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May 29, 2023

Strategist Best Bets: August 14, 2023

13 items in this article 4 items on sale! 13 items in this article 4 items on sale! An all-over-the-place assortment of stood-behind products culled from this very website that appear in the August 14

13 items in this article 4 items on sale!

13 items in this article 4 items on sale!

An all-over-the-place assortment of stood-behind products culled from this very website that appear in the August 14 issue of New York Magazine.

There are few appealing options for hauling a day’s worth of gear out into the sand. Wearing a chair on your back is exhausting, and there is nothing worse than trying to maneuver a grandma cart and its tiny rollers across the beach. For something that can hold everything and effortlessly glide from boardwalk to shore, there’s MacSports’ All-Terrain Beach Wagon. What sets it apart is its monster-truck-size wheels, which allow it to smoothly move around just about anywhere. Perfect Picnic founder Wendy Weston uses the wagon to transport décor for her outdoor events — the wheels were the selling point, as was the fact that it folds totally flat. It’s also durable; its body is made of steel rather than a flimsy plastic frame. Despite all of this, it’s not wildly heavy — empty, it’s around 20 pounds. And it can hold up to 150, meaning a beach shade, some towels, a tired toddler, and a Komondor fit with ease.

The writers and actors are out there marching in the sweltering sun, and I recently spotted Lupita Nyong’o wearing a surprisingly stylish neck fan. We cross-referenced photos from her Instagram to find this one from Comlife, which seems to be identical. The slender fan has the exact same shape as Nyong’o’s as well as vents along either side to deliver cool air to the neck and shoulders. It’s also, like Nyong’o’s, tapered at the back, making it the perfect shape to perch comfortably between the head and neck. Fully charged, the fan lasts for up to nine hours — ideal for a day of sightseeing, for a jog, or if you’re venturing onto any picket lines yourself. –Rachael Griffiths

When I first tried the Paw Paw sponges, I knew immediately I’d found the perfect dupe for the $20, but highly effective, Beautyblender. In an attempt to find some differences, I did an entire makeup look using each sponge on different sides of my face. When I finished, I saw the result was completely and totally symmetrical, as if I’d used the same sponge on both sides. I tried hard to find what set them apart, and after a few weeks of obsessive testing, I deduced that the Paw Paw sponge is ever so slightly more pillowy and soft, which is actually preferable for base makeup — I feel it buffs the product out more seamlessly when it’s gently pressed into the skin. The one big difference between the Beautyblender and its competitor: The Paw Paw sponge is a fraction of the price. –Rio Viera-Newton

While I saw a lot of Selkirk paddles at Central Park’s Wollman Rink (Selkirk is the official sponsor of CityPickle), as well as some from Joola and Holbrook that people told me they ordered on Amazon, I noticed more Head paddles than anything else. To be specific, I spotted six, including four of the Extreme Elite Fiberglass Paddle. It’s lightweight, designed for an intermediate player, and gets great reviews for its control and high-end feel. It’s also $30 cheaper than even the least expensive Selkirk paddle. –Liza Corsillo

“This is hands down my holy-grail product for a quick touch-up on- and off-camera. It’s great for when I’m on the go, especially at the airport, because I want to make sure I’m looking good while I travel. This keeps my skin looking fresh. Sometimes I’ll use a little bit before I DJ. Nothing too much, obviously — just a little for some extra coverage.”

“Steven Spielberg introduced me to these pencils. When we were working on West Side Story, we would have these long meetings about how to stage the numbers. Whenever Steven got an idea, he would pick one up and start sketching something out. I started using them myself. They glide beautifully. It’s a pristine pencil for taking notes, making sketches, and creating storyboards or choreographic patterns.”

“My mom gave this to me. It not only feels warm, it can actually help speed up recovery. Maybe don’t take my word for it — I think it’s probably a ‘Consult your doctor’ kind of thing — but from personal experience, when my lower back is hurting or I have cramps, I’ll just sleep with it by my stomach or my lower back and I’ll feel better.”

Scrolling through Instagram a few months ago, I stopped cold on a photo Laila Gohar had posted of her Upper West Side apartment. A dark-wood- paneled room with intricately coffered ceilings was carpeted wall-to-wall in a blood red that reminded me of a Dario Argento movie. Around the same time, I noticed bright-red carpeting — with matching drapery — in a room in the Los Angeles home of Daphne Javitch and Pali Xisto Cornelsen. I also saw red rugs popping up in other stylish people’s houses. CAP Beauty co-founder and CEO Kerrilynn Pamer had a more burnt-red area rug covering the living room of her mid-century L.A. home, as did interior designer Madelynn Furlong Hudson. (It turns out both Pamer and Hudson own the same rug: Nordic Knots’ Grand, a handloomed, cut-pile rug in brick red.) When asked about the burgeoning trend, Cornelsen said, “You can’t do anything wrong with red.” –Lauren Ro

While on vacation in Tokyo, a particular bag caught my eye. At first, I saw it on the shoulder of a woman in a Harajuku matcha café. Then I saw it on three separate people in the same queue for some fresh sushi at the Tsukiji fish market. Smaller than a tote bag, it has a drawstring closing that gives it a nice ruched, floppy shape. I went into overdrive attempting to sniff out where it was from and found my answer on the racks of the towering Uniqlo opposite Ueno Station. It’s called the Uniqlo U Drawstring Shoulder Bag, and it’s sort of a de facto elder sister of the Round Mini Shoulder Bag that has been trending since spring. In the three months since I spied the bag in Tokyo, I’ve noticed it on several dance floors. I saw it in the smoking area at one of South London’s Printworks raves: The girl I spotted it on made full use of the drawstring closure, meaning her bag had shrunk down just enough to let her weave through the crowd. Then, in a gay bar in Dalston, on a friend of a friend visiting from New York. It has been out of stock since May, and though part of me is loath to make this Uniqlo bag as popular as its smaller sister, I feel obliged to inform you that the Drawstring is finally available to purchase again. –Rachael Griffiths

Hard and soft coolers at every price point. –Katherine Gillespie

Hard, under $100.

Hard, over $100.

Soft, under $100.

Soft, over $100.

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