Latest news with #Thinx
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Health
- Fast Company
The 5 most comfortable heels to wear this summer
Antonia Saint Dunbar, cofounder of the period underwear brand Thinx, loves the way she feels when she's wearing heels. 'It has a divine geometry,' she says. 'It creates a perfect pitch for your body, elongating your leg, creating an anatomical architectural balance.' Saint Dunbar isn't alone: Even as society has become more casual, making sneakers and Birkenstocks acceptable to wear in more situations, many women still love the way they look and feel while wearing heels. But sometimes this means compromising comfort for style. While running Thinx in heels, Saint Dunbar says she often had to scan the room for a place to sit because her feet hurt so much, and took cabs so she wouldn't have to walk. Part of the reason that heels are so uncomfortable is that many early shoe designers were men. They designed heels they believed would make women look attractive, but had no idea how the shoes would feel on the wearers' feet. Today, women aren't willing to compromise on comfort. This is particularly true after the pandemic, Saint Dunbar says. Stuck at home, women stopped wearing heels and turned to more comfortable footwear. Now painful heels feel even more unacceptable. The good news is that there's a new generation of shoe brands focused on designs that make them more comfortable, including Sneex, Nomasei, and Marion Parke. Saint Dunbar herself is among these founders. In 2016, while still running Thinx, she launched Antonia Saint NY, which creates more comfortable heels. She's taken the silhouette of a classic stiletto and added a layer of padding inside to provide better arch support and toe cushioning. She's just relaunched all of her shoes with a slimmer version of the padding to offer the same level of comfort with less bulk. As we head into summer, we've been testing out the most comfortable shoes for everything from weddings to company outings. Here are five we love. Antonia Saint NY This shoe has a 2-inch heel that gives you just enough lift. It's outfitted with an updated padding system called SoftSurround. There is a layer of cushioning within the entire upper, with a special focus on the toes and the back of the heels. There is also a rubberized outsole for better traction. The outer is made of a soft Nappa leather. It's designed to help you get through a full day without any pain. Sézane Gloria Sandals, $215 These strappy sandals offer the vintage aesthetic that Sézane is known for, featuring an elegant circle design. They're versatile, since they can be dressed up or down, looking just as nice with jeans as with more formal summer dresses. With a 2.75-inch heel, they offer height without leaving you with achey legs or calves. Margaux City Sandal, $375 As their name implies, these shoes are designed for pounding the pavement. They feature a 2.5-inch block heel that is very walkable, and crisscross straps that are placed to make your feet feel supported. The insole features foam padding for cushioning. They come in a wide range of colors to match your outfits. Nomasei Baghera, $450 Founded by former shoe designers at Chloe, Nomasei wants to bring comfort to the luxury shoe experience. The brand's Baghera sandals are meant to provide all the leg-lengthening effects of a high heel, but in a much more comfortable silhouette. They feature a 2.3-inch wide block heel, with an insole made of memory foam, lining made of goat leather, and an outsole made of calf leather. Rothy's Knot Sandal, $189 If you're concerned about the environment, Rothy's is a good option. The brand was first known for its flats, but it has expanded into new silhouettes, including heels. These sandals are made of eight ocean-bound plastic bottles that have been recycled into a knot material. With a 2-inch block heel and a plush footbed, they're designed to be worn all day. And as a bonus, they're machine washable, which extends their life.
Harvard Business Review
09-04-2025
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Bringing Innovation to an Underserved Market
HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy —case studies and conversations with the world's top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business. The taboo around menstruation made it hard to innovate in the feminine hygiene market. It also made marketing these products difficult. But feminine hygiene brand Thinx turned that taboo into a strategic advantage with provocative marketing that generated buzz around their innovative product:. Harvard Business School Professor Rembrand Koning wrote a case about the brand's innovation and marketing strategies titled, 'Thinx, Inc. Breaking Barriers in Feminine Care.' He talked about it with Brian Kenny on Cold Call in 2021. BRIAN KENNY: Thinx is a really interesting study in innovation by a female entrepreneur. Can you start by telling us what your cold call is when you walk into the classroom? REMBRAND KONING: So the cold call for this one's fun. You walk into the classroom, look around, you've got 90 students there. And I generally like to lock eyes with a man in the class. Because this can be a little awkward to talk about. People are a little nervous. No matter your gender orientation, it can be something that's difficult. And I'll look at them and I'll say, 'Historically, why has there been so little innovation in the feminine hygiene market?' In general, the response I get, is a little bit of white comes over the face, you see the sweat bead come down the forehead. And a stutter. And they say, 'Well, there's tampons and there's pads.' And I pause and say, 'Hey, everyone, this subject can be hard to talk about,' and get a laugh out of the room, step back and say, 'I myself, don't have a lot of experience with it personally, but I've learned a lot from the case we are going to learn from the discussion.' And then we opened it up from there and explore exactly how taboos have really shaped the economics of this industry. I think we think of taboos and social norms, as something that sociologists study or something that's important for social movements. But it shapes a lot of economic action. And I think there's no better case than the feminine hygiene market. Where it's really shaped things like switching costs, right? If nobody wants to talk about it, it's very hard to learn about what the other options are. As you mentioned, there were no television ads until the 1970s. How are you going to get consumers to switch and do innovations and tell them about the innovations? And then a bunch of other factors start playing a role too. So you look at who runs companies like Procter & Gamble, it tends to be men. And so, are they just more likely to overlook the problem, maybe dismiss it? Perhaps. You think about entrepreneurs entering, we know female entrepreneurs were likely to see these problems, they have the experience, notice them, maybe less likely to overlook them. They have a hard time raising capital because essentially all venture capitalists are men up to the last decade. And so there's all these forces that compound, revolving around this idea of the social norms and the uncomfortableness that lead to a market where people are really sticky in their purchase patterns. You don't get a lot of innovation coming in. And you don't get much competition. And for companies like Kimberly-Clark or Procter & Gamble, it's an amazing place to be. I mean, their margins are like 50% on these products. It's a really big market. Something like a quarter of the world's population is your customer. It's a great place to be. And so that's where we start the conversation for the Thinx case. BRIAN KENNY: That's awesome. That's a great way to start it. So how did you hear about Thinx? How did you decide to write this case? How does it relate to the things you think about as a scholar? REMBRAND KONING: This one came from me looking around and being interested in how diversity impacts strategy. When we think strategy, we normally don't think diversity. We're like, 'Oh, that's something for organizational behavior or people studying HR.' And my contention, that's not the case. A lack of diversity isn't just a problem for who works at your firm, it's a problem for the strategies you develop. And in particular, for the products that end up in markets. So if we don't have women, if we don't have African-Americans inventing. They're often the people who are most likely to see opportunities to invent for people like themselves. And so I was looking for a case along this. And one of the coauthors on the case, Elie, had a friend who had gone to HBS, Maria Molland, who took over as the CEO of Thinx. And so we got connected to them and it just seemed like this amazing roller coaster of a story. We could probably do three or four classes just unpacking this case. And so that's where it really came from was, how can we take this idea of diversity, and explore it in the context of strategic decision making in terms of marketing, places where sometimes it gets overlooked. BRIAN KENNY: And we're going to talk more about Maria Molland, she's the protagonist in the case. So some great insights into her leadership and what she's been doing since she went to Thinx. And I should say for our listeners, by the way, Thinx is spelled T-H-I-N-X, even though it sounds like thinks, with a K-S. So let's talk a little bit… We've already teased a little bit about the size of the industry. 35 billion globally. You mentioned a third of the world is your potential customer base. Who are the big players in this space? And what does the market landscape look like? REMBRAND KONING: The market landscape is highly concentrated. So these are classic consumer goods. You've got your big players, your Proctors & Gambles, your Johnsons & Johnsons, your Kimberly-Clarks. And then a lot of really tiny firms. So it's super highly concentrated. And the way these firms compete is brilliant. It's not competing by trying to lower prices or out innovate the other person. It's a little bit about marketing. And in a lot of cases, it's a little bit about just getting your product on the shelf at a Target or at a Walmart or at a CVS. And people are going to come in, they're going to buy it. Historically, it's something people have felt awkward about buying, so they want to just pick the one on the shelf, put it in their bag, get out of the store as quickly as possible. There's some great history around this one. When pads were first invented, you'd go into the store in the 19th century, you wouldn't even say the name of the product. You'd walk in if you were a woman, you'd put your money in the slot, they would hand it under in a secret bag. And you'd walk out as if the transaction never happened. So that's the history that you're facing. And what these companies, right? Brilliantly from a business perspective, I'm not so sure from a societal perspective, right? Is that they were able to take the fact that when nobody wants to talk about something it's very hard to compete, it's very hard to steal customer share. And so they've been in this very happy equilibrium for a number of decades, up to around 2010, right? Printing money, not really have to worry about it. Doing minor process improvements, but nothing fundamentally disruptive. BRIAN KENNY: So I was going to ask if there's brand loyalty, but it doesn't sound like it's brand loyalty, as much as it's just too much trouble to change brands. I mean, you start with something and I would have guessed it's generational too. Moms recommend something to their daughters and so on. Is that safe to say? REMBRAND KONING: That's what, from talking to Thinx who comes in and starts innovating, that was the research that they did. Is that mom passes it down to daughter. There's a conversation that happens. And then the conversation never happens again. And so you stick with that brand you know. And to be clear, there are real risks of potentially trying new products. As soon as you get something that you trust and you know works, there's a lot of reticence to switch to a new products. BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. And the case does a good job of describing some of the dire consequences of this taboo, right? Because it's one thing to have it be kept on the down low in the transaction in the store, but there are some real serious implications in some cultures about the taboos surrounding menstruation. Can you talk a little bit about that? REMBRAND KONING: Oh, yeah. I mean, so if you look in India, for example, you see as soon as women start menstruating, what you find is that, they're 12, 13 years old, they're much more likely to stop going to school. They miss days of school, they'll just drop out of school. You see similar patterns in parts of West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. And you end up with the taboo fundamentally shaping people's opportunity even to go outside the home or get an education. So those are the most extreme cases that we see around the world. So this isn't just an issue of, 'I feel a little bit embarrassed,' but in a lot of cases, changes people's opportunity in life. And so, that's something that I think is lurking in the background here, when we think about these norms and taboos shaping the market. BRIAN KENNY: We're going to get to Thinx in a minute, but before we do that, I wonder if you could talk a little bit about the lack of innovation for decades, centuries, I don't know how long. It hasn't changed a whole lot going back for many, many years. Why is that? REMBRAND KONING: Yes. So, you see an explosion of innovation in the early 20th century. A combination of women's rights, changes in material science and technology, so you get more absorbent pads invented in the early late 19th century, really the early 20th century. The tampon comes on the scene out of innovations where nurses were treating wounds during both world wars. They see this super absorbent material, they put two and two together, the tampon gets invented. The big invention is the plastic applicator. After that, and then there's nothing. And I think that goes back to what we were talking about in terms of that cold call. Which is that you couldn't advertise. So if you invented something really cool and new, how do you tell people about it? People are uncomfortable talking about it. So word of mouth isn't going to solve your problem. Further, these firms are making really good money. This is classic innovator's dilemma. If I've got a product that's got 50% margins and people are buying on a monthly basis. And I know that thing is going to sell and get turns in the pharmacies where they're being sold. I have very little incentive to try to disrupt myself. I'm happy sitting on this stream of income that I know is going to be coming into the future. And so you essentially get no innovation for a long time. And then essentially when Thinx gets going in the 2000s, you start seeing an explosion of different products to address these sorts of issues. And suddenly the market becomes a lot more vibrant. BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. So what was the problem that Thinx was trying to solve? What makes them different? And how did they establish themselves in a market that is pretty much dominated by these huge players? REMBRAND KONING: So when you go back to the original founding story of Thinx it was, why are there so few options, a concern about the environment as well. So there's a lot of plastic that comes off tampons. They have to be thrown away. They can be uncomfortable, you have to replace them, you can't wear them for a long time. So the founder comes up with this idea for a period underwear. You can think of it as absorbent material, locked into this underwear, you put it on. You can wear it for a long period of time. It's absorbent. It's comfortable. You can sleep in it. You can move around in it. You can exercise in it. And so has this great idea, Thinx it's going to revolutionize women's empowerment, has trouble raising capital. So where's she go? Well to this new website called Kickstarter at the time. So I believe it's 2013. They go on Kickstarter raises $65,000, uses that to get a prototype of the product, get some funding from the manufacturer in Sri Lanka. And it's off to the races in terms of really intense grassroots interest, particularly in New York City, where they started. And so, they drive that interest by doing something that's super clever. And I think a really nice strategy, a really nice marketing tactic as well. When you're confronting these taboo or uncomfortable industries, is you turn it around and you break that taboo. You break those social norms deliberately to drive interest and show people, in some sense, how absurd they are. So they do this amazing campaign, I actually remember seeing this in the subways in New York City, and the MTA in New York City, the subway agency pulls the ads… And the controversy from the MTA pulling these ads, got them enough free to exposure in newspapers and discussion online that I think they're probably 10X, if not 100X the eyeballs they saw for the amount of money they spent. And so that was a great grace to get to that grassroots movement and show people that we're at the forefront of innovating, of changing the norms in this space. So that there'll be more innovation. So there'll be more entry. They do a similar thing. And this one blew my mind. They go to Selfridges in London, and Selfridges wouldn't let them use the word period in their display in the store. Boom! Gets covered by The London Press. Lots of great interest. Drives that growth. BRIAN KENNY: Let's talk about Maria Molland then. She comes in after Thinx has already been around for a few years. She's stepping into us to a difficult situation because the founder and CEO has left the company under shadowy circumstances. REMBRAND KONING: There's a sexual harassment allegation, things get complicated, the culture's coming off the wheels at the company, the founder leaves and Maria gets to come in. Graduate from Harvard Business School, worked at eBay, worked at Yahoo, has experience in consumer tech. And is really interested in working in women's health. And is a little nervous about coming into this company, it's around 30 some odd people at the time, and trying to right the ship. But decides to take on the challenge and come in as CEO. And there's a lot going on. They've got really strong loyal customers, but a lot of the rest of the company is a mess. There's some amazing talent there, but there's no process. And so she has to come in and work out, how are we going to build a company that can't just be a couple million dollars a year in revenue, but could potentially be half a billion dollars a year in revenue. She wants to grow to the next great consumer product here. And that's the challenge she faces when she enters and takes over things. BRIAN KENNY: So how do you even begin? It sounds daunting to even figure out where to start in a situation like that, where does she place her bets? REMBRAND KONING: So I think she does one thing just to start, that's 100% right and it's any turnaround situation, is like take a deep breath, right? Calm yourself down. And look around at what's working and what's not. And what she found is that they had an amazing product, that people… There was a lot of demand for. They had amazingly loyal customers. But internally, they weren't ready to scale. They had built a company around a purpose, and it was really very focused on changing the world and changing gender norms and thinking about a very liberal view of women's rights. And though she was very much for it and wanted to support these employees, she also knew that if this product was going to make a difference in the world, they couldn't just focus on the message and the purpose internally, they needed to make sure they put routines so that they can actually scale that innovation. Because otherwise the company would end there and you wouldn't see the Thinx product being used in places like Omaha or Canada or Japan. Would only be used in Greenwich Village in Brooklyn. That's not an outcome that really changes the world and makes women across the world better off. So she decides that she's going to really focus on the business needs of the company, along with the larger social purpose of the company. Puts in metrics to incentivize those business needs, makes sure that they're putting in a better cultural routines. Things like maternity leave. You wouldn't think of this, but the company had no maternity leave policy. Which is remarkable, right? Serving women, but it gets lost in the mission because they were so focused on one particular problem. And didn't think about it a little bit more holistically. And really sets up, from a strategic point of view, sets the groundwork so that they can think about how they're going to scale this innovation that they have, scale this product they have. And so it retreats from growth for a year or two, sets up the team, hires some really great talent, and after a year or two was then ready again, to think about how do we actually turn this into… Maintain and even grow our position as the market leader. BRIAN KENNY: The case also describes, if I'm not mistaken, that as she looked across the social purposes that were driving a lot of the company's activities, she had to pull back from some of those. They weren't all consistent with what Thinx needed to focus on. And she lost some people as a result of that. I mean, we're dealing with a millennial generation who cares very much about the purpose-driven aspects of the organizations that they work for. And here people might've signed up for something and then got soured on the fact that a new leader comes in and is turning away from those things. REMBRAND KONING: And I think this is one of the things where going back to this idea that we need diversity in our companies and the markets where we're serving. They were having trouble in terms of their employee base of thinking about how they could extend to the rest of the market. And so they had these two personas that I think is a really helpful way to think about this. Elena is their persona of the young 20 something, works in Brooklyn, probably doesn't have kids and is really excited about trying things like Thinx and other companies. And they do great job of tapping that market. But what they find when they do an analysis is that where their larger market is, is probably what they call Diane. Has two kids, has a high powered job, is thinking about how she might one day pass down her traditions and the product recommendations she has to her daughters. Is also thinking about what would be good for herself and make her life easier. And the issue was the company didn't have a lot of people could speak to that segment. And further, what they found is they were getting a lot of demand actually from places like Texas, or Florida, or Louisiana that are more right-leaning. And they were excited about those products, even if they didn't hold necessarily the same political views as the company. And this created a lot of tension. How do we adjust our message, to keep empowering women at the core, but make sure we aren't alienating people who might hold different sorts of views? And so this is where you get a lot of turnover in the company and they have to do a good job of diversifying who works for their firm and speaking to that broader audience. I think what Maria did here was just really brilliant in terms of saying, 'We can't solve every message and every problem.' When we talk about a strategy, it's as much about what you don't do is what you do. And in her case, she decides this company is going to be about empowering women to deal with their periods. To get the products and the help they need. Sometimes having to focus in terms of what your corporate purpose is, so that you can actually achieve it. BRIAN KENNY: So what is the strategy that they pursue as they move down this path? They've got their personas, they've made a push into retail, and there's been some bumps along the way in that, how does the strategy begin to unfold? REMBRAND KONING: Great question. So they've got this Elena character. She shops online. They've been selling direct to consumer like a Warby Parker or Casper. Everything's going straight to the consumer. They're exploring a little bit popups, physical locations. But what they realize is, where the vast majority of the sales are, where the Dianes are still shopping, are places like Target and Walmart. And so the core question: what channel do you sell through? And how do you sell through these different channels? Do you go on Amazon? Do you go on Target? Are you going to sell a lower price point? It's worth mentioning here that Thinx are more expensive, they're reusable. So over time they can actually be cheaper, but it's just a much more costly, upfront purchase. And so the decision is, for her, do we try to go omni-channel or do we stay focused just on the direct-to-consumer channel? BRIAN KENNY: The cost issue becomes relevant, and a decision has to be made about whether or not they're going to create a lower-cost version of the product. And if so, what does that do to the brand? Does that somehow chip away at the value of the original products? Talk a little bit about that. REMBRAND KONING: Yeah. And so, one of the things you see is that the original entry strategy to this firm was breaking the taboo down, right? Doing these provocative ads, telling people that this is comfortable to talk about, telling people that they can go find these alternatives to tampons and pads, if they're unhappy with what they have. The problem is, as soon as you start educating the customer, you're building a freeway that other competitors, other cars can drive on. You've done all this education telling people it's okay to talk about. But remember there was no innovation. And these companies were making so much money, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark were making so much money, because nobody wanted to talk about it and nobody was switching, right? So that reduced competition. Suddenly, Thinx is coming in and to get their customers they're breaking the taboo. And this is a classic entrepreneurial strategy problem. You've kicked open the door. But now you've got to work out a way to close the door behind you. And so this is where the cost really comes in. Do they stay very high price and premium and demand from a greater brand, or do they think that eventually people are going to be like, 'Oh, there's competitors that look similar. I'm just going to go with the cheaper option.' They're concerned as well, because if they want to compete, not just in the DTC channel, and they want to compete in retail, they need a lot of turns and they need a lot of customers to get people like Target or Walmart or CVS interested. Otherwise they're not going to want to carry these products. And so there's a real tension, that they've done this fantastic job of building out an entry strategy. And now Maria is at this point where she has to think about do we double down on entry strategy, but maybe that caps our growth, or do we shift our strategy to be broader based, maybe lower costs to try to find those cost efficiencies, the competitive advantage from scale, that in the long term would allow us to be the market leader in this space? BRIAN KENNY: So I'm just curious about, does any CEO ever say, 'We're going to stick with the status quo and cap our growth?' I mean, it seems like the answer is always, 'Yeah, we got to grow more.' Is that the wrong answer sometimes? REMBRAND KONING: It can be. I think it's a really interesting thing that comes down to the economics of the market, and it comes down to the ambition of the CEO. And I think one of the things that I often push back on here, is I think when we hear a Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos say, 'I'm going to the moon,' literally to the moon, which I think what they're both trying to do, everyone it's, 'Hey, maybe they shouldn't be that wealthy,' but it's applause for the ambition, right? And as soon as we moved to female CEOs. I see over and over again, we get these questions of, should they be quite so ambitious? Maybe they should stick with the regular strategy, right? And so, one of the things I pushed back here is, I think she's right, that we want to really go for scale here. Maybe there's an argument to stay really niche. But if we look at the history of consumer packaged goods. You need scale. These are things where there are scale economies in production. You need lots of turns in stores. I'll give you an example. That's similar science, like Thinx is at, is Spanx, right? They started niche very high luxury and then moved out to a much broader set of categories. I'm gunning for the big win here. I think the question though is how you do it? Right? Maybe there's a way to expand just on DTC. Maybe retail is the right option. How do you think about this in terms of timing too, is really important. Because you don't want to… If you're making these great margins, how long can you milk that before competition is going to come in and start driving down prices in this market? BRIAN KENNY: One thing we haven't talked about either is they did have an incontinence line of products as well, which with an aging population, globally, you would think that that would be an equally lucrative market to expand in. But it doesn't sound like that was an area that they saw as much promise in. REMBRAND KONING: So the technology is absorbent material. So cleverly, they work out that they could use this for incontinence as well. And exactly like you said, huge growing market, equally taboo to talk about. And they get really good traction initially with it. What they realized is just a little bit more complex to enter that market, particularly in terms of getting eyeballs to buy the product. So if we go back to Elena, who they were selling to initially, they got her through Instagram, they got her through Facebook, they were able to do the ads there. The older population is less likely to be super active on these social media platforms. And so you're talking television ads, people are still uncomfortable with that. And it was harder for them to educate. Because one of the things they do is, when you go through Instagram or when you go through Facebook, it takes them to the Thinx homepage and the page isn't just about selling. It really is about educating. So they have a bunch of tools to explain different sorts of products and what might work for you, to explain how to wash and handle the garment, all this stuff that might be a little bit uncomfortable and there's no one to ask in the store, right? They can educate online. And so without that online channel, they had a hard time gaining a little bit of initial success to scale up beyond that. BRIAN KENNY: So the original funding was a Kickstarter campaign and that worked when they were young and scrappy and trying to get started. Maria is entering at a different phase, but still, can't go it alone. So they do need funding. And this is where Kimberly-Clark comes into the picture. Can you talk a little bit about the dynamic of how she was able to make that happen, and how important it was to their strategy? REMBRAND KONING: Maria decides they need capital to expand. If they want to be this big company, they're going to need money for more advertising, to expand production, to hire a workforce who can really help the company grow. And goes on the road to raise money and ends up really hitting it off with the corporate venture capital arm with Kimberly-Clark. So they're a big incumbent in the space. They see these disruptors coming and they make an investment. Crucially, she makes sure she retains a lot of control over the product that she can compete independently. So they don't shut off that competition channel. But that money is huge. And beyond the money, the partnership is important because it potentially gives access to a whole global distribution network over the long term as they start thinking about scaling up. BRIAN KENNY: And I guess the benefit for Kimberly-Clark in this is that now they've got a foothold into this market as well, and you can be sure that their competitors are all moving down in this direction. I mean, the innovation that Thinx brought to the table is something that I would imagine the incumbents are trying to figure out how do we… REMBRAND KONING: It's something that incumbents have a hard time doing, I was listening to my colleague, Emily Truelove talk with you, Brian, about P&G, trying to do their own internal innovation teams and how difficult that change was. And one way to sidestep the difficulty of trying to change your organization to be more innovative, is to acknowledge that you're really good at being an incumbent. You can do the big media campaigns. You can optimize distribution, you can optimize manufacturing and say, 'Let's outsource,' right? 'Let's have other companies do that innovation and set up a corporate VC arm.' And that's what Kimberly-Clark does here, is they take the opposite model of instead of trying to come up with innovations in house, they're going to make investments in all these new sorts of consumer goods so that they can benefit from these new innovators entering the market. BRIAN KENNY: So can you describe a little bit about what the marketing campaign is and as they enter this mass retail market, how do they again, create a little bit controversy to draw attention to their product? REMBRAND KONING: Maria has got the new team assembled. I think they're roughly 1000 people and this is right before the pandemic hits. And they're considering do we stick to DTC? Do we move into selling through retail? I mean, how are we going to build awareness so that if we do go into the retail channel, that we can really get people interested. So they come up with this provocative ad campaign called MENstruation, M-E-N, all cap locks. And the idea is, what if we lived in a world where men had periods? And I encourage people to go Google these ads, I think they're clever and provocative and really get you to think of what if men had to go through this, how might power dynamics in the world be different? How might we treat menstruation very differently as a society? Fantastic ad, think they're building on all the controversies that come and they're waiting to see, will this ad be effective as the case closes. BRIAN KENNY: I hope there's a B case, because I'd love to hear how those ads play out. REMBRAND KONING: There is a B case. Which is fantastic. I can say, the ads don't go as effectively as you would hope, which is really interesting. There's a silver lining in the pandemic though, that I think is worth mentioning. Is that, they have a lot of troubles as many retailers and companies did, but with everybody being at home, they were more comfortable trying products like Thinx. BRIAN KENNY: Interesting. REMBRAND KONING: If you're not out and about and worried about a leak, you're so bored at home, let's try some new products. They got a surge of interest from that, which is, I think, a really fascinating one to think about how being at home actually allows you to do things that you wouldn't be comfortable to do in public and changes behavior, is fascinating to think about, for a host of different sorts of companies. BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. That's super interesting. REMBRAND KONING: As we move into this more digital mediated world. BRIAN KENNY: Rem, this has been a great conversation. I'll send you off with one last question, which is, if you would like people, our listeners, to remember one thing about this case, what would it be? REMBRAND KONING: I think the one thing they should take away from this case, is that diversity or lack of diversity isn't just a problem for your HR folks. Isn't just a problem internally in your company. It's a problem for innovation. It's a problem for strategy. It's a problem for who benefits from what businesses build, right? Not only do we see labor market bias, but that spills over into product market bias. We see too few innovations aimed at women, at African-Americans, of underrepresented communities of all sorts. And so, as you're thinking about building a strategy moving forward, I think one really exciting place to find opportunity is to see where there's been these biases, where there has been a taboo, where these norms have maybe prevented people from coming up with innovations and innovating for those communities. Because not only can, I think, you build a really successful company, you can do a lot of good in the world at the same time. BRIAN KENNY: Rem Koning, thanks for joining us to talk about Thinx. What a great case. Thanks for writing it. REMBRAND KONING: Thanks for having me, Brian. HANNAH BATES: That Harvard Business School Professor Rembrand Konig in conversation with Brian Kenny on Cold Call . We'll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about business strategy from the Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you're there, be sure to leave us a review. And when you're ready for more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos with the world's top business and management experts, find it all at This episode was produced by Robin Passias, Craig McDonald, and me—Hannah Bates. Curt Nickisch is our editor. Special thanks to Ian Fox, Maureen Hoch, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.
Buzz Feed
26-03-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
The Best Absorbent Underwear For Every Type Of Leak
We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. Be it your period, incontinence, postpartum needs, or just a desire to feel dry, these leakproof undies are here to help. Leakage of any kind ― whether it be from urinary incontinence, sweat, or menstruation ― can impart an uncomfortable feeling and become a source of insecurity. Leakproof underwear, which typically features an enforced gusset and odor-blocking, moisture-wicking filaments, can be a great solution. We've gathered some of the options in the list below, which includes a pair of supportive postpartum briefs with a high waist and a discreet seamless thong. 1. Knix Capable of absorbing about a full tampon's worth of liquid, these cute French cut undies are the perfect backup for light days or if you're worried that an errant sneeze might cause a leak. They're seamless and stylish, so you don't have to sacrifice style or sexiness for comfort and confidence. Get them from Knix for $24 (available in sizes XS–4XL, two absorbency styles and 15 colors). 2. A full-coverage cotton brief Knix These full-coverage bikini briefs are made using an ultra-soft and breathable cotton-spandex blend and feature an extended front-to-back gusset capable of absorbing three tampons' worth of liquid. Get them from Knix for $23 (available in sizes XS–4XL and five colors). 3. An extra-absorbent boy short Knix Great for protection while you sleep, these breathable, four-way-stretch boy shorts have an extended gusset that can absorb up to three tampons' worth of liquid. The gusset is covered in a super soft fabric for a dry and comfortable feel. Get them from Knix for $35 (available in sizes XS–4XL and five colors). 4. A full-coverage panty made with bamboo rayon Amazon This affordable pair of period underwear has over 6,000 five-star ratings and is made using ultra-soft and breathable bamboo fabric. The naturally cooling properties of bamboo rayon help to wick away moisture quickly while the wide, full-coverage gusset offers absorption protection from the entire front to back and can absorb up to two tampons' worth of liquid. The company recommends ordering a size up. Get them from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in sizes XXS–3X and multiple colors and pack sizes). 5. A three-pack of period underwear Amazon The extended gusset on this affordable period underwear is lined with an absorbent waterproof layer that is topped with a layer of 100% cotton. These high-rise panties are lightly absorbent, making them a good option for backup protection, lighter flow days or small bladder leaks. Get a three-pack from Amazon for $23.99 (available in sizes XS–5XL and multiple colors and pack sizes). 6. Thinx This pair of moderate absorbency underwear by Thinx is made with the same breathable and moisture-wicking cotton as most of the brand's panties and can absorb up to 12 tampons' worth of fluid without feeling bulky. These underwear feature a lower-rise fit, a comfort-stretch band and an odor-control fabric layer. Get them from Thinx for $36 (available in sizes XS–4X and five colors). 7. A Lycra and cotton-blend thong Knix This Lycra and cotton-blend thong is good for light leaks, sweat and backup protection while providing discreet and imperceptible wear under clothing. It's free from PFAS and other toxic chemicals and features a quick-dry anti-odor gusset that can absorb up to one teaspoon of liquid. Get it from Knix for $20 (available in sizes XS–4XL and seven colors). 8. Amazon If you prefer disposable leakproof underwear, these maximum absorbency briefs with dual odor control have over 13,500 five-star Amazon ratings and tons of positive reviews. Suitable for postpartum needs or incontinence, they are made with a cotton-enhanced top sheet to help wick away moisture, have a highly absorbent core and promise up to eight hours of leakage protection. Get an 18-pack of size large from Amazon for $13.89.
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Lifestyle
- USA Today
Don't miss the Thinx Anniversary Sale! Get up to 25% off period-proof underwear
— Recommendations are independently chosen by our editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. The Thinx Anniversary Sale is happening now through Tuesday, February 18. If you are over tampons and pads, Thinx period underwear and shorts might just be a game changer for you. Personally, I have a pair of the Thinx Ultra Soft Sleep Shorts and I'm obsessed. Thinx products make it easy to feel more comfortable and at-ease whether you're once again on your period, are new to the world of tampons and haven't quite figured it out yet or experience some surprise leakage every once in a while. During the Thinx Anniversary Sale, you can buy more and save more. You can get up to 25% off best-selling period-proof underwear, sleep shorts and more. Check out our top picks below. How much can you save? You can get 10% off orders of $50 or more, 15% off orders of $100 or more, 20% off orders of $150 or more, 25% off orders of $200 or more during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Thinx Ultra Soft Sleep Shorts, Period Holds up to what 12 regular tampons can hold. Thinx Ultra Soft Sleep Shorts, Period Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Thinx Comfort Stretch Hiphugger, Period Holds up to what 12 regular tampons can hold. Thinx Comfort Stretch Hiphugger, Period Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Thinx Lace Hi-Waist, Bladder Holds up to four tablespoons. Thinx Lace Hi-Waist, Bladder Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Thinx Breathable Hiphugger, Period Holds up to what 12 regular tampons can hold. Thinx Breathable Hiphugger, Period Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Thinx Cotton Overnight Set, Period Holds up to what 12 regular tampons can hold. Thinx Cotton Overnight Set, Period Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Thinx All-Day Bikini, Period for Teens Holds up to what 12 regular tampons can hold. Thinx All-Day Bikini, Period for Teens Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Save up to 25% on period-proof underwear and shorts during the Thinx Anniversary Sale. Shop Thinx today Why do people like Thinx? Eco-friendly choice: Thinx underwear and shorts are reusable and reduce the need for disposable period products, making them a super environmentally friendly option. Thinx underwear and shorts are reusable and reduce the need for disposable period products, making them a super environmentally friendly option. Comfort and confidence: With Thinx, you can feel more confident and secure when you have your period. Thinx products are designed to provide maximum protection and comfort during the day and while you sleep! With Thinx, you can feel more confident and secure when you have your period. Thinx products are designed to provide maximum protection and comfort during the day and while you sleep! Stylish and functional: Thinx underwear is not your grandma's underwear. You can choose from a variety of styles and colors, from hiphuggers and boyshorts to lacy thongs so you can find the perfect pair to match your vibe. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Buzz Feed
05-02-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
Just 55 Products To Try In 2025 That Really And Truly Are Not A Waste Of Money
We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. Shopping · "I recommended it to my aunt, whose house was built in the 1970s, so her tub caulking stains were over 40 years in the making. Worked like witchcraft AGAIN" —reviewer of a mold stain remover you'll wish you had in 2024 1. A dozen Bottle Bright tablets that'll deep clean your thermoses and on-the-go bottles — no scrubbing required. These'll get into all those hard-to-reach spaces and remove *all* the gunk. Promising review:"I seriously can't believe how well these little tablets work. I had the most disgusting HydroFlask coffee mug — I tried everything. Bottle brush, different kinds of soap, vinegar, EVERYTHING, and there was still a seemingly impenetrable layer of black sludge inside. It grossed me out so much that I bought ANOTHER HydroFlask to replace it. Now eventually they both got black inside, so I tried these little magic tablets. I let a tablet sit in each of my mugs for an hour or two, and the black sludge rinsed out COMPLETELY, without even scrubbing. They look brand new. What a magical product. No weird smell or taste afterward, either. I liked it so much I used it on another HydroFlask I use primarily to hold my Bloody Mary mix in the fridge. I couldn't put anything else in it because it would always taste like spicy tomato juice. Bottle Bright to the rescue! No residual smell or taste anymore. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING." — Amazon Customer Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $7.99. 2. A pair of Bambody period undies with a protective leakproof layer and a moisture-wicking bamboo fabric to keep you dry and comfortable, whether you're using them as backup protection or full coverage. (They can hold up to four tampons' worth!) Unlike pricier brands, reviewers love that these feel like "normal" undies and provide more protection. Amazon The leakproof layer is PFA-free also. Promising review: "These are way more comfortable than my Thinx pairs and at a way better price! I love these!" — Kindle Customer Promising review: "These are more comfortable than I expected — the fabric is stretchy and keeps its shape. I own many pairs of more expensive Thinx, and after wearing this pair for a cycle, I think they might be just as good. I have not experimented with how many tablespoons they hold. I love that the absorbent pad reaches all the way back (unlike other brands that stop mid-crack). These are also more sleek than some period panties for heavy days." — Karissa Get a pair from Amazon for $9.99 (available in sizes XXS–2X; check the size chart for measurements). And check out all of Bambody's styles here. 3. CeraVe Retinol Serum that lives up to the CeraVe name and uses *encapsulated* retinol to reduce the appearance of scars and pores without flaking or redness. If you haven't gotten into retinoids yet or are worried about irritating your skin, this gentle but effective serum is a great option — and reviewers say they like it better than other more expensive options (like Murad's Retinol Serum, which retails for $92). And remember, like with any retinol (that actually works) *just do not use it every day.* Start slow and work yourself up if needed, paying attention to your skin. Promising review:"I bought this for my teenager to use for his acne scars, but he ended up not using it. I ran out of my Murad retinol serum, so I gave this a try. I actually like it better than the Murad! It absorbs quickly, with zero smell or irritation. As with any retinol product, be sure to wear sunscreen when you're going to be outside." — C. Munsterman Get it from Amazon for $18.68. 4. An ergonomically-designed detangling brush with cone-shaped bristles that separate tangles by pulling them apart sideways, not tugging them down. Reviewers say it's a miracle worker for everything from thick, coily hair to the finest strands! Promising review:"I always skeptical of products that claim to 'glide through,' but this brush actually works! I have very thick kinky coily hair and this brush passes through my hair easily both wet and dry. I'd recommend this product to anyone looking for a good detangling brush. And yes, I'm leaving my Denman brush for this one." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (available in 10 colors). 5. A self-closing, mess-free toothpaste cap to help cut down on toothpaste waste *and* mess, especially for families with kids ( tbh) who might be a little heavy handed when it comes to squeezing those tubes. Promising review: "I saw these on an Amazon review video on YouTube and figured I'd give them a try because my boyfriend tends to leave the toothpaste bottle a complete mess and I can't stand it! These things have a great seal and give out a good amount of toothpaste when you squeeze it. It wipes clean very easily. So glad they come with more than one but not sure what I'll use the other ones on yet." — Kimberly C. Get a set of three from Amazon for $7.45. 6. A boot and shoe stretching spray, because breaking in those new boots can be a chore and lead to painful blisters. You can skip the discomfort entirely and get right to long walks on crunchy leaves in no time — just spray this magic potion on the inside + outside of your kicks (they work on lots of materials, including leather, suede, nubuck, canvas, and more), wear them with a pair of thiiick socks, and walk around in your shoes until they dry. BuzzFeed Shopping Editor Amanda Davis says:"So, I have about three pairs of shoes that have just been sitting in my closet because while they are sooo so cute, the leather was too tight for my foot to comfortably get inside 'em. Did I return them? Nope. (We all know the hassle of online returns, right?) Instead I bought this shoe stretch spray on a whim. I didn't expect much but WOW! The shoes that took me a minute of struggling to get into fit *perfectly* now!! The process was as simple as could be, too. I just sprayed my shoes (inside and out, heel to toe) like there was no tomorrow, I put on some semi-thick socks (just to ensure I had ample room later), and wore the shoes around my house for about 30–40 minutes. As I was walking around, I could literally feel them begin to loosen up. After about 30 minutes, I took my shoes and thick socks off, and the shoes just ~slide~ on. Easy Peasy. Now I have a new favorite pair of shoes and zero dollars have been wasted. I tried these with a pair of chunky leather loafers, but I can only imagine what they'll do for my pair of Doc Martens — the boots known to take a while to break into. This stuff is a must!" Get it from Amazon for $9.99. 7. The Pink Stuff, a TikTok- (and reviewer-) beloved cleaning product that miracles! Name your mess, and this mildly abrasive paste will take care of business — including but not limited to bathroom tiles, sinks, stove tops, painted walls, grills, and outdoor furniture. A lot of people compare it to the Magic Eraser in paste form, so even your weirdest, most stubborn stains will meet their match. Promising review:"Found this product on TikTok. I don't think I've ever seen value like I do this product! Literally use it on EVERYTHING!! Kids and teens have dirt, grime, and grease on their walls? ...This will make it look like a new paint job. Baseboards need some love? A pea-size amount of this makes them look brand-new. Need a shoe cleaner? PERFECT for sneakers. I could name a million more uses, but I can ASSURE you this is worth every penny. What's more? You need such LITTLE of this product, it will last a VERY long time. Thank you, TikTok!!!" — Rachel in CLT Get it from Amazon for $5.97. 8. A microfiber cloth to remove every single trace of dirt and makeup (even waterproof formulas!) with just water. And the cloths are super soft, so you won't have to resort to harsh scrubbing that can dry out your face. BuzzFeed Promising review:"I will admit I was skeptical, but this works and it works well! I have always hated the way that makeup removers left my skin feeling, plus half of them don't even work the best. I hate scrubbing at my eyes trying to remove eyeliner and mascara with a makeup remover that's getting into my eyes and irritating them and the skin around my eyes without even removing all of the eye makeup. Well, this product solves all problems. It is ridiculously easy to use, just wet it and wipe away your makeup. It actually removes all of my makeup without scrubbing my skin raw or irritating it with chemicals and, best of all, it actually removes ALL of my mascara. This product feels a bit like magic with how easily and softly it wipes away your makeup. If you wear makeup and do not own this product, then what are you doing? Just buy it." — Sophie Get it from Amazon for $16. And if you wear makeup every day and don't want to do laundry as often, you can also get a set of seven Makeup Erasers for $20. 9. Adorable *and* thermal insulated socks that'll actually cure your cold feet. The soft brushed lining is designed to trap heat, so it's no wonder these socks are from a brand called Hot Feet! Amazon Promising review: "These socks are soft, warm and comfy even in sub-freezing temperatures. What more can you ask? I have four pair now and will be sure to always have at least that many, I HATE it when my toes are cold!" — Kittycat Promising review:"Without exaggeration, these socks are life changing. My feet are always cold especially at night, and these are the first socks I've ever found that I can wear to bed comfortably and not need several pairs. I also wear them in my winter boots for added warmth. The only thing I wish was that they were a bit less bulky — I can wear them in my winter boots because I sized up for that reason, but my regular boots are too snug with them." — Jessica Get two pairs from Amazon for $21.99 (available in 18 color packs). 10. A spider and insect catcher that'll keep pests in its clutches without smushing them so you can bring them outside where they belong. Promising review:"I was skeptical when I ordered this, but I have a husband who makes bug splats on my walls and I needed something to stop that. This thing actually works!! I have always been a catch and release person when it comes to indoor bugs but this makes it so much easier. I love it." — Island Gal Get it from Amazon for $22.95+ (available in three colors). 11. A compact Verilux therapy lamp (called the "Happy Light") that casts UV-free, full-spectrum light to mimic the sun's rays. Reviewers with insomnia, seasonal affective disorder, and even those who work in an office that's low on natural light swear by these. It has two brightness levels and two interchangeable lenses (one brighter and one to reduce glare). Either keep it on the detachable stand or mount it on the wall, whichever you prefer! Promising review:"I've suffered from SAD for a numbers of years now, and have been looking for some sort of relief that I could do on my own. Decided to give this a try although I am a natural sceptic. The Happy Light has been the best purchase I've made in years!! Started using it just after DST ended in November and I have to say that I did notice a difference in how I managed seasonal changes emotionally this year. This product worked so well that I purchased a smaller one to use when I'm at the office." — P. Willis Get it from Amazon for $59.99. 12. A Migrastil roll-on stick to help evaporate your migraine pain or tension headache within minutes. Just apply the blend of essential oils (including lavender, spearmint, and peppermint) onto your temples, forehead, and the back of your neck — and POOF! Relief is here. Promising review:"Years ago a massage therapist I went to used a cream at my temples that helped greatly with headaches & nausea. I have tried to find that scent for years. THIS IS IT!! I use it daily on my temples & the back of neck just below my hairline. It helps 100% with the nausea I suffer from meds I take. Many of my headaches I can prevent from going to a migraine by applying again at start of headache. I take so many meds because of autoimmune disease's that I like not having to pop another pill for my headaches. I am the most skeptical person you will find when it comes to homeopathic or oils etc., but this works!!" — DVS Get it from Amazon for $12.95. 13. A neck pillow you can get now and dream about using it in all your future travels. Twist into several different positions so you can get actual rest — without your head bobbing up and down. Amazon Promising review:"Have wanted a travel pillow forever! Took a chance on this. Oh my gosh it's amazing! It forms to my neck and no matter which way I turn my head, I can fall asleep instantly. This is so much better than standard travel pillows. One of my best Amazon purchases to date!" — Lauren Grubb Get it from Amazon for $59.97 (available in 11 colors and four sizes: two for adults and two for kids). This also won our pick for best mid-price travel pillow! 14. An indoor s'mores maker with a flameless electric heater for a properly toasted marshmallow, plus sectioned compartments to keep your other ingredients in order. Campfire who? Amazon Promising review:"I love this S'mores maker! I recently bought s'mores supplies at the store, and wanted to make them without a bonfire... I read online about all of the different s'mores machines and I'm SO happy I chose this one! Right out of the box, it started heating quickly. After it was glowing red, we started toasting marshmallows! I was surprised how brown and toasty it was able to get the marshmallows, and so quickly. After reading some other reviews about the long wait time, I was worried. But in my home, the time to get the marshmallow toasty was just about equivalent to a bonfire (minus the bonfire smell!!). The s'mores do even have that outdoor familiar taste. We love it and will be using it again and again! Great product." — Ashley Schenkel Get it from Amazon for $27.99. 15. Suguru, a self-setting rubber with the power to fix just about anything from dishwashers to iPhone cords. You can fix fraying wires, hang pictures (without a nail), create ergonomic grips on tools, and soooooo much more. It sets strong because it turns into silicone rubber, permanently bonding to almost any surface. It's waterproof (use it to secure a shower caddy!), heat- and cold-resistant (use it to insulate a pot handle!), and electricity-insulating (fix those constantly fraying smartphone cords!). Promising review: " This stuff is AMAZING! It is so easy to use. I recently used it to repair drawers on my 18 year old daughters dresser. It's made from pressed cardboard, and the bottoms of the drawers kept popping out from the bottom because she kept overstuffing them with clothes. I put some moldable glue along the edges where the bottom piece attaches to the drawer, and VOILA! No more problems! I also used it in my dishwasher, (I'm renting a condo temporarily) on the top rack. T he top rack had and end piece missing, and the rack kept coming out every time I went to load the dishwasher. So I put some of the moldable glue on the end, I let it cure overnight, and used it in the morning. It's been great ever since!" — KevinN Promising review:"First off I just wanted to say I love this product, and it is so flexible with all the different things that you could make and do with it. I personally used some on my keys to my house, to make them bigger and easier for me to grip with my carpal tunnel. Honestly, I think this product is a fabulous way to increase accessibility for all sorts of different things in every day life. For example, I was thinking about using some to make a more comfortable grip for one of my pens for when I take notes notes." – JJanss Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $26.35 (available in six sets of colors). 16. A six-inch personal heater that'll get the job done for anyone who's always cold. Why are offices *always* freezing — all! year! long?! Amazon It's only six inches tall but streams out heat up to several feet away! Promising review:"This mini heater is perfect for keeping my desk warm without tripping any breakers. It's super portable, cute, and can fit back in my desk drawer for storage between cold months. My co-worker's giant metal heater can't claim that!" — Dan Get it from Amazon for $16.90+ (available in four colors). 17. An exfoliating First Aid Beauty Bump eraser body scrub reviewers with KP (aka keratosis pilaris) swear by to get rid of those tiny red bumps, without slathering on any additional creams or products — just use in the shower instead of your regular soap. It contains 10% glycolic and lactic acids, and has tiny pumice exfoliants to buff away dead skin for smooooooooooth arms. Promising review:"Amazing product! I've suffered with KP on my arms for 15 years and nothing helped. This product didn't just help, it completely cleared it away! I noticed a big difference after just one use and a month later of using it 2 times a week my arms are smooth and I'm no longer embarrassed of them. I'm so excited! This product has changed my life!" — Sherrie Ruiz Get an eight-ounce tube from Amazon for $28 (also available in smaller and larger sizes). 18. A bottle of Chamberlain's Leather Milk conditioner that'll bring new life to your furniture, shoes, handbags and more. It's like a time machine for dull, scratched, or dried-out leather, is what I'm saying. Promising review:"Had an old ottoman that the leather was just so dried out. Thought about just tossing it but then I researched leather restoring products this was listed as one of the best. As you can see from the photos, the transformation from dried, discolored leather to what is as close to the original luster that was made with just one application is pretty remarkable. And the feel of the leather is soft and supple. No sticky feeling at all. Very satisfied with the results." — Bonnie Get it from Amazon for $34.13 (or try the smaller bottle for $17.28). 19. A Clorox toilet wand with disposable scrubby heads *preloaded* with cleaner so you can clean the whole bowl with one hand — and *one* product. I use these myself and they get the JOB DONE. Promising review:"You ever look at your toilet brush in disgust and resentment? How's a dirty used up brush sitting in your throne room? You clean your bathroom but then you put that sucker down in its place and it's just like, mocking you. It's never truly immaculate. Never knowing true cleanliness. Fear no more. Now you can shine the porcelain throne and not have to worry about a used up toilet brush mocking your clean sparkling bathroom. Gone are the days of breathing in dirty poop particles from the reusable potty cleaning brush thingy. Clorox Toilet Wand is the answer to your prayers if you want an easy, deep cleaning, toss-away-after-you're-done type contraption for that porcelain throne of yours. Fast, cheap, and easy. Just like.... How we like to clean." — Juliana Get the kit (one wand and six scrubbers) from Amazon for $18.99 — and get a 30-pack of scrubber refills from Amazon for $18.52) 20. A bottle of professional-grade callus-removing gel that can dissolve that pesky, hard dead skin in just a few minutes — for real, don't leave it on for more than that. Then just rinse, sand with a pumice stone or rasp, and enjoy those silky-smooth feet! If you love Baby Foot but hate waiting, this is a great option. Promising review:"As many folks have said, have all the things you need (gloves, phone, shower head, etc.) at hand when you apply this freaking miracle. I have heels like a busted can of biscuits, and I don't have much faith in any product. Any trip to the salon is basically worthless for my calluses. So I soaked my feet and dried them. Applied the gel and waited. Rinsed and started using my rasp. I have NEVER seen so much skin come off. And it just kept coming. I rinsed and put lotion on, then slept in thick socks. My feet are so soft! Game changer." — VR Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (also available in a two-pack). 21. Londontown's illuminating nail concealer, a sheer but buildable formula that cancels out yellowing or staining, leaving healthy-looking, glowing nails and a little flush of color, which you can also layer for that glazed nail look that's so on trend! Amazon Promising review:"I'm not a big review writer but I had to write one about this polish! Now, it has only been a few days but so far it has been the best nail polish I have ever used! I was hesitant because it's way more than I have ever spent on a nail polish. But it is so worth it. I don't know why it seems so different but it was easy to apply and looks as good as when I get a manicure. I have never had that when I have done my own nails! So far, I am hooked!" — jenc Get it from Amazon for $20 (available in five shades). Londontown is a woman-owned, family-run business btw! 22. A two-pack of mint-flavored, sensitive skin-friendly teeth-whitening pens you can just brush on and remove those deep-set coffee, tea, and wine stains — without all the hassle of those trays or strips. Just twist the bottom, and paint onto your teeth. Each pen has 20 uses, and you can see how much you've used through the handy transparent tube! Promising review:"I have used so many products before and this is the best so far! I even got a whitening kit from my dentist which is supposed to be very effective but it only burned my gums and the whitening wasn't as fast as this product. I bought this just because it was not expensive and had good reviews but didn't have any hopes it would work because it was a lot more affordable than the Dr's kit that cost me hundreds of dollars. It is very easy to use. It actually works even after first application. It doesn't burn gums. It doesn't make your teeth sensitive." — Melinda Get a two-pack from Amazon for $18.95. 23. A wine-aerating spout that'll help your three-buck chuck breathe and open up, helping the individual flavors and ~nuances~ of the wine be more apparent — even to beginner wine palates. Promising review:"I am not a wine specialist, but I know what I like and buy very good wine at very reasonable prices. I did a taste test to see if I could notice a difference. Sipped some wine out of the bottle left to breathe for a couple of minutes; then some wine poured through the aerator and sipped immediately. The difference is VERY NOTABLE, even to my untrained palate. The wine tasted fresher, smoother, less harsh and more flavorful! I no longer drink reds without using these. And if I forget, I pour the wine back in the bottle and attach the aerator. Another nice feature? There are no wine drops coming down the side of the aerator, so no more risk of dripping onto a tablecloth or a shirt." — J. Long Get a pack of two from Amazon for $15.95 (available in three colors). 25. A pair of produce-saving containers that'll regulate the flow or oxygen and carbon dioxide, keeping fruit, veggies, and greens fresh for 80% longer... and saving you money. BuzzFeed Promising review:"I was skeptical when buying these because I usually prefer glass food storage containers and these are plastic; however, they are a sturdy plastic and work great. I soak my Costco blueberries in white vinegar and water for about 15 minutes, rinse, pat dry, and then store them in these containers. Ten days later, they are still completely fresh — no mold, no smell, no mush. I can finally buy club-size produce without wasting it." — E&N Miranda Get a set of three from Amazon for $26.23 (available in five sizes and sets). Check out our full review of these game-changing containers! 26. Grooming gloves designed with nodules on the fingers and palms to make brushing the excess hair from your cat, dog, or even horse more like petting. Amazon Promising review:"I love these gloves. I have three German shepherds that shed constantly and they do not sit still very well, but with these gloves they feel as if they are being petted and don't mind at all. These gloves easily pick up the loose hair and leave my dogs sleek and shiny. Also it is very easy to just shake the hair off the gloves. You don't have to dig the hair out of the grooves like you do with some brushes. I am so happy to have found these." — Margie Get them from Amazon for $24.99 (available in sizes junior and S–XL and six colors). 27. A window-insulation kit that'll help keep your heating bills down — no more warmth (and money) going out while the drafts come in. Amazon / Promising review: "Holy Moly, this stuff is great. It was super easy to apply. You can see right through it like glass. You barely notice it's there on first glance. And I noticed an immediate difference in temperature. I'm in Boston in a drafty triple decker and my last heating Bill was $250. This is going to save me so much money!" — Stephanie Aquino Get a five-window kit from Amazon for $18.79. 28. Fenty Stunna Lip Paint, a 12-hour liquid lipstick that'll look good on lit'rally everyone! Seriously, just check out the product photos and reviews. Sephora Promising review:"Wow. My new favorite lip color!! I ate three meals today and it stayed completely on all day. It truly is a great color for all skin tones. It's so lightweight when you wear it and also very matte. Would highly recommend!" — Crystal Cas Get it from Sephora for $29 (also available in four other shades). 29. A scent-free, biodegradable odor eliminator for those stinks you didn't think you'd ever smell the end of. It bonds with ~odor molecules~ to get rid of the stink, without leaving any perfume-y smells behind. Dead mice, run-ins with skunks, pet messes, years of cigarette smoke — reviewers have stopped them ALL with this spray. Promising review:"I have seen the commercials for others with claims of removing odors (and tried them too) but I have used this for years and will continue too use it. Zero Odor works where all others have failed. The first time I used it we were clean out an apartment to prepare it for new people and the prior tenants had a strong, offensive odor they left behind. I thought nothing would work and we would have to completely refinish the entire area and that would have cost a fortune, well Zero Odor was a last ditch effort because we had tried about seven or eight other things already, from chemical cleaners (hours of labor) to every type of spray I could find and none of them even put a dent in it, a few masked it for about an hour but that was all they did. I purchased Zero Odor specifically for this problem area, I sprayed everything, walls, floor, ceiling and the closet too. We came back the next day and it was totally free of any odors at al, it was 100% clear and clean. Keep mind the placed smelled so bad before that we had to keep the windows open, well Zero Odor became a part of my cleaning kit from that day on and I will never go without it. This one works, plain and simple. I have no idea how but when everything else failed Zero Odor did it and continues to time after time. Let the others claim whatever they want but this product does exactly what it says with no compromise, not even a hint of the old odor is left behind. No way around this one, it's great stuff." — Stonington Get a pack of three bottle sizes from Amazon for $29.95. 30. A Revlon one-step drying brush with a unique oval-shaped barrel so you can get super close to your scalp for smooth hair and majorly boosted volume at the roots, without having to juggle a brush and blow-dryer. Promising review: "Works on 4C hair. I have thick, coarse, kinky, and long hair. Which essentially means my hair was built to destroy most hair tools available. I had given up on blow drying my hair independently years ago because it was too much of a hassle to go to a salon, and it was too difficult for me to do alone trying to juggle the blow dryer and whatever wand/brush I would try to use at the time to grip my hair when all I'd end up doing is break them. This tool has been a godsend, for the first time ever I've been able to blow dry my hair on my own! I really only blow dry my hair so that I can braid it and put it in other protective styles, and this tool is perfect for just that!" — Anla Promising review: "Where have you been all my life? Omg this dryer was AMAZING!!!!! I don't understand why I didn't know about it sooner!!!! My hair is thick and curly and hard to control. Usually I need to air dry for at least an hour, then it's 45 min to blow it out. Usually resulting in my arms being exhausted and my hair burned. BEST DRYER EVER! And I have spent $$ on a dry bar dryer. Never again. I need to buy a back up just in case. LOVE" — Brian Halpin Get it from Amazon for $33.58 (available in 10 colors). Get it from Amazon for $38.99 (available in 10 colors). While some reviewers with curl types 4a-c like the oval brush, if you're looking for something to blow out tighter curls or coils, try the Revlon One-Step *paddle* brush, which is designed with curlier hair in mind! You can get it from Amazon for $36.89. Reviewers *also* say it's the best thing they've ever bought. 31. A red wine stain remover that'll turn any party foul into an amazing party trick. It's non-toxic and bleach free — working at the ~molecular~ level to break up stains for easy removal. I love science, don't you? Promising review:"It did pass my first test! I did not expect to use this product a couple of days after I received it. Had a spill of red over one of my favorite shirts. I did try to remove the most dramatic area with water and soap right away; then I let this product sink in for half hour before washing and voilà it was all gone!" — Gerson Melgar Get it from Amazon for $11.05. 32. A pair of wine glasses with markings so you can play a full A-major scale just by running your finger around the rim. Uncommon Goods Promising review:"It really does play individual notes, on correct pitches. It was fun to play around with. If you're a dorky musician (like me), this is definitely a fun way to enjoy music and wine!" — Gabe Get a set of two from Uncommon Goods for $68. 33. A one-handed bottle opener for quickly removing beer tops — *without* bending the edges. Amazon Promising review:"My husband says this is the greatest beer bottle opener ever. Hate struggling to crack open your beer, well now you don't have to! In one quick squeeze, it's all over with and you're enjoying your beer. And it's a magnet, so it will never get lost in the drawer." — 4eva Get it from Amazon for $23 (available in five colors). 34. An easy-to-use jewelry cleaning brush for polishing up your brand new or decades-old precious stones and keep them as sparkling as your love still is (awww!). BuzzFeed, It's filled with a cleansing + polishing solution to rid stones of clouding dirt and oil and ensure every facet shines. Just twist the bottom of the pen to dispense the fluid and brush on! Promising review:"Don't get me wrong — my wedding ring was gorgeous before. It did sparkle and still made me smile every day. using this..*oh my goodness*! After one use of the Diamond Dazzle ring is absolutely breathtaking! I knew my ring got dirty now and then, simply from sweating and being outside in the elements. However, I never realized just how much dinge and schmutz marred my beautiful diamond until I cleaned it. It literally took my breath away with its fiery, dazzling brilliance! My wedding ring is something that always makes my heart beat a little faster: for its beauty, for what it now, my smile is even bigger and my heart skips a beat a little more as I gaze upon this amazing clarity. It is an amazing value with mind-blowing, beautiful results!" — liltreeclimber Get it from Amazon for $9.48. 35. A seven-in-one Instant Pot you've probably heard a lot about — for a good reason. Or rather a good seven reasons: It slow cooks, pressure cooks, makes rice, sautés, makes yogurt, and keeps food warm. Bye bye other appliances! Amazon Promising review:"I cannot believe how amazing this product is, I've been writing all over FB about it and encouraged get my friends to invest in one. We live in a small apartment that heats up quick with use of the oven, this baby saves us energy on and time! I cooked a pretty good size roast in about 45 minutes. Which would usually take 4-5 hours in the oven. Yeah, I'm in love. I really didn't think it was possibly for this machine to be as great as it claims, but it really is! It's WORTH IT. Don't hesitate, take the step forward this awesome investment." — Amanda D. Get a three-quart size from Amazon for $79.95 (also available in six-quart and eight-quart sizes). 36. A Tubshroom, a game-changing drain strainer to catch every single strand of shed hair and make clogged showers a thing of the past. BuzzFeed Promising review:"Can't say enough good things about this product. I have a family of four and would frequently have to snake our shower drain, it appears I won't be having that problem ever again. I even give my dog baths and this collects the hair. It does not seem to slow down the flow of water down the drain significantly. I'm very impressed having been using around a month. You don't know how much hair you wash down your drain until you use this!" — Aaron Morlock Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in five colors). Check out BuzzFeed's Tubshroom review for all the deets (and more ~hair raising~ pics). 37. A wine saver that'll remove the air from your open bottle of wine, then seal it with a stopper, so you can enjoy the rest of it later — and it'll still taste fresh! Tap to play GIF Amazon, Promising review:"I'll admit i was a little skeptical about this but bought it due to all of the good reviews and research I did. It seemed almost too simple, if that makes sense. But yes, it really is that easy to work it and you definitely hear the clicks when you're got it sealed up. It is very easy to take the stopper back out as well. I highly recommend this. I also don't think it would be too hard for someone with arthritis, since you can grip the handle on the unit well and even the last pump or two it doesn't take too much force." — Celinenme Get a vacuum sealer, plus two stoppers from Amazon for $22.60 (also available in different multipacks and colors). 38. A bottle of No Pore-Blem primer to smooth out the canvas of your skin pre-foundation, diminishing the look of pores and uneven skin — all while protecting and adding moisture, thanks to collagen and green tea extract! Amazon Promising review:"I wanted to give this product 10 stars.. But was only limited to 5. This stuff is AMAZING!!!! I'm almost 30, and my face has become super oily... Like I can fry chicken on it by the end of the day. So for months I've neglected wearing any kind of foundation or makeup in general. After reading reviews I figured I would give this a try. The glow it gives you is AWESOME!!! it makes my skin so soft.... I'm probably going to wear just this and no foundation 50% of the time. I went for it and did my whole face and ladies.. You know that could mean several steps of the Ttexas the amounts of sweat. My face was No oil... No smears... No pores... This is literally sent from heaven!!!! My ONLY dislike is the fact that you cant purchase this in five-gallon buckets!" — Jessica Get it from Amazon for $16.79 (also available in a green-tinted, color-correcting base). 39. A Feed n Wax Wood conditioner that'll not only polish your pieces but ALSO basically erase years of damage (looking at you, drink rings), bring out the natural color and sheen of your pieces — whether the wood is finished or unfinished — *and* add a layer of protection. All you have to do is apply with a cloth, wait 20 minutes (perfect time for a mid-cleaning snack!) and wipe off the excess. Promising review:"I thought our table was a lost cause, needing to be completely refinished to get back to its beautiful glow. We'd tried everything to get water marks, scratches, and sun fading out of our table and nothing lasted once the product dried -- UNTIL THIS! Not to be overdramatic but I was FLOORED by how well this worked. One coat and its ALLLL fixed! It looks like new again. I cannot praise this product enough." — Kirsten Get it from Amazon for $8.36. 40. A few sheets of LED-dimming stickers to finally keep those pesky router, TV, clock, and other electronic lights from ruining your ~room of complete darkness~. They dim 50-80% of the light, so you can still tell that your devices are still actually *on* and functioning. You can always double them up to completely block out the light source if you'd like (many reviewers do this) or buy the stronger **full black-out** edition! Promising review:"This is the best thing you never knew you needed. I own a digital clock with the numbers displayed in red LED light, and every night I've blocked the light with a cover so it doesn't shine in my eyes as I sleep. Silly I know, but I like my room pitch black and cave-like. On a whim I bought this product. OH MY GOD! Game changer!! For the first night EVER I didn't have to cover the clock display before I went to bed!! I had no idea how big a difference this little dimmer could make, but I'm more than pleased with the result. I can still see the time display just fine, but now my room is a happy cave! Some commenters argue you could get the same effect using electrical tape, regular tape covered in sharpie, etc, but true to the name of these products if you're looking for something to DIM, then this is for you. Also the product is easy to remove and doesn't leave a sticky residue at all, which can't be said for most tapes. I did notice a slight lag in response when I covered my TV LED sensor, so if you're trying to block something that actually senses inputs I would maybe not suggest this. Other than that, excellent product!" — Amazon Customer Get a sheet of over 100 dimming stickers (in multiple sizes and shapes) from Amazon for $1.49. 41. A Vivienne Sabó mascara reviewers swear by to majorly lengthen and thicken their lashes. When someone asks you what mascara you use, you can just say "Oh, it's French." It's cruelty-free, smudge-proof, and removes easily at the end of the day with water. Promising review:"I never write reviews for things, but this mascara was just so great I felt like I had to! I love lashes, and my friends are used to me wearing thick coats of mascara at all times. Despite this, I got complimented on my lashes basically every time I wore this mascara this week. Multiple people even asked if I had extensions! This mascara isn't clumpy at all, and makes your lashes super long and defined without sticking them together. I've never had any problems with flaking, and although it isn't waterproof, I've definitely used eyedrops, shed a tear, and gotten stuck in rain without them smudging or running down my face. All in all this is my new holy grail mascara, and I'm thrilled!!" — Sophie Johnson Get it from Amazon for $13.95. 42. A cleaning putty to easily (and kind of fun-ly!) clean your car air conditioner vents, laptop keyboard, cupholders, remote buttons, and any other tricky little areas where dust and crumbs accumulate when you have a few spare moments. Amazon Promising review:" If you like it not just clean but super clean, get this. I got this to detail my car. There are a lot of corners inside the car that are hard to clean. This is fun and definitely will give you a lot of satisfaction after you are done. You cannot wash this so instead of using the whole pod, I just pinch and use part of it. I did not put the used one back since I do not want to contaminate the pure clean ones. I used the portion till it is too dirty and then I just threw it away. It will clean the tiniest place for you. Very satisfying." — Lovelearn Get it from Amazon for $6.99. 43. A mold & mildew removing gel, because you don't need to get your whole shower redone once this is in your life. Just squeeze out and let this non-drip gel work its magic overnight — NO s c r u b b i n g. Promising review:"I CANNOT emphasize enough that this stuff works MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had taken before photos, because when I say magic, I mean UTTER WITCHCRAFT. The caulking around my tub was staining moldy, but a little hit of this and it was GLOWING WHITE like we had just recaulked. I recommended it to my aunt, whose house was built in the 1970s so her tub caulking stains were over 40 years in the making, and she was going to pay someone to come in to strip the caulk and do it over new. I told her no need — just use some of this stuff! Worked like witchcraft AGAIN!!!! Her caulking is also glowing white now, and she's recommending it to HER friends now!!! This stuff is so good, you'll recommend it to everyone you know. No caulking stains are too deep for this!!!!!!" — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $14.99. 44. A set of silicone egg poachers with perforated cups to mimic the traditional poaching method (aka swirling water around and around) without having to do any work — and so your egg stays perfectly round and never wisps away. Amazon Promising review:"FINALLY! My long search is over for a solution that really works! The eggs poach perfectly! The process involves simply dropping an egg into the poacher and waiting a few minutes for the desired level of firmness — no stirring the water to create a vortex or messing with the egg during cooking! This means that when you need to cook for several guests, multiple poachers can be used to prepare as many eggs as needed at the same time! There was even a handy chart with suggested poaching times which is dead-on accurate. Cleanup is a breeze! I am ordering another set and won't poach any other way than with Good Grips. My only negative comment is that I will probably eat way more Eggs Benedict than I should now that it is so easy to prepare the eggs!" — JoeBT Get a set of two from Amazon for $13.99. 45. A BodyGlide blister-preventing balm that'll provide a layer of protection between those ouchy-ouch shoes and your delicate foot skin. Promising review:"I thought this stuff was a bunch of BS, I was like pssh what a waste of $8 ON AMAZON FOR THIS LITTLE THING. Well, I put it on today on spots where my flats rub off the skin. My feet survived an entire day, INTACT! Highly recommend. This product made wearing shoes that rub on your ankles/backs of your feet doable!!!!" — Jamie Get it from Amazon for $8.99. 46. A drain clearing tool with a rotating handle and five replacement snakes with 4,000 micro hooks and a slim design to shimmy down any drain (you don't even need to remove the cover) and snag all the hairs and goop that's clogging the system — in one quick pull. Next time, just buy a Tubshroom to prevent this even in the first place. Amazon, Promising review:"I don't write many reviews, but when something blows my mind like this, I have to! Not only did this remove an enormous amount of hair from my drain, it took less than 30 seconds to do so! I didn't really read the instructions, but it's pretty straightforward. Stuck it in the drain, cranked the handle, pulled it out. Voila, no more hair! Buy it! You won't be disappointed." — Linsey Barbieri Get it from Amazon for $17.99. 47. A pair of TikTok-famous Cushionaire slide sandals that seem to get more popular with every passing day — and for good reason. Reviewers swear the molded cushioned footbed (made from a *waterproof* foam) stays comfy for hours and hours, whether you're using them as at-home slippers or actual outside shoes. I bought these myself earlier this year and they're all I wear at home. Especially when cooking or baking, these babies help cushion my feet on hard floors so they don't ache! Promising review: "Wow!!! Best slides I've ever had. I have designer slides and these surpass. True to are super light but sturdy to walk, even on grass and on uneven side walk. Used them to walk my dogs and don't get my feet dirty because of the wedge height. I've put them to the test and I'm Ordering in more colors and a back up pair. They are also stylish so they look cute to wear out. Ordered the orange which is like a camel color. Highly recommend!!!" — Krizia Promising review: "Best Amazon purchase I've made! I have spondylilothesis and spinal stenosis, so I get horrible back, leg and foot pains. This literally helps relieve my pain while I'm working standing on my feet. They are super cute I get tons of compliments on them and they are breathable, lightweight and easy to keep clean. Perfect for Hawaii weather! 💁🏽♀️ There are other brands that look like this but don't be fooled THIS is the brand that is the most comfortable I have other brands and they don't cut it!" — Chelsea Proenza Get them from Amazon for $24.99 (available in women's sizes 5-12 and 29 colors). 48. A Luminoodle — an LED lighting strip you can affix to the back of your TV for a backlighting effect that'll create sharper images, increase color contrast, and reduce eye strain. Promising review:"I've tried other (and cheaper) bias lighting options, and by far this one is the best. I have a 27' monitor and bought the 30' to 40' version of the Luminoodle and used every inch of it on the back of my monitor. I probably didn't need to, but I enjoy have bright bias lighting, and if it gets too bright I can always dim it. Set up was easy 'plug and play', and the adhesive is very strong, the other bias lighting options I tried kept falling off when my monitor got warm, but this stuff sticks very well and hasn't fallen off. Best bias lighting option I've tried!" — Angel Eyes Promising review: "THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT!!! JUST GET IT!!!" — saylthecell Get it from Amazon for $6.48 (available in two sizes). 49. A weighted blanket reviewers swear by to help with anxiety, stress, and insomnia. The just-heavy-enough pressure can help you relax and feel comforted enough to drift off. Amazon It's available in three sizes and and 10 weights, so whether you're looking for one for a kid, for yourself, or to use in a king or queen-sized bed with your partner, there's an option for you! Promising review:"This is the BEST purchase I have ever made. I have been an insomniac for years and have never successfully been treated. Even with many doctors' appointments and medications — NOTHING worked! On top of that I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). I thought I would give this blanket a try. This product is not advertised for RLS but it absolutely should be! I have had my blanket for three days and I have been basically sleeping in a coma-like state!!! It is the soundest and best sleep I have ever had in my life. And the comforting weight on my legs and boy just eases those RLS symptoms and drifts me off to a sound sleep!!! It is so hard to describe the feeling of peace and comfort the minute you lay it on your body. I actually ordered the 15-pound blanket for my weight and height because I wanted the extra weight just in case. I decided to go ahead an order a second one if I have an emergency situation and need even more weight on my legs. This product is phenomenal to say the least!!!" — DeAnn Barksdale Get it from Amazon for $29.90+ (available in 26 colors and prints). 50. A pair of arch supports with compression to help relieve foot pain, whether you have fallen arches, plantar faciitis, or just spend all day on your feet. Read more about how a lack of arch support can aggravate plantar fasciitis at the American Podiatric Medical Association. Promising review:"When it comes to products like this I am usually skeptical. However, I have had a bad case of plantar fasciitis for a couple of months now and it has gotten pretty bad in the last two weeks. I was looking for more support I could have in the summer as I like to wear my Chacos. I put this product on as soon as it arrived and immediately the pressure was alleviating some of the pain. Through the course of the day my pain has lessened considerably. Of course, I have a long while to go with healing as all my weight was put on my left side which also recently began to be uncomfortable. I am excited to see how this product continues to work in the next couple of days as I will be going to Universal Studios next week and need my walking feet. I would recommend this to anyone who is suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis, I was able to walk around normally today with the product on. I am truly impressed, thank you!" — Monica Idec Get them from Amazon for $15.95. 51. A wad preventer, because balled-up sheets that NEVER seem to actually get dry?? Not on my watch! Who has the time?! This genius invention will keep the corners from getting bunched up to increase your tumble and decrease your dry time. Amazon Just tuck the corners of your flat or fitted sheet into the holes to prevent tangling and twisting aaaand (according to the backed up by reviewers) improve dry time by 75%!!!!!!!! Promising review: "Best purchase! You wouldn't think a small product like this could make a difference, but it makes a world of difference! I am amazed and so glad I found these. Gone are the days of wet clothes being wrapped up in sheets, or having to continuously check the dryer to untangle sheets. I will be purchasing more of these for myself and buying some as gifts!" — Becca Get it from Amazon for $19.99. Wad-Free is a small biz, and their products are made in the USA. 52. Or for non-sheet loads, a set of extra large wool dryer balls that'll ensure your laundry dries quicker and gets softer than ever — *25%* faster. Those towels that take FOR-E-VER (The Sandlot voice) to dry? No more. Amazon Promising review: "I was excited but skeptical about this product but I just used them for 4 loads of laundry and they are awesome! I would normally have used about 20 dryer sheets but I just used the dryer balls instead. My clothing, towels and sheets came out of the dryer wrinkle free, soft and no static cling. I am buying the lavender essential oil to try. I used to spend quite a bit of money on fabric softeners and fragrance boosters. I am thrilled not to have to add a bunch of chemicals. The scent is lovely and clean even without adding the oil. Best purchase of the year." — mskrippers Get a six-pack from Amazon for $19.99. Woolzies is a small business, and these dryer balls are made in New Zealand from 100% wool, and they're hypoallergenic and safe for people with wool allergies! For an extra boost of scent, you can add your favorite essential oil to the balls too! 53. A foaming carpet shampoo people love to use on their car interiors. And with all the ice cream cones I've dribbled in my life, I can CERTAINLY understand why. And anyone with a dog? Yep, you need this. It's citrus scented so after it FOAMS AWAY deep-set stains, you'll be left with a refreshing scent rather than "Old McDonald's Fries." Promising review:"This stuff is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I posted before-and-after photos (above) for you to see for yourself! My 1996 Toyota Camry is 23 years old — this is the original carpet! It took me exactly three hours to clean this carpet and I will tell you this: IT WAS WORTH IT!" — treylee Get it from Amazon for $11.99. 54. A nongreasy eye cream designed to deflate your under eye bags, hydrate your delicate skin, and brighten your under-eyes, thanks to a blend of aloe, rosehip seed oil, and vitamins C and E. Under eye bags and circles are natural and NBD, but helping reduce their appearance can make you ~feel~ more awake! Promising review:"I have been using this daily for about eight months now. I am 60 years old. It reduced the puffiness and bags under my eyes. I am Sicilian and had dark circles. It has brightened up my eye area. I am very surprised as I have paid much more for eye creams that have done so much less. I recently had precancerous cells removed at the bridge of my nose. After healing, I was left with a dark scar. The dermatologist told me that it would heal over time. Since I began to apply this eye cream, the mark has almost disappeared entirely. I shop constantly from Amazon. This is the first time that I have taken the time to write a review. That's how impressed I am with this product. If you decide to purchase this, you won't be sorry." — Lynda M. Get it from Amazon for $25.26 (available in three sizes). 55. FryAway, a plant-based solidifying powder capable of turning leftover cooking oil in to an easily disposable solid, so you *don't* end up pouring grease down the sink and dealing with clogged pipes later on. And it hardens completely, meaning no leaking in the trash! Amazon Just sprinkle a packet of the power into your *hot* oil, wait for it to cool toss! FryAway is available in two sizes: Pan Fry (which comes with four packets each capable of solidifying two cups of oil each) or Deep Fry (which comes with two packets, each capable of solidifying eight cups of oil each). Promising review:"Honestly I didn't know if this would work, waiting for it to cool down made me nervous, but once it was at room temperature it was solid. It popped out of the fryer so nicely. Worth every penny." — Emma Get it from Amazon for $9.97. FryAway is a woman-owned and Latina-owned small business, and they donate 1% of revenue to nonprofits focused on water conservation. Me looking at my cart full of amazing products: Universal Pictures Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
