IS IT JUST ME, or is America getting… shoppier? Lately everywhere I look, someone’s trying to sell me something. They’re pitching me on Instagram, or I’m being upsold by that “Frequently Bought Together” list on Amazon, or the company I gave my number to for a discount is texting me about a new “can’t-miss” sale. Thanks to all these semi-bespoke bots matching me algorithmically with products, temptation abounds to acquire, well, more. I actually love shopping, but the idea of filling my home with junk does not appeal. What I’m looking for, and maybe you are too, is the good stuff. The things I really want or truly need.
This issue is all about that good stuff because—here’s my unabashed flex—REAL SIMPLE is aces at product recommendations. Our gift guides are world-class; our Clever Items—appearing in every issue (page 18 this month) and all over our website— are beloved. Our beauty picks are based on science, with proven ingredients and dermatologist-backed advice. We never miss, because we have the taste, the access, the editors, and our excellent testing labs.
That all culminates in this issue, which we’re calling Best and Brightest. It’s filled with the products, the people (hi, Busy!), and the ideas we’re currently crushing on, and nearly every page is shoppable. Just hover your phone’s camera over the QR code at the beginning of each section, click, and you’ll be taken to a Pinterest board with links to products, where inspiration meets action.
As always, we stand by every single item in here. Anything with our REAL SIMPLE Selects seal has been rigorously tested in one of our three labs, our own homes, or both. (We spend almost 50,000 hours a year evaluating products—more than 5,200 items so far!) The rest has been thoroughly vetted by our editors, who have decades of experience among them. You probably don’t need another source yelling at you to buy something. But we’re not just another source. We’re REAL SIMPLE.
Lauren Iannotti
EDITOR IN CHIEF
LET ’S CONNECT!
Follow me on Instagram at @laureniannotti.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FELIX WONG
STYLING BY LIZZY ROSENBERG; HAIR BY CLAY NIELSEN USING L EONOR GREYL; MAKE UP BY DEBORAH ALTIZIO FOR CREATIVE MANAGEMENT USING GLOSSIER; MAKEUP ASSISTED BY ALYSSA ZABAWA