12 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Korean Moisturizers to Non-Blundstones

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Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

We write about hundreds of products each week. Here, in our version of the Sunday circular, we’ve plucked some of our recent favorites: expert-recommended essentials, life-changing stuff you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gizmos, and very good deals we uncovered while trawling through the vast online-shopping universe — including our new favorite cream for frequent hand washers, the coffee beans Walton Goggins can’t live without, and the moisturizer that saved our beauty writer’s oily yet dehydrated skin.

A beauty writer’s glowy, quenching body butter

Illuminate Me by Vaseline Whipped Body Butter
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If it feels like every skin-care brand has launched abody butterrecently, you’re onto something. But unlike body butters of yore, which had to be emulsified and warmed up in your hands before applying, these “are thinner, slicker, and easy to spread,” according to Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst. She tested 11 of the newest formulas to see how they held up over the course of a day, including this one from Aquaphor that made her skin the glowiest. “It has a unique texture — thin, lightweight, and almost a little wet when first applied,” she adds.

A teen-approved self tanner

St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist
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Those well-versed in the self-tan world know the usual options: There are drops, oils, lotions, and serums. But recently, self-tanningwater —an ultralight option for folks looking to add some color to their face — has joined the mix. Our beauty writer Krista Bennett DeMaio has been using this one and just added it toour guide to facial self-tanner. She says, “The first time I used it, my teen noticed my warmer skin tone and asked if I got a professional spray tan.”

Renter-friendly (dimmable, plug-in) wall sconces

Wooj Lina Sconce
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This week’s installment of“Don’t Dillydally”included the latest launch from Wooj, the maker of some of our favorite 3-D-printed lamps. The new sconce has a 3-D printed shade, a raw brass strain relief and back plate, and is a dimmable plug-in, making it a good option for renters.

A soft, squishy bedframe

SoftFrame Designs Ultra Bed Frame and Headboard - Dune, Queen
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Photo: Retailer

Motivated by a few too many nights of tossing and turning after stubbing her toe on a rigid bed frame, Strategist contributor Marissa Miller began looking for asoft bed framecomplete with wide side rails to stash her stuff. While most options were either too expensive or too complicated to build, this one from SoftFrame was exactly what she was looking for: “The arrangement is BYOBS (bring your own box spring), and then you simply slide the bed frame over it for a plusher feel to your bedroom,” she writes.

Our new favorite cream for frequent hand washers

Gloves in a Bottle Shielding Lotion
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“Lots of hand creams advertise that they stay on despite hand-washing, but few create a film like Gloves in a Bottle, which promises four hours of glove-like moisture before it starts to wear off,” reports Denton-Hurst. This week, she named it our new favoritehand creamfor frequent hand washers and got a co-sign from cosmetic chemistDr. Julian Sass, who has just one caveat: Don’t reapply. (When layered, the cream has a tendency to pill.)

The coffee beans that Walton Goggins dreams about …

Tectonic Coffee Co. Shift Blend
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“I, like so many other people who are coffee drinkers, go to bed at night thinking about that cup in the morning,”Walton Gogginstold us. Said coffee — specifically,twocappuccinos — is made from these beans that have notes of hazelnut, milk chocolate, and browned almond. “It is something that we have on preorder. As soon as we run out, we hit the button,” he adds.

… And the double-walled mug George Civeris uses to keep his coffee hot

Bodum 13.5oz Canteen Insulated Glass Mug
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ComedianGeorge Civerismay not be as passionate about his beans as Walton Goggins, but he would prefer that his coffee is served hotandstays hot, a feat made possible by these insulated mugs. “Now, when I use a regular mug, I’m shocked at how quickly it gets cold,” he says. “Unfortunately, I can never go back to my collection of perfectly curated Brooklyn ceramic mugs. Better luck next time, local artisans!”

The Korean moisturizer that saved our beauty writer’s dehydrated winter skin

Dr.Esthé Dual Barrier Lotion
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As someone whose skin has somehow been both oilyanddehydrated this winter, Strategist writer Dominique Pariso found herself in a catch-22: “Should I reach for products that would treat my dry-skin issue but probably break me out? Or keep on with my acne-safe skin care that kept my complexion clear but did nothing to fix my dry skin?” The answer, it turns out, is thisK-beauty moisturizerher dermatologist recommended that fixed her primary issue: Dehydration. Almost immediately, she says, “I noticed my skin becoming much, much softer. The rough patches and dryness smoothed out, while the redness on my cheeks, always worse in the winter, also calmed down significantly.”

The scalloped mats Nabela Noor keeps under her daughters’ high chairs

Gathre Mini Highchair Mat - Ivory Scallop
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“I have found as a mom that one hack is to find things that beautifully complement my home while being functional for the kids — and that keep the house clean,” designerNabela Noortold us. One such item is this scalloped mat that lives under her daughters’ high chairs. “They’re easy to wipe clean and large enough to cover the radius of where food will hit if they flick something,” she says, adding that girls even help her clean them afterward, too.

A ski-boot bag (that’s also a backpack)

Dakine Boot Pack 50 L - Port Royale
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A few years after she first learned how to ski in Colorado, Strategist sleep writerAmelia Jerdenis returning to the West as a better skier with some new gear. Her upgraded setup includes her own boots and skis and some bags to carry them in,a padded ski bag from Dakineand thiscolorful boot bagto go along with it. “I like that both bags are colorful and easy to identify,” she writes. “The boot bag also has extra space to store my helmet and goggles, plus it’s a backpack, which keeps my hands free to carry my skis.”

A picky guy’s non-Blundstone Chelsea boot

Meermin 101050 Black Calf
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It’s about time that our resident picky guy, senior writer Michael Zhao, had a space to answer your questions about men’s style, highly specific appliances, impossible gift hunts, and whatever else you need his take on. Inhis first column, Zhao offered Meermin’s black calf boots as an affordable option for someone looking for an all-occasion boot that works with suits and jeans, yet can take a beating.

Our tech writer’s work bag of choice

Tom Bihn Synik 30
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As our primary backpack tester, Strategist writer Jordan McMahon has two stacks of bags in a closet: One filled with testers and the other filled with bags he actually uses. To make it into the latter, he says, “A bag needs to be nice to look at, be comfortable to wear, and make all my essentials easy to grab.” As a durable, pocket-packed bag that can double as a personal item for traveling, this option fromTom Binhnot only lives in that pile, but it lives at the top of it. “There’s even a loop at the bottom of the bag that makes it easy to grab when your plane lands,” he adds.

Thestuffwesavedforournewsletterreaders

Secret Strategistfound a new mock neck tee

Inspired by theSecret Strategistteam’sprevious conversation with Ellen Ystehede, Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang bought a couple Sunray T-shirts — specifically the Hi’aka, which she says “Has a very high, almost mock neck and a hem that hits at the waistband.”Field Theoryin St. Louis has a few colors on sale, including theRaisinandBeluga.

Want more?Sign up forSecret Strategisthere.

We highlighted an affordable body wash for dry skin in the Strategist’s daily newsletter

Strategist writer Brenley Goertzen recently updatedour list of dry-skin-friendly body washeswitha new affordable pick from Weledathat our deputy editor Simone Kitchens swears by. “She loves that it easily softens skin and leaves a light layer of hydration,” Goertzen reports, adding that Kitchen says it has the classic Skin Food scent: “just sort of fresh smelling.”

Want more?Sign up for the Strategist’s daily newsletter here.

The Strategist Beauty Briefshared a lightweight yet moisturizing foundation

As a 45-year-old beauty writer, Bennett DeMaio knows what her ideal foundation feels like: “more than a tinted moisturizer; less than a full-coverage foundation; a skinlike, slightly dewy finish (no shimmeryfauxradiance); and bonus points if it’s hydrating.” In the latest edition ofThe Strategist Beauty Brief,she shared a new formula that checks all these boxes — m.ph’s latest launch,Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation. “Even hours later, it looked like my skin on its best day, only fresher,” she reports.

Want more?Sign up forThe Strategist Beauty Briefhere.

We got a report from the frontlines of the New York Toy Fair inThe Strategist Kids’ Department

This week, Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio attended the New York Toy Fair, “a gigantic industry event where hundreds of toy brands showcase the products they’ve got in the pipeline for the rest of the year.” WhileThe Strategist Kids’ Departmentwill have a full debrief in the coming weeks, she says one of the most fun toys she’s seen so far isLEGO’s first-ever Peanuts set, featuring Snoopy and Woodstock. “The 964-piece build lets you pose the iconic duo in two scenes — hanging out on Snoopy’s familiar red doghouse and roasting marshmallows over a campfire,” she writes.

Want more?Sign up forThe Strategist Kids’ Departmenthere.

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The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

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