You may have noticed some posts from our friends at the Strategist on the Cut. They’ll be dropping in every now and again, sharing their expertise on the basics you don’t have time to research and the weird and wonderful things you don’t yet know you need.
Sales last week were lacking in the beauty department, so I’m making up for that this week. I spent several hours perusing Amazon’s Holiday Beauty Haul, which started on Monday, to find all the discounts actually worth shopping. There were plenty of duds to sift through, but among the gems I found were a cystic-acne-clearing face wash, Rio’s favorite nail-strengthening polish, and the cologne that Smokey Robinson has been wearing for 20 years, just to name a few. On the clean-beauty front, Credo’s best sale of the year, where absolutely everything is 20 percent off, went live yesterday. If you need a cheat sheet, writer Arielle Avila put together a guide on how to shop the Credo sale here.
As for other sales, I found some nice puffers at Nordstrom, and Wrangler is offering 30 percent off all its coats this weekend. If you’re after less-bulky layers, I recommend Rag & Bone’s quite good warehouse sale, with up to 80 percent off blazers, jeans, shoes, and more. And two brands that are nearly always having sales but are nearly always worth checking out: Gap is taking 40 percent off everything for its Friends & Family Sale, and Brooklinen is offering 20 percent off sitewide for its Friends & Family Sale.
As always, make sure to sign up for the new Strategist Sales Alert newsletter to receive each day’s best deals in your inbox. And if you want even more deals, sign up for our regular email newsletter, which includes deals just for newsletter subscribers.
This lovely poplin pajama top is just $19. It comes in five more shades, all of them striped.
I’m considering this pair of slightly stretchy jeans from Mya Gelber’s hunt for the best dark-wash denim.
More pants on sale: This half-off pair from Gramicci features the brand’s telltale belt.
For a navy pair that’s more office appropriate, I found these chinos for $80 at Rag & Bone’s warehouse sale, which is actually very good — up to 80 percent off shirts, pants, shoes, and more.
The best deals in the women’s section of the sale are definitely the basics, like this cotton-blend tee.
A cashmere beanie for $60 is quite a good deal. Would make a great gift!
I found quite a lot of coats on sale today. First up, Wrangler’s coats are 30 percent off this weekend with the code WARMUP. A safe (and warm) bet is this sherpa-lined denim jacket.
This brown corduroy version is also a classic.
At Saks Off 5th, orders over $150 get an extra 25 percent off with the code SAVINGS, making this knee-length puffer coat a very reasonable $120.
This is a really good deal on a Save the Duck coat, which is somehow still in stock in all sizes.
And here’s an option that’s less heavy-duty — and comes in a rainbow of colors!
Baggu’s Strategist-approved fanny pack is on sale in select colors at both Urban Outfitters and Ban.do, but I particularly like this deep-royal-blue shade.
Joanna Goddard can’t live without Le Bon Shoppe’s Boyfriend socks, which she says are the perfect thickness for sneakers. They’re on sale in four colors.
Amazon’s Holiday Beauty Haul is full of tried-and-true Strategist products, like beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton’s trusted Dior Nail Glow dupe, which I haven’t seen on sale in a while.
Billie makes our best razor for sensitive skin. And right now, when you buy this shave kit, you’ll get double the razors you would in the starter kit for just $2 more.
A big ol’ stick of Aquaphor for treating eczema and other flakiness.
“I use this every day,” says writer Erin Schwartz. “It’s the simplest, cheapest first line of defense against acne (I also use a prescription retinol), something I have been dealing with along my jawline since increasing my testosterone dose.”
Klorane’s reader-favorite dry shampoo is especially good for oily hair because the oat milk in the formula acts as an astringent to soak up all that extra grease.
Several Maria Nila products are 20 percent off at Nordstrom. If you have curly or high-porosity hair, hairstylist Diane Da Costa recommends its Structure Repair line. It contains algae extract, which helps strengthen and repair hair.
Shannon King, owner and education director at Hair & Co BKLYN, reaches for True Soft shampoo when working with dry, wavy hair. He says it’s his “absolute favorite” for defining curls.
Dyson’s covetable hair straightener is $100 when you buy it in copper.
Former associate editor Louis Cheslaw first heard about this R+Co styling paste from barber Mark Miguez. “The gentle hold lasts all day without being sticky or hard,” Cheslaw reports. “I can even run my hand through my hair without messing up the style, and it all wears off by the end of the day, so I can go to bed au naturel.”
Reuzel makes our best overall mustache wax, so I’m sure its hair pomades are just as good.
A four-ounce bottle of the cologne that Smokey Robinson has been wearing for 20 years is over 40 percent off.
Everything at clean-beauty retailer Credo is 20 percent off, which is the best deal it has offered all year. I’m thinking of finally getting Ilia’s skin tint, which is always a best seller with Strategist readers. For more of our picks, writer Arielle Avila put together a guide on how to shop the Credo sale here.
Moisturize like LeVar Burton and Emma Roberts with this seaweed-infused body oil from Osea.
Yeti’s entire Agave Teal collection is 20 percent off through October 28. One of our favorite products from the brand, its 30-ounce tumbler, isn’t in stock on the website, but I did find it for the same price at REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The color looks really good on Yeti’s ultralightweight water bottle, too.
This weekend, select items at Areaware are 30 percent off with the code COZY30. I have a few of these delightful chubby candles and highly recommend.
Everything at Schoolhouse (including sale items) is 20 percent off right now, so perhaps it’s time for me to buy this table runner I’ve been contemplating for weeks.
Brooklinen’s Friends & Family Sale is back again. Everything is 20 percent off — including in the sale section, where I found this stripy quilt for over half off.
The matching shams are also calling my name.
Soon, flannel sheets will be an absolute necessity, so might as well buy them on sale.
There aren’t as many color options as Brooklinen, but Parachute is offering 50 percent off its (recently launched) flannel bedding, which is an unheard-of deal for the brand.
“This owl-shaped baby soother plays two melodies (Brahms’s “Lullaby” and “Sunrise Lullaby”) and two nature sounds (waves and rainforest) and is only $10.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
