10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Cardboard Bed Frames to Compact Makeup Stacks

During her brief stint as a hair model, Strategist contributor Viv Chen learned the secret to “petal-like bangs” is thisfeather styling razor. It glides smoothly, creating effortlessly soft edges resulting inperfect salon bangs. The teethlike ridges along the blade also allow for a high margin of error, even for unsteady hands. “Next time you’re down a Brigitte Bardot/Jane Birkin rabbit hole on Pinterest thinking,Those bangs would change my life, you might not need a wholehair appointment,” Chen says. “You probably just need this razor.”

Young Kimowns several hot-water bottles, but she told us this one, which she found in Munich, is her favorite because it’s just a “really solid” option that hasn’t deteriorated over time. “It’s a revelation for any sort of ache or pain you put it on,” she says, adding that she’ll wrap it with a “fine, old cashmere scarf.”

Home-furniture delivery lead times can be extremely long, and after placing an order for a CB2 bed frame, editorKiki Aranitadecided to turn to this cardboard bed frame fromYonaas a temporary option. After six months, the cardboard bed is feeling much more permanent: Aranita says it’s comfortable and functional that she’s stopped hunting down alternative dream beds. Moreover, it’s a great idea forsmall apartments(and will eventually make moving easy).

A few months ago, our junior writer Brenley Goertzennoticed her friend wearinga pair of wide-leg jeans that weren’t actuallyjeansat all. The pants were from Rag & Bone’sMiramar collection— a line made to look like denim but that’s cut from a soft cotton terry. After Goertzen’s“For You”pageexplodedwith more stylish people wearing the “sweatpant jeans,” she ordered the pants to try herself. “I truly never want to take them off — and the friends who’ve seen them have been floored by how ‘real’ they look,” Goertzen says, adding that she’ll be trying thesweatpant-jean shortsnext.

In our latest edition ofSteal My Vacation, we heard from Monica Mendal, who visited France’s Arcachon Bay for a week of oyster lunches, blissed-outbeachdays, and majestic boat trips. Mendal’s packing list featured these nautical pants from L.A.-based brand Ciao Lucia. “I like to pack clothes that can work double duty, and these do just that,” Mendal says. “They’re lightweight and easy to transition from the beach to dinner.”

ModelChanel Imanis awafflelover: “If I could make them every morning, I would,” she says. And because waffles are highly requested in her house, Iman told us she can’t live without this handy Cuisinart appliance, which makes them quick and easy to prepare at home. “I really wouldn’t know how to cook them myself otherwise,” Iman says.

To reduce the many products in hermakeup bags(yes, plural) before a trip to Europe, our writer Kitty Guouncovered Subtl Beauty, a beauty brand that bills itself as travel-friendly and entirely portable. The company’s signature “Stak” is a collection of palettes that twist together into one compact cylinder, holding everything from eye shadow to bronzer toblush. “All in all, I would estimate my total makeup volume was reduced by 85 percent,” Guo says, adding that there was barely any difference between her everyday look and her look with the Subtl Beauty Stak.

“Whenever I go anywhere, I end up bonding with one thing — that thing you wear the most on atrip,” says Aaron Levine, a designer and brand collaborator. Before histrip to Saint John, Levine ordered theseswim shortsand immediately knew they would be the ones. Levine describes them as “tremendous” and “like not-even-wearing-shorts short,” and says he appreciates that the nylon material is structured without feeling heavy. “I would swim in them, snorkel in them, and then go to lunch in them,” Levine says. “That was the uniform right here.”

If you’re looking to up your earscape, our writerAmbar Pardillaexplored the world ofstud earringsand rounded up a list of timeless pearls, precious stones, and these novelty sticks of butter. We think the gold-plated (and under-$50) earrings are perfect for the foodie in your life. If butter isn’t their thing, there areegg,olive, andcorn-on-the-cobdesigns, too. (They would also make a greatMother’s Day gift.)

You’ve likely heard of Drunk Elephant’s TikTok-viral D-Bronzi drops — and for ourMy Week Withseries, Strategist contributor Zing Tsjeng tested the bronzing serum that claims to imbue skin with a natural-lookingtan. After a one-week trial period, Tsjeng concluded that the antioxidant-rich, peptide-infused formula created a glowy haze she’s never been able to achieve with bronzer.