12 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Jazz Sneakers to Acne-Safe Sunscreen

We’ve long called Cotopaxi’s Allpa a backpack for suitcase people. This April, though, the brand announced it had made an actual hard-sided suitcase, which our travel writer, Katherine Gillespie, dubbed a “suitcase for backpack people.” When she took a test unit for a spin, she appreciated its durability, two removable mesh “closets,” and replaceable double-spinner wheels. It’s best suited for “frequent travelers who take a lot of hotel vacations and work trips and want to really rely on their luggage rather than worrying about having to replace it entirely every couple of years,” she writes.

It’s no secret that sneakers have been getting thinner and thinner since the great Sambas boom of 2022. As updates coordinator Najwa Jamal says, “The low-top, inch-thick soles of Puma Speedcats and Nike Moon Shoes led to even slimmer, centimeter-thick sneakerinas.” So when she noticed the jazz sneaker, an even thinner shoe, was popping up more and more, she tried a few pairs, including these metallic ones from Adidas. “I was easily able to log many miles without blisters, even fresh out of the box,” she says.

These 100 percent linen pants were particularly popular among readers during Memorial Day weekend, and the sale lives on for those who missed it the first time around. They have big (zippered) pockets and an on-trend drawstring. Best of all: They’re machine washable.

Aside from some formulation differences, like skin-care-inspired ingredients and colorants, the difference between $16 and $50 foundations (mostly) comes down to sleek packaging, expensive branding, and sensory experience. As such, when beauty writer Krista Bennett DeMaio put L’Oréal Paris’s tinted serum and m.ph by Mary Phillips’s serum foundation on each side of her face, no one even noticed she was wearing two foundations. “The biggest difference I noticed was that m.ph had more of a soft glow to it, but L’Oréal held up well, too,” she writes.

When Heidi Klum went to the Grammys in a dress that was made out of leather but looked like plastic, the designer, Marina Hoermanseder, gave her an accessory for her phone, too: This beaded chain that “looks like a candy necklace or bracelet,” Klum says. With her husband’s and kids’ names on it, the chain is among the things she can’t live without.

When aesthetician Sydney Utendahl goes to the drugstore, she doesn’t stray from the makeup aisle. Her cart typically includes blush and bronzer from Milani, but she adds this shimmering body oil in the summertime. “It’s so nice on the body and smells delish. It makes you look sun-kissed and dewy,” she says.

It’s been at least a decade since our writer Bella Druckman owned a pair of jean shorts that she actually liked. So when she found herself interviewing teens at American Dream for Mall Month, she gave herself a side quest: “Find a not-too-tiny, not-too-long pair of jean shorts that I could wear during this already exceedingly hot New York City summer.” After trying on more than 15 pairs from your typical mall brands (think Garage, Abercrombie, and Pacsun), she breathed a literal sign of relief after pulling these shorts on. “They’re so comfortable that I’d even wear them on a road trip,” she says.

Last year, for our annual “Reasons to Love New York” issue, New York Magazine made a hat. “Whether the colors remind you of the fourth-worst team in baseball or the yet-unjinxed Knicks is a matter of perspective,” says our writer Erin Schwartz. Either way, “if you’re looking for a hat to wear while watching the NBA playoffs from afar or scaling the awnings at MSG (just kidding! be careful!), this is it.”

Out of the box, the OXO Rapid Brewer brews a perfectly fine cup of coffee. But for true enthusiasts, like “coffee obsessive” Michael Hession, it’s possible to tinker your way to the best espresso, too. You’ll need some paper filters that fit in the brew chamber and a good burr grinder to make the magic happen (and Hession’s detailed instructions certainly help). “Compared to many methods out there, it is a simple and very affordable way to get superbly delicious coffee at home,” he says.

For Marcel Dzama and his 14-year-old son, staying dandruff-free is, well, a family affair. They both use this shampoo, which Dzama says “feels like it was probably made in the 1920s or earlier, even. It feels like someone was just grinding up roots.” They learned about it from David Zwirner, whose family also uses it. (“When we went to visit their place when they first opened, they had like ten bottles in their bathroom,” Dzama says.)

“While I was around for the original Laura Ashley boom in the ’90s, I wasn’t lucky enough to own any of the clothes or frilly bedding,” says our senior writer Liza Corsillo. This makes Laura Ashley’s new collaboration with H&M all the more exciting. “My favorite pieces from this collection are the ones I would have given anything to wear or carry back in second and third grade,” Corsillo writes. We’d say this bag would work for just about any age group, though.

“As an acne-prone girl, sunscreen is often a difficult bargain,” says our senior writer Dominique Pariso. “I want to protect my breakout-caused hyperpigmentation from getting darker in the sun, but without the sunscreen itself clogging my pores and causing fresh pimples to form.” So when she noticed a slew of new sunscreens catering to acne-prone skin types, she put them to the test. Among her favorites is this hydrating one from Sofie Pavitt that Pariso says is great for layering under makeup. “Because it is a chemical formula, it left behind no white cast and my skin looked downright dewy,” she reports.

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