Every product that appears on the Strategist has been independently selected by our rather obsessive staff (and you can read more about our editorial guidelines here). That means our mighty team of journalists is constantly testing products, interviewing experts and people with good taste for recommendations, tracking trends and launches, and keeping one eye open for actually good deals. We’re constantly chatting among ourselves, sharing shopping tips and one-of-a-kind finds. We’ve even created a Slack channel, called #strat-chats, for the express purpose of talking about the things we’re most excited to buy.
Each of our writers has deep expertise and experience around their subject matter, and their knowledge often extends far beyond what they’re doing at work. (Take, for example, our fitness writer, who logged over 1,900 miles of running last year, or our travel writer, who dabbled in van life for eight months.) And though we always endeavor to show our work in our guides and reviews, here, we wanted to take a moment to show off the people behind the product recommendations.
Arielle is a writer covering wardrobe basics and personal care, and she regularly contributes to The Strategist Beauty Brief. Arielle joined the Strategist in 2020 and previously wrote about style at Texas Monthly. She’s tested showerhead water filters, electric toothbrushes, and water flossers (and thinks you don’t need to spend more than $100 — or even $50 — on a bidet to change your life).
Find all of Arielle’s work here.
Liza is a senior writer covering personal care and gear for kids and babies, especially toys. She joined the Strategist in 2019 and is a former writer for GQ and an accomplished illustrator. Liza used to be a French teacher at a Waldorf school, and she has a soft spot for wooden fake food and Sylvanian Families sets.
Find all of Liza’s work here.
Sam is the Strategist’s deals editor and combs the internet for great sales every day as well as on major shopping events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. She was formerly the shop editor for Dwell. According to Sam, if it’s less than 15 percent off, it’s not really on sale.
Find all of Sam’s work here.
Read how Sam picks her picks here.
Tembe has been a writer at the Strategist since 2020, covering beauty. She previously wrote about beauty and culture for Nylon and Elle, and she is the author of the novel Homebodies. Tembe regularly contributes to The Strategist Beauty Brief and has amassed so many beauty products over the years, she built an Ikea Pax system to store them all.
Find all of Tembe’s work here.
Read how Tembe picks her picks here.
Bella is a junior writer, writing about sales, fashion, and home goods. She previously wrote about gifts at Shop Today. Bella has gone deep into the Strategist’s archives to research the underwear, fragrances, and comfortable shoes that famous people actually use.
Find all of Bella’s work here.
Katherine is a writer who covers travel and outdoor essentials, including gear for cycling, hiking, and enjoying time outside. She has been an expat in the United States for six years, including eight months living in a van around California and the Southwest, and she flies a lot (usually wearing her Manta sleep mask). She was previously an editor at Paper.
Find all of Katherine’s work here.
Read how Katherine picks her picks here.
Brenley joined the Strategist as a junior writer in 2022, after interning at the site. She writes about beauty, especially bath and body products, and men’s and women’s fashion. Brenley has a knack for discovering surprisingly useful devices, like a headlamp beanie for late-night runs, an easy-to-clean makeup case, and a gadget that takes the tops off aluminum cans.
Find all of Brenley’s work here.
Rachael is a writer based in the United Kingdom. She joined the Strategist in 2021 after interning for the site, and she writes about beauty, especially hair care and grooming. Her go-to beauty secrets are (still) these blood-red drops, which keep her hair fire-engine red, and a good self-tanner. Rachael also regularly contributes to The Strategist Beauty Brief.
Find all of Rachael’s work here.
Kitty is a writer covering beauty, especially makeup, fashion, and gifts. She estimates she has tried over 50 mascaras in her lifetime and believes a good hair dryer can change your life. Kitty also regularly contributes to The Strategist Beauty Brief and runs a personal-shopping newsletter, Worn In, Worn Out.
Find all of Kitty’s work here.
Amelia is the Strategist’s sleep writer, covering mattresses, pillows, and other stuff you need to sleep better. She has been writing about sleep products since 2021, previously as a senior staff writer for Sleepopolis. Amelia estimates she’s laid on over 50 mattresses over the past three years, including her own (a Serta Arctic, ideal for back- and side-sleepers).
Find all of Amelia’s work here.
Read how Amelia picks her picks here.
Jordan is the Strategist’s tech writer, and he covers a wide array of gadgets and how software can help build better relationships with technology in our lives. He’s been covering technology since 2017 and has also written for Wired, Wirecutter, and Reviewed.com. Jordan thinks more people would be into e-readers if they gave them a chance. (He’s personally tested ten.)
Find all of Jordan’s work here.
Read how Jordan picks his picks here.
Jenna is an associate editor at the Strategist, as well as an ASME Next board member and an adjunct professor at New York University. She edits the Strategist print section, including “The Look Book.”
Find all of Jenna’s work here.
Ambar covers women’s fashion, including apparel, sleepwear, shoes, and jewelry. She joined the Strategist as a writer in 2021, and before that worked at NBC and HuffPost. Ambar has a row of Commando bikinis at the very top of her underwear drawer and maintains a vendetta against vermeil. (Just buy the solid gold.)
Find all of Ambar’s work here.
Read how Ambar picks her picks here.
Dominique has been a writer at the Strategist since 2018. She covers wellness, including sex toys and home-office goods; beauty, especially hair tools; and home-bar essentials. She has tested over 20 curling irons, blow-dryers, and straighteners, and contributes to The Strategist Beauty Brief. Dominique is also a writer for “The Approval Matrix.”
Find all of Dominique’s work here.
Lauren joined the Strategist as a writer in 2018. She covers almost everything related to the home, including design moments, baby gear, and all the best bedding. She’s tested 12 towels and 22 sets of bedding, and she thinks linen is best for duvet covers. Lauren was previously an associate editor at Curbed.
Find all of Lauren’s work here.
Read how Lauren picks her picks here.
Jeremy is a writer who covers wellness, including fitness and the gear people use to play outdoors. He’s been writing about the outdoors since 2018 and was previously an editor at Outside. He’s tested over two dozen pairs of running shoes in the last two years and has run over 1,900 miles in those shoes, including 13 races in 2023 (from 5Ks to half-marathons).
Find all of Jeremy’s work here.
Read how Jeremy picks his picks here.
Erin is a writer who covers home décor and furniture. They previously worked as an editor at Garage magazine and reviewed TV, movies, and books for The Nation. They’ve installed 58 square feet of pegboards in their home and use project-management software for home-DIY projects.
Find all of Erin’s work here.
Read how Erin picks their picks here.
Emma is the Strategist’s kitchen and dining writer. She has worked in food media for over nine years, including as an editor at Bon Appétit. She writes a column for Eater on easy weeknight meals for one called “Single Serving” — and she has sliced, diced, chopped, and carved with probably close to 50 different knives.
Find all of Emma’s work here.
Read how Emma picks her picks here.
Ashley is the Strategist’s newsletter editor. She has ten years of experience overseeing newsletter strategy for publications including Vanity Fair, Wired, Teen Vogue, Them, Atlas Obscura, and The Spruce. She has written about running gear, TV, music, and travel for publications including Vulture, Teen Vogue, Self, Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, and TripSavvy.
To read more of Ashley’s work, sign up for the Strategist’s email newsletter here. You can also find some of Ashley’s work here.
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.
