What Strategist Readers Are Buying: Hatchimals and Lip Masks

1. The 21 Holiday Toys to Buy Now Before They Sell Out, According to Trend Forecasters (Previous position on the list: N/A, new entry)

Hatchimals, the baby animal toys that reveal their gender when they “hatch,” have been selling out for three years in a row, and Adrienne Appell of the Toy Association doesn’t see Hatchi-mania stopping anytime soon. “The huge trend right now [is with] collectible toys and unboxing toys,” she says. “They’re doing extremely well […] and are definitely something kids are asking for.” This limited edition set is an Amazon exclusive. For more kids’ gift ideas, check out the other toys experts recommend in this story — almost all of them are selling very well.

2. The 21 Holiday Toys to Buy Now Before They Sell Out, According to Trend Forecasters (New entry)

Another toy with an endearing surprise, these Scruff-a-Luvs rescue pets come as matted fur balls. Only after kids wash, dry, and comb them will they discover if their new “pet” is a dog, a cat, or a bunny.

3. The 21 Holiday Toys to Buy Now Before They Sell Out, According to Trend Forecasters (New entry)

There are 36 varieties of these long-haired, wide-eyed dolls, but the “blind box” makes a mystery of which one you’ll get. Strategist writer and editor Liza Corsillo explains, “Their motto is ‘Big hair, don’t care,’ and they come with every shade of unicorn hair you can imagine. When you open each box you can pull, peel, and reveal 11 surprises.”

4. Nothing’s Ever Gotten My Bathroom As Clean As This Power Drill Brush Has (New entry)

You probably wouldn’t consider taking a power drill to your bathroom tiles or tub, but with this brush attachment, Strategist writer Maxine Builder argues that it’s actually the best way to get a deep clean. “The drill did all the hard work, scrubbing faster and harder than I ever could by hand, and the results were noticeable even after the first pass,” she says. “All the built-up grime had basically disappeared,”

6. The Best Lip Moisturizer I’ve Ever Tried Leaves the Nicest Tint (New entry)

Strategist beauty writer Rio Viera-Newton often suffers from dry skin and, especially at this time of year, dry and chapped lips. She’s tried other lip balms before, but this tinted lip moisturizer is her favorite by far. “This product has single-handedly changed the game,” she says. “On top of giving you the most nourishing boost of hydration to your lips, it also gives your lips the most beautiful, slightly bitten, flush.” It was temporarily out of stock at Sephora, but it’s available again now if you want to buy a few tubes for winter.

7. The Best CBD and Hemp Products for the Tasteful Non-Stoner (6)

These CBD-infused chill pills have been on the list for a few weeks now, and with some of the more stressful parts of the holiday season still ahead of us (jam-packed stores and Thanksgiving table politics, anyone?) we suspect they’ll have some staying power. According to writer Michelle Lhooq, these hemp oil capsules are “some of the strongest out there, and popping one is the simplest way to get your chill on.”

8. What’s the Best Bathrobe? (7)

Now that the weather’s getting colder — with lots of the country having seen snow last week — we’re all about cozying up in our warmest bathrobes. Since Parachute makes some of our favorite linen sheets, it’s not surprising that the start-up’s bathrobe is also a winner. Writer Amanda FitzSimons says “it’s been something of a viral hit: At its peak, Parachute’s waiting list for the bathrobe was 1,900 people long.” And for the next few weeks, you can check it out and buy in person at our Soho pop-up shop.

9. What’s the Best Pillow for Side Sleepers? (Off last list)

This pillow, designed for side-sleepers, has been a longtime Strategist favorite but it actually hasn’t hit the list since July. We first discovered it when our deputy editor Jason Chen tested out a wide selection of side-sleeper pillows and concluded that the Wamsutta Extra-Firm was the most comfortable and supportive of all: “Unlike other pillows that mistake plushness or fluffiness for support, the WEF didn’t sink as soon as I rested my head. Instead, it had a firm, satisfying spring — it’s a different sensation, but one I took to right away. And even though I didn’t do any measuring, my head felt more propped up from the mattress and sheets than any other pillow.”

10. The ‘Glass Skin’ Serum Hoarded by Editors and Redditors Is Back in Stock (8)

Our writer Lori Keong has great skin, and she attributes it to this holy-grail serum by Peach & Lily that she calls, without “hyperbole, the best hydrating serum I’ve ever tried.” Thanks to this glowing endorsement (and her glowing “glass skin,” which she explains is the result of the “Korean beauty technique of prepping your skin so it looks so healthy and hydrated that it looks practically translucent”), and perhaps thanks to your enthusiasm, the product sold out. We’re happy to report it’s back in stock.