9 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Big British Underpants to Slime Green Puma Speedcats

Cynthia Rowley believes that balloons shouldn’t be reserved just for birthdays and likes to display them around her house for “absolutely no occasion whatsoever.” She’s had a giant “LOL” made of balloons displayed in her living room and even brings them as a host gift: “Instead of a bottle of wine, I’ll bring a star or somebody’s initials. It’s really festive and shiny,” she told us. When Party City was still around, Rowley used to buy a tank of helium so she could keep refilling balloons in her house. “Now I go to Balloon Saloon in Tribeca, which has a really good selection.”

In the latest edition of The Strategist Beauty Brief, our beauty writer Rachael Griffiths reports on Clinique’s new vitamin C serum. After putting it to the test, both morning and night, for the last six weeks her impression is overwhelmingly positive. “It zapped the redness from my acne scars! And while they haven’t completely faded — they just wouldn’t in six weeks — they look far less angry and are far easier to conceal on days that I do wear makeup,” she says, adding that her skin genuinely feels “quenched and bright in the morning.”

For our Strategist Brain series, junior writer Bella Druckman filled us in about what she’s been shopping for (and eyeing) lately — from Vera Bradley bag charms to Le Labo’s basil-scented hand pomade. “The basil and verbena (‘a citrusy and vegetal aromatic note,’ according to Le Labo) always has me repeatedly smelling my hands after I leave the store,” Druckman says, adding that she’s been thinking about the basil scent for the last month.

“I like it because I have history with it,” says Jesse Tyler Ferguson of the planner he’s used for 16 years. He says it acts as a diary, and he constantly refers to it. “I could tell you what day I had a call back from “Modern Family;” I made notes in my Moleskine diary about how it went,” he says. The calendar also has several different places to map out your schedule: “It’s sort of an all-in-one calendar for me,” Ferguson says.

As part of Jeans Month, our writer Erin Schwartz was on the case after receiving a mysterious tip: that Levi’s jeans from Amazon feel notably different from (and worse than) a pair that came directly from Levi’s. As the Strategist’s resident materials expert, Schwartz took jeans ordered from Amazon and Levi’s to the testing lab of F.I.T.’s Textile Development and Marketing Department. After compiling the data, Schwartz ultimately concluded that while the jeans weren’t exactly the same, the Amazon Levi’s weren’t worse quality. “The tests confirmed a lot of variability between two pairs of the same jeans — you could buy the same style from Amazon and Levi’s and feel a difference. But it didn’t add up to gaps in quality,” Schwartz explained.

Contributor Leigh Plessner says she has “always favored rather expansive black underwear.” As she puts it, her underwear drawer is “like Gatsby’s pile of shirts but all black,” consisting almost entirely of one style from Marks & Spencer: the Cotton-Modal Full Briefs. “My beloved underpants are perfectly jet black, even after one zillion washes, with a little bit of stretch,” she says, adding that the elastic waistband is trim and soft. As for the fit, they hit right above her bellybutton and right below her bum: “exactly as I like it,” Plessner explains. “They interact seamlessly with my summer dresses and winter sweatpants, and after years of wear, they are in near-pristine condition.”

Down-alternative comforters are hypoallergenic, cost less, and are often a better choice if you are vegan or have allergies. We named Buffy’s Breeze Comforter, which is made with lyocell fiber fill and a lyocell shell, our best cooling option because the fabric is considered to be moisture-wicking and breathable, and according to our writer Lauren Ro, you can feel how cool it is to the touch — almost silky — making it ideal for hot sleepers. “If you like the comfort of something heavier but don’t want a proper weighted blanket, then this will be a good option to experiment with,” Ro says.

For Don’t Dillydally, we rounded up a range of newly released products, including Quince’s restocked Royal Ossetra caviar, the new and improved AirFly Pro, and the Puma Speedcats, available in fresh spring colors. “I’m particularly fond of the mocha brown, slime green, and hot pink options,” says our writer Dominique Pariso.

There’s still time to shop the Amazon Big Spring Sale, which began on Tuesday and runs through tomorrow, March 31. Our deals team has been keeping tabs on all the best discounts, from Strategist-recommended beauty products to household essentials, and discounted fashion items are being fulfilled by Shopbop and Zappos. These lightweight Kule shorts with delightful contrasting trim are surprisingly part of the sale.