8 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: Leather Totes and LEGO Advent Calendars
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 a practical work tote from Quince, 437’s dainty yet secure workout tank, and fall-ready footwear.
Our favorite new handheld milk frother
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Senior writer Emma Wartzman has tested a lot of coffee gear, including milk frothers, which she appreciates for how much delight they add for very little effort. Among the handheld kind, the NanoFoamer GO is her new favorite. “Instead of a small whisklike head on most stick frothers out there, the NanoFoamer works with a broader three-pronged plastic whisk (this part looks like a mini-fan) that is covered by a fine mesh screen.” Not only does it create close-to-ideal “microfoam” for lattes and cappuccinos, but the two other settings built into the NanoFoamer make it endlessly versatile for all amounts of mixing and whisking. Remove the mesh screen to mix protein powders, matchas, cocoas, and electrolytes. Attach the whisk head to emulsify aïoli, blend eggs, and make salad dressings and marinades.
Up to half-off blister-free Camper flats for Labor Day
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Camper Casi Myra
You still have time to shop the slew of sales that are live through the end of the holiday, according to deals editor Sam Daly. She rounded up over four dozen of the best discounts on apparel, beauty, home, travel, tech, and kids’ items. Among them are these mesh Camper Casi Myras, beloved by contributor Edith Young. She never once got blisters after biking hills and going on lengthy walks in them. “Plus the combination of sheerness and square toe is a little sexy, somehow,” Young says. They’re half off in three colors and over 25 percent off in two more.
Wooden clogs for fall
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If clogs are more your speed for fall, try this wooden French pair. They made senior writer Ambar Pardilla’s annual Strategist Fall 100 and are handmade in France as a collaboration between Gardenheir and Rivalin, artisan shoemakers since 1925. The poplar sole provides arch support, and the leather upper molds to your foot over time. Plus they’re unisex.
The platonic ideal of workout tops
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The Classic Tank
Updates coordinator Najwa Jamal was curious about 437’s minimalist activewear, which has been spotted on Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner. She tested ten of the brand’s pieces and accessories over two months of pilates, barre, strength, and cardio workouts. This tank was her favorite: “It’s the platonic ideal of a workout top — a camisole with enough support to keep things in place while bending over in RDLs, but dainty enough to look good during and after a sweaty session.”
One New Yorker’s affordable and practical backpack alternative
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A New Yorker’s workbag needs to be large enough for a computer, lunch, and a day’s bits and bobs while being not too bulky, able to handle whatever the weather brings, and, of course, comfortable to schlep around town and trains. Writers Lauren Ro, Kitty Guo, and Bella Druckman spent the last few weeks chatting with around 70 people across several boroughs on the totes they keep on their shoulders. Druckman spotted this Quince tote on Emily Ao in Long Island City. “I wanted a cute bag because I used to have a backpack,” Ao said. “I researched different versions, and this was a good balance between cute and practical and accessible.”
Upside-down peanut butter
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In this month’s edition of “Our Shopping Cart,” a series where we share everything staffers have been buying for themselves, Druckman finally gave the peanut butter she’s seen all over her social-media feeds a try. Turns out, the buzz is warranted. “I’ve loved the texture and taste it has added to my morning toast. Along with being some of the better peanut butter I’ve tasted, it comes in a neat inverted jar that decreases natural oil separation.” She wants to try the Sticky S’mores flavor next, which is sold in a two-pack alongside the other newest flavor, Cinnamon Sugar.
LEGO’s advent calendar drop
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LEGO announced its 2026 Advent calendars back in the spring, and they’re available now for purchase. Liza Corsillo recommends buying one way ahead of the holiday season for any LEGO adult or kid in your life. The Marvel-themed one was readers’ top clicked of the five in the release and “includes six superheroes plus holiday and wintertime accessories like Spider-Man with a set of skis, Captain America and his doppelgänger snowman, and Wolverine dressed in cozy knitwear.” There are also Christmastime-city and Disney-princess ones.
A small but mighty food processor
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Contributor Alyse Whitney developed all 88 of the recipes in her dip cookbook using KitchenAid’s Cordless Chopper, making at least a dozen dips a week with it. This five-cup food processor — a regular Cuisinart holds 14 cups — “had no issues blitzing hard items like nuts, Oreo cookies, and graham crackers into crumbles in seconds. And when I’m making soup, stir-fry, or salads, I often use it to mince carrots and onions quickly,” writes Whitney. The Cordless Chopper takes up very little space and weighs just under three pounds, which makes it easy to take with you on vacation (or to do a recipe demo on live TV, if you’re Whitney).
The things we saved for our newsletter readers
Secret Strategist returns to inboxes on September 10.
In the meantime, you can take a tour of Susan Orlean’s closet, see what Bobby Doherty can’t live without, and read about what clothing a Zwirner curator buys in bulk.
Want more? Sign up for Secret Strategist here.
Strategist Daily eased into autumn with the Fall 100
“That familiar crispiness in the air is a sigh of relief for sweater and leather-jacket obsessives like me. While I might be getting a little ahead of myself (we did hit 80 degrees here in NYC today), it’s still time to start pulling out your favorite layers and figuring out what you need to shop for before the temperatures really drop.
“In this year’s Fall 100, senior writer Ambar Pardilla rounded up all the seasonably appropriate things our writers and editors have open in their tabs.” —Ashley Wolfgang, newsletter editor
Want more? Sign up for the Strategist’s daily newsletter here.
Arielle Avila reviewed SkinSpirit’s new PDRN microneedling Treatment for The Strategist Beauty Brief
“PDRN has been a popular skin-care ingredient, mainly thanks to K-beauty. I did an explainer on it in case you want to read more, but experts told me a microneedling treatment before an application is the best way to get its full benefits (the anti-inflammatory and collagen-boosting kind rather than just an extra dose of hydration). I decided to test it out myself at the nationwide med spa SkinSpirit. I have pretty sensitive skin and haven’t dabbled in any treatments besides a basic facial. The microneedling was pretty painless (the worst prickling was on my forehead). It was followed by a generous layer of the PDRN serum. The downtime was minimal (a benefit from the wound-healing ingredient): I was red for the rest of the day post-microneedling and had some minor shedding the next day. By day three, my skin looked completely fresh and healed. Since the mid-July treatment, I’ve seen improvements in my skin’s moisture, brightness, elasticity, and texture. My skin looks refreshed — even after a summer’s worth of sun — and my makeup sits better than it ever has.” —Arielle Avila, writer
Want more? Sign up for The Strategist Beauty Brief here.
The Strategist Kids’ Department recommends just buying the simple baby carrier
“Strategist deals writer Martha Tuber is five months into being a parent of two, and while having a second child hasn’t been nearly as life-altering as giving birth to her first five years ago, caring for an infant and a kindergartener “has done an absolute number on my already short attention span,” Tuber says. So when testing newborn-friendly baby carriers, she was pretty quick to rule out anything with too many snaps, buckles, removable (and thus losable) parts, or complicated instructions in favor of more straightforward options that do only what you need them to: “comfortably carry your baby until you’re safely past the brain-melting postpartum period.” —Jen Troilo, senior editor
Want more? Sign up for The Strategist Kids’ Department here.
This week’s top saved items
It’s very easy to save products we’ve written about, so you can refer back to them later or be notified when they go on sale. (Find a step-by-step here.) This week, readers were curious about writer Diksha Basu’s “grumpy, middle-aged academic” mules as well as the best things staffers bought in August, including writer Amelia Jerden’s catnip-infused cat toy, senior editor Winnie Yang’s cooking presses, and writer Emma Wartzman’s giftable aperitif.
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More From The Strategist
- Hark, the Advent Calendars Arrived (Very) Early This Year
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- 63 Things You Should Never Buy Full Price
- The Strategist Fall 100
The Strategist is 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 about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
