If you follow our monthly feature “Your Shopping Cart,” you know we have some eerily good intel on what you all are buying, so we felt it was only fair that, as Strategist editors, we would turn the tables and highlight all the things we’ve been buying for ourselves. As you’ll notice, it’s both a blessing and a curse to be on staff at the Strategist; we’re picky, but sometimes we just have to get on with it. (It’s online-shopping expertise meets IRL needs.) Below, what we bought in January.
Emma Wartzman, kitchen and dining writer
I’ve been following Charlotte Palermino on Instagram for years and have learned so much about skin care from her. The products in her line, Dieux, have intrigued me for a while, but for some reason I never bought them — until a couple weeks ago, when I took the plunge on the reusable eye mask (which is on our Strategist Beauty 100 list). I’ve been using it ever since and can truly feel the difference in absorption versus when I put on just my eye cream (the RoC one I use is also on that list, in case you’re curious). A very good $25 spent.
My mom’s birthday is in early January, and I gifted her this luxe — and very cute — cashmere beanie from one of her (and my) favorite shops in Los Angeles, Lost & Found. She picked it out (that’s usually how we do presents), and I can confirm that even without the element of surprise, it was a good buy: She says it’s soft as can be and warm (yes, L.A. gets cold at night in the winter) without being too heavy. It comes in other colors, too.
Ashley Wolfgang, newsletter editor
This month, I finally caved and bought the Baggu Crescent Bag that I’ve been lusting over for over a year. I absolutely love it (but any purse that’s big enough to fit a hardcover book will always have my heart). Best of all? If you wander into an IRL Baggu store, you might still be able to snag a limited-edition Sandy Liang collab Crescent Bag, like I did.
I can never resist a Girlfriend Collective sale and bought a new pair of my favorite leggings in black. (I’m a huge matching-colored-set girl and somehow already owned every color but this neutral.) The Compressive Pocket Legging truly is my favorite to run in, and as someone who is quite short (I’m four-foot-eleven), the 23 ¾ inch inseam is PERFECT.
Jen Trolio, senior editor
I ordered this scissors-like chunk of plastic on a whim, and it brought my whole family so much delight during the recent stretch of cold weather that granted my kids multiple days off school. As long as you have decent packing snow to work with, you can make a whole pile of perfectly spherical snowballs in minutes, à la Buddy the Elf. My only regret is that I didn’t go for the three-pack.
I also went hard on Pocket Coffee and bought in bulk to get the best price per piece. I gave my brother two packs for his January birthday — he’s a personal trainer and loves them as a pre-workout treat-slash-boost. I’ll be gifting two more packs to my husband for Valentine’s Day. What happens to the final two packs is still TBD, but maybe (probably) they’ll just be for me.
Finally, I bought two of these DIY kits for my daughters — each one has enough supplies for ten cards. They were so excited to make valentines that they got right to work. The kits are totally sticker-based, so you don’t even have to get out the glue, and both girls made a stack of legitimately cute cards for all their school friends. They’re a nice departure from the licensed-character valentines we usually buy, and I think this is probably the earliest we’ve ever been done with the annual “sign a card for every classmate” project.
Rachael Griffiths, writer
Anyone following my acne saga will be pleased to hear I have (knock on wood) got new breakouts under control. Now, I’ve turned my attention to healing the scars from previous breakouts. I spotted this serum and liked the fact that it contained bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol (which I can’t use with my acne medication). It also claimed it could help brighten my overall complexion — and in the few weeks I’ve been using it, it has. I definitely notice my scars are lighter, smaller in appearance, and seem to be healing at a much quicker rate than before.
I’m not sure love at first sight exists, but when my eyes fell on this particular baby tee, the urge for us to be together was overwhelming. I practically collect slogan baby tees (they have their own dedicated slot within my teeny-tiny London closet), and this one has taken pride of place at the top of the pile. It ticks all the boxes: fitted but not suffocating, and just opaque enough — which is perhaps ironic, given the slogan.
Brenley Goertzen, junior writer
My boyfriend and I share a very small closet in our bedroom, so I like to maximize my side by using these S-shaped hooks to hang up my pants that have belt loops. This is probably the fourth time I’ve repurchased this 20-pack; they make it so much easier to see what’s clean and ready to be worn. All you have to do is fold a pair of jeans in half and thread the hook through two loops and then hang them up. I also use them to hang purses and tote bags in our coat closet, and they even work for chunky statement necklaces and scarves.
Winnie Yang, senior editor
We came across a delightful toy store when we were in Rome, and my 8-year-old was immediately drawn to this wooden labyrinth on display there. I made a mental note to get it for her birthday earlier this month, and she’s been playing with it in the weeks since we gave it to her.
I’ve been looking for an everyday sneaker to replace the Vans I finally tossed and was influenced by fellow editor Simone, who I believe has these in the Silver Mink (I got the Cathay Spice/Orion Blue). As someone with wider feet and bunions, I like that the laces go all the way to the toes, for maximum adjustability.
Liza Corsillo, senior writer
My apartment does not have excellent lighting. And while I finally found a good solution for the hideous boob lights in the living room and the kitchen, my bedroom/WFH office, which gets plunged into darkness every day at 4:30 p.m., was still a problem — until I bought this lemon-yellow lamp from Ikea. It costs $18 and has a happy energy about it, so I didn’t spend much time thinking about the purchase. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the warm glow it gives off and how easy it was to put together. It also doesn’t take up much space, so I can continue to cover my working space with 10,000 half-empty glasses and mugs.
When I first came home from the hospital with my son, fellow Strategist writer Lauren Ro gave me a postpartum care package that included a big tub of frozen Brodo bone broth. It was so delicious and cozy that I finished the whole thing in under a week. Now, a year later, I finally got around to buying more for myself. And because this box of six individually packaged eight-ounce pouches isn’t frozen, it’s much easier to use at a moment’s notice. I recently used it as a base for carrot soup, but I also enjoy drinking it hot out of a mug on cold mornings.
Jenna Milliner-Waddell, associate editor
This is as great as everyone says it is. Never have I gone to sleep with any lip balm, gloss, mask, or even Vaseline and woke up with my lips still tacky and shiny, until now. It’s a bit sticky and sometimes too shiny for my liking, but I’m using it more as a treatment to heal my cracked lips. I’ve basically had a permanent divet in my lower lip due to extreme dryness for years, which only puffs up for an hour or two right after applying product, but with each use of the Slick Salve, I’m noticing it less and less.
I caught the tail end of the last Skims sale, so I was only able to grab a few discounted items. Luckily, I had a gift card, which I decided to put toward a few of these. I’m trying to switch all my underwear over to cotton, and so far, I’ve found these to be very comfortable. They don’t ride up at all.
Ambar Pardilla, writer
I have wanted Byredo’s mussel-shaped palette for over half a year now, even though I’m not usually one for eye shadow. I got it in the “metal boots in the snow” palette, with a very glittery silver and an iridescent green called “ground frost.” Each color is buildable and blendable (and there’s no need for a brush). Really, the palette is a good way to play with different colors — all of them already go well together, so you can’t go wrong.
Hilary Reid, senior editor
I’ve been into J.Crew’s recent ’90s-catalogue-era-looking styles, and the black cotton turtleneck sweater I picked up this month feels straight out of a coastal scene from 1998. The knit is a sufficiently chunky weight for this winter’s weird weather, and the boxy, slightly longer cut is, dare I say, Toteme-esque.
These were a birthday gift to myself, which I bought at Peress, a very fun slippers/lingerie/cashmere-socks store on the Upper East Side. They’re incredibly warm, and I find the low wedge heel kind of charming — I mean, there’s no reason why a practical shearling slipper needs to have a wedge, but why not?
Jeremy Rellosa, writer
I’d been on the hunt for a vintage Bedale that was slightly worn — and this month, I finally found one online. It came perfectly worn-in and fit just right over my shoulders. I’ve used it a surprising amount this month here in New York, which has been cold and wet, but as someone who runs hot year-round, it’s a great outer layer, especially over a sweater. (Next month, I’m looking forward to rewaxing it!)
I received this candle as a gift for Christmas, and I liked it so much that I burned through it by the first week of January and had to restock. It has notes of cypress and mandarin that give off a warm, comforting, “hygge”-ish aroma. It’s the candle I’ll be burning in my apartment this winter.
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.
