Welcome back to Your Shopping Cart, wherein we break out the top-five products that you, devoted Strategist readers, all bought in droves. Think of this as the tl;dr of the Strategist: If your like-minded brethren are buying these items, maybe you’d like to, too.
We have a new champion (barely)! Taking the top spot this week: The dandruff-destroying rubber brush that feels like a scalp massage right in the comfort of your own shower. Writer Alison Freer sold many of you on the brush that clears dermatitis and feels like a pampering sesh. In very close second place, the pimple patches from Rio Viera-Newton’s skin-care story — the $5 acne-destroying guys are still going strong after months in the top five. Our third-place winner is the olive oil–derived face oil that beauty writer and editor Allison Schmidt hailed for giving her the best-textured skin of her life. Fourth place is the Gold & Snail eye patch that Rio Viera-Newton extolled in her piece on the best treatments for under-eye bags and circles, and rounding out the top five is the ever-popular On Gossamer mesh bikini underwear recommended by Kim France for being incredibly VPL-resistant.
1. The Dandruff-Destroying Rubber Brush That’s Like Getting a Scalp Massage
It doesn’t look like much, but this little vinyl brush does wonders for your scalp. Writer Alison Freer was suffering from dandrufflike seborrheic dermatitis, and after trying several brushes to remedy the problem, finally found the perfect solution to her itchy-hair issues: “I don’t think I can properly explain via the written word how blissful the experience is. The effect is much like getting a scalp massage at the hair salon (with extremely firm fingers). I even use it while rinsing my hair, to ensure I’ve gotten all the shampoo and conditioner off my scalp. As a result, my dry, patchy flakes are now totally gone — and my scalp, a notorious grease pit, feels cleaner and squeakier than it has in years.”
2. The Google Doc I Send to People Who Ask About My Skin
Though the pimple patches are no longer the very top seller, cumulatively, the 16 products listed in Rio Viera-Newton’s story about her ultimate skin-care products (the ones that lived in a mythic Google doc that traveled around to friends of friends) far outsell anything else on this list (most people are buying pimple patches, plus collagen cream, plus snail sheet masks, etc.). Click through to read about everything (including the Cosrx Bha Blackhead Power Liquid and Neogen Green Tea Cleanser) that caused Viera-Newton’s friends to comment on the change in her skin: “People started to notice how different I looked and asked what I was using. Tired of responding to texts about moisturizers and serums, I outlined my skin-care favorites in a Google doc and shared it with a few curious friends.”
3. This $11, Olive-Derived Oil Gave Me the Best Skin of My Life
Beauty writer Allison Schmidt was skeptical of using oil as a moisturizer (a trend that seemed counterintuitive for her oily skin), but when trusted skin-care guru Paula Begoun recommended squalane, she sat up and took notice. After ordering an affordable bottle of Timeless, Schmidt became a convert: “Unlike other oils that just sat on top of my skin, the clear and odorless Timeless Skin Care Squalane sinks in quickly (it’s like my skin is lapping it up) without that gross, slimy feel. It’s been a revelation of a moisturizer. I now have much less irritation — the dry patches are gone, and the pigment and hydration of my skin are more even throughout.”
4. The 14 Products I Use for My Chronic Raccoon Eyes
A self-professed psychotic beauty junkie, Rio Viera-Newton was on a mission months ago to find products to soothe and de-puff her under-eyes (which seems to be a shared experience among her family members). Of the 14 products she now uses to get the job done, these snail-slime-infused eye patches struck a nerve (with readers, too): “This is my favorite under-eye product, and don’t make me tell you again why I love snail so much! Its regenerative properties not only work wonders on blemish scars, but also help with any kind of hyperpigmentation, including dark under-eye circles. It’s also super beneficial for helping with wrinkles and dryness. I keep these in the fridge, so they’re nice and cold when I use them — adding another level of luxury to the experience.”
5. What Is the Best Women’s Underwear?
If you’ve read past iterations of this feature, you’ll know that this pair of underwear recommended by Lucky founding editor Kim France has been a longtime favorite. France first recommended these bikini briefs when we interviewed her about her favorite things, but they became especially popular once we resurfaced them in our selection of best women’s underwear recommendations: “My underwear drawer is the most boring place in the world, because all I have are dozens of pairs of the same thing: On Gossamer’s Mesh Bikinis. It is so far and away the perfect underwear that I have a hard time understanding why anybody wears anything else: It’s superlight, highly breathable, and — most importantly — hugely VPL-resistant. Seriously, it’s as VPL-resistant as a thong, but without the annoyingness of a thong.”
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 women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
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