The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in December

My boyfriend wanted black mini-Uggs for Christmas, so I got him a pair of black mini-Uggs (and now I think I also want a pair of Uggs, but in chestnut, not black).

I know New Balance has had a slightly problematic last couple years, but I’m still into the way they look. I had the gray Steve Jobs-preferred 991s in college like everyone else, and now I’m returning to them with this slightly bouncier 998 version. They’re still sort of a nothing sneaker, in a good way. To me, New Balance has transcended dad-sneaker-ness; they’re just full-on grandpa.

I like a lot of things about this conditioner: how it instantly detangles my very knot-prone hair, the way it makes my curly hair air-dry in this evenly hydrated, non-crunchy way. But mostly, I really like they way it smells, like a freshly lit stick of palo santo. Most hair stuff tends to have this perfumy artificial scent that I find to be overpowering. This stuff, with its sandalwood-lavender-jojoba formula, is more subtle, but at the same time, it’s exactly what I want to smell like.

I haven’t been feeling so hot this week; am teetering on the verge of coming down with something. And I look like it, Katy recently told me. This, coupled with my olive-ish undertones, means my skin can look sort of green. I really like the left side of this palette, it’s a bricky-peachy red with absolutely no shimmer whatsoever. I dab it on the tops of my cheek, then I’ll go in with a drop of face oil and just buff it out. Helps me look a little more alive.

I edited a big story on knives this year, in which the Global G-2 came out on top as the best chef’s knife. For Christmas I gave one to my dad, who taught me much of what I know about cooking.

I had to test out a bunch of stylish space heaters for a recent issue of the magazine, and walked away with several new ones. My hands-down favorite was this modish guy by Plus Minus Zero, a Japanese company headed by famous industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. It’s warming and portable and turns off when it tips over, but most importantly I find it totally strange-looking and adorable, like a tiny, modish hearth.

This eye shadow instantly turns your eyelids into disco balls with super-pigmented glitter that does not budge. Plus, the formula dries down like a dream, with no flaking or creasing. I plan on wearing it everyday from now until New Year’s.

I ran my old pair of beloved black Vagabond boots into the ground and the white feels like a sleek upgrade. Truth be told, I snapped these up during the Urban Outfitters sale. The boots are sold out there now but, luckily, still available at Asos.

Seeing Nessie bobbing around makes every pot of sad, cold-weather, lentil gruel that much sweeter.

When I was a kid, my mom would routinely eat all of the marshmallows from the Lucky Charms box and leave the oat cereal for me and my brother to eat for breakfast. Last year, I bought this one-pound bag of cereal marshmallow for Christmas to remind her of our tragic childhood. She loved them so much, I decided to repurchase them to put in her stocking for the second year in a row.

Katie Kimmel is a foodie fan-favorite. I already own one of her T-shirts that says “Linguini and Clams” on it, so I decided to expand my pasta-based apparel with this tote bag as a little holiday gift to myself.

Almost everything I bought in December was a gift for someone else. But I did splurge on one new thing for myself. The Penfield Kirby jacket is something that I recommended as a girlfriend gift as well as something I added to my Strategist editor wish list, so I really hope nobody decided to buy one for me. Today is my first day wearing it out and I couldn’t be happier. It’s warm and cozy with the perfect amount of pockets — six different places to put my hands while walking! And it makes jeans and a pair of Blundstones look like a fashion choice rather than something I would happily wear seven days a week.

Besides all the Christmas gifts I bought for friends and family this month, I ordered this 2019 daily diary from Milligram, an Australian stationery store, after much deliberation. With a baby on the way in the spring, I wanted a notebook that had enough room and flexibility to serve as a repository for all kinds of notes on feedings, naps, and whatever stats new parents need to record (as well as my own harried thoughts). I briefly considered getting a planner that encompassed monthly, weekly, and daily views, but I thought that would be a bit too unwieldy. I stuck with my tried-and-true Muji planner for calendaring purposes, but still wanted a separate notebook for everything else. All the baby-specific one were just plain ugly, so I was delighted when I landed on Milligram’s in-house-designed planners. With a variety of abstract covers, colorways, and programs, they were the planners of my dreams. I chose the daily “non-diary” with dot-grid pages for each day of the year. The only issue is that I have to go in and cross out all the Australian holidays, but that’s a minor nuisance.

I vowed I wouldn’t buy any more maternity clothes unless I absolutely had to, attempting to survive on my one pair of maternity jeans, a few tops, and some hand-me-downs, but when I saw that this billowy corduroy dress was part of Rachel Comey’s 50-percent-off sale, I had to have it. Not only is it part of my non-maternity-clothes-that-work-as-maternity-clothes aesthetic, it works as a winter dress with its wide-wale corduroy fabric and could ostensibly transition to warm-weather, non-pregnant wear. It was expensive, but I know that I’ll be wearing this dress forever, whatever the shape of my body.

I am FEELING a bathrobe-y coat right now, and really wanted this Lemaire, but I’m not so insane as to spend $3,000 on a coat (my size is sold out, too). The computer’s algorithm is smart enough to know what I was looking at, though, and I got a Need Supply banner ad shortly thereafter showing me this Éditions M.R. coat — I got it on sale, and I’m perfectly happy with it.

One of my favorite things to wear when I’m feeling lazy is a white T-shirt, jeans, and an “inside jacket” like a lightweight Harrington or baseball jacket. My inside jacket collection has been feeling pretty anemic lately, so I snapped up one of these APC bombers on sale.

Beyond shopping for others, Christmas is also the best season for checking off your own personal wish-list items. I’ve been routinely checking in on Corey Moranis things (I covered her in a story about lucite jewelry), but she’s based in Canada, and I always balk at the import fee. Her wrap rings have been on my wish list forever and now that they’ve landed at Need Supply, I finally pulled the trigger.

It’s always sad when you scrape the bottom of whatever precious beauty product you’re using. The latest item on my empties list is this magical, heavenly-smelling Japanese finishing cream (which I still use regularly because my blonde tips refuse to grow out completely). I’m pleasantly surprised that this thing has lasted me for a full year, and now it’s time to re-up.

All about Earl Grey tea lately. I like it in the afternoon or early evening since it’s not super-caffeinated. It took me a while to warm up to Earl Grey; I used to find it kind of cloyingly floral, but I think I just hadn’t met the right Earl. The Harney & Sons one is the best I’ve had so far — the bergamot flavor is subtle and natural. Also, the packaging is great. It’s loose tea packaged in “sachets” as opposed to ground up tea in bags. I actually do think it makes a difference; more flavor comes out and it’s less bitter. Also, it just makes a regular cup of tea feel more luxe — live that sachet life.

I feel I write about this beard brush way too much, but I can’t help it. It’s great. Made in Germany. Pear wood handle. Soft boar’s hair. What more could you want? I used one during my two months with a beard when I bought a year’s worth of beard grooming products for myself, and now I get my fix through buying them as gifts for other bearded people. It’s just such a slam dunk of a gift. I bought one as a “Secret Santa” gift for a bearded friend and he loved it.