4 things we loved in October |
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| NYT Wirecutter |
Wirecutter’s journalists spent last month trotting around in Mary Janes, loafers, and mules to find the very best flats — and occasionally matched them with some really cute socks, too. We crowned the best bar soaps that pamper and please. And we published an ambitious series all about how to thrift (actually) great furniture, clothes, and tableware.
And per usual, we, your newsletters editors, were inspired to add a few things to our carts. Below, our month’s single biggest game-changers:
I finally caved and replaced my almost 6-year-old phone with the new iPhone 17, and I gotta say, I’m loving it. Besides the obvious improvement to battery life (it lasts all day now), I’m shocked by the noticeable difference in photo quality, especially of my black cat, Atlas. Once a void with bright green eyes in most photos, he’s now fully formed in all of them. By the way, if you’re nursing along an older phone like I was, here’s what our experts say you can do to make it last longer.
The newest socks in my rotation — these inexpensive, unfussy ones from Big Bud Press — are also the ones I’ve been reaching for the most this past month. They stay breathable all day, even when the forecast jumps from the mid-40s to the 70s. And I’ve found the lovely garment-dyed hues are extremely versatile when pairing with outfits. Which is especially important as we find ourselves in prime time for, as my colleague Frances Solá-Santiago puts it, “socking it up.”
The moment I first used Wirecutter’s longtime favorite pepper mill, I understood why we’ve recommended it for no less than a decade. The mill grinds finely and evenly, so all it takes is one turn of the knob to fill my kitchen with a pleasant nose-tingling aroma. It’s one of those small-but-daily upgrades I can’t believe I didn’t make way sooner. Also? It’s a looker: The classic hourglass shape and dark wood looks like a little beacon of elegance on my counter.
I pulled together a last-minute, pretty great (if I do say so myself) Elphaba from Wicked costume last weekend, and our favorite affordable eyeliner pencil was key to my success. Instead of painting my whole body green, I added pops of color to my outfit and makeup, and the Revlon in the color jade was really a cornerstone. The twist-up pencil is self-sharpening, so the application was pretty seamless, and I can confirm the color lasted through hours of tearing up the dance floor.
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Plus: Our 100 most popular picks of October |
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| NYT Wirecutter |
Y’all spent the month of October in prep mode: getting ahead of the holiday season with some great Advent calendars and hunkering down for cold weather with wardrobe upgrades and cozy blankets galore.
What Wirecutter readers loved the most last month→
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One last thing: Atlas, in all his crystal-clear, iPhone 17 glory |
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| Isoke Samuel/NYT Wirecutter |
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