The 26 Best Things Strategist Staffers Bought in March

I admit I was a mouth-tape skeptic, but after a stint of not sleeping very well, I was open to trying anything that would make me feel more rested in the morning. I didn’t love the fact that most tapes seem to cover the entire mouth; it seemed as though it’d be hard to speak or get a drink of water in the middle of the night, not to mention it sort of looked as if you were being held hostage. I decided to go with VIO2 because I liked that theIshape left most of your lips free. It took some getting used to at first, but now it’s just a regular part of my nightly routine — the adhesive is sticky but doesn’t leave a weird film on your lips, and I still get enough airflow to be able to talk normally. I’m not sure if the mouth tape was the deciding factor necessarily (I also started taking vitamin-D supplements), but I do think I’ve been sleeping better lately.

I’ve been following the unisex-jewelry brand Sue the Boy for a while now, so when it held a flash anniversary sale earlier this month, I jumped at the chance to snag these buckle hoops I’ve been eyeing forever. (The spur charm rotates!) The brand is based in Australia, so my package is still on the way. But I’m hoping and praying they’re comfortable enough to sleep in — because once I put them on, they’renevercoming off.

Ever since Strategist writer Kitty Guo pitched her article aboutRelax Lacrosse’s track pants, I’ve been debating whether I should buy the brand’s shorts or pants. Sizing has been limited for a couple months now, so when I saw that the four-inch hot-pink shorts were available in the size I was considering, I jumped. (I’m usually a size small in pants, but I got a large so they’d fit lower on my waist.)

Everlane recently discontinued my favorite tank top (its Micro-Rib Short Tank), so I’ve been looking for a similar option that would satisfy my “buy it in another color” itch. I have a short torso, so a lot of shirts are too long for my liking. At 19 inches, this one is right at the top of my sweet spot, meaning it’s slightly cropped and hits right at my bellybutton. It arrived last week, but I’ve already worn it more times than I can count.

My skin-picking got so bad this month that I threw all of my pore tools into the trash and unwittingly gave myself an unnecessary amount of new breakouts and scabs. With a photo shoot looming some days afterward, I knew I had to return to my old faithful. I didn’t realize I was in such a mask rut without it until I saw how quickly it improved the size and texture of my breakouts and scabs over the two consecutive nights I used it leading up to my shoot. It significantly dried them out while helping reduce bumpiness and smoothed the look of pores around my nose. I’m happy to have this in my biweekly rotation again and have watched in awe as it’s helped diminish even the gnarliest of pimples.

After running out of my go-to Naturiumvitamin-C wash, I decided to return to another old faithful: the glycolic-acid version. Just like its vitamin-C sibling, this one can be used as a face wash. The wash dispenses as an unscented silky cream before foaming up. It’s helped prevent any workout-related breakouts and is gentle enough not to flare up my eczema or cause new rashes. Plus my skin tone looks smoother and more even-toned.

I zeroed in on these whenthe latest collection launched, and they fit (true to size) exactly how I had hoped, especially after they went through the dryer. I got thewide pleated shortsin brown too.

I’d had my eye on this striped Rollneck for a month — first, when I saw it at J.Crew’s Madison Avenue store, and then again on a woman who was wearing it with a bunch of gold necklaces layered over the Rollneck. I finally ordered it and just love how cheery the red and burgundy stripes feel. Despite having once written our post on the best striped shirts, I actually hadn’t bought any new stripes in a while. But this spring, I am back in a stripes mood, and this sweater really satisfied that. I’ve worn it at least once a week since it arrived.

I am a committed Longchamp Le Pliage schlepper and truly believe there is not a more practical work bag — it’s lightweight and basically waterproof, the strap is comfortable, and it fits everything. My one complaint is that the bright-colored bags inevitably pick up dye from my darker-colored coats, so by the end of the winter, my tomato-red bag was looking pretty dingy (the same thing happened with an orange one I used last year). So, in the spirit of freshness, I bought a new celadon-hued bag that I’m saving for when my black winter jacket is packed away for the spring.

I’m kind of a sucker for cool merch, and Meow Wolf is really good at making cool merch. Before I headed to Winter Park to ski earlier this month, I spent a day in Denver, which included a lengthy visit toMeow Wolf’s Denver Convergence Station. I had been here years earlier with friends and wanted to take my husband because it’s one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had. If you aren’t familiar, Meow Wolf is sort of an art installation meets immersive experience. Both times I’ve visited, I spent extensive time browsing the gift shop afterward. It’s filled with fun items that reference exhibition details but are also genuinely cool to look at, even if you have no idea what Meow Wolf is. I’ve been wearing this frog hoodie nonstop since I bought it. It’s also really soft.

I pretty much wear only bralettes and sports bras — I haven’t owned an actual underwire bra in many years — but I’ve been on the hunt for what I think of as “bra-shaped non-bras.” Basically, bralettes that are similar to traditional bras in shape but are actually comfortable to wear. I’ve been curious about Organic Basics for a while and decided to try its bralettes when I saw some on the discount retailerOffe Market. I just got this, so I haven’t worn it for a full day yet, but I tried it on yesterday and was thrilled with the fit, so I can’t wait to use it. It feels just as comfortable as any other bralette I own and looks a bit more like a real bra. Plus the triangle shape and thinner straps will make it easy to wear with a variety of tops. I paid about half the price for it, but if I like it a lot, I could see buying a few more at full retail — at $45 apiece, it’s not a bad price point. (Offe Market’s selection is mostly sold out except for a few sizes, but I just checked and Organic Basics is running its own sale right now, too, if you want to get the discounted price.)

I am a thin-washcloth evangelist. It runs counter to most instincts when it comes to textiles — plush and fluffy signals “better,” but my ethos when it comes to washcloths is that thin, even slightly scratchy washcloths are better. Luckily for me, these are often pretty cheap. I recently had a revelation that I could use baby washcloths, which tend to be made from soft, organic cotton and are perfectly palm-size. I bought these from Honest on a whim last year and recently stocked up on another five. They’ve quietly become my go-to, and I’ve slowly phased out other brands from my routine.

What’s softer than cashmere? Turns out it’s cotton. Not just any cotton, though — this lightweight Sunspel sweater is knit from a blend of rareSea Island cottonand cashmere. If the long fibers associated with Supima and Egyptian cotton are considered to be “extra-long staple,” you’d need at least two additional “extra”s to accurately describe the fibers produced by this heritage varietal, which grows only in a narrow band of the Caribbean. The resulting fabric feels as smooth as silk with the breathability of cotton. The addition of cashmere fibers gives it a touch of warmth and coziness that makes it perfect for spring layering.

I’ve been eating Huang Fei Hong peanuts from the Asian supermarket since I was a kid, so when I learned about Wa-Chaa!, its recent kung fu–inflected foray onto American store shelves, I was excited to try them out. Wa-Chaa!’s recipe uses the same extra-large and crunchy peanuts and offers the same spicy, tingly kick as my beloved Huang Fei Hong peanuts but uses avocado oil in place of soybean oil and substitutes MSG for a blend of umami herbs and seasoning that includes paprika, garlic powder, mushroom powder, and five spice. It all adds up to a kind of all-natural Doritos dust that’s a delight to lick off my fingers at the end of a bag. I prefer the “double heat” version, because it more closely matches the heat level of the original recipe, but there’s also a milder “original recipe” for those who prefer less heat.

I couldn’t help ordering this after watching avideo of the author Eleanor Johnson(who’s a literature professor at Columbia) interpretingThe Exorcistas an allegory for domestic violence. Johnson similarly examines films likeRosemary’s Baby,The Stepford Wives, andThe Shining— all of which came out in the years right before and afterRoev.Wade— inScream With Me. I can’t remember the last time I read a book of literary criticism cover to cover (maybe not since I was an undergrad, whenThe Madwoman in the Atticwas on the syllabus).

For the past three years, I’ve tried to make my big iPhone 15 Pro Max work for my lifestyle, but it’s too heavy and unwieldy for my taste. I recently switched to T-Mobile, which included a free upgrade. I’m always collecting nice-looking orange things, so I picked the smaller iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange. It’s gorgeous.

I’ve gone almost entirely analog for taking notes. Initially, I just used a Pilot Precise V5 pen for everything, but like every stationery lover, I’ve since accumulated a bunch of highlighters and different-colored pens that take up more space in my bag. I ordered this one after seeing it recommended on Reddit a few times, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. In addition to being a nice travel bag for all my pens and markers, its bottom can pop out to turn the bag into a sort of pencil cup.

I’m in the middle of training for two half-marathons later this spring, so it was about time I replaced my favorite pair of tempo/speed shoes. I love rotating between different types of shoes for each run, and the Saucony Endorphin Speed is my favorite for any speed workout or long run.

This year’s theme for my run club’s annual fundraising gala was “disco cowboy.” Neither of those fit my usual style, so I didn’t want to buy anything new for it. I used to be a frequent Rent the Runway subscriber pre-2020, so I decided to try it again after spotting a discount code. I chose a sequined miniskirt and a western-inspired vest, which fit the theme perfectly. My other picks however, reminded me why I didn’t re-up my subscription post-lockdown: Most were too long or ill-fitting, and I’m not sure it’ll be worth continuing full price next month. I just don’t have time to sort through pages of reviews searching for someone who’s also four-foot-11. (Free idea: a subscription service just for us shorties!)

Until this month, I was making do with my very slow iPhone 11 and meaning to get a new phone for ages. But when I made my son and husband late to work and school drop-off because I couldn’t get the Citi Bike app to load, I realized that I had dragged my feet for too long. What I really wanted was no phone — or a dumb phone. But that isn’t practical for my life as a mom right now, so I asked the guy at the Apple Store for the next best option. I wanted something not too flashy that I could have for a long time and that also came with a long battery life, a decent camera, and lots of storage. The 17e is a huge improvement over my old phone. But it was also very affordable and kind of basic-feeling, so I am not constantly tempted to pick it up.

I needed newheadphonesto go with the phone as I have been using corded Apple headphones and the plug is now different. Since these Nothing earbuds were 46 percent off, and since my fellow writer Jordan McMahon wrotesuch a glowing review, I decided to buy a pair. I can’t wait to test them out on my upcoming flight to the Dominican Republic.