The Strategist Circular: 10 Things That Wowed Us Last Week

Photo Illustration: Strategist; Photos: Retailers

We write about hundreds of products every week. Here, in our version of the Sunday newsletter, we’ve rounded up a few of our latest favorites: expert-recommended must-haves, life-changing things you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gadgets, and the great deals we’ve discovered while scouring the vast online shopping universe—including an incredibly firm mattress one writer found in Taiwan, Peanuts doormat, which you can still order in time for Halloween and the launch of the coveted Lenox Spice Village expansion.

You might have a foam roller, but have you tried massaging your muscles with lacrosse balls? Well, Jason Stewart does the same thing with those tiny, hard rubber balls. “If you’ve had a long, stressful day, you can put a yoga mat on the ground and just lie on it on your butt, on your ribs, on your side, on your chest — anything,” Stewart explains, adding that you can also stand on the ball to release tension in the bottom of your feet. “They also do smaller balls, like an inch high or whatever. They probably get to the dark and sinister places in your body.”

Dawn Super, who was diagnosed with narcolepsy at age 11, often sleeps in the car. The autoimmune disease causes excessive daytime sleepiness, making it nearly impossible for Super to sleep for more than six hours straight. When Is at home, she sometimes uses this weighted sleep mask we wrote about earlier. “Especially if you’re hallucinating, you automatically want to open your eyes. So putting gentle pressure on your eyelids helps you relax that response,” Super says.

When Lisa Cheng Smith was a teenager, her mother sent her to Taiwan to attend a cultural camp for Taiwanese expat children. When she got there, Smith remembers noticing a firm slab that was supposed to be her mattress. After sleeping through the best, cool, comfortable, and firm night of sleep, Smith longed for that particular bed until she discovered Sleepy Tofu, a direct-to-consumer mattress company in Taiwan that “realized that the Taiwanese diaspora in the U.S. wasn’t getting that pamperingly ascetic sleep,” she writes. The hybrid mattresses are 11 inches thick and feature pocket springs and a 2.36-inch-high layer of polymer foam (both made in Taiwan). Graphite is also added to the foam to help keep things cool. “This mattress is joyfully firm,” Smith explains. “Firmer than a mattress company that makes mattresses for Western customers would dare to make.”

Editor’s note: The next order deadline is September 23, with delivery in January 2025. If you need a firmer mattress in the meantime, you can find some of our favorites Here.

When we spoke with fashion designer LaQuan Smith, he told us that burning incense is a ritual for him from a “spiritual perspective.” Whenever he walks into a new office or comes home from a hard day at work, Smith says it’s nice to clear the air with this earthy incense. “I love being able to reset my energy and gain a new perspective,” he says. “It gives me peace of mind and a clear heart.”

In the new issue of Strategist Brain, we hear from our sleep writer Amelia Jerden, who spent “a fair amount of time” reviewing the Vermont Country Store’s section on Peanuts merch. “I definitely won’t overcome the accusations of Gen-Z overuse of Snoopy, but I’ve stayed strong and haven’t bought anything (partially because I’ve already used a few of the packaging cubes from the latest Peanuts Baggu collection),” Jerden says. “Seasonal products like this Halloween doormat are especially fun.”

If you’re a fan of frozen margaritas, you’ll be happy to know that the Ninja Slushi debuted this year. Strategist contributor Margaret Eby, who managed to get her hands on the often-sold-out device, says it’s a home frozen drink dispenser that can make slushies, milkshakes, and frozen cocktails. “I don’t want to overstate it, but it’s made all my drink dreams come true,” Eby says. The Slushi is also easy to use: Just mix your drink, pour it into the machine’s reservoir, and press the appropriate button. In about 30 minutes, your drink turns into a slush and stays that way for up to 12 hours.

Photo Illustration: Strategist; Photo: Retailer

Last week Strategist Beauty Briefour writer Arielle Avila reviews Kulfi’s latest lip gloss, which promises both hydration and longevity. Two months in, Avila says she keeps reaching for Lassi Lips because it makes her lips look glossier and fuller after just one swipe. The formula holds up all day, too: She wore it to a very sweaty Pilates class and says her lips still had a healthy, subtle shine. “It felt like I had nothing on—no stickiness, no spidery lines around my lips,” she adds.

Most endurance athletes know that energy gels are a very efficient way to fuel your body, as they provide fast-absorbing carbohydrates in small, pocket-friendly packets. In our guide to the best gels, Maurten is our top pick because its jelly-like consistency is easy to swallow, even without water or a sports drink. And if you’re still not convinced, Hector Santana, founder of the NYC Dragons running team, credits Maurten gels with helping him shave 90 seconds off his half-marathon time.

Your trusty kitchen tongs can be used for cooking, serving, plating, and more. In our roundup of the best OXO 12-inch tongs, we named them our top pick in this category because their length makes them super versatile and the most comfortable to hold. “I’ve had them for years,” says Jason Goldstein, founder of ChopHappy. “They’re incredibly durable, dishwasher safe, and you can use them for so many different tasks.”

The latest installment of Don’t DillyDally features Kacey Musgraves’ collaboration with Reformation, the 2025 Girl of the Year, and the second edition of Spice Village Lenox, which was discontinued in 1993. The full set includes 24 small porcelain houses for $285, or you can buy sets of six for $72. The sets are currently available for pre-order and will ship in September 2025.

Strategist is designed to provide helpful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Each product is independently selected by our team of editors, which you can read about HereWe update links when possible, but please note that offers may expire and all prices are subject to change.