Backed Hard: The Best Stuff We (Actually) Bought in June

Listen, we could start by complaining that life is a drag (although, FWIW, half our team were able to score tickets to see The Cure this month). Smoke and smog invaded our beautiful skylines and serene backyards; we spent almost a week glued to our screens wondering if five dudes were marooned in the Titanic wreck slowly losing their minds (only to find out they had already imploded). It’s been a month since we lost Succession and Barry. Things have been weird. Alas, good things abound, too! In June, a lot of incredible chefs and media people (including some cookbook writers we love) won James Beard Foundation awards. The Bachelorette and The Bear are back; Oppenheimer, Barbie, and the MLB All-Star Game are on the horizon. It’s nearly tomato season. Some people have a four-day weekend coming up. If you feel despair, at least you can buy a mind-blowing vibrator for under $35.

Like we said, great things are happening. Focus on the positive. Whether you’ve been enjoying time spent in the park with homies or seeing Dave Matthews Band at Summerfest, if you’re reading this, you, too, somehow made it through another month here on Earth. And that’s good. How did we do it? Well, mostly by buying things, TBQF. This month, our team whiled away the hours drinking spiked Spindrift and blending margaritas, biking safely, and, of course, masturbating. Indeed, for some, it was a time of wellness, discovering the ultimate dry shampoo; for others, the past few weeks were spent just baking and eating a bunch of cookies and cakes. If you want our wonderful June to become your amazing July and beyond, behold (and scoop) some of the best gear that we actually bought and loved this past month.

No cap (LOL), this little folding battery-powered fan is one of the best <$20 purchases I’ve ever made. Remember that old deodorant commercial from the early aughts taunting sweaty people to “raise their hands,” knowing they’d be revealing their pitstains? First of all, free the pitstain, but secondly, I wanna give all of those people one of these. If you’re prone to dripping sweat wherever from humidity, heat, stress, the sun, anxiety, or drinking too many margaritas at the music festival, this tiny, USB-rechargeable portable fan is here to save you. You’ll be ever-so-grateful for it when it saves your face/pits/back/ass on subway platforms, planes, or anywhere else you need a cool breeze. —Angel Kilmister

I’ll just put my cards on the table: I am a born-and-bred L.L. Bean boy. I’ve been outfitted in the brand for as long as I can remember, with my mom buying everything from tote bags to turtlenecks for every member of my immediate family of five. She recently persuaded me to pick up one of the brand’s massive beach towels in advance of a family summer vacation. Since my siblings are likely going to have the same (or, at least, very similar) equipment, she also convinced me to add my monogram to the towel so I can quickly ID it at the bottom of an inevitable laundry pile. Sure, L.L. Bean’s towels are a flex on their quality and value alone, but when you add your monogram to something—that’s a little touch of class that’s always worth the extra couple bucks. —Gregory Babcock

Before you scroll—here me out. If you haven’t had a hard seltzer (or one of White Claw’s many imitators) in a while, know that they’ve gotten way better flavor-wise, as in actually delicious. While I no longer sip Claws, I still break laws (it’s actually illegal to be this good-looking), including that one about being too cool to drink hard seltzer. I owe it all to Spindrift really—or “Spiked Spinny” as I call them—for opening up my eyes to the delicious, refreshing taste of the best seltzer on the market (it’s got real fruit juice, peeps). They can be pretty tricky to find IRL, and I am not above having a few cases delivered at a time. —Becca Blasdel

It’s Renaissance faire season, which means it’s time to assemble my best outfits for pulling babes and impressing wizards. This “Gaping Since 1490” T-shirt pays homage to everyone’s favorite bossy bottom, Hieronymous Bosch, and will be great as an easy chainmail bra cover-up. —Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp

NGL, I hate standing up. Like, I almost didn’t get Slowdive tickets because I was worried the show was going to be general admission (fortunately, the venue has a seated balcony). On the other hand, I am aware that man’s natural inclination is to be erect (hehe) and move around. So, after a lot of searching, I rewarded my body with a perfect standing desk that I’ve come to actually use: a cherry wood-topped Flexispot E7, aka the beloved brand’s premium offering. The aesthetic is the perfect equation of minimalist and rustic, and having a real, professional desk makes me sometimes forget that I work from home and that nothing I do around here actually matters. The desk has two memory settings, meaning that all I have to do is smash that “2” button and it rises up to the perfect height. —Adam Rothbarth

IDK why it took me so long to finally get a pair of Tevas (I mean, I do: Millennials, at least “alt” ones, were shunned for wearing sandals for our entire adult lives until normcore finally won and every cuffed-pants bro in LA started wearing socks with sandals to the farmers market). This month, I got around to purchasing my first pair of Tevas since, like, 1998, and yooo, they are SO comfortable and I swear to god look good with literally everything, from baggy basketball shorts to skimpy sundresses. Blessedly, they’re also unisex. The past is the future, the future is now. Tevas for all. (Maybe this means we can finally sunset ironic-but-not-ironic prevalent Crocs wearage.) —Hilary Pollack

I was recently at REI with my girlfriend, who was looking for a new bike. After she found one she loved, the woman helping us began showing us helmets. I said I wasn’t looking for one, since I had a rather old Giro that seemed fine. [Ron Howard voice] It wasn’t fine. After shaming me for using a bad, old helmet (JK, she was amazing), she directed me to the new road bike helmets, where a clear employee fave was the Bontrager Starvos WaveCel. As the name implies, it uses new WaveCel technology, a cellular structure in the helmet that is supposed to significantly reduce damage upon impact. REI employees basically started repelling from the ceiling to tell me how good this helmet was. So I bought it, and now I will never die. —Adam Rothbarth

The LELO Enigma has been a VICE editor-favorite vibrator for years, because it simultaneously stimulates your clitoris (with gentle suction) and G-spot (with vibration and fullness) to whisk you away to Blended Orgasm City. There are a lot of dual-action vibrators out there, but the Swedish sexual wellness brand behind the Enigma always outdoes the competition thanks to its high-quality engineering, quiet motors, and aesthetic designs; consider LELO’s Sonic Wave technology, which is also present in the LELO Sila clitoral vibe, and which uses pulsating, silent waves to stimulate your clit without ever touching it. That same technology is integrated into the Enigma, and it’s why I let out an audible, cartoon AWOOGA! during use. —Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp

As a girly who lives with celiac disease (and therefore has to regularly spend an arm and a leg on gluten-free pantry staples), my Thrive Market subscription has become my best friend. You can filter the entire site by your food preferences and needs (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, paleo, etc.) and purchase items on recurring deliveries at a discounted price—shipping is also free. I use my subscription for GF cereals, pastas, oat milks, and nuts made by Thrive’s in-house brand, but I could very easily outfit my whole kitchen and bathroom exclusively with Thrive goods since the store carries everything from cleaning supplies to skincare and makeup. —Kate Spencer

I was recently put on to baker and writer Natasha Pickowicz by a friend who insisted we make her new dessert cookbook, More Than Cake, the monthly selection in the cookbook club I run. I was skeptical, because I’m not a huge baker these days (and neither are most of the people in the club), but I took it as a challenge to get outside my comfort zone. When people showed up for the meal, I was astonished by the beauty of what everyone had made (peep some photos here). I even surprised myself by how good my miso peanut cookies were. TL;DR: Now I only eat food if there’s sugar in it. —Adam Rothbarth

Maybe it’s just that I live in Texas (which is currently experiencing a string of 100+ degree Fahrenheit days), but homemade frozen margaritas sound especially good this time of year. Now, here at VICE, we cover a lot of blenders—whether it’s touching upon the cult of Vitamix or the TikTok-famous Ninja CREAMI—but personally, I don’t think you need to drop a ton of cash or set a Google Alert to buy a blender that should get the job done this summer. Originally purchased for making midday smoothies while working from home, this Boly blender has quickly transitioned into my margarita-making sidekick on the weekends. While it’s definitely not as powerful or spacious as a proper blender, it’s perfectly capable of cutting up a cup or two of frozen fruit (or handfuls of ice), all while taking up less counter space than your average drip coffee machine. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that this simplified blender is less than $35. —Gregory Babcock

What did I even do before dry shampoo? (Probably just lived with greasy bangs all the time.) I’ve tried a billion different formulas over the years, and while there are definitely some great ones out there, there are also some very bogus ones that make my shaggy brunette coiffure look like someone dumped a bag of powdered sugar (or… other white powder) on my head. I finally got around to trying Act + Acre’s stuff (the brand also makes a stylist-fave shampoo and conditioner, as well as some great scalp health products) and have gotten completely addicted to the dry shampoo from its line. It smells amazing and a couple of pumps of this silky powder in your roots truly makes it look like you just got a blowout (or at least aren’t totally melting in the summer heat like a Spongebob popsicle). It also contains something called fulvic acid that apparently nourishes your “scalp microbiome”—love those benefits you didn’t know you needed. —Hilary Pollack

I am constantly losing, misplacing, or “organizing” my sunglasses into oblivion, and for some reason, the idea of a glasses chain never really occurred to me until a few weekends ago. While some people can really pull off a pair of Chums (shoutout to my pal Jordan), I am not that gal, and thus the solution never occurred to me until I stumbled upon this subtle gold chain strap that you can slide onto any pair of glasses and allow your glasses to hang around your neck like jewelry (and still look cute when they are of your face). I’m partial to this open-link chain, but there are a bunch of color and style options to choose from. -Becca Blasdel

If you're a die-hard matcha drinker, this sleek investment water bottle might change your life. The bottle can handle hot or cold liquids and includes an electric whisker so you can re-blend your protein powder, greens, or teas any time of day. I've recently been drinking Athletic Greens’ powder every morning—hoping it transforms my energy levels—but I can't stand when the powder clumps and separates from the water, so this bottle has been a game changer. —Kate Spencer

If you’re like me, you have no fewer than four friends getting married, at least one that’s having a baby, and a slew of birthdays coming up (why is everyone a Cancer?). If you’re too broke to shell out a wad of cash for gifts celebrating each of these *special* moments, at least make sure the card knocks it out of the park. I exclusively buy FINEASSLINES cards, because everyone (including my boomer parents) loves them, and, more importantly, will tell you how much they love them. It’s hard to pick my faves, but these have been heavy in the rotation lately (duh, shrimp!), and a mug with a good poop joke, never disappoints. —Becca Blasdel

I’m must confess I’m not normally a hat girl, but I am a slut for a great summer beach hat. Janessa Leone’s Tinsley Wide Brim is what my hat-filled wet dreams are made of. (Just look at that wide floppy brim and natural raffia color! Perfect for sun protection and secrets.) There’s something about wearing a floppy straw hat to block out the sun (and the haters) that adds a sexy mysterious energy to my outfit. Like, Who is that woman in that big hat… what is she hiding… why is it so big? If you see a floppy hat at the park, around the block or at the beach, I hope you ask yourselves these questions. —Becca Sax

These little bubble candles are too easy on the eyes to not give a shoutout. I picked up a few this month and discovered that they’re the perfect mini home decor upgrade without blowing your load (of cash, duh). —Nicolette Accardi

I love drawing while watching trashy television (And Just Like That…, one of my favorite hate-watches, is finally back!), but sometimes a blank sheet of paper is a little too freeing and I have no idea where to start with my doodles. On VICE’s shopping team, we’re a big fan of Taschen’s big, gorgeous art books, and when the publisher recently had a local pop-up, I picked up this book that offers metaphorical, historical, and visual explanations for every iconic “symbol” imaginable—we’re not talking question marks and peace signs, but recurring themes in art, from dusk to palm trees to snails. This book is an amazing reference point for any kind of creative expression, from painting to songwriting; just flip through and you’ll find yourself gravitating towards something, and it really helps inspiration flow. —Hilary Pollack

Since you were wondering: Come July 21, we’re team Oppenheimer.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals?Sign up for our newsletter.