9 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Slouchy Capris to Jungle Mocs

While actor Liza Colón-Zayas was spared when it came to teen acne, pesky adult pimples have recently become her reality. Trying to find a solution for blemishes that wouldn’t disappear for months, she took a chance on Mederma’s scar cream. “I don’t know if it really works for scars, but it certainly works to dry up acne really quickly,” she says. “As soon as I saw something, I put that on and it starts to dry up within days.”

“Most people haven’t heard of Clark Matis, but almost every outdoors enthusiast has encountered, if not worn, one of his inventions,” says senior writer Michael Zhao. Said invention, the cult-favorite Jungle Mocs, were Matis’s answer to a gap he saw in the market: “After Sport.” Though Americans were initially skeptical about the shoe, Merrell has sold as many as 800,000 pairs annually in the 26 years since Moc hit the market. Although a variety of fuzzy and leather options have also been released since, Matis always comes back to the original black-on-black suede. “All my sisters wear them. And my dad did too — he lived to be 102,” he adds.

In an effort to become more knowledgeable about essences — toners’ more concentrated sibling — Strategist writer Arielle Avila set out on a hunt for the one that would work best on her combination skin. After testing one that was too sticky (Sunday Riley), one that didn’t strip enough oil (Aestura), and a few others, she found a Goldilocks essence from Beauty of Joseon. In addition to hydrating, controlling oil, and exfoliating, the essence calmed down Avila’s sunburn. “I can see this becoming a staple in my routine year-round,” she adds.

“Move over, Aesop — there’s a new luxury hand sanitizer in town,” says Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie in this week’s installment of “Don’t Dillydally.” Said hand sanitizer is Le Labo’s rinse-free cleanser, which “comes in a travel-size bottle and apparently smells like basil and citrus.”

In hopes of becoming a “Work-Bag Icon,” New York senior social-media editor Zach Schiffman found himself searching for a bag that was agile enough for a bike ride without making him look like he’s headed to a lecture. Going through a barrage of stylish backpacks and both wide and technical tote bags, he landed on this messenger bag from Colin Meredith. Being thick enough to sit on any surface and outfitted with dual-zip pockets and dual water-bottle pockets, the bag has transformed him: “I have gone from someone longingly looking across my office for the ideal work bag to being the person stopped on my way in, showered in compliments.”

Compared to, say, a good old hole-in-the-ground bonfire, a portable firepit has an upper hand as “the fire — and everything you burn — is contained within the structure,” writes Zhao. Our top pick, the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, is still supreme, but Zhao added a new pit to our Best in Class guide: the Breeo Y-Series, which is now our favorite premium firepit (that’s also great for cooking). With built-in legs, thicker steel construction, and superior heat distribution, the pit is “a worthy upgrade for people who mostly plan to use their firepits at home or while tailgating,” according to Zhao.

As a middle-schooler, Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurst wore Capri-length leggings and ankle-high UGG boots. In her most recent installment of “Strategist Brain,” she let us know that she’s now wearing slouchy Free People Capris and tie-up heels and boots. Same idea, but a different (better) font, we’d say.

In designer Liz Lange’s foyer sits an “extremely realistic-looking” bowl of lemons. Sure, she once thought fake fruit was tacky, but after stumbling across a (very expensive) bowl of molded fruit in her foyer every five days, she added these faux lemons to the items she can’t live without. (And for what it’s worth, she adds, “Everyone thinks they’re real.”)

We feel confident that unless you made a pact to avoid every screen this week, news of this year’s four-day Amazon Prime Day made its way to you. (And if you somehow missed the memo, did the piles of Amazon boxes at your neighbors’ doors not strike you as odd?) Either way, it’s best practice not to cry over spilled milk, or expired deals, but we’re still thinking about these weird and wonderful Paris Hilton Store oven mitts that can — very fittingly, may I add — withstand heat up to 475 degrees. As Hilton would say, “That’s hot!”