We write about hundreds of products each 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 through the vast online-shopping universe — including a heavyweight tee for warm weather, a good-looking and practical cocktail shaker, and shimmery eye shadow worthy of one writer’s birthday look.
A practical peapod-shaped pill case
One of the newest additions to our Best-in-Class guide to pill cases is this peapod-shaped number that Strategist senior editor Kiki Aranita has been using for over a decade. We named it the best single-compartment pill case because of its durability and cheerfulness. “It has lived at the bottom of my purse for all that time and it has never spilled,” Aranita says, so it’s “perfect for purse Advil, weekend-trip vitamins, and a life of chaos.”
Chef Naj Austin’s secret to at-home coffee
“We’re asking loved ones and friends to go to another country to watch us get married, so we were very intentional with our registry,” says Naj Austin, owner of food studio Birdies, who shared some items on her registry ahead of her and screenwriter Van Newman’s wedding. The list includes this tiny saucepan. “We’ve been making a lot of coffee at home, so I found this pot that’s just for milk,” she says. “I need to warm up a small amount of milk for a single cup of coffee, so I need the smallest pot available.”
The cooling sleep gadget that actually impressed our sleep writer
After sweating through the recent heat wave, we’ve been thinking a lot about cooling sleep gear at the Strategist. Resident sleep writer Amelia Jerden tried out the Chilipad Dock Pro Bed Cooling System, which can cool your bed to as low as 55 degrees or as high as 116 degrees. While she came to it with low expectations, she was pleasantly surprised by how cool it kept her: “The mattress pad was quite chilly, and the sensation of laying on it was unique,” she says. “It felt like I was floating on top of a cold body of water but completely dry.”
Chris Black’s recommendation for an affordable heavyweight tee …
For anyone who prefers a heavyweight tee because it feels substantial and has more shape than your average T-shirt, finding one that’s comfortable to wear in warm weather can be a challenge. In his most recent column, Chris Black suggested a few options, including this one from Uniqlo that he sees “constantly on friends and enemies alike.” He adds, “The price is right, it comes in a wide array of good colors, and the neck will never go bacon mode.”
… And a sports coat to dress it up with
An unstructured blazer can help you look more put-together while not making you overheated when the temperature climbs. Because they’re “sometimes half-lined with canvas, sometimes completely unlined, with no shoulder pads or fusing, they’re airier and allow for greater freedom of movement and easier layering,” writes Strategist contributor Leon Hedgepeth. He talked to more than a dozen stylish men to find out what their favorite summer blazers are. This cotton option from Buck Mason is smooth, crisp, and breezy. It’s designer Colin Shields’s pick, and “as its name suggests, it’s a great jacket for throwing in a carry-on and putting on once you reach your destination,” he says.
An affordable utilitarian-looking cocktail jigger …
“One of the clearest demarcations I find between a fantastic drink and a merely mediocre drink is accurate measuring,” and a good jigger is the key, writes contributor John deBary in his new guide to the best cocktail jiggers. The most affordable option is this one that Ann Quinones, beverage consultant for the Coco Club and Layla, says is easy to use because you can very easily make out the measurement markings as you’re pouring.
… And a chic cocktail shaker to complete your bartending setup
If you’re serious about making cocktails, you’ll also want to grab yourself a cocktail shaker, which deBary says “mixes, chills, dilutes, and aerates the ingredients, rendering them stinging cold, properly balanced, and with a nice, frothy texture.” There are a number of good-looking options on his list, but this one’s pleasing matte finish is also practical, offering “a slightly better grip when wet and easier to keep fingerprint-free when stored on a bar cart,” he writes.
Stretchy shorts that’ll take you from sleeping to shopping
Our latest shopping guide details the ins and outs of shopping at Vuori, the retailer that specializes in built-to-move-in basics and casual clothing inspired by surf life. Strategist writer Arielle Avila says these shorts are ideal for sleeping, lounging, and running errands “without feeling frumpy,” and attributes their versatility to the cut. “I think it’s the high waist that helps. They’re super-flattering for sweatshorts.”
A pillow fit for fine-tuning
Even Jerden admits that finding the perfect pillow can be challenging, “especially if you are struggling to find the right mix of comfort and support for your usual sleep position.” If this describes your predicament, it might be time for an adjustable pillow like this one, which is our favorite. “When I tried the Coop, it arrived with too much filling for me, as a back and side sleeper who likes a softer, medium-loft pillow,” she writes. But she found it easy to adjust: “I unzipped the outer cover and inner lining to find chunks of foam mixed with tufts of microfiber,” and she took out enough of the filling to make the pillow just right.
Rio’s latest and greatest dupe
Strategist beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton recently found herself in a predicament: What shimmery eye shadow would be worthy of her 30th-birthday beauty look? She ultimately landed on Colourpop’s Supershock Shadow in the shade Ice Dream. “What sets these shadows apart is their unique, bouncy texture, which, when applied, transforms into a stardustlike powder that easily washes over the lids,” she writes. “The shadows are also really pigmented and shiny, so the payoff is good — a high-shimmer chrome.”
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.
