on another beauty writer last summer. She searched for one that could give her lashes length and volume without any clumps or “a trail of Avatar-looking tears in its wake,” and after testing several, Maybelline’s Sky High mascara in blue mist emerged as the winner. Griffiths reports that it has never run, even when put to the test during nights out and tear-worthy TV shows.
… And a versatile lip liner to finish the look
In last week’s edition of our weekly newsletter The Strategist Beauty Brief, Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla described her own search for a “pigmented, long-lasting, and easy-to-use” multi-stick. Of the nine she tried, Tower28’s OneLiner Lip Liner was a favorite because of how easy it was to apply and how it didn’t budge through an entire day of interviews, meetings, and tears.
A toner that stops post-pop breakouts
The Strategist beauty team recently got together to discuss how they handle pimples. When it comes to popping them, Strategist writer Dominique Pariso says, “If you are going to do it, it’s about waiting for the right time and not picking preemptively.” And when Pariso pops a zit, she uses this toner to prevent the breakout from spreading across her face.
Designer Phillip Lim’s favorite gardening clogs
Phillip Lim’s royal blue clogs were so good we added them to our roundup of every clog we’ve ever written about. The designer has four pairs of these chic clogs, which he calls the $78 “Italian clog version” of chunky Bottega rubber mules. “What’s incredible about them is the way they’re built,” he says. “It’s a full rubber-injection construction, and then there’s a removable cork insole. So when it gets dirty, you remove the cork insole and rinse it down and it looks brand new.”
A maximalist tablecloth for maxing out on stains
Griffiths sat down with a slew of chefs, editors, and writers (who all have exceptional taste) to find out where they shop for tablecloths. Chef and writer Emily Schultz shared this colorful pick along with her reasoning: “I know my tablecloths are going to be stained, but that’s part of their story, right? So I tend to go for patterned tablecloths, ones that only improve with a wine stain here or a grease spot there.”
The go-to party dress for tweens
As a mom of two daughters in Brooklyn, Strategist contributor Liz Krieger noticed the pervasiveness of tiny, tight, tube-shaped dresses at bat mitzvahs, spring formals, and quinceañeras. Often paired with logo-emblazoned sneakers, the dresses are popular in part because they are “just really easy to dance in,” according to Amelia, a seventh-grader in Connecticut whom Krieger interviewed. Plus, she admits, “I can adjust the halter so it makes my push-up bra look good.”
Joanna Goddard’s everyday underwear
Joanna Goddard, founder of Cup of Jo and the newsletter Big Salad, got sick of scavenging every morning in her drawer of “ratty old underwear” of all different kinds, so once she found this Jockey underwear that she liked, she replaced all those pairs with these in all different colors. “They’re called string bikinis, but they’re like briefs,” she says. “Really good fit.”
A slick sponge holder worthy of newly renovated kitchens
In her roundup of kitchen items she uses in her work, Diane Lowy, a longtime professional home organizer, noted how “It seems wrong to put a plastic sponge holder in a newly renovated kitchen filled with beautiful details that people spend so much time selecting.” She found this much better-looking aluminum option and says, “I often use two of these for my clients; one each for gentle and abrasive sponges. This saves valuable counter space and keeps that area around the sink cleaner, too.”
Gold-standard sweats for exercising and lounging
Chris Black answered a reader’s query about which sweatpants are actually cool enough for her boyfriend to wear when working out and relaxing. He recommends classic Champion sweats: “Well priced, thick but not too thick, pockets, and the Champion logo, the rare logo that looks great.’
The hot-dog roller John Gourley takes on tour
John Gourley, front man of Portugal, the Man, feeds the crew on his band’s tour with this hot-dog roller. “I know it’s a ridiculous thing to travel with,” he says, “but it’s so fun watching local crews light up when you’re like, ‘They’re for everybody!’”
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.
