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August starts off deceptively slow for many, but it’s actually a big month of discovery for the shopping experts on our team. The laid-back nature of those first couple of weeks is often welcome following an eventful July. But just before the month comes to an end, everything seems to feel fast-paced again — students are heading back to school, people are squeezing in their last-minute summer vacations and sports fans are prepping for Premier League and football season.
At NBC Selected, we’re always in the process of testing some sort of footwear, skin care product or interesting new piece of tech — the types just vary based on the season. This August, everyone on staff tried out a mix of self-bought products and samples (sent complimentary for testing purposes) from some of our favorite brands, which includes Adidas, Shark, Zara, Béis, Phlur and many more.
Below, we’re sharing all of the products we tried out this month, including comfortable shoes, hair gel, carry-on luggage, lunch boxes, and tank tops that are so good we bought them (or would buy them) with our own money.
All of the products below are either courtesy brand samples or products that we bought ourselves.
There’s always a couple pairs of shoes that it seems like every woman in Manhattan owns, and this year, one of them is the Adidas Handball Spezial, specifically in the Earth Strata/Off White/Gum color. After weeks of seeing them at least five times a day, I convinced myself I needed them — I even started planning outfits around them in my head, so I had no choice but to buy them. I’ve been wearing them multiple times a week for a month now. The sneakers are just as stylish as I imagined, and even more comfortable than I hoped for.
They support my feet as I walk more than 20,000 steps a day in New York City, and the brown shade makes them a neutral basic that pairs well with the majority of my outfits. Two sizing notes: I went down half a size in these because I felt like they ran big when I tried them on at the store (I got a women’s 8 instead of my typical 8.5), and they’re narrow in the toe area, so if you have wide feet, they may not work for you.
One of the ingredients I must have in my kitchen is Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. I sprinkle it on everything I eat to bring out the natural flavor of food and add crunch, including eggs, roasted vegetables, baked fish, pasta, ice cream and oatmeal. Whenever I run out, which I did this month, I buy the 20-ounce tub. It has a resealable lid, so it lasts me about six months; I keep it on my counter and grab a big pinch as needed. Not to be dramatic, but the few days between when I ran out of sea salt flakes and when my new tub came were tasteless — it’s that essential to my meals.
Curly hair styling is always a common theme in my TikTok algorithm, but I’ve been served even more videos about it lately, which prompted me to reconsider my routine. I consulted my hairdresser at Curl Bar Beauty, who approved of what I saw on social media and gave me more in-depth lessons based on my exact hair type.
She recommended I use a foam and a gel instead of a mousse and a cream, the latter of which weighs down my thick hair too much. I also finish with a few spritzes of my beloved Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair. My hairdresser instructed me to apply these products to soaking wet hair, use a cotton T-shirt or paper towels to soak up excess moisture, air dry (or, better yet, diffuse if I have time) and break my curl cast with a little oil.
Lover Ur Curls offered to send me their Volumizing Foam and Strong Hold Gel when I was overhauling my hair styling routine. I’ve been testing them for about six weeks and truly feel like my curls have never looked as defined and shiny, or felt as soft. They also maintain their shape much better over about two days between sleeping and workouts. At $22 and $24, the foam and gel are half the price of what I was paying for similar products, so I’m less stingy about how much I use at a time, which has also contributed to my improved curl definition. Now, with a combination of the right products and a styling method I can actually commit to, I’m even more confident about my natural hair.
After a super hot, sweaty run, I always crave fruit punch, so I usually drink a Gatorade Zero. But when I was on vacation in Maine this month, the nearby market only had Local Weather’s Fruit Punch Premium Sport Drink — it seemed close enough to Gatorade, so I bought it. It tastes exactly like the Hawaiian Punch I had as a kid but with way less sugar and lots of electrolytes from coconut water and sea salt.
As I drank it, I started to feel much less depleted, and the flavor was delicious, so I actually enjoyed sipping it. I looked forward to buying a Local Weather each day after my run during my trip, so I ordered a 12-pack when I got home since I haven’t seen them in Manhattan grocery stores or bodegas yet.
I meal prep overnight oats for breakfast during the work week, and nut butter is one of my favorite toppings in addition to berries, coconut flakes and pecans. I usually go with plain almond butter, but Big Spoon Roasters sent me a few of its more unique options, and out of all the ones I tried, I came back to Pistachio Crunch Almond Butter most often. It has just enough maple and sea salt in it that I taste the flavors without them being overpowering, and the pistachios mixed with the almonds adds extra richness.
I also love spreading the Pistachio Crunch Almond Butter on rice cakes with sliced bananas before a run. I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to eating standard almond butter once I finish this jar.
