Over the course of a year, the Strategist staff tests hundreds and hundreds of new products — and every so often, we deem one worthy of an ode. Enter “This Thing’s Incredible,” our series in which we write about gadgets, beauty breakthroughs, clothing staples, and generally life-changing items that are so good we could do an infomercial on them (but instead, we write a few hundred words). Every item we’ve featured is truly special, but there are a few odes that rose above the rest to become the most read in the series. Here, you’ll find all the things Strategist readers deemed super-incredible, from a foolproof fake tanner to orthopedic Italian flats.
When Strategist contributor Diksha Basu reunited with her former college roommates to celebrate their 40th birthdays, it was her skin that they all noticed. “I’m not wearing any makeup. Rub my face and see. Rub it,” she told them. They didn’t rub her skin, she says, but they did each buy a Solawave, the device to which she attributes her skin’s glowiness. “I swear my skin looks better now than it did in my 20s,” she says. “That may be partially because I now drink more than mere thimbles of water, but I’m still sleep deprived and not particularly good about the nutrition value of what I eat, so I am confident that it is mostly because of my beloved Solawave.”
As Strategist contributor Mya Gelber packed for a trip to Cartagena, she found that she had inadvertently sold off all her LBDs on Poshmark. After frantically placing online orders to fill this newfound hole in her closet ahead of her trip, Gelber returned all dresses but one: this unassuming Free People number. “It’s basically the chicer version of the black spandex bodycon dress we all had in high school. And I like how the scoop neck fits more on the high-neck side, which I think always gives a dress a more refined look,” she writes. “It ended up being all I wanted to wear on my vacation. It should also be noted that it didn’t wrinkle despite being packed into my stuffed-to-the-brim suitcase.”
[Editor’s note: Gelber’s dress is currently unavailable, but you can find all of her hunts here.]
“The color e-readers I’ve previously tried were usually washed-out-looking and never looked quite as sharp as black-and-white e-ink,” Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon says, adding that the devices were often prone to ghosting (showing artifacts from previous pages). Given these downsides, he never felt comfortable recommending a color e-reader — until he tried the Kobo Libra Color. The e-reader focuses on the reading experience rather than adding bells and whistles, and it passed even the most difficult test for color e-readers: displaying comic books. McMahon reports, “I read X-Men’s Operation: Zero Tolerance after watching X-Men ’97, and it had enough color to keep me from wanting to order a physical copy. I also read strips from The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book, and each panel looked just as it did in the Sunday paper.”
Stylist Sahra Brandt estimates she has recommended these jeans to more than 150 clients and says, “I would guess that 90 to 95 percent actually go for them. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t.” Part of their success rate comes from the jeans’ versatile fit: “Some of the more premium denim is made for a specific body type in mind,” she says. Instead, “these Madewell jeans are made to fit the body really well and so that all different bodies can wear them,” meaning she’s been able to successfully recommend them to clients ranging from sizes 24P to plus-size 18W. “I’ll do a check-in every once in a while and ask them, ‘What have you been wearing all the time?’ The answer is the jeans a lot of the time,” she says.
“Listen, when Target gets it right, it gets it right, what can you do? And it got this set right,” writes Basu. The set in question is a no-iron-needed, flattering, soft, and machine-washable linen button-down long-sleeved shirt and pair of pull-on shorts that Basu owns in multiple colors. “I took both sets on vacation recently and mixed and matched the tops and bottoms to have enough outfits for a few days,” she says. “I prefer not to think too much about what I’m wearing. And I tend to wear the same or similar clothes throughout an entire season, and these are serving me well for the summer.”
[Editor’s note: Basu’s linen set is currently unavailable, but you can read about another linen set we love here.]
“People in Ireland know some things better than others. A sharp wit. The best butter in the world,” writes Strategist contributor Fiona Byrne. “The freckled and fair-skinned types” — like herself — “also know fake tanner, and some of the best fake tanner brands come out of Ireland.” Her favorite is the Tan Organic tanning oil, which, she says, makes your “skin feels moisturized, but not tacky.” Within a couple of hours of application, “my legs already get a really realistic tan — in fact, it was the color that my skin actually goes when I have a real tan. I’d call the results a light-bronze shade. If you want to, you can attain a deeper color by adding a second layer,” she says.
When Strategist contributor Misty White Sidell missed her connecting flight and found herself with an afternoon in Milan, she saw it as an opportunity to take advantage of one of the city’s specialties: shoe shopping. The fruit of her layover was a pair of everyday flats from the brand Arcopedico whose “sleek knit top combined with bulbous soles made for an interesting and elegant combination that reminded me of shoes from luxury brands,” she writes. Upon her return to the States, Sidell wore her flats everywhere, from her birthday party to the farmers’ market to walks in the neighborhood. “All the while, the flats’ knit material didn’t stretch out, and their soles didn’t erode when faced with scorching-hot asphalt,” she says. “Plus they’re made with a material that prevents bacteria from stinking up the shoes and they can be machine washed.”
“I want people to notice me, not my outfit,” writes Strategist contributor Anne Kadet. It’s for this reason that she’s been creating a personal uniform for herself for the past decade. “Once I decide on a look for the season, I wear the exact same outfit every day, without exception, until the weather demands an update,” she says. This year, that outfit included a stretchy polyester button-down, a pull-on pencil skirt, and a sheer yet sturdy pair of tights — all in black. “I’ve worn this outfit — paired with black leather ankle boots — for grocery shopping, CEO interviews, first dates, a writers’ networking event,” and more, she reports. All the while, she says, “My outfit is so basic and so boring that people never comment on my attire.” Just how she likes it.
“As someone who spends 90 percent of my waking hours in workout gear, I’m constantly seeking affordable dupes for expensive athleticwear,” says Strategist contributor Maggie Slepian. In particular, she was looking for an affordable pair of “leggings that feels light and comfortable for all-day wear, but tough enough to hold up to dynamic yoga poses.” Enter the Baleaf Freeleaf Yoga Leggings. After wearing the pair during lifting sessions, indoor cardio, outdoor runs, and intense yoga classes, Slepian says that her dupe search is complete. Best of all, she adds, “The pants are smoothing and flattering and don’t lose their opacity even in the deepest squat.”
And finally, the ode that launched many shirtdress purchases. Along with her linen set, Basu’s summer wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without this Target shirtdress, which she describes as “easy, no fuss, soft, inexpensive, and possible to wear to both school pickup and out to dinner.” Though the Target pictures don’t show it, Basu adds, “The dresses can be quite sexy. They have slits up both sides so you can show a little leg when the breeze blows, and you can unbutton according to how sexy you’re feeling. And it has pockets.”
[Editor’s note: Basu’s dress is currently unavailable, but you can read about some of our other favorite shirtdresses here.]
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.
