Welcome to the Strategist!

One of my favorite perks of being editor of the Strategist is having a direct line to a team of obsessive shoppers whose full-time job is interviewing experts, trying new products, and making thoughtful, tasteful, and actually useful product recommendations. I trust no one more to help me figure out what to buy than my own colleagues — whether I’m wondering if I need to add vitamin-C to my skincare routine, or if I should replace my cotton bedsheets with linen ones, or if Adidas Sambas are played out. (If you’re curious, the answer to those three questions are yes, yes, and yes.)

And as a subscriber to this newsletter, you too will get the inside scoop from our writers and editors. We’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we test products and make decisions about what’s worth it and what’s not, and you’ll get to know each of our writers and editors a little better. We’ll pass along the stuff we love, use regularly, and fully believe in, as well as the things that surprise and delight us. You’ll also get exclusive discounts and newsletter-only recommendations that won’t appear on the site. And if you’re like me and have countless shopping conundrums that are keeping you up at night, you can email us at [email protected] — we might answer your question in a future send.

Until then, I’ve picked a handful of my favorite articles from the last year to give you a sense of what we’re all about — starting with the Strategist 100. It’s a greatest-hits collection of our favorite things that have ever appeared on our site, and the best place to start if you want a lay of the land.

Maxine Builder
Editor, The Strategist