Boneless Sofas, Micro Water Bottles, and Other Recent Strategist Finds

Strategist writer Arielle Avila was in the midst of a bad skin day, with dry patches on her cheeks from too much exfoliating, when she set out to test First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Oatmeal Mask. Almost immediately, she knew it was superior to the eight other masks she’d been evaluating recently. “I left it on for ten minutes, and after I rinsed it off, my skin felt smooth and plump without looking greasy,” she says. The mask, made from colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, and bisabolol (a skin-soothing extract of the chamomile plant), is creamy but not overly thick. Dermatologist Azadeh Shirazi, whom Avila spoke to, is also a fan; she appreciates that it’s nonirritating and packed with antioxidant-laden ingredients such as licorice root, white tea, and feverfew, which can reduce signs of aging. There’s just one caveat: Because this mask is very rich, you may want to steer clear if you have clogged pores.

“I have a herniated disc, and the best thing that I can do for it is stretch my back. Every morning, I get an ice pack from my freezer and put it on this back stretcher, and I lie on it for about five-to-ten minutes. It’s helped alleviate the pain a lot.”

“I walk around my house with the AC blasting and nothing but this rugby shirt on. I’m fully Risky Business in it. I sleep in it sometimes; it’s cute and stylish so I can wear it with pretty much anything I own.
I walk out the door and run errands in it and then come home and change into my athletic shorts, and it’s still comfortable.”

“I will not travel without these gloves. They keep my skin supersoft. I never feel like I’m really getting clean in the shower until I’m basically ripping off a layer of my skin. I know some people would disagree, but I think you need to be in there scrubbing with something.”

Whenever I see someone carrying a 40-ounce Stanley Quencher, I think how heavy and annoying it looks. Then I think how much I love the freedom of traveling light. It’s time to unburden ourselves from the idea we must carry an entire day’s water supply at all times. My new favorite water bottle, the Hydro Flask Micro Hydro Mini Bottle, is popular on TikTok because it looks like a doll accessory. But it’s not a gag—6.7 ounces is the size of one glass of wine or one beach martini, and it’s an ideal amount of water or green juice or tea to have on hand for a 35-minute subway ride. –Liza Corsillo

Deputy editor Simone Kitchens wore this hat at the pool, to a park, and on a lot of walks. “It looks insane but comes off as elegant and keeps the sun off my neck and back,” she says.

When temperatures top 80 degrees, junior writer Bella Druckman sleeps only in Lake pajamas, which are “so lightweight and buttery” she often forgets she’s wearing them.

Senior writer Michael Zhao and his wife came across these molds in a shop in Montreal and loved the discreet design, which allows them to be tucked away individually wherever they fit in the freezer.

Even when it’s sweltering, senior writer Lauren Ro likes to wear this in white. “It’s for sun protection—I often get a photosensitivity rash—and for warmth when the AC is too cold,” she says.

“If I could, I would glue this to my left hand,” says writer Ambar Pardilla of this powerful fan, without which she never leaves the house. “It’s more important than my wallet.”

Lifestyle writer Grace Atwood is a self-described “glassware aficionado,” but she still uses these acrylic cups. “They’re at home with my fancier things, dishwasher safe, and could pass for crystal,” she says.

This water pitcher has a “French countryside” look, says recipe developer Chloe Walsh. “If it drops, it won’t shatter.” Its light weight makes it easy to carry in and out of her kitchen.

Sheet pans make excellent serving trays. Senior editor Jen Trolio and I use them not only for finished food but to carry raw ingredients, grill tools, and dishes. These are durable and come in deep, striking colors.

Author, forager, and cook Marie Viljoen recommends these lightweight plates. “They’re elegant and slightly retro and just really practical,” she says.

I enjoy solo beach trips, but it can feel weird leaving a $1,000 mini-computer on the sand for half an hour or more as I drift down the coastline. Thanks to the Pelican Marine IP68 Waterproof Phone Pouch Case, which comes with a lanyard, I can now truly relax when I’m in the water. I just slide my phone in and snap the seal in place (my iPhone Pro Max fits just fine into the standard- size case), and I can receive and reply to texts while submerged. My phone is fully functional in the pouch, which has a clear touchscreen window on the front as well as a smaller cam- era window on the back. I’ll definitely take it the next time I go snorkeling as the pouch remains waterproof when up to 3.3 feet below the surface. –Kat Gillespie

Strategist associate editor Jeremy Rellosa gives this firm sofa a five out of five for support. “I often get better sleep on it than my own bed. It’s not memory-foam-like, but it’s also not fluffy and overly soft.”

Writer Tembe Denton-Hurst says its down filling is “like a couch of pillows” or a more structured version of Restoration Hardware’s Cloud. “It’s a couch you can flop on, but it’s not too Cloud-like aesthetically,” she says.

If you’re looking for a “boneless sofa” (all foam with no hard frame), grab this. It ships fast, is easy to get up a flight of stairs, and works well in a kids’ playroom—no hard frame means no risk of head bumps.