The 30 Best Things Strategist Staffers Bought in October

I’ve been counting down the days until I’m next at an Erewhon, where I first discovered these gummies, so I can buy a dozen more packs. In the growing arena of gummy candies that aren’t really gummy candies or candy that’s good for you, these are the best-tasting ones I’ve tried (SmartSweets who?). Soft, pillowy, and chewy, they’re never hard or overly dense like other contenders I’ve had. They truly taste like gummy candies — sweet and just the right amount of tangy — which makes them hard to put down. Plus, how can you beat getting 68 percent of your daily fiber value at under 100 calories a pack?

I suppose I’m always on the prowl for the next best thing hair-wise, and I discovered this on a whim. It’s everything I wanted the Color Wow spray to be (which I tried years ago and discovered was a massive flop). It’s essentially the only heat protectant I’ve been using on my hair for weeks now and I’ve never gotten more compliments on my blowouts. One of my friends even thought I’d gotten a Brazilian blowout. Mist this through wet hair and then blow-dry with tension. My hair is smoother than usual after fewer passes than I usually have to do per section, and it’s plenty shiny after straightening the roots too. Plus it keeps hair sleek for days on end, even after a light misting.

I like cute Halloween decorations (no blood, gore, or ghouls in my house). To supplement my collection of bats, black cats, and friendly ghosts, I bought this spiderweb to drape over the fireplace. It’s quite effective for being so simple. It also feels pretty nice for being under $10, and I hope to use it for numerous Halloweens to come.

My second-grader loves wearing striped shirts, and some of his favorites come from Hanna Andersson. I stocked up on a couple during a sale, including this version that I would wear myself. He also loves the brand’s ringer shirts, but I forgot to add to cart this time.

I’ve been wanting a really good soup bowl for a while now, and while East Fork’s aptly named Soup Bowl would be my top choice, I wasn’t ready to spend quite so much. My chance to finally have my desired bowl (at my desired price) came earlier this month at East Fork’s Seconds sale in Asheville. While I hadn’t anticipated having to stand on line in the rain to secure my bowls, now that I’ve brought them home, I think they were well worth the trouble. The bowls are just the right level of deep and wide for eating soup — all my other bowls are either too deep and narrow or too wide and shallow — and eating out of them just feels extra homey and cozy.

I rarely buy new everyday sneakers, but as soon as I saw these, I knew they were what I wanted in a fall pair. I love the slim nylon shape — it is not quite a sneakerina but isn’t bulky — and the burgundy color looks nice with jeans and black pants. I also love that they have little gum-sole cleats on the bottom — not that I need cleats for walking around the city, but the sole does add some texture and maybe (maybe?) feels slightly grippier on the subway stairs.

We are expecting a baby next month (!) and have spent the past few weeks getting our apartment ready. Most of our baby-related shopping has been very practical — stroller bunting, a carrier, first-aid kit, etc. — but I was so charmed by this elephant that I couldn’t resist.

While killing time before seeing a movie on the Lower East Side, I fell in love with the charm bar at the Susan Alexandra storefront. I had somehow never been before and was surprised by the number of charm and necklace options on offer. I’m usually not big on impulse purchases, but I bought one of the single-charm premade necklaces the company sells in store. I got the star to replace my other everyday star necklace that has seen better days. (I will be back for a multi-charm statement necklace in the future, though …)

I’m due in March with my first child, so Hanna Andersson’s very good fall sale inspired me to buy my first batch of baby clothes. My husband and I are big Peanuts and Snoopy fans, so we had to grab these winter and Halloween sleepers for the holidays next year. (Doesn’t hurt to plan ahead, right?)

This month, I made it my goal to better organize the top of my dresser, which had become a dumping ground for necklaces, stray beauty products, and probably a few too many hair brushes. I tackled the jewelry problem with this spacious box that still has some empty spots for pieces to come. As for the beauty products, I got a three-tiered organizer that spins.

I have been recovering from a back injury and struggling to carry my bags while traveling alone. I’ve been debating solving my problem with this under-the-seat rolling bag that Sally Jessy Raphael recommended on our site last year, and after regretting my personal-item choices one too many times, I decided it was worth it. If I’m also checking a bag, I roll around my additional personal item on top of this one (in that case, it acts as a carry-on to hold more travel essentials). I imagine after my back heals, I’ll still use it, as it takes all the schlepping out of traveling. Perhaps the kids using the rolling backpacks are wise beyond their years.

A boring but very useful buy. The angled blades and grippy handle make trimming my cats’ nails a little less of a chore.

I’ve also been buying a lot of kitchen staples, and this is one of our best chef’s knives. It’s great quality for the price, and as noted in our Best in Class guide, it’s deceptively lightweight without feeling flimsy. I don’t have a dishwasher, and hand-washing has been fairly simple.

I’ve made it a point this fall to be on top of my supplements, and this has changed the game. I can fit weeks’ worth of multivitamins, vitamin D, fish oil, and probiotics into this sippy cup–esque organizer and simply twist and dispense each pill. I can leave it out on my kitchen counter, and it’s much more travel friendly than a pill case. While it’s slightly bulky, I’m able to add ibuprofen, allergy pills, and one or two over-the-counter medicines I’d usually bring bottles of in case of emergency, so it ultimately cuts down on space.

I usually associate the brand Rat Boi with its delicate pointelle tanks, but the latest fall collection included some very good tees. I ended up going with this striped one, and it’s quickly become a piece I’ve reached for repeatedly. It’s soft yet structured, oversize but not billowy on my five-foot-one frame, and the jewel tones are the perfect pop of color for my autumn wardrobe.

This month, I finally decided to divest from my iPhone camera (which is cracked anyway). They just make everyone look terrible. I’m not a techy person, but my cousin has this little Canon point-and-shoot that she used to take some great photos of me last summer, so that was good enough for me. So far, it’s been super easy to use. I’ve even taken it out for a reporting story I’m working on that requires photography, and I’m really impressed with the results. This might be common knowledge, but I learned it the hard way (again, not a tech person), that you do need to purchase a memory card separately for this camera, so make sure to budget for that accordingly.

With the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has finally delivered a camera I trust enough to leave my dedicated camera at home — no small accomplishment since I’m a new dad who’s taking many times more photos than I have at any other point in my life. Its wider maximum aperture provides better low-light performance for capturing a squirmy baby under lamp light, and the fact that it adjusts mechanically (like in a real camera lens) lets me achieve artfully blurred backgrounds without relying on computer-generated portrait effects. But the biggest upgrade is actually in the camera app, which finally offers quick-access full manual controls over all the most important settings (like aperture, white balance, and shutter speed). I especially appreciate being able to enter RAW shooting mode in just a few taps to disable all the post-capture processing tricks that occasionally lead to unnatural-looking images. If I was in a stage of life where taking photos was less important, I’d still be carrying the lighter iPhone Air, but the 18 Pro’s camera is just so much better that I’m happy to carry the extra weight.

As a big fan of the original Sonos Ace, I’m happy to report that the new Ace Ultra is just as comfortable as the original (I wore it on back-to-back cross-country flights with no pain or tingling in my ears or scalp) and even better in every other regard. Whereas the original Ace was a simple Bluetooth headphone with some Sonos compatibility, the Ultras have built-in Wi-Fi for better integration with the rest of the Sonos system. This lets you play the same song or podcast on the headphones and speakers at the same time without any syncing issues. This is particularly handy if you have a Sonos soundbar and want to watch TV without disturbing sleeping members of your household — although the original Ace could also do this via Bluetooth. Personally, I had no issues with the original’s limitations in this regard (my headphone listening rarely intersects with my speaker listening), but I have been appreciating the Ultra’s improved noise cancelling while working from the same small apartment as a fussy infant who’s fighting sleep. I wouldn’t recommend rushing to upgrade if you already have the original Ace or a comparable set of noise canceling headphones from Sony, Bose, or Apple. But if you don’t have headphones you love and are all in on Sonos’s speakers, the Ultras are worth the premium over the originals.

I lost my nice sunglasses after a two-year run — really not bad for me. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a replacement pair because, well, I’m likely to lose them again. I popped into Warby Parker this past weekend, which historically has been hit-or-miss for me. But luckily, I found a pair I really like. They had to get shipped, so they’re arriving tomorrow, and I’m excited to not be squinting every time I go outside.

I recently had a fantastic meal at King (it really does keep hitting), so it felt fateful when I found a $10 copy of The King Cookbook, which came out last year, at a used bookstore in Prospect Heights the other day. After flipping through and looking at the recipes, I determined I would actually use it (rare for a restaurant cookbook).

While researching natural-fiber base layers for a Strategist Hunt, I came across Little Spruce Organics, a shop in Colorado that is the sole United States stockist for a ton of European brands. (Also lots of cute kid stuff, like this wool-and-silk shirt and this baby sweater.) I ordered four things immediately; my two favorites were this organic cotton shirt from Living Crafts and the hemp socks below. The shirt is truly perfect — soft and smooth and garment-dyed using a method that draws attention to small design details.

I also love these cotton-hemp socks — lightweight and airy, special but not fussy. They don’t have any elastic, so they stretch out a bit by the end of the day but shrink back down after washing.

I recently got third lobe piercings at Catbird, but unfortunately, during the healing process, my ears were feeling somewhat swollen and irritated due to the fact that I tempted fate and continued to sleep on my side. (I know, I know — I just can’t fall asleep on my back!) The original studs were a little pokey, so I swapped them out for these low-profile threader earrings from Theirs, whose unisex jewelry designs I’ve loved and written about before. They are the perfect length, not overly long or dangly; style seamlessly with my other earrings; and feel extremely comfortable to sleep in. I basically wore them 24/7 for weeks on end, but I recently lost one. (I really need to be more careful while changing for dance class.) Thankfully, the brand sells them in singles, so I speedily purchased a replacement.

During a trip to Asheville earlier this month, I picked up this book of old-fashioned pumpkin recipes at the Southern Highland Craft Guild, an Appalachian folk-art museum. It’s got several recipes for pumpkin pies, plus breads, cookies, cakes, puddings, ice cream, and more. I’ve been perusing in search of inspiration for this year’s Thanksgiving dessert.

I didn’t even know that vacuum steamers existed before reading Schwartz’s review of them, but as soon as I got to their description of the Rowenta, I knew it was the one for me.

I’m always willing to try a promising-sounding new-to-me pen, especially one that’s so cheap.