An all-over-the-place assortment of stood-behind products culled from this very website that appears in the most recent July issue of New York Magazine.
Best in Class
It’s almost unheard of fora moisturizer to be just as good for oily skin as it is for dry skin as it is for acne as it is for wrinkles, but Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel ($25) has been recommended to us by dermatologists for a number of concerns. That’s because all skin types need hydration and this gel-cream formula is known for its intensely quenching abilities, which are rare at this price point, according to Strategist beauty writer Kitty Guo. It’s packed with hyaluronic acid, to increase skin’s flexibility and elasticity while boosting hydration, and glycerin, a humectant, to pull water into the skin. Hydro Boost does all this while still being lightweight for those concerned about getting too oily. Guo says it sinks quickly into the skin upon application, and fellow beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst notes it “keeps skin moisturized long after it seems to go away.” Guo does warn that the formula is scented (it’s quite perfumy, she says), which can be overwhelming for some — but there’s an unscented version, too.
Celebrity Shopping
“This tank is the right amount of tight. It’s breathable. It’s cotton. It’s black. I have five, and I travel with them all the time. I’m constantly going from one country to the next, so I need to know that I have something for whatever weather. I can wear them during the day and then I can wear them at night.”
“Hoop earrings are standard to put together any look. Even if I’m super dressed down, I’ll throw on a pair just to feel a little bit more done. I always go for a smaller gold or silver hoop. And it’s important it doesn’t have the poky back. I want it to be a complete hoop so if I lean on it, it doesn’t poke me in the neck.”
“I find a bath a wonderful way to relax. I take one every day. It’s not always in the morning, but if it is, it’s not a long bath: 15 minutes. In the afternoon, I could take a half-hour bath. I love the hot water, and it’s just an enduring way for me to let go. Sometimes I actually play Scrabble against myself in the bathtub.”
This Thing’s Incredible
When I learned about the Clip, a gizmo that attaches to almost any bike’s front tire to power the bike like an electric one, it sounded a little too good to be true, so I had to test it. The setup was simple. There was no assembly. You just spread the Clip’s arms open and rest its center wheel (which powers you forward) on your front tire. The boost makes it easier to take on long climbs, and the auto-roll feature gives me a constant nudge forward, making me feel like I’m zooming. It doesn’t have quite the same oomph as a true e-bike, but it’s still a noticeable difference from regular pedaling. Even though the battery lasts only 12 miles, it is a great e-bike alternative. —Jeremy Rellosa
Ask a Cool Person
Chefs Sarah Raffetto, David Felton, and Michelle Wallace are all fans. “It’s such a great grind,” says Wallace, who likes a wooden Peugeot in either black or red. “I love that you can get different-size grinds and it’s visually appealing.” Raffetto has an orange set and finds it display-worthy: “They look quite sexy.”
Culture writer Jason Diamond also likes a grinder that stands out. “I want a person to walk into my home and say ‘I love that sculpture,’” he says. “The Scandinavians make the best grinders for getting this sort of reaction.” This one fits perfectly in his kitchen. It features a ceramic grinding mechanism that is suitable for salt and other spices as well.
“As a caterer, private chef, and food stylist, I need to be able to move quickly in the kitchen, and an electric pepper mill saves so much time,” says chef Brittney “Stikxz” Williams of BWC Catering. This one is “sleek and so minimalist while also so efficient,” she adds. It has an adjustable grind and an ergonomic design. Plus it’s rechargeable via USB.
“Whenever I need a housewarming gift, I always grab the Everybody Grinder,” says Stephanie Ganz, a professional cook turned writer. “They’re so charming and playful; they bring life to any kitchen or tablescape, and everyone is always happy to upgrade their existing pepper mill to one that’s so cheerful.”
Steal My Registry
Naj Austin, owner of the food studio Birdies, and Van Newman, a screenwriter, put together a pared-down registry ahead of their ceremony in Portugal next summer. “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 Austin. “Not a lot of fluff.” Below, a few things that made the cut. —As told to Tembe Denton-Hurst
Van Newman: I’m part of this digital community called the Jacuzzi Club. They share all the newest things, from apps to lifestyle stuff. Someone posted these. When we moved to L.A., we really found joy spending weekends at the beach doing nothing and reading.
V.N.: Hosting is a really big part of us sharing a home. We have a blue-themed kitchen, so I saw this house bowl and it reminded me of us.
Naj Austin: We also love bowls in a non-ironic way. Our house is full of little vessels, so this felt like, We are married — here is our marriage bowl.
N.A.: L.A. has been a lot of firsts for us in terms of home stuff: having a backyard, having an actual outside door. For our doormat, we really wanted to find something that was durable and beautiful but not hokey or cheesy.
N.A.: We’ve been making a lot of coffee at home, so I found this pot that’s just for milk. I need to warm up a small amount of milk for a single cup of coffee, so I need the smallest pot available. It says it’s a butter warmer, but that’s stupid. It’s really a small saucepan.
I Keep Seeing This
Lawyer Meg Brown first saw the pants on Jessie Winograd, who has a part in the play Terce: A Practical Breviary, created by Heather Christian, who also has a pair. Winograd sent a link to the pants to the play’s 30-plus-person cast after being sent the same link by fellow cast member Ciera Cope, who had noticed the pants during rehearsal on Amy Santos. All of a sudden, it seemed as if every cast member had the summery padded cotton pants. Their appeal, according to the performers, lies in their sweatpant-esque
silhouette and their versatility. While the play has closed, the popularity of the pants has endured. One morning, Brown and cast member Rachel Karp, who weren’t acquainted at the time, crossed paths in Prospect Park. “We clocked each other’s pants and we locked eyes,” says Karp. Neither said a word, but Karp messaged the cast about it. “It’s snowballed out of the ‘main group,’ Santos says. —Ambar Pardilla
Strategist Explains
Jeremy Rellosa spoke with sleep experts to find out how accurate they really are.
Here’s what they actually track.
Most devices use a sensor to track heart rate and an accelerometer to track movement to tell you how much time you spent asleep, tossing and turning, and/or awake.
Most of the data is pretty unreliable.
They can “generate a lot of false data,” says Dr. Dianne Augelli, a sleep-medicine expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork–Presbyterian. And Dr. Mandana Mahmoudi, clinical director of sleep medicine at NYU Langone Health, says they absolutely can’t tell which sleep stage someone is in.
But some of it can be mildly useful.
Augelli and Mahmoudi do think trackers could be used for pattern recognition and making positive, actionable changes, like knowing when to go to bed to get enough hours of sleep. “If the data triggers change toward good behavior,” Mahmoudi says, then she’s all for it.
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.
