8 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: Cheap Storage and ‘Grumpy Middle-Age Academic’ Shoes

WriterArielle Avilarecently moved to Los Angeles, where she’s quickly realized how damaging the sun can be to her skin and hair.UPF topsare now nonnegotiable, along with SPF lip balms and sun hats — especially after she noticed how much drier, frizzier, and more brittle her hair’s become. She consulted a cosmetic chemist and two other hair experts on why this happens and how best toprotect hair from sun damage. Curl expertCataanda Jamesrecommends using this two-step process “before excessive sun exposure to strengthen the hair and provide defense against UVB rays and free radicals.”

“I love dressing like a grumpy middle-age academic, and a key part of the look for me right now isthese L.L.Bean Boat Moc mules,” says writerDiksha Basu. She bought them in the spring, and they haven’t left her rotation since. She’s paired them with everything from sundresses to baggy knee-length shorts and linen pants, and has worn them out to dinner, on walks, and even to the playground. Made of full-grain leather and a rubber sole, they’re surprisingly light. Basu can already imagine pairing them with blazers and trousers in the fall and says they would be great for travel.

Ahead of opera singerLise Davidsen’s run as Lady Macbeth in the Metropolitan Opera’s upcoming production ofMacbeth, senior writerMichael Zhaotalked to her about the black pants, protein bars, and plastic spoons she can’t live without. “This spoon was one of the things my husband wasn’t sure if I should share because it sounds so insane,” she says. Davidsen grew up watching her mother eat soft-boiled eggs with plastic spoons instead of metal ones (insisting that the plastic ones simply taste better). “Now I use them to eat my yogurt and my breakfast bowl. And now that I have to bring my kids’ spoons and other stuff everywhere when we travel, I thought,Well, I might as well bring a couple of my spoons because I like having them.”

WriterJordan McMahonhas spent years trying different systemsto stay organized, so he knows that there are many different kind of approaches and tools that can help. He spoke to therapist and author Britt Frank about how to reframe organizing, as well as Strategist staffers about everything they use to manage their busy lives. Contributor Sean O’Neal swears by this timer, which splits up an hour into five-minute increments and visually displays how much time is remaining. “Time is no longer just some abstraction that’s arbitrarily measured out by adults and robots and safely ignored,” O’Neal says. He uses it to ensure his kids finish their breakfast.

WriterEmma Wartzman’s been on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic in her kitchen for a couple of years, and she still struggles to find good plastic-free replacements for things like air fryers, coffee grinders, and other small appliances. Beast recently came out with a stainless-steel version of its personal blender.Wartzman put it to the test— and found that it was just as powerful and effective as the original. Though you can’t see through it (the only downside Wartzman found), the stainless-steel version easily breaks down everything from ice to whole garlic cloves and canned tomatoes. Wartzman has used it to make chicken marinades, herby sauces, icy smoothies, and pasta sauces, some in under a minute.

Among Wartzman’s other home improvements isfinding an entryway cabinetsuited to the “sizable, loosely defined entryway that’s not especially useful” through her front door. She’d been using an Ikea cart but was bothered by the clutter that it left out in the open. And so began the hunt for a cabinet “just below counter height, two feet wide, and only a foot deep,” a frustratingly hard-to-find combination. Seven cabinets later, after figuring out the correct search term (“bathroom storage cabinet” instead of “entryway cabinet”), she landed on this one. It’s the perfect size and plenty roomy inside. Though not the most stylish, a $20 paint-and-knob job was an easy upgrade.

WriterKitty Guohas continued to keep track ofthe best back-to-school dealsacross supplies, apparel, and tech. Among her top picks this week are these Rothy’s that senior writerLauren Ro’s 4-year-old son has been wearing all summer. Three colorways — blue, cream, and pink — are 40 percent off now. They come in Rothy’s signature nice-feeling (and machine-washable) open-knit fabric. Ro finds them flexible but sturdy.

In the latest installment of “What I Can’t Cook Without,” Wartzmanchatted with host, chef, and author Meredith Haydenabout her tried-and-true kitchen staples. “I had a day where I opened a bunch of cans of crushed tomatoes and tasted them straight,” she says. Bianco DiNapoli’s was the winner. “Starting with something you like the flavor of increases your odds of making a final dish you love,” she says.