Chic Shoehorns, Shiny Lip Glosses, and Other Recent Strategist Finds

At first glance, the Bugaboo Donkey 5 Duo Bassinet and Seat Stroller appears to be the average twin-style double stroller. But unclip a few latches, push a button, slide the frame, and presto—it’s a far narrower single stroller (a rare feat for any side-by-side carriage), says Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo, who interviewed a diverse assortment of parents and caregivers to land on our top pick. Expand it again and the two-seat configurations are seemingly endless: The Donkey 5 fits a car seat next to a bassinet, a bassinet next to a regular seat, a regular seat next to a storage basket that can hold up to 22 pounds—or any combination thereof. Hilary Swank told Corsillo she often has her fraternal twins situated in opposite directions (one looking at her, the other facing the street) so they can more easily interact with each other. You’ll be just as satisfied pushing your sleeping 3-year-old next to a mid-nap haul from Trader Joe’s.

“I’ve had a form of these Campus boots since maybe early 2000. The silver is so fabulous because it adds sort of that ’70s glam-rock thing. They just flatter any outfit, and they’re really versatile but also super-flashy. And they’re supercomfortable.”

“I discovered this at a hotel years ago, and now I cannot live without it. I gift it to everybody in my life. Nobody’s asking me; I’m just giving it to them. It has Bluetooth, and there’s an app, so you can turn it on and off from bed. That’s my favorite part about it: It’s so simple. I sleep with it every night, and I take it with me everywhere I go.”

“I’ve been using this planner for almost 16 years. It also acts as a diary. I constantly refer to it. I could tell you what day I had a callback from Modern Family—I went to a workout class before that audition. You can map out your days and your months and your years in it. It’s sort of an all-in-one calendar for me.”

In the late 1970s, my Danish grandmother discovered this German staple at a pharmacy in England. In the ’90s, my mother started pouring it into my baths, and I’ve used it ever since. Its herbal, piney scent is addictively transportive, and my skin feels so soft afterward that I skip moisturizer. It creates a distinctly sexy, almost theatrical blanket of bubbles—think Julia Roberts singing “Kiss” in Pretty Woman—that will last a solid hour. This bath gelée is like coming home: a comfort to return to. –Emma Firth

As far as “starter” shoehorns go, this handsome yak-horn model is a solid bet. It provides a good slide, and its moderate length works with most shoe heights.

This springy green shoehorn is sleek and bold and comes with a magnetic wall mount (because of course you’ll want to show it off).

Bey-Berk’s two-foot-plus-long teak-and- brass-finished version is basically the Logan Roy of shoehorns.

I never considered describing a shoehorn as “adorable” until I saw this petite four-inch travel version by the heritage leather-goods brand Ettinger.

Made In’s stainless steel is stellar.
The stockpot, which you can buy with a fitted pasta insert, is big enough to handle a generous portion of stock and more than a pound of pasta but not so big that it’s cumbersome to move or hard to store.

These durable, stackable glasses are great for wine, cocktails, water, juice—basically anything and everything. They strike the perfect balance of being design-forward but not too trendy-looking.

Hands down, my favorite product from Great Jones is its baking dish. It’s high-sided and sturdy with comfortable handles and has excellent heat conduction—and the surface holds up beautifully. It looks just as new as when
I bought it about five years ago.

The Good Shears are supersharp (mine have held their edge for several years) and comfortable to hold. The two pieces separate easily for cleaning yet somehow never come undone when I don’t want them to.

This stainless-steel pan’s design is kind of genius. It’s a hybrid baking sheet and roasting pan with sides whose height falls between the traditional measurements of each.

Buy this if you’re stocking your kitchen from scratch. For less than $100, you get a full suite of kitchen utensils (a silicone spatula, fish spatula, wooden spoon, and ladle) plus other essentials, such as lightweight nesting mixing bowls.

“In 2019, we were seeing a microtrend of women buying vintage Levi’s 501’s a few sizes bigger and then tailoring them to fit their bodies. With a bigger size, you can create incredible shapes. You can get that really high rise, that perfect Levi’s butt, and a slim straight leg. Then we thought, Why don’t we deliver this ready-made? So we started with a pair of ’80s 501’s, which have some of the highest rises, and took a larger size and tailored it down. We also looked at Levi’s very first pair of jeans for women, the 701’s, which had a very, very high rise. We thought, Let’s blend those two fits together. When we were envisioning this fit, it was so high—it’s sort of kissing your rib cage versus sitting at your natural waist. We realized it fit so many different people.” –As told to Brenley Goertzen

It’s the Platonic ideal of gloss—ultrashiny but not too sticky—and it can be applied generously without gunking up.

This was my go-to before the Ami Colé. It’s the best formula I’ve come across in all my years of lip-gloss wearing. It’s insanely comfortable.

Whenever anyone tells me they don’t like the feel of gloss, I always direct them to this. It’s super-shiny but featherweight.