A Gift for Every Type of Best Friend

They’ll appreciate this lip-oil–stain hybrid, one of the brand’s newer products. It contains ceramides and peptides to lock in moisture and has buildable coverage.

While our beauty writer, Tembe Denton-Hurst, is a big fan of Dieux’s Instant Angel moisturizer — which she says is nourishing and soothing without feeling heavy — the price tag is “painfully” steep. After she procrastinated on restocking it, Denton-Hurst turned to this moisturizer from CosRx. “It isn’t as lush feeling as the Dieux Instant Angel, but I’d argue it’s equally nourishing,” she writes.

Here’s a handbook by Ruoyi Jiang, the founder of Chop Suey Club, that breaks down the rules and explains the difference between traditional Chinese mahjong, American mahjong, and many other variations.

Whether they prefer their martinis bone dry or extra dirty, theirs will stay perfectly chilled thanks to the double-walled, vacuum-sealed stainless-steel design.

This scoop colander is one of the most-used tools in our senior editor Winnie Yang’s kitchen. That’s because, compared with a hefty colander, it’s perfect for a single serving of udon or beans, retrieving boiled eggs from scalding water, or rinsing berries under the tap, Yang says.

Owing to her husband’s seltzer obsession and the resulting recycling-bin overflow, Strategist contributor Leah Finnegan bought a can crusher. It works for containers that hold up to 16 ounces, from mini-cans to plastic water bottles, and “purports to reduce your recycling load by 20 percent, but I’d wager it’s even more,” Finnegan reports.

They’ll be able to organize work notes, medical records, or other documents with this notepad, which has 12 built-in folders. Eva Chen, who discovered this “during one of those Amazon middle-of-the-night wormholes,” loves that she doesn’t have to carry a notepad with her anymore.

At the other end of the spectrum is this mini 6.7-ounce water bottle, which our senior writer Liza Corsillo says is the “size of one glass of wine or one beach martini, and it’s an ideal amount of water for green juice or tea to have on hand for an average 35-minute subway ride.”

According to self-proclaimed “popcorn snob” Leah Finnegan, anyone who loves the snack will appreciate these hefty kernels. They produce huge fluffy pieces ideal for carrying all kinds of seasonings.

A few years ago, our kitchen-and-dining writer Emma Wartzman received these metal line-makers as part of a care package from a friend. She now uses them exclusively to mark recipes in cookbooks, but they’re also perfect for flagging sections of a novel or textbook you’d like to re-read.

A longtime top seller on our site, thissilk pillowcase will make your best friend feel like they’re sleeping in a luxurious hotel.

While the Halo cap is technically designed to target tension caused by headaches, it doubles as a sleep mask. Nikki Glaser has been using it for over a year and told us she buys it for all her friends who have trouble snoozing.

This kit of mood-boosting essential oils will relax your best friend’s mind and help them reset after a long day. Juliette Lewis, who discovered the power of essential oils while working on set, says it’s “a very shortcut way to clear my head and refocus.”

Your best friend can re-create a Korean bathhouse experience and get a deep full-body scrub at home with these colorful mitts that exfoliate more precisely than loofahs, bathing cloths, brushes, and more. They’re also beloved by Eva Mendes.

If their dessert cravings hit hardest after lunchtime, these jelly-filled pouches are a satisfying (and relatively guilt free) alternative to the office candy drawer. With a slurpable consistency that’s slightly chewy, the packable snack is available in a bunch of flavors, such as peach, mango, cola, and more.

This pill organizer — described as a “Mary Poppins Medicine Cabinet” for how much it can hold — would make a great gift for the best friend who regularly saves you from crippling hangovers or bathroom emergencies. The expandable carrier also doubles as a travel case for jewelry.

If they complain about having to repurchase expensive skin-care products, get your best friend this rosacea-soothing serum from K-beauty brand Purito, which contains the same peptides as Biologique Recherche’s $76 treatment — at a fifth of the price. The formula, which comes in a hefty bottle, has centella to target redness, glycerin to quench dehydration, and niacinamide to strengthen the skin’s barrier.

John Derian told us he uses this olive oil for regular cooking — and we think it would make for an inexpensive (yet still thoughtful) gift.

I’ve gifted this charming ring dish to a few of my close friends who are getting married this year. I love that it’s made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.

If they aren’t able to visit C.O. Bigelow to buy one of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s tortoiseshell headbands in the store, here’s an option that looks similar to CBK’s original (see here and here).

Lafco’s linen sachet is filled with resin beads that release a scent of gardenia, orange blossom, and ylang-ylang. Our junior writer, Bella Druckman, stashed one in her suitcase before a trip to Paris and says she was “honestly kind of blown away by the clean smell coming off my clothes.”

Handmade in France, Sabre’s set of bistro-style spreader knives is perfect for your butter-loving bestie.

When our sleep writer, Amelia Jerden, tested six pairs of concert earplugs to find the best for hearing protection, the Earpeace earplugs won because of their comfort, customization options, sound clarity, and affordability. “They didn’t put much pressure on my ears, even after an extended period of time,” she says.

If your best friend likes broccoli, why not introduce them to broccoli sprouts? Strategist contributor Keren Lerner — who is not a doctor but a self-described “nutrition nerd” — purchased this kit and some seeds after learning that broccoli sprouts have 100 times higher levels of cancer-fighting phytochemicals than mature broccoli does. “We put them in smoothies for our kids, in salads (they add a nice radishlike flavor and good crunch), and on bread with peanut butter or hummus,” Lerner writes.

Kate McKinnon told us she uses this stovetop espresso machine, which her best friend (who is “obsessed with Italian things”) introduced to her. “There’s something about the tactile nature of it: just water, fire, and coffee beans ground to a fine powder and then, a minute later, there you are,” McKinnon says.

If they always drink sparkling water over still, here’s an 18-can sampler pack that includes unexpected flavors such as apple and cranberry. It also comes recommended by Bubly-fan Christina Ricci.

Corsillo loved the closeness this wrap-style baby carrier afforded her and her newborn son. “He was so comfortable and secure being held in the Boba that he usually fell asleep right away,” she writes.

These adorable Ralph Lauren socks will keep their feet toasty as they rotate between bed and couch. To complete the gift, pair them with our top-rated pajamas from Eberjey, which are available in sets with pants or with shorts for hot sleepers.

After a few too many dirty martinis, they’ll be glad they started the night with this pre-alcohol probiotic drink, which chef JJ Johnson swears by to curb hangovers. “I just left the Wine & Food Festival in South Beach. I took one every day I was there, and I wasn’t hungover,” Johnson says.

This Strategist-tested and -approved planner has light gridding on each page, so there’s plenty of space to jot down extra notes, write to-do lists, or even get some doodling in. And its hard-wearing cover will look just as good on December 31 as it did in January.

Plum Sykes says she received this bath oil from some friends, who had been gifted it by another friend. “I then give it to my friends. It’s become a bit of a cult. It’s always a hit, always,” she told us.

Comedian and actor Chelsea Handler swears by these sweet-tasting gummy bears for her daily intake of vitamins and minerals. “Sometimes I have them as dessert because rather than having something sweet and bad for you, I’m like, Well, these are good and good for you,” she says.

You probably know Yeti for its rugged performance coolers, but the brand’s wine chiller is also a winner: It can keep a bottle of white or rosé (up to one liter in size) drinkably cool for hours on end. Our senior writer Michael Zhao says, unlike with an ice-pack sleeve, “I can place it directly onto a table without worrying about condensation ruining the wood or tablecloth beneath.”

This boxed set will take them through every wine region of France, featuring some 800 producers and more than 7,000 wines.

Here’s a leakproof set of magnetized containers that’ll make packing their travel-size liquids more organized (and less messy).

Help your best friend get back into reading with the five-book series that took over model Taylor Hill’s life (in a good way). “If I could go back and reread them again for the first time, that would make me so happy,” Hill says.

Eve Jobs credits her best friend with introducing Bala Bangles into her fitness routine, which she now uses for leg, arm, and ab workouts. “They have their own little travel case, and I can do everything that I need with them,” Jobs says.

They may have parted with their old air fryer, but the Ninja Crispi sets itself apart because it fries food in glass containers instead of the usual black Teflon-covered baskets. This plastic-free appliance converted our writer Arielle Avila into an air-fryer devotee: “Since getting the Ninja Crispi, I’ve used it at least three to four times a week. It’s almost replaced my oven and microwave altogether.”

Our tech writer Jordan McMahon says Hatch’s newest smart alarm clock fixed its biggest flaw by removing the need to keep your smartphone nearby to manage the device. Now you can toggle through wake-up and sleep routines as well as turn on the bedside light, all right on the clock.

This red-light face wand helps reduce wrinkles, dark spots, and puffiness — and according to Strategist contributor Diksha Basu, who recently turned 40, it’s the secret to why her skin looks better now than it did in her 20s.

Marketing professional Tia Carson, who happens to be a West Village girl, put Caraway’s Dutch Oven on her wish list. “Soup season has commenced, but now we need the right equipment,” Carson says.

Fellow is known for its stylish kettles and travel mug, and the brand’s latest coffee grinder is “​​more like a design object than my old Baratza,” says our writer Kat Gillespie. She uses hers for AeroPress or French press every morning and appreciates how easy the machine makes it to grind for a single cup.

With Cozy Earth’s sweaty-sleeper-approved pajamas, your best friend will finally stay cool (and dry) through the night. The moisture-wicking fabric will be a big upgrade from the oversize cotton T-shirt they’ve been wearing to bed for years.

It’s pricey for a pepper mill, but professional chefs praise its heavy-duty construction and clever design that dispenses an “insane” volume of grinds with very little elbow grease.

I own and love this hand-finished dinnerware set from Vancouver-based Fable. It includes dinner plates, salad plates, and nicely sized breakfast bowls, so it will make a lovely housewarming gift for your friend who just moved away.

This sleek cannabis infuser is the perfect appliance for the budding home chef. The device infuses botanicals into oil and butter and also has drying and decarboxylation capabilities, which makes the process of cooking with cannabis or hemp much easier than what you tried to do in high school that one time.

Justine Skye loves matcha and says one of her best friends introduced her to this machine. “It’s fun to watch the machine grind up the matcha and mix it in perfectly. You can set it to different strengths, like if you don’t want too much caffeine that day or if you need an extra boost,” she says.

If store-bought almond milk isn’t cutting it, get your friend an Almond Cow, the nut-milk-maker for the “modern, lazy woman looking for solutions,” says Strategist contributor Caroline Goldfarb, who penned an ode to the handy machine.

A “forgetful reader” will appreciate the Scribe because it allows users to drop sticky notes about why they’re highlighting a particular paragraph or sentence. There’s also a journaling feature with predesigned templates where your best friend can organize their thoughts in dedicated notebooks.