I have a romantic vision of the kind of host I want to be: folded napkins, whimsical place settings, soft candlelight, an impeccably curated playlist. And what’s integral to that vision? A clinking, fully stocked bar cart so I can conjure up a drink tailored for each guest.

Unfortunately, while I can work on my Spotify skills and buy a couple tapered candles, it turns out time, space, and money are limiting factors in the beverage department.

Enter canned cocktails.

I am a disorganized overpacker. I know — the worst of both worlds.

I used to shove clothes into every crevice of my checked bag until it was too heavy for me to lift. I’m the person who panic-packed three sweatshirts to the Caribbean, because my brain said no, but my heart said yes. (They never left my suitcase.)

Everything would emerge wrinkled, rumpled, and wrecked, and upon arrival, I would pull wads of underwear out of shoes, un-ball T-shirts, and shake out dresses in hopes of removing the deep rivers of creases that had been carved into the garments during transit.

Nothing has repeatedly saved me from my worst instincts more than packing cubes. Specifically, the REI Co-op Expandable Packing Cube Set, which is purpose-built for people like me who always butt right up against our limits. But for those of you reading all of this in horror: The joy of these packing cubes is that they work equally well for those who are more buttoned up in both mind and spirit.

Best for...

Best packing cubes for overpackers

REI Co-op Expandable Packing Cube Set

These three cubes hold the most of any set we tested in the smallest amount of space. The compression zippers can be tricky to operate, though.

$50 from REI

When we tested hop water, we praised it for not trying to be beer. Nonalcoholic beer, on the other hand, tries very hard to be beer.

Plenty of nonalcoholic beers fail. Some are tasteless. Others have plenty of flavor — just not the kind you want. Many are flat-out terrible.

But when a nonalcoholic beer does manage to replicate the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel of real beer, it feels a bit magical.

These days, there’s no shortage of NA beer to choose from, whether you’re looking for a brew that mimics a simple sports bar lager or the wildest craft beer flavors you can imagine. Well over 200 brands produce nonalcoholic beers in the US, and the true number you can get is likely much higher (the NA Beer Finder lists 473 worldwide).

With the help of some truly educated palates — including homebrewers, renowned craft brewers, Master Cicerones, and our own kitchen experts — we tasted 44 of the most popular NA beers to find the ones that do the best job of replicating the experience of drinking a real beer (intoxication aside).

Good hangers will keep your closet tidy and your clothes neat. Great hangers will do so while also looking nice, ideally for many years.

After methodically testing dozens of hangers over several months and using them in our homes for nearly a decade, we recommend Proman Products Kascade Hangers as the best and most durable general-purpose hangers for most wardrobes.

As Wirecutter’s resident laundry expert, I encounter a new laundry trend or contraption seemingly every day. Still, the recent buzz about lipase — a common enzyme known for its grease-cutting properties — caught me by surprise. Lipase is hardly a new technology; it has appeared in laundry detergents for decades. So why the sudden stardom?

It turns out, lipase’s devoted following is rooted in how effectively it purportedly treats two laundry woes: stubborn grease stains and lingering stench (sometimes called odor rebloom or permastank). Both types of soils are caused by oils and require powerful degreasers to remove.

But using any old laundry detergent containing lipase won’t necessarily eradicate a pizza stain on your favorite shirt or the funk embedded in your workout clothes. A detergent’s overall formula, as well as its correct use, matter far more than a specific ingredient, lipase included. Here’s why.

If you want to keep mosquitoes away from your deck or patio, without having to slather your skin with bug repellent, get the Thermacell E-ZoneGuard Patio Max Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller.

After spending 80 hours researching a category full of marketing hype and debunked methods (including popular options like citronella candles), we found that the E65 stands out by actually being effective. Its rechargeable, 6½-hour battery lasts long enough to odorlessly keep a bedroom-size area mosquito-free for an entire evening — as long as there’s no breeze.

I come by my crow’s feet honestly. Forged over a childhood under the Arizona sun, they’ve been with me since high school — yes, high school — as my senior portrait reveals to anyone who can see past my regulation 1987 megabrows. And to an extent, I embrace my expression lines as life’s little souvenirs. But I also wouldn’t mind softening them.

Not everyone has wrinkles, of course. Among the dozens of people I spoke to for this guide, some were bothered by dark circles, others by puffiness, and still others by parched skin or tired-looking eyes. We all liked the idea of an over-the-counter fix, but — having struck out before — we weren’t sure one existed.

In an attempt to find out, I interviewed four dermatologists, two cosmetic chemists, an ophthalmologist, and a dermatologic clinical research coordinator. Using my initial research, I compiled a set of 56 products to evaluate with members of the Wirecutter beauty team; then I pared that list down to 21 finalists to send to a diverse group of 65 testers, ages 23 to 84. Each panelist used a single product on one eye for 30 days and documented the trial with photos.

To our surprise, we found six standouts. Our picks include an all-around workhorse; a luxe upgrade with an immediate illuminating effect; a dark-circle lightener; a wrinkle softener; an extra-rich moisturizer; and a soothing depuffer. We’re confident that at least one of them will brighten your outlook.

Chainsaws can be catastrophically dangerous, but they’re a lot easier to use safely when they’re compact, light, and reliably powerful. In testing over a dozen new cordless tools in recent years, we were happy to realize most people can usually bypass the full-size version in favor of a smaller, safer pruning saw — and everyone can skip gas chainsaws entirely.

A pleasant breeze can be exquisite, but sometimes there’s not enough wind when you want it — and no outlet for a fan, either. Can a battery-powered fan provide enough of a gust to cool you down outdoors? To find out, we spent hours comparing the power and stamina of all kinds of cordless fans.

In this edition of The Recommendation, we share our picks for sun season, including cute (and protective) sun hats and superior vanilla ice cream.

Over the years, we’ve evaluated nearly 100 sunscreens — and come away with six standouts that offer ample protection, play nice under makeup, and suit a wide range of skin types.

Some of our newest finds include an unfussy, fragrance-free option and a weightless, fast-absorbing lotion that can replace your moisturizer.