What Strategist Readers are Buying: Fitbits and Leather Sandals

These cooling eye gels were the most popular buy among our readers on the first day of Prime Day, so we’re not totally surprised to see them at the top of this list, too. We included them in our roundup of the best beauty products to buy during the sale since Rio has long been a fan. She especially loves to use them while flying because, as she explains, “they help hydrate and bring circulation to my under-eye bags, which are always worsened on long-haul flights.”

Strategist senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson picked this streamlined Fitbit as the best thing to buy on Prime Day. She likes that it’s not as bulky as other activity trackers but still offers all the same functionality. “It’s all of the tracking you need, with a device you won’t be embarrassed to wear,” she says. While it’s not as cheap as it was during the sale, you can still snag one (in certain sizes and colors) for under $100.

It was more than a year ago that Strategist associate editor Katy Schneider first wrote about the expensive-looking but actually very affordable Orolay coat spotted on fashionable women all over the Upper East Side. And since then, the coat has exploded in popularity, become the subject of its own Instagram account — and gone up price as a result. But thanks to a Prime Day discount, lots of you were able to pick one up for even cheaper than the original price. Sure it’s July, but winter will be here before we know it, and you’ll be happy to have this cozy coat when temperatures start to drop.

Even though it wasn’t a Prime Day deal, this sunscreen — which Rio discovered a few months back — continues to be a hit. This week marks its fifth consecutive appearance on our list, and its sixth overall. Rio loves that it’s packed with all-star ingredients like soothing centella asiatica, brightening niacinamide, and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. “The Purito,” writes Rio, “almost immediately improved the texture, radiance, and moisture levels of my skin for the better.” She even raves, “it’s one of the best products I’ve ever tried in general, not just in the sunscreen category.”

Returning to Prime Day picks, writer Liza Corsillo named these natural mosquito-repellent bracelets as the best thing to buy during the sale. She wore one while doing yard work at her parents’ house in Connecticut and was amazed by the results. “Hours passed without a single bite,” she writes. “I was able to work diligently without needing to flail my arms around. My father, normally the most bothered by mosquitoes, didn’t complain once. I know there were bugs around us the whole time, I saw them, but they steered clear.” Plus, she says the bracelet “smells like a picnic in the park.”

A throwback to last month’s Teeth Week — where we investigated everything from natural toothpastes to teething toys for puppies — this electric toothbrush is a top pick among dentists. They like that it both rotates and oscillates (the later at a rate of 44,000 times per minute) to clean teeth and remove plaque, and that its round brush head can make contact with all sides of the teeth. Getting a boost from a Prime Day deal, it hits the list for the third time in a row.

Prime Day wasn’t the only big sale going on this month. We also spotted great deals at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and Macy’s Black Friday in July. From the latter, we recommended these “very soft and fancy-seeming bath towels available in an array of calming grays and pastels.” At under $10 each, it makes sense that lots of our readers chose to give them a try.

These leather sandals were last seen on the best-seller list two years ago, shortly after Katy raved: “There are really only two things that need to be said about these St. Louis–manufactured sandals that were originally made for children: (1) They’re $40 [now $45], and (2) I don’t think they’ll ever go out of style. I really believe that!” A big sale at Zappos earlier this month launched them back into the top ten, affirming her belief that these sandals are truly timeless.

This extra-large bottle of Kiehl’s ultra-moisturizing Creme de Corps (a longtime favorite of beauty editors) was nearly half-off as part of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and, perhaps not surprisingly, has sold out. But you can still pick one up at the full price (which isn’t unreasonable when you consider it’ll probably last you over a year), or try a smaller size.