9 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: A Perfect Boxy White Tee and ’90s Perfumes

Senior writer Michael Zhao spoke with comedians, Poog podcasters and best friends Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak about the rosacea-approved skin care, not too humiliating sun hat, and customizable couches they can’t live without. One thing they both included on their lists: this $8 continuous water-mister spray bottle. “You just fill it with water and it gives a long, fine spray,” Berlant says. “It has changed my life. You dampen your curls with it, and then you can go in with a serum to refresh your hair.” Novak owns one too and says it’s an essential in her life.

“When I used to think of kitchen tweezers, I had an image in my head of chefs meticulously assembling elements of some fancy dish, like putting the final piece of cilantro atop a deconstructed guacamole that is actually a foam,” says contributor Michael Hession. But then he got a pair and realized they were exactly what his utensil drawer had been missing — not for garnishing, but for myriad daily tasks like reaching a pickle at the bottom of the jar, plucking a spoon from the garbage disposal, or handling food in the air fryer. At a modest $10, these slim, stainless steel, foot-long utensils take up hardly any space in a drawer, and they’re nimbler than a traditional pair of blunt kitchen tongs. Hession can’t “imagine a more valuable add to my kitchen that eliminates a slew of gross and awkward tasks.”

The ice cream maker market is swirling with new launches — Ninja’s Creami Scoop & Swirl, Nutribullet’s Chill, and Cuisinart’s FastFreeze — so senior writer Lauren Ro put them all to the test. She made tart frozen yogurt and vanilla ice cream in all three to see which made the best (and easiest) desserts. The popular Ninja Creami did, indeed, produce the creamiest results, but it’s the most expensive of the bunch. So Ro was pleased to discover that Nutribullet’s $200 model is a solid alternative. It takes up less space, is easy to clean (everything but the base comes apart and is dishwasher-safe), and costs $80 less than the Creami. And the frozen-dessert results? Delicious.

As August crawls on and a new school year quickly approaches, writer Kitty Guo has continued to keep score of the best weekly deals on school supplies, backpacks, apparel, and more. This week, she suggests taking advantage of Owala’s Back to School sitewide sale to grab some of our favorite water bottles, including this kid’s version. It’s the style that was most recommended when senior writer Liza Corsillo spoke to parents about water bottles that’ll last the school year. Deputy editor Simone Kitchens and deals writer Martha Tuber swear by it too. “We have had three of the Owalas with silicone straw tops, but they always leaked,” says Kitchens. The FreeSip doesn’t, and it’s easy to clean.

“I have to be a little tan,” says contributor and Goop beauty editor Jean Godfrey-June. “A healthy glow, you know? But I don’t want to be tan badly enough to increase my chances of contracting deadly cancer or to speed-age my skin, so I use — really I am devoted to — self-tanner.” Having tried just about every formulation under the sun (lotions, sprays, wipes, drops, you name it), she’s perfected her self-tanning routine, which includes her very favorite foam by Saltyface. “I love it because the color is perfect — a natural, toasty glow, whether you go light-medium or medium-dark. It melts instantly into your skin and blends seamlessly, dries quickly, smells like nothing at all, and comes in an incredibly easy-to-use pump.”

Chronically sore writer Erin Schwartz works primarily from home, which has made them acutely aware of their poor posture — worsened by their connective-tissue disorder that makes finding a comfortable sitting position difficult. But they realized working on the floor helped. “Unlike sitting in a chair, I could move around when I got uncomfortable,” they say. “The only problem was back support; without something to lean on, I’d revert to a shrimp slouch.” Enter Liberator’s wedged pillow, which they tested on a whim after hearing about it in senior writer Dominique Pariso’s Sex Week reporting. It solved their problems and has become their de facto “office chair.” The pillow’s “foam is supportive, the sections are easy to move, and the cushions are angled to fit the human body better than any lumbar pillow I’ve tried.”

Updates coordinator Najwa Jamal wears sandals almost every day from May to October, but up until now, plastic ones are where she drew the line. “I couldn’t imagine them ever being something I’d spend 20,000 steps in the way I do in leather or even $5 rubber styles,” she says. So she spent a month and a half in six pairs of jelly flip-flops to see if any could actually stand up to several thousand steps and summer sweat. Zara’s under-$50 pair is one of her top picks. They’re thin and lightweight but still supportive (and she gives them bonus points for being reminiscent of a much pricier pair by Christopher Esber). Most importantly, they’re abundantly comfortable. She wore them during a Long Island weekend full of hilly and pebbly beach walks with no issues at all — and never a single blister.

On the heels of a flashy Hailey Bieber jeans launch, Gap rereleased its iconic line of fragrances from the ’90s (with one new addition). Writer Arielle Avilla tried all five scents out and immediately loved Dream the most. “From the first spritz, it smells like freshly done laundry: very clean and bright,” Avila says. “I can see myself wearing this every day and somehow never getting tired of it.”

Earlier this summer, our Best in Class Organic Basics boxy white T-shirt was discontinued, and writer Brenley Goertzen has been hunting for a replacement since. The new winner needed to have “a relaxed chest, dropped shoulders with longer sleeves, and a shorter hem, which goes perfectly with high-waisted jeans or trousers and doesn’t expose any of my stomach.” Eight tees later, Goertzen landed on Los Angeles Apparel’s oversized cropped tee. The neckline is a smidge higher than she’d like, but the top’s otherwise a slam dunk, checking off every one of her boxes. The cotton is soft and light but durable, and the length is perfect to pair with shorts to happy hour or over a sports bra as she heads to Pilates.