8 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: Rachel Sennott’s Cotton Briefs and a Surprising Makeup Hack

May is Mall Month at the Strategist, and to kick it off, junior writer Bella Druckman spent three days talking to teen boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 at American Dream mall to see where they’re shopping and what they’re buying. To nobody’s surprise, Sephora is a nonnegotiable for teen girls. Among their Rhode- and Emi Jay–filled hauls is the long-loved Summer Fridays lip balm that Druckman first reported on last year when she discovered teen girls loved carrying it in their Lululemon wristlet pouches.

During Mall Month, we also sent “teenage Lush fanatic” and senior writer Dominique Pariso down memory lane: “One of the great joys of my teenage life was going into Lush and having my arm forcefully washed, massaged, and moisturized by one of the overly enthusiastic employees.” So she returned to the scene to try the company’s current offerings and round up the soaps, creams, and scrubs she’d still shop for today. Her favorite is this “downright adorable” body butter–scrub bar: “The black stripes have ground almonds to slough off dead skin cells, while the yellow stripes have shea butter and coconut oil to leave behind a layer of hydration.”

Senior writer Michael Zhao “had to double-check the URL and refresh the page twice” to believe the new men’s spring arrivals he was seeing were really Banana Republic’s. So for Mall Month, he made a trip to BR’s Soho flagship to try on all its menswear and found the pieces were even nicer in person: Fabrics were smooth, and stitches were tight and even. The brand’s jackets were the highlight, though, and Zhao’s favorite is this archival mac-coat reissue that’s water resistant, relaxed but not too oversize, and made with thread-shanked buttons for extra security.

Pariso is also our resident Dysonologist, so when she heard both Dyson and Shark were releasing high-tech handheld fans, she was first in line to test them. Dyson’s is the more affordable of the two, ringing in at $100, and it’s powerful. “While in Boost mode, it can hit a very impressive 55 mph,” Pariso says, and it comes with a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck.

Writer Tembe Denton-Hurst chatted with Rachel Sennott about the ghee, Hokas, and other things she can’t live without, but the items our readers were most interested in were her cute cotton briefs from Cou Cou. “When you think of cotton underwear, it’s like a you’re-tucking-your-shirt-into-your-panties kind of thing, but they do the cutest little cotton underwear-and-bra sets,” she says. “They’re so comfy and light and breathable and cute.”

When we asked makeup artist Scott Barnes about his favorite drugstore beauty products, he surprised us by including Milk of Magnesia, a laxative, on his list. “I use it on blemishes — the ones that are red and screaming,” he says. “The magnesium literally shuts down the redness and creates a barrier, so you can put foundation over it.” It’s also a good base under makeup because it helps control sweat and oil, he says. “It’s an old drag-queen trick I learned years ago.”

Last month, writer and “self-proclaimed bonnet expert” Erin Stovall crowned this $20 adjustable satin bonnet the only one that actually stays on all night. And it just so happens that Naomi Osaka uses the same one. “I definitely didn’t use [bonnets] when I was younger, but I feel like that’s kind of a cheat code,” she says. She notices her strands have less breakage when she uses this one from Glow by Daye.

While contributor Michael Hession considers himself something of an inept cook, he takes pride in being allowed back in the kitchen for cleanup duty. And in his time doing dishes, he has found the best fuss-free solution to cleaning pots and pans: a bench-scraper. It’s flexible enough to get into nooks and crannies and thin enough to dislodge crust and other caked-up leftovers. “Most often, I’m deploying the bench-scraper for any food left on pots, utensils, and plates, not just stubborn grime,” he says. “Once removed, you can wash the mess down the drain and give the pot or plate a good once-over with soap and a sponge, but you’ve spared your sponge a vile and degrading experience.”

While you can find the occasional pair of Birkenstocks on sale, it’s usually in non-neutral colors like bright green or pink. So deals writer Cassie Hurwitz was surprised when she found several pairs of Birkenstock clogs and sandals on sale at Nordstrom in year-round colors. The Tokio clogs, her top pick, are still 33 percent off in classic beige and dark brown and available in every size, but her more summery Florida sandal picks are in stock too.