Updated daily, the Buy section is a deep directory of stuff we love. From this collection we organize Gift Guides for the holiday season and special occasions all year long.
For anyone with a burgeoning vinyl collection, it can be hard to know what the next step should be when filling in the gaps. With Vinyl Me, Please, a team of music lovers makes that decision for you—with special editions of contemporary classic’s like The Fugees’ self-titled masterpiece and Beck’s Odelay being recent examples. In addition to the record, subscribers also get one original art print, a cocktail recipe and access to member-exclusive products in their store. There are three memberships tiers here: a full annual commitment translates to $33 per month, the Three Month plan costs $36 per month, and a month-to-month membership runs for $42 per month. We recommend the Three Month service, as its a valid trial for what Vinyl Me, Please has to offer.
Artist Christina Hart’s card-matching game works like most others: place the cards upside down and flip one by one, until you can memorize a pair. This deck features various types of leaves and is a great way for novice green thumbs to learn how to recognize different plant species. Inside, there are 40 cards: 18 pairs and two bonus cards. Plus, every one was printed in Italy at a 100% solar-powered manufacturer.
Diaspora Co’s customizable trio offers an array of spices packaged in a pint-sized set. For your box, choose one of three from their rotating list. Right now, they’ve made their Pragati turmeric, Aranya pepper, Nandini coriander, Nagauri cumin, Kandhamal black mustard, Baraka cardamom and Sannam chillies available. All of their offerings are made in India and the company aims to foster more equitable and seasonal spice sales.
Founded by twin sisters Corianna and Brianna Dotson, Coco and Breezy makes bold sunglasses and spectacles from high-quality materials. The statement-making MOXI-102 shades provide 100% protection from UV rays within their tinted lenses, and their slightly rounded-square shape is equal parts sophisticated and playful. Available in three colorways, the MOXI frames feature a fully acetate frame and hybrid metal arms with tortoiseshell ends.
Brooklyn-based designer Ellen Van Dusen’s apparel and homeware brand, Dusen Dusen, debuts a striped towel set that includes two bath towels, two hand towels and one washcloth—all in contrasting, bold colors. In fact, each one in the set features a different colorful combination. Made in Portugal from 100% brushed cotton terry, each towel is a luxurious 700 grams per square meter (GSM).
Appearing more scientific than spiritual, Margate, UK-based Haeckels’ incense burner features a brass bottom plate under a lab-like glass flask. Placing the flask onto the plate when an incense cone is lit will amplify the scent and push a puff of smoke up through the neck and out the top. (Doing so will also extinguish the flame, so be certain you’re finished before placing it.) Price is in Pounds.
From experimental Icelandic chocolatiers, Omnom, the Big! Sea Salted Almonds bar utilizes a handful of premium ingredients—organic cane sugar and cocoa beans, cocoa butter, Icelandic milk powder, sea salt, almonds and sunflower lecithin—to deliver larger-than-life flavor. It’s a delectable small-batch, bean-to-bar delicacy, designed and made in Reykjavik. It’s worth exploring the brand’s roster of other items, too.
This annual special edition from Kyoto-based Ippodo Tea (one of our favorite tea shops in Japan) features higher grade green tea leaves than their typical Genmaicha. Obukucha tea is intended to be enjoyed near the new year, celebrating a 1,000-year-old tradition for bringing good fortune and good health.
Trufflin’s Black Truffle Ranch doubles as a dipping sauce and a salad dressing. The NYC-based brand’s consideration for the condiment’s thickness lends it its duality. Plus, the formulators toyed with the percentage of black truffle oil the entire composition should be—in this case it’s olive oil mixed with 1% black truffle concentrate. A blend of herbs and spices contribute to the overall flavor, and a new squeeze-top makes it easy to dole out the right amount. The brand does recommend that the ranch is refrigerated upon arrival and before first use. After it’s opened, it’s safe for consumption for up to 10 days.
Bright Endeavors’ candles are proudly made in Chicago by young mothers enrolled in a paid job training program. (They also receive 100% of the proceeds from each sale.) Available in four distinct scents—Amber + Tonka Bean, Cardamom + Clove, Juniper Berry + Fir and Pomegranate + Champagne—each hand-poured soy candle comes in a minimal glass vessel. Available in four-ounce (20-hour burn time) or 16-ounce (55-hour burn time) iterations, each one is made using phthalate-free fragrance.
From Sonoko Sakai, author of Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors, this curry brick kit includes all of the spices necessary to make three bricks of curry powder at home (for immediate use in any number of recipes or to be saved and stored for later). This blend includes turmeric, cardamom, chili pepper and 14 more flavorful components needed for a nuanced, mild curry. Each of the three curry bricks then translates to 12 servings.
NOTTE Jewelry’s Make You Smile collection—composed of necklaces, bracelets and earrings—was conjured as a response to the current pandemic, with 50% of the proceeds from all sales donated to Food Bank For New York City. Helmed by Jessica Tse, the brand produces playful accessories that combine costume elements with pearls, semi-precious stones and unexpected materials. These Make You Smile Rainbow earrings come as singles (but are also available in pairs) comprising a gold-plated hoop or stud, rainbow smiley face bead and a freshwater pearl.
Inspired by the Dada art movement, Dada Daily purveys everything from home accessories to guilt-free snacks—always intending to challenge the status quo and revel in a little opulence. The brand’s Vegan Milk Chocolate Elderberry Boob Truffles are also free of gluten, dairy and refined sugars. Creamy, decadent and playful, they come in a beautifully designed box of six. Additionally, each purchase results in a donation to the Carriage House Birth scholarship fund.
Made in an edition of 50, record label Ghostly’s collaborative headphones with Kawasaki, Japan-based Phonon emphasize the next-generation audio company’s dynamic, high-quality sound experience. Phonon says that the 4400 model is their most user-friendly—which is foldable and lightweight but powerful. Ghostly’s spooky branding can be found on both ears, too.
Hyperice’s sized-down version of their popular Hypervolt percussion therapy tool, the Hypervolt GO, proves helpful for pre-workout use as well as recovery. It seeks to improve range of motion and flexibility, reduce soreness and tension, and enhance muscle performance. The brand’s GO iteration weighs just 1.5 pounds (roughly 30% of the aforementioned original model) and features a 40-watt motor. Three speeds can tackle varying issues, while two heads offer different types of contact. Plus, the device is TSA-approved for carry-on luggage.
Covered in JCRT’s digitally printed The Hobbit pattern, Mr. Dog’s classic dog bed comes in three sizes made to accommodate dogs from under 45 pounds to 100+ pounds. A shredded latex foam and cotton rag fill ensures that your pup remains cozy, but isn’t swallowed by the bed. Plus, a durable water-repellant coating protects against saturation and microbial growth. Roping around the edges of the 100% non-toxic cotton twill exterior elevates the look. The cover is machine washable, while the insert may be wiped down with a damp cloth.