Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
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 Kacey Musgraves’s “golden-hour” perfume, Rob Lowe’s sleep aid (that’s better than melatonin), and a blackhead-busting toner.
For two decades, Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon has played on portable consoles, which eventually led him to this modern take on retro gaming known as the Analogue Pocket. Released at the end of 2021, this device features a 3.5-inch LCD, which packs a resolution of 1600×1440, so it’s “even higher pixels per inch than any iPhone,” he says.
A self-confessed “fragrance freak,” Strategist writer Dominique Pariso spotted Kacey Musgraves’s perfume collection in an Instagram Story and identified the five bottles. One of these is the Sun Card by Marissa Zappas, who happens to be one of Pariso’s all-time favorite perfumers. Zappas describes the scent as “ceremonial, regal, fresh,” while Pariso adds that “it feels like golden hour.”
While this hand sanitizer isn’t a decadent perfume, it could pass for one with its sleek packaging. As seen in our guide to the best hand sanitizers, Touchland is the top-rated mist option for its formula, which contains 70 percent ethyl alcohol, plus aloe and glycerin for moisture and hydration. Addy, the registered nurse and content creator behind @skincareinscrubs, says that unlike gel sanitizers, the mist doesn’t leave behind any tacky film or dry out her cuticles.
Strategist contributor Chris Black is back with a new installment of his column containing advice for all your personal-style predicaments, like how to wear blazers without feeling too formal and practical ways to carry your phone while running. To address the latter, he points to this Nike waist pack because it’s “deceptively small, it stretches,” and, yes, it can easily fit your mobile device, he says.
Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla says she always turns to toners for their oil-taming potential, but none has worked better for her than Farmacy’s Deep Sweep. After daily use for over a month, she says the formula has helped reduce greasiness without being too harsh, visibly shrink the size of her pores, and clear stubborn blackheads. “It’s almost as though the toner is blotting my skin for me,” she says.
When we spoke to Rob Lowe about the things he can’t live without, he mentioned these “snoozeberry”-flavored sleep shots, which he brings with him when traveling and takes about 20 minutes before going to bed. “I feel like I get better results than just taking a melatonin pill,” he says. “There’s no hangover, there’s no weirdness.”
Strategist contributor Leah Finnegan has been on a “longtime mission” to find the best root beer, and she’s recently discovered a new favorite: Sprecher’s Low-Cal Root Beer, which she says tastes “decidedly less artificial than other diet root beer” and “goes down like velvet but has the gentlest sparkle on the tongue.” The catch is that this beverage is only available in 32-ounce cans, which Finnegan says is “more bang for my buck, and Sprecher is worth it.”
February is Black History Month, and we’ve rounded up 21 Black-owned pet brands you can shop online, whether you’re looking to score a new harness or a dog bowl to curb picky eating. As a “streetwear brand for dogs,” Fresh Pawz offers a range of accessories for your furry friend, like this hooded raincoat for transitional springtime weather.
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.