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 the merino-blend tank that saved one writer’s outdoors-focused trip, a tried and true wearable duvet for infants, and the cutting board our kitchen writer uses every day.
The sleep mask Hannah Brown used to survive The Bachelor’s bunk rooms
If you’re not familiar with The Bachelor, you might be surprised to hear that the show’s solution to providing sleeping accommodations for up to 30 contestants is extensive bunk rooms. When Hannah Brown was on the show, “people were getting up and doing things all at different times,” so she invested in a sleep mask and hasn’t looked back since. Her favorite at the moment is this pillowy option that is “silky and has an indentation that allows your eyelashes to have a little bit more room.”
The tank top one writer wore for 13 days straight
When Strategist contributor Maggie Slepian misread the forecast for her three-week-long, outdoorsy trip to Europe, she mistakenly “packed for the Bering Strait, not the Mediterranean.” Luckily, the Smartwool merino-blend tank top she packed for the warmest temperatures came through for the many warm-weather days of hiking she did. Though Slepian admits she has a high tolerance for rewearing clothes, she maintains “that this shirt is so stinkproof, comfortable, and durable that anyone could wear it for a week straight and not want to crawl out of their skin.”
The baby sleep aid Ruby Redstone stands by
With an unwavering conviction that “baby items must look good and have a life span far beyond a few weeks,” fashion historian Ruby Redstone, a mother of two under 2, loves this Baby Merlin sleepsuit for its efficacy and for “making your baby look like a puffy little stuffed animal,” she says. “This suit is essentially a wearable duvet that muffles the baby’s startle reflex, allowing them to learn to sleep unswaddled while still preventing them from waking themselves up constantly.”
A simple cooperative strategy game for preschoolers
Among our favorite board games for toddlers and preschoolers is this fun and well-made cooperative game that involves beating a pesky ogre to the treasure. Strategist writer Lauren Ro and senior editor Winnie Yang play this game with their children, and Yang has found that “because there’s a little randomization to it, it doesn’t get overly repetitive or boring to play.” Plus, she reports that the rules are “simple enough that you don’t have to relearn them every time you pull out the game (or stop mid-game to figure out what happens next).”
The cutting board our kitchen writer uses every day …
This week marks the beginning of Strategist readers’ exclusive early access to Material Kitchen’s Birthday Sale. Among our favorite on-sale items is this dishwasher-safe cutting board that Emma Wartzman, our kitchen-and-dining writer, named the best cutting board overall. This would make a great Mother’s Day gift too — just sayin’.
… and a bright citrusy candle that would be right at home in a kitchen
With a burn time of up to 100 hours, this lychee-scented candle is our favorite budget bright-smelling candle, with its fresh, fruity scent. And right now, it’s on sale in Anthropologie’s home section, making our pick even more affordable (why not get two?).
An affordable compression boot to help relax your legs
After testing a variety of compression boots, our writer Jeremy Rellosa found that even the least expensive model he tried was a great option for making your legs feel good after a workout. While the Renpho leg massager doesn’t compare in intensity with the pricier options Rellosa tested, he says, unlike the other models in this list, “they also heat up, which I found relaxing (this could be a helpful feature if you have poor circulation and frequently feel cold).”
Relief for wedgie sufferers
Just like us, celebrities are picky about their underwear. And some celebrities want their underwear to help them be less literally picky: Actress Amanda Seales has been wearing Aerie boybriefs since high school and says, “I’m not having to figure out how to pick a wedgie without being seen when I wear these. They give me comfort without feeling like a big ol’ granny panty.”
Comfortable shorts for knee-surgery recovery, postpartum, and any time
In a roundup of items to help make a reader more comfortable after ACL surgery, we included these knit cotton shorts, a favorite of Yang and Ro’s. Yang, who had ACL surgery six months ago, says, “loose shorts and pants were really good because they didn’t interfere with the brace and didn’t require much effort to pull on or take off.” She lived (and still lives) in these shorts, which we found on sale this week.
The color-blocked belt bag Sam Sanders can’t live without
It’s always a delight when we find some of our favorite Patagonia items on sale. This week, our deals editor Sam Daly spotted a discount on the retailer’s Black Hole hip pack, which podcaster Sam Sanders told us he can’t live without. “This is just big enough for me to have my wallet, my phone charger, some gum, my chapstick, my matte, some sunglasses — all of that fits in there.”
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.
