The best Prime Day and anti-Prime Day deals anywhere on the internet right now
Amazon isn't the only one running a frenzy-invoking sale.
Here are the facts: Amazon Prime Day starts now, and it’s possibly the most major sale of all major sales happening all year. You need a Prime account (or a free trial) to shop it, but it’s hard to overstate how extensive the deals are.
I know—yet another Prime Day roundup, you don’t have to hide your ennui. But in this bonus send (surprise and delight, amiright??), I’ve gathered only the most worthwhile and well-valued products that I’ve either adored personally or whose quality I have on good authority. Some hyper-specific skincare made the cut, as did a few insider-y wardrobe staples. You’ll also find the glassware I’ve owned for five years, a fast and effective brow serum, and a life-changing sponge—anything and everything actually worth recommending! A word of warning, though: The whole world is shopping Prime Day today, so if you’re interested in a deal, the guiding wisdom is to go ahead and buy it quickly.
If that’s not for you, Amazon’s big kerfuffle is driving prices down everywhere else, so you can still find unheard-of discounts if you know where to look. Conveniently, that’s basically halfway down this page where I’ve listed out 15 of the biggest competing sales—SSENSE, Farfetch, Our Place, and Target among them—offering up to 80% off.
If you find this email helpful (or you want to spam someone, like for fun!), please consider forwarding to a friend or sharing before the sale ends tomorrow :) I’ll make it super easy:
Without j’further ado, all the very best Amazon Prime Day deals:
Best Prime Day beauty deals:
Moon Juice skincare if 25% off: I was praying Moon Juice would go on sale today, because I have a lot from them that needs restocking—the Acid Potion toner, an unmoving part of my skincare routine, isn’t one of them because it lasts forever—but the Plump Jelly serum is for sure coming home with me today.
T3 hair tools are up to 37% off: Dyson isn’t on sale today, but this is the next best thing. T3’s ionic technology breaks up water molecules, drying your hair faster and with less damage.
The Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer is down to $45: This is a great example of a viral product born from Amazon shopper reviews that’s since been tested and loved by skeptics many times over. If you’ve somehow never heard of it, it basically blow dries and straightens at the same time in under 10 minutes.
EltaMD is up to 30% off: Sunscreen packed with niacinamide, powerfully anti-aging on several fronts, and the tinted version looks like a natural airbrush.
Weleda is up to 15% off with various on-page coupons: Loyalist-inspiring drugstore products, recommended previously in this newsletter by Bianca Valle.
Truskin vitamin C is under $20 right now (but it’s having a 30% off flash sale soon) : Loved by Reddit, then by beauty editors. One of Amazon’s OG viral skincare products and allegedly a dupe for Skinceuticals’ vit C.
Baebody retinol skincare is up to 40% off: As with Truskin, one of the best-known Amazon skincare deals. It’s not going to replace your tretinoin, but it is decent skincare and you can’t beat its $15 price.
Rapidbrow is $23: I was on the verge of getting microblading done until I stopped picking at my brows and started using this brush-on growth serum last summer. It changed the entire look of my face and I cannot recommend it enough.
Revitalash is 30% off: Similarly, this lash serum shocked me by actually working when used consistently. Meghan Markle apparently also uses it, if that’s of interest?
Various Sunday Riley is on deep sale: Fast-acting, results-driven skincare that happens to look nice on vanities. Its cultish vitamin C was crucial to my skincare journey and worthy of its fanclub.
Sachajuan shampoo and leave-in conditioner are $5 off each: Minimal packaging design, yes, plus makes my hair very bouncy and glossy. Good-sized bottles that last a bit longer, too.
100 Cosrx pimple patches for under $14: The original and still the best pimple patch out there, these hydrocolloid bandages will flatten acne overnight (or throughout the day, they’re low key enough to wear running errands) with absolutely no irritation.
Aesop hand soap is under $40: This status-y hand wash commands so much regard it’s constantly stolen from restaurants that don’t keep it under lock and key in their restrooms. Smells incomparable and will change you way you feel about your own bathroom.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid is $5 off with an extra coupon: Mentioned this in a recent newsletter, but PC was just acquired by Unilever, so reformulations are on the table. Its BHA is broadly known to be the best way to clear out clogged pores quickly, leaps and bounds better than other methods or more expensive versions.
Baby Foot is also $5 off: You put on the gel-filled booties, wash off after an hour or two, and then in about a week, entire sheets of dead skin will fall off your feet, leaving behind the most unbelievably smooth skin you’ve ever walked on. It’s gross and addictive and on sale.
SmileDirectClub is 20% off: I always come back to this whitening kit every time I need a quick boost. Starts showing results in just a couple uses if, for instance, you’re feeling self-conscious after a Tend dental assistant comments on your coffee-drinking habits :(
St. Tropez tanner is 30% off: In all my years, this tanner has never led me astray. Goes on streak-free, moisturizes the hell out of skin, and looks like a real tan. Plus a bottle lasts forever.
Amlactin is 20% off with a coupon: It has come to my attention that TikTok has gotten wind of my favorite drugstore body lotion—which is, for the record, better at smoothing and hydrating skin and getting rid of little bumps than annnyyy other body lotion thanks to its high volume of lactic acid—and while I mourn the death of one skincare secret, I do feel happy to know the brand is getting the recognition it deserves.
Best Prime Day fashion deals:
New Balance sneakers are under $40: Aime Leon Dore’s Teddy Santis has everyone paying attention to New Balance, at which he was just appointed Creative Director, but NB’s best styles are somehow mercifully affordable on Amazon today and tomorrow.
JW Pei handbags are always affordable (and there’s a 20% off flash sale coming up): Wildly low-priced baby bags from an AAPI-led brand that EmRata and Irina Shayk have been wearing lately. Look like By Far but 1/10th the cost.
Le Mystere’s unlined bra is 13% off: My all-time favorite when-I-want-to-wear-a-bra-but-not-look-like-I’m-wearing-a-bra bra. Totally smooth and unclockable under clothes and so thin it still allows for nipple to poke through naturally. Never seen anything written or posted about this, but it’s the creme de la creme in my book.
Adidas slides are 33% off (and under $24): This sandal used to matter a lot. Then, a little less so. Then Jennifer Lawrence wore them with a big white nightgown and they suddenly became one half of the platonic ideal of an outfit. So yeah I might be buying them.
Calvin Klein underwear is 50% off all around: Calvin made its underwear so iconic yet so class-transcendent that it’s sold at pretty much every high-end department and concept store while being a best-seller on Amazon and Walmart. You have to respect that; there’s no shame in wanting to be a CK logo band girl.
Hanes tanks are a couple bucks off: It’s a blessing that every hot fashion girl’s chosen ribbed tank is already so cheap to begin with, but a discount is always welcome. More on this topic coming Thursday!
These Keen sandals are 44% off: One funny thing about a brand like Keen (ditto Merrell, also on sale) being rediscovered in the wave of hiking gear gorpcore is that it’s generally super affordable at places like Amazon, while any fashion site touched by Chris Black instantly jacks up the prices.
Levi’s are super cheap across the board: A bunch of the “good” Levi’s cuts—the 550s, 501s, 501 shorts, and Ribcage—are going for as little at $25.
The TikTok leggings are under $20: If you’re down for Seasum’s honeycomb-effect leggings that make butts look lifted and round, I’m not here to judge. Lizzo keeps wearing them, so honestly I get it.
These “Sport” Crocs are 24% off: How many waves of Croc virality before we all buy a pair? How many Balenciaga rips and Diplo collabs before we just give the fuck in? Am I about to buy Crocs? Really?
Thinx is 10% off: Period panties literally changed my life more than I ever thought they could. I’ve tried a bunch of brands and none come close to being as comfortable and secure as Thinx.
Best Prime Day home deals:
P.F. Candle Co. candles are a wee 5% off: These ubiquitous, affordable, and nice-smelling candles are the true neutral of the candle world. Inoffensive and cheap enough to have a supply on hand for the bathroom or as last-minute gifts.
Bormioli Rocco Bodega Collection Glassware is $20 for a set of 12: Bought a set of these years ago after reading an interview with an interior designer who called them the best glassware secret on Amazon. Last forever and look more expensive than they are. Available in medium and max sizes, too.
Bialetti stovetop coffee pots are under $25: A coffee maker for artists, this timeless Italian-designed Moka pot does justice to expensive coffee beans and is a strong move towards to an Apartamento-worthy kitchen. More on this, too, coming Thurs.
These Ikebana scissors are $13: If you’re a fan of Beverly Shop in LES, you’ll love these elegantly curved multipurpose scissors that exist in the same visual universe as Hasami porcelain.
This Shun knife is nearly 40% off: The knife that professional chefs (several that I know, at least) actually use and recommend for amateurs. Shun is the reason you don’t need to spend more than $150 on a great knife.
Scrub Daddy is 45% off: At the insistence of a friend, I switched from sponges to Scrub Daddy earlier this year, and could straight-up not believe how much better they are. They clean faster, hold onto soap, and don’t deteriorate in your hands—in fact they last months on end. Tiny life-changing tip I strongly suggest you take!
Bala bangles are $5 off: I used these marshmallow-looking weighted cuffs for months during lockdown to add intensity to any YouTube workout, now they’re marked down in all five colors.
Sakara Life is 25% off: Better known as the chicest of all meal delivery services, Sakara also offers products á la cart, including metabolism powders, granolas, and teas, which are all bitchy and fun to play with and all on sale right now.
23AndMe is $100 off: I know this DNA service came out years ago but I swear you’re all still talking about it. It’s down to $99 right now (usually $199), so just find out already?
A bunch of directly competing sales with great deals you can’t find on Amazon:
SSENSE: Famously secretive about sale details—currently up to 60% off but could end at any moment. IMO the best designer sale on the internet right now.
Target: Running a major competitive sale right now called Target Deal Days—sitewide discounts in every category.
Farfetch: Always has an active sale section up to 80% off and is hosting a flash savings event for 15% off select deals.
Luisaviaroma: Kind of a crazy deal, but LVR currently offering 40% off full-priced items, so anything brand new that shouldn’t be on sale is basically half off today. Its sale section is being promoted as up to 50% but actually reaches 80% off.
Our Place: The brand behind the Only Pan, i.e. the best non-stick pan that does everything best, is offering 25% off everything today, caveat is that you have to spend $185, but they just launched a knife and cutting board set that’s apparently amazing also.
Shopbop: Owned by Amazon, so this is basically where all the Prime Day designer deals go down—currently 6,000+ styles as low as $5. You can also find a Shopbop selection on Amazon if you want to keep a single cart going.
Matchesfashion: Recently added 2,000+ more items to sale—up to 60% off.
Net-a-Porter: Sale being advertised as 60%, but some pieces as high as 70% off.
The Outnet: It’s a discount site for Net-a-Porter’s runoff, so by nature it’s always on sale—extra 30% being offered on about 1,300 pieces that are already up to 80% off right now.
Walmart: Its Prime-competing sale, Deals for Days, spans sitewide and leans heavily into household electronics and home + garden.
Winc: Here’s a frankly excellent one for the Footnotes fans—get 4 bottles of wine for $20 off plus free shipping this week only.
Nordstrom: Designer sale happening now, will likely go back up to full price soon as they prepare for their own Prime-level Anniversary Sale in late July.
Nordstrom Rack: This is also a runoff site so things are always on sale, but there’s additional promos added for its End of Season clearance. Great place for designer sunglasses under $100.
Bloomingdales: IDK about you but I tend to forget about Bloomingdales until I stumble across one of its insane sales on designers I personally love but apparently its core shopping base doesn’t care for/know about. This is one of those times, especially with its extra 20% off sale-on-sale happening now.
Dyson: Small but important sale! The V8 stick vacuum is $100 off (and honestly how anyone lives without a Dyson vacuum I do not know).