The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in July

I have no problems with my skin at all. (I know — I am very fortunate.) That said, I’ve been using B3 Balm’s Lillie oil for the past five years as the final step in my skin-care routine. I’ve gone through many bottles at this point and needed to restock this month. It smells incredible, it’s not the least bit greasy, it sinks wonderfully into my moisturized face, and I reluctantly share it with my husband. I don’t wash it off in the morning because it makes my skin really supple without feeling oily — so I just wake up, put sunscreen on my face, and go on with my day.

The difference between the Strategist brain and the normie brain is this: On Prime Day, I saw that the shaving cream my husband uses was discounted (it still is, but not as steeply). “I still have half a tube left,” he said. “Why would I buy another one?” I added it to the basket. It smells slightly herby (some reviews mention sage and geranium), is intensely moisturizing owing to the goat’s milk and almond milk in the formula, and, yes, because a little goes a long way, a tube will last you a few months.

Firebirds are all over London. I wanted something a little less known, so I got these track trousers, which are almost tailored; I like the front seams. They are a little bit long on me, but I like how they look rolled up, as if I’ve borrowed them from a boyfriend who plays squash.

[Editor’s note: JD Sports lists all prices in euros, so the price shown is an approximate conversion in U.S. dollars.]

Sheep are another one of my favorite animals. And what can I say? I really love stuff with cute animals on it. When I saw the adorable sheep-themed dishes from Nicholas Mosse in Lauren Ro’s Six Bells–sales story, I was instantly enamored. While my heart said to buy a couple of everything, my wallet said to show at least a little restraint, so I settled for two small sheep bowls and one large sheep mug. But one day I fully intend to round out this sheep-dishware collection. I especially want one of these Everyday Plate Sheep.

I was gifted a bottle of this, went through it in a flash, and had to go back for more. It’s definitely pricey for soy sauce and certainly not as convenient as just grabbing some Kikkoman off the shelf at the grocery store. But it’s more than worth it — it has an amazingly deep, complex flavor and instantly elevates whatever dish I use it in, from silken tofu to marinated cucumbers to fried rice.

My friend — who is a pigeon fanatic — had a birthday this month, so I picked up this cute windup toy for them. For just six bucks, the delight-to-price ratio is very high.

Ahead of my trip, I repurchased this two-in-one Anker wall charger and power bank after tragically losing my original one on a big night out a couple months ago. I had been completely adrift without it and am thrilled to be powered up once more.

I work from home a lot, so when Adanola sent me some samples a couple months ago, I started incorporating its comfy pieces into my WFH wardrobe. The yoga pants were a standout. They’re as soft as butter, have a comfy wrap-around waist, and are admittedly very flattering all around. I’m not usually an athleisure girl, but I so prefer working in a pair of the company’s yoga pants that I just recently bought myself a second pair so I’m not bereft when the first pair is in the wash.

[Editor’s note: Rachael’s black yoga pants are currently out of stock, but you can still buy them in navy and coffee.]

Earlier this month, I went to Athens for vacation and happened to be staying across the street from a very charming jewelry store called Hermina. As soon as I saw the shop, which was decorated with dried coral outside and had lots of baroque pearls and yellowish 24K gold-plated pieces inside, I knew I would be buying something there. I left with this charm, a chain for it, and a signet ring. Vacation shopping, baby!

[Editor’s note: Hermina Athens lists all prices in euros, so the price shown is an approximate conversion in U.S. dollars.]

Another souvenir: a miniature shell-encrusted trinket box. I found this one at a floating shop on a boat outside the medieval city of Rhodes. The entire boat was filled with shell-encrusted boxes, trivets, compacts, and coasters. You name it and it was there covered in shells. I bought a little box similar to this one and a big shell trivet, which both remind me of antique sailor’s valentines but for one-thousandth of the price.

I’m currently training for the Chicago Marathon, which means most of my mornings are dedicated to hot and sweaty runs. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but two weeks ago my impossibly sweaty 14-mile run left me with the worst chafing of my life. (It literally wrapped around my entire waistline.) With no end to this heat and humidity in sight and 11 weeks of training to go, this painful experience finally inspired me to buy some chafe balm, and I’m never going back! It’s helped heal my wound, and I thankfully haven’t experienced anything close to that sensation since.

I think Ikea is the best place to get actually-good-smelling candles that are also affordable. This month, I got a few of these candles that are supposed to smell like a Scandinavian forest. Its woodsy, citrusy notes remind me of Norden’s Ojai candle — one of my favorites — and while the Ikea candle is more subtle, they both smell surprisingly similar. I think I found a dupe!

I finally finished the over-one-gallon jug of this bodywash a little more than four years after I got it, and I still love it enough that I’ve committed myself to another four years of it. That’s really saying something, since I was previously the type who always had a queue of different bath products going. My 8-year-old loves this bodywash, too.

I’ve been using a few Living Libations products since spring and had been looking for an excuse to try some more, so when I saw the brand was having a sale, I picked up another face oil and this little acne ointment. I was hoping (and yet also skeptical) it would do something about some hormonal cystic acne that has been plaguing me a year-plus postpartum and have been pretty impressed by how much more effective this has been than the usual OTC treatments and pimple patches I’d been trying. It is pretty intense-smelling: My husband says it makes me smell like an herbalist or apothecary, but I’m taking that as a compliment.

I’ve wanted to try products from Frédéric Fekkai’s brand for a while now, so when I saw this on sale during Prime Day, I decided to go for it. I went for this sulfate-free shampoo made for color-treated hair. I’m not a natural blonde, and I get regular highlights to cover my darker roots. I’m hoping this formula helps to prevent brassiness and color-fading between my appointments. So far, I like that it lathers easily and leaves my hair feeling supersoft after a quick, rough dry. I also appreciate that it doesn’t contain silicones, meaning it doesn’t weigh my hair down.

I love having a big pasta salad in the fridge during the warmer months, and this dressing mix is my absolute favorite. My boyfriend introduced it to me, and now we always have a small stockpile at home. It ties all the mix-ins together, from cucumber and chickpeas to cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls. We also like to add pickles. Club House is a seasonings brand you can find only at grocery stores in Canada, so I was thrilled to find a seller on Amazon. In the past, our Canadian relatives would bring us a handful of packets when they visited. I know it’s a lazy person’s purchase, but I never get sick of this zippy dressing. It tastes like summer.