The Only Prime Day Deals Worth Your Time, According to a Seasoned Shopping Editor

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.Cosmopolitan/AmazonIf your October to-do list looks anything like mine—fall wardrobe gaps to fill, a gift list that keeps getting longer, a growing pile of household stuff that needs replacing—Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days arrived right on time. The two-day sale, aka October Prime Day, is live now—but only until tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT (that's 2:59 a.m. ET for those of us on the East Coast), so consider this your sign to shop sooner rather than later.SHOP OCTOBER PRIME DAY DEALSNow for some honesty: the discounts this year are not all winners. A lot of what's marked down is sitting at 10-15% off, which is meh and not exactly worth rearranging your day over. So instead of dumping every deal on you, I combed through the sale and pulled out the ones I think are genuinely worth it—most of which are things I'm shopping myself. Where October Prime Day really earns its keep this year: stocking up on (or finally upgrading) your everyday essentials, tapping into fall's biggest fashion trends at a discount, and getting a head start on holiday gifts and advent calendars before the good ones sell out.Ahead, I've broken out my picks by category so you can skip straight to whatever your cart is missing.Fall FashionOctober Prime Day is a smart time to buy into fall’s biggest trends before the season peaks. I'm seeing markdowns on oversized sunglasses, slouchy leather bags, triangle scarves that complete any fall/winter outfit, and comfy jeans that'll work as the base of basically everything you wear this season.TechTech is where the discounts get actually deep this event. The Dyson Airwrap basically only goes on sale during Prime Day events—the last time it dipped this low was the July sale—plus I found a digital camera for shooting cute grainy content and a red light therapy mask that doesn't cost a billion dollars.HomeIf your space needs a refresh before you're hosting or hunkering down for the winter, these are the home upgrades I'd grab now: a cordless Dyson vacuum, cloud-like bedding, and a sunrise alarm clock that makes dark mornings less brutal. Also in this section: a pre-lit Christmas tree for $219, which is basically unheard of.Everyday EssentialsRestocking rarely feels exciting, but it does feel good when everything's 20-30% off. Now's the time to finally upgrade to a new electric toothbrush (it's about time, let's be honest), replenish your stash of silk scrunchies before the last one goes missing, and buy a backup of the Paula's Choice liquid exfoliant that keeps clogged pores and dullness in check.Kim Duong is the Deputy Shopping Director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing shopping coverage online for all things fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and sex. When she's not musing about which products are actually worth your hard-earned cash, she's also writing (sometimes slightly unhinged) fashion content in print. You can find her previous writing in Refinery29, InStyle, Travel + Leisure, and StyleCaster. Follow her on Instagram for bottomless cute dog content and did-that-really-happen-to-me story times in her highlights.