The 30 Best Things Strategist Staffers Bought in June

When I started seeing oversize, bug-eyesunglasseseverywhere(fromZoëandLenny KravitztoElla Emhoff), I thought the style was cute but certainly not for me. I usually go for small, round wired sunglasses, likeRay-Ban’s oval sunnies, but I tried these on a whim and was shocked by how much I liked them. Since they’re a cheap pair, I don’t have to worry about wearing them while working out on the roof of my gym. I am headed to the beach for the Fourth of July and imagine I’ll be wearing them in the waves without a care in the world.

In an effort to be more consistent with mysunscreenapplication, I treated myself to one of thesunscreens made for acne-prone skinthat my colleague Dominique Pariso wrote about last month. I’m happy to report that it hasn’t caused any breakouts on my sensitive skin and, similar to Dominique’s experience, makes my face look hydrated and dewy. I also appreciate that this one doesn’t sting when it gets in my eyes, something I struggled with when wearingmy old sunscreen from EltaMD.

As a cat parent with cat allergies, I am always looking for ways to decrease fur and dander. I like to watchthis one YouTuber’s pet-grooming videos, and she always uses this brush. It’s a little pricey, but I decided to test it out. It works wonders on my short-haired tuxedo — I combed out a blob of fur the size of my palm the first time I tried it on her. She also seemed to enjoy the experience; the teeth aren’t so sharp that I worry about hurting her but are tough enough to lighten up her undercoat easily. Unfortunately, it did not work on my long-haired cat at all. In his case, I think the teeth were too short to reach his undercoat. For him, I’ll stick with my trustyFurminator.

Inspired byMall Month, I hit up my local Aerie and purchased these cute barrel pants. I have mostly been wearing these for walks and hikes but am excited to test them out at the climbing gym or even the beach. They do make that swishy noise that most hiking pants do, but it’s not very noticeable. I normally wear a size 10 to 12 in pants, so I assumed I’d be a large in these, but I needed to size down to a medium. It’s also nice that they come in shortandtall lengths!

Sometimes shopping is all about the long game. I’ve been thinking about this Cat-e-Corner, a very fancy combination cat scratcher that wraps around the side of your couch, sinceI wrote aboutseeing an ad for it last year. Although I own a separate scratcher for my cat Luna, she by far prefers the couch, and it’s started to show. After I was about to buy a Cat-e-Corner for our new apartment, I saw the impossible: the exact model and colorway I wanted on Facebook Marketplace for only $150. It’s everything I hoped for and more. It fits perfectly, covers up Luna’s scratches, and (as a surprise to me) is the perfect side table to rest my drinks on. Best of all, she started using it instantly. I’ll be buying a replacement cover as soon as they’re back in stock.

As mentioned above, I recently moved, and we went from a built-in glass-door shower to one that requires ashower curtain. I was extremely indecisive and finally landed on this very cute tulip option from Dusen Dusen.

After asking Lauren Ro at least twice about things she was wearing that turned out to be from Dissh, I took a scroll through the site myself and ordered this dress. It just arrived today, and I love it — the cut is oversize but not overwhelming, the soft V-neck is flattering and just sexy enough, and the Venetian red shade is really lovely.

I use EltaMD’sface sunscreenevery day, rain or shine, and so this summer, I wanted to try its body sunscreens too. So far, I appreciate that the 100 percent mineral formula doesn’t feel too greasy or chalky upon application — but the true test will be how it performs in the upcoming heat wave.

I briefly considered getting Tory Burch’sPierced Mule Wedgelast year, but I’m glad I didn’t, as I like Tory Burch’s Pierced WedgeSandalmore. I believe the design needed freedtoes. I once sprained an ankle because of a wedge, but thankfully, that hasn’t happened with these wedges … yet. They’re more comfortable than I thought they’d be.

Apparently, dressing up for the last day of school is a trend among high-schoolers now. My 15-year-old picked out this dress from Princess Polly. She will definitely get more wear out of it at upcoming graduation parties and vacation dinners.

I bought myself this striped skirt at Madewell and have worn it several times already. It has a casual coastal vibe.

Another month, another well-done, justifiably pricedLos Angeles Apparel basicenters my rotation. I’ve been putting off my dreaded winter-to-summer wardrobe swap, so I haven’t reached most of my warmer-month tops, and my annual craving for simple tanks has begun. I’d tried the brand’s cheesecloth long-sleeve shirt last month and loved its slim fit and semi-sheer cotton. Because I couldn’t rationalize spending so muchon the tank by SoeurI’ve been eyeing, I picked up this one instead. It’s not a one-to-one replacement, but it fits like a second skin — practically weightless and very flattering. The tank scratches the sheer itch without being inappropriate, either.

The same day I grabbed that tank, I also grabbed this one after realizing that my collection of simple tanks lacked a Hanes-y, men’s undershirt-y one that I actually liked (with a high neckline, fine ribbing, hip-length fit, and a semi-sheer but not totally see-through finish). This one was a no-brainer — I’m wearing it now. It’s very light, and the cotton is quite stretchy so it’s flush to the skin but not uncomfortable. I’ll likely grab a few more in white to pair with jeans and track shorts, plus some in black too.

At nearly $90 per month, Nutrafol’shair supplementsare eye-wateringly expensive, so I bought my next month’s supply during Prime Day, when they were slightly less so at $70.

I lose my AirPods roughly once a year. But as luck would have it, I always seem to do so right before a Prime Day event, so as is my tradition, I repurchased them. This is, shamefully, my ninth pair. But I won’t be caught dead with wired earbuds, so I will fork over the money every time.

The whole family got hit with Knicks Fever this past month, but it was my 7-year-old who emerged as a fan for life. He had the best time staying up late to watch the games and naturally wanted a jersey. The Jalen Brunson jersey I ordered was delayed, so the morning of game five, when we happened to be near Madison Square Garden, we picked up whatever was left in stock in his size, which was a Finals edition of a Karl-Anthony Towns jersey for the older kid (and a Josh Hart jersey for the 4-year-old). That night, when the Knicks won, he ripped off his jersey, threw it to the floor, and screamed in celebrationlike Timothée Chalamet.

World Cup maniahas also hit the household. I had to search high and low for this sold-out youth jersey for the South Korea FIFA team. I finally found it at Soccer Post. Too bad the team had a spectacularly bad showing …

I’m a big nonfiction reader, and while I love reading history, it can obviously be depressing sometimes. While looking for something interesting — but a little more lighthearted — to read at the beach, I picked up this book about the history of cats. I have been obsessed with cats since I was a kid but only became a cat owner myself this year. It’s been fascinating to learn more about how cats came to be in relationships with humans and what their roles may have been in different ancient societies. While there are some gnarlier aspects of cat history discussed in the book, there are also plenty of delightful details, like the inky paw prints on medieval manuscripts discussed in the chapter I just finished reading.

I boughtSofia Coppola’s neon-pink pencil.

I’m terrible about replacing my Microplanes (the last time, it took me something like six years of sawing away on completely dull ones), but Prime Day reminded me that mine were getting short in the tooth.

We have an Ikea cart that we found on the sidewalk several years ago in the entryway of our home, with each level dedicated to things like keys, ChapStick, sunglasses, gloves and hats for the winter, etc. It works, but it’s also looking a little worse for wear, and as much as I try to keep it organized, I don’t love that everything is out in the open. I’ve been searching for months (furniture stores, antique stores, online stores — you name it) for a closed-cabinet solution, but the space it has to go in has very particular dimensions. The only thing I’ve found that fits the bill is this random bathroom storage cabinet on Amazon.Anyway, I broke my cardinal rule of never buying furniture there and took a chance. It has yet to arrive, but I’m hoping it wasn’t a mistake. The plan is to paint it (excited to go to my hardware store and pick out a color), replace the knobs, and find a nice tray or low-sided basket to place on top as the catchall for the most important stuff. Not my ideal situation but hopefully it will be a fun project and turn out well in the end.

There’s a box in my office that’s filled with dozens of cords, none of which I have the faintest idea about what they plug into. I’ve been telling myself that I’ll take them to an electronic recycling event for at least three years now, but this month, I finally got honest with myself and just ordered this tech-recycling box from Trashie instead. I dumped the contents ofthatbox intothisbox, slapped a label on it, and sent it on its way, and let me tell you, the sheer relief I feel is worth far more than the $25 I paid for it.

The last time I bleached my hair was the summer of 2019, when I turned my whole head pastel pink. I don’t regret it, but it definitely came with a myriad of issues (breakage, shedding, dandruff), and once I’d grown it out, I vowed to take a long break. Well, this summer I figured seven years was long enough, so I asked my hairstylist to bleach a few sections of my hair a silvery blue color for a fun layered look. He suggested I pick up this conditioner from Keracolor to keep my hair moisturized and the shade looking fresh for longer; I leave it on for about ten minutes every other night, and so far, my hair feels much healthier than last time (fingers crossed!).

Close readers of the Strategist may have clocked that I am having a chronic-illness summer. I was recently diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and about a month ago, I found out I have something called binocular vision dysfunction (BVD), which means my eyes are misaligned and have trouble producing an accurate 3-D image of the world. The minute I realized my neck pain was stemming in part from my eyes, I stole my partner’ssleep maskand did not give it back until I bought my own. (I listened to the Knicks win game two on the radio; sports radio rocks.) I found this mask at a sweet Etsy store called AdorabellaBaby; I’d previously bought its raw-silk washcloths, and they are so soft and lovely. Ten out of ten eye mask — gentle on the skin with a velvety, adjustable strap.

My partner and I have a chore rotation: Every month, one person cleans the bathroom and the other person cleans the floors, then we switch roles the following month. Although floors month is objectively the better draw, I have come to dread it. Our Miele canister vacuum is good, but for me, it’s too good — its suction is so powerful that pushing it across the carpet takes some force, often more than I have in the tank. So this week, I bought the Strategist’s top-ratedrobot vacuumto turn a draining task into an automated one. I’m already grateful to be offvacuuming duty(although in a few days, I’m back on bathrooms).

I had been wanting a pair of Adidas track shorts to wear around the house and to the playground for a few months. After searching online for way too long, I picked these because the fabric looked light and airy; I’m so glad I did. They weigh nothing, the length is just right, and they make me feel sporty rather than sloppy when I have to be seen outside before 8 a.m.

I struggled to choose aFather’s Day giftfor my husband and ended up taking him to the movies as his main gift. Then I got him this Knicks pint glass so that he’d have something to open. It was a big success.

I was inspired byKim France’s latest columnto go on my own search for a non-tech-browork backpackand landed on this elegant Japanese-made rucksack from Niwaki. The minimalist design is crafted from a heavy-duty waxed canvas that holds its shape, almost like leather. It has a convenient two-way zipper (with three pulls) that allows it to be opened from any angle for quick access to any part of the main compartment. I appreciate that it’s just big enough to fit a laptop and commuting essentials but not so big that I’m tempted to overstuff it — I keep a folding tote in the zippered back-panel pocket in case of emergencies. It’s not designed to be ergonomic or breathable, but the leather-canvas straps are highly adjustable, and it is still pretty comfortable to wear.

Had these newly releasedsandalsbeen around when I was looking forsummer shoes to recommend in my column, they would’ve been near the top of the list. As much as I love the clean lines of the Camper sandals, the SeaVees’ grippier Vibram outsole and faster Velcro closure make them a bit easier to live with. They were perfect for walking along the country roads and rocky shoreline of Midcoast Maine this past weekend, and I find they fit true to size with just a bit of wiggle room for a thick sock in the shoulder seasons. The leather is soft and supple out of the box and feels like it should only get better with time as they break in.