Welcome back to Your Shopping Cart, wherein we break out the top ten products that you, devoted Strategist readers, all 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, too.
Warm-weather picks dominated the list this week as insect-shielding socks, a newcomer, took the top spot and a dermatologist-approved sunscreen made its first appearance in ninth. Last week’s top two products — the tick-repellent clothing spray that dropped to third place and the $38 summer dress now in sixth — were also among your summer buys. We imagine some best sellers were last-minute Father’s Day gifts, like our favorite beard trimmer, which jumped from fourth to second place, and a wireless phone charger rounding out the list at number ten. A pair of pillows also hit the list — perhaps for sleep-deprived new dads — a heated Shiatsu-massage pillow in fifth and one designed just for side sleepers in eighth. Finally, two old favorites hung on for yet another week — beauty editor Rio Viera-Newton’s pimple-shrinking patches slipped from third to fourth, and Everlane’s white T-shirt inched up from ninth to seventh.
1. The Most Effective Tick Repellents for Humans (and Dogs), According to Science (Last installment: New Entry)
In light of expert predictions of an especially buggy summer this year, Strat writer Maxine Builder went in search of the best products for avoiding ticks. She learned that the chemical permethrin is the most effective repellent and that protecting your feet and ankles is especially important: “Since ticks start low and crawl high, permethrin-treated socks are a good first line of defense, since the chemical can stop, and kill, ticks in their tracks.”
2. What’s the Best Beard Trimmer? (4)
This beard trimmer with a radial dial that lets you choose lengths down to the half-millimeter for guys who don’t want to go totally clean-shaven, rose from fourth to second place. Writer Kurt Soller loves how it keeps stray hairs out of the sink: “A vacuum-suction feature that collects the majority of your shaven hairs — up to 90 percent of them, according to the company, but who really knows? All I can say is that this is a godsend.”
3. The Most Effective Tick Repellents for Humans (and Dogs), According to Science (1)
Along with the tick-repellent socks, Maxine Builder discovered this powerful permethrin spray for protecting the rest of your outdoor attire: “Spraying your sneakers or hiking boots before going out into the woods is another solid tick-prevention technique. You could also spray gardening gloves, pants, shorts, or T-shirts with permethrin.” Lots of you also picked up the 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion favored by writer and frequent mosquito-bite sufferer Maureen O’Connor.
4. The Google Doc I Send to People Who Ask About My Skin (3)
Dropping to fourth place, Strat beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton’s favorite pimple patches appeared below the top three for the first time in a long time. Rio introduced us to the now-famous Cosrx patches last year in her epic skin-care Google doc post: “[T]he Holy Grail. Drop everything and buy them. Not even going to explain, will just say if you pop or pick a zit, put this on immediately afterward, go to bed, and in the morning you’ll see what I’m talking about and thank me.”
5. 43 Last-minute Gifts That Will Arrive by Father’s Day (New Entry)
Available with free one-day shipping with Amazon Prime, we included this “heated pillow that kneads [dad’s] neck and head with circular motions” in our roundup of last-minute Father’s Day gifts, and it looks like many of you took advantage of the opportunity. No shame if you snatched one up for yourself, too.
Venidress Striped Single-Breasted Mid Calf Dress
6. Behold: A $38 Dress You Can Wear All Summer (2)
We’ve recently heard multiple complaints about misplaced products and unanswered emails from the company. We’re currently attempting to contact the company, but in the meantime would not recommend purchasing the Venidress until everything is sorted out!
Last week’s second-place pick was this very affordable thin-strapped, button-down dress, which caught our attention when it started popping up on the Instagram feed of stylish Brooklyn moms. Strat associate editor Katy Schneider wrote, “The dress looks a bit like something you’d find at the Reformation,” but at a much cheaper price point, “and while the material certainly isn’t cotton, it isn’t terribly cheap-looking either; though the texture feels a bit like khaki, or hiking pants, there’s no strange plasticky sheen.”
7. What’s the Best White T-shirt for Women? (9)
This summer basic crept up from ninth place as temperatures rise. Elizabeth Rose, a server at Cafe Gitane, tipped us off to this top when we went on the hunt for the best white T-shirt for women: “I like the Everlane V-neck because of the company’s transparency. It’s an ethical issue — I like to know where the clothing is made. And I like this specific shirt because I wear a lot of necklaces, so the depth of this V shows them.”
8. What’s the Best Pillow for Side Sleepers? (10)
Our deputy editor Jason Chen tested out a wide selection of side-sleeper pillows and concluded that the Wamsutta Extra-Firm was the most comfortable and supportive of all, writing: “Unlike other pillows that mistake plushness or fluffiness for support, the WEF didn’t sink as soon as I rested my head. Instead, it had a firm, satisfying spring — it’s a different sensation, but one I took to right away. And even though I didn’t do any measuring, my head felt more propped up from the mattress and sheets than any other pillow.”
9. The Best Sunscreens for Your Face, According to Dermatologists (New Entry)
Dermatologists recommend this light, nongreasy sunscreen for those with acne-prone skin because “it includes niacinamide, a vitamin B3 derivative with anti-inflammatory properties that can fight breakouts.” In our inaugural Stuff We Buy Ourselves column featuring Strat staffers’ favorite SPF moisturizers, we learned that EltaMD was also part of senior writer Lauren Levy’s and staff writer Karen Iorio Adelson’s daily routines.
10. The 50 Best Gifts for Every Type of Dad (That You Can Buy on Amazon) (New Entry)
We recommended this handy wireless iPhone charger in our Father’s Day gift guide because of its “4,000-plus glowing reviews.” Enough of you thought that it was time to introduce dad to wireless charging to launch this $20 pick onto the list.
Bonus: 11. What Does an Acupressure Mat Really Do? (New Entry)
Given the drama with Venidress, we thought we’d bump up our 11th-placing best seller this week (consider it the first alternate). We first wrote about the ProSource acupressure mat when writer Lori Keong bought one that magically relieved her muscle tension, and it recently got a boost after being included in a Father’s Day gift guide. Says Keong: “After only five or six minutes on the first go around, I found that the soreness had mysteriously melted away and didn’t return. I could roll my arms back and forth without any lingering tension — something I hadn’t been able to do for days. I was astonished. I had to know, How does this stuff work?”
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 women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
