We took a trip down perfume lane last week, as I described the first four fragrances I tried as part of the Sephora Sampler. Out of 10, I can only pick 1. Decisions, decisions. But will the next six scents make the choice difficult, or will I give them barely a second sniff? And for the record, I do not have “dry” skin that would make it difficult for any of these scents to last. The perfumes I currently own last until the next day unless I’ve showered. And there goes probably TMI.

Stella McCartney, Stella

You know a perfume is not for you when you get into your car, and your nose is hit by a smell that is not entirely unfamiliar. I kept wondering where the menthol smell was coming from, and then I realized it was my perfume. Automatic disqualification when your expensive perfume is reminiscent of Vicks Vap-o-Rub, and I’m guessing the Vicks actually lasts longer, too. This scent is rated very highly, so perhaps it just doesn’t work with my body chemistry.

Gwen Stefani, L.A.M.B.

I’m all for Love, Angels, and Music, Baby, but this stuff reminded me more of dried roses than anything else. Hardly hip or edgy. More like potpurri and grandma-y. And it lasted the shortest time out of all the fragrances. Which for once was a good thing.

Calvin Klein, euphoria

Back in the late 80’s, I wore Calvin Klein’s Obsession, well, obsessively. I thought it was a great scent and I was thinking that if I liked Euphoria even half as much, well then it was a shoo-in for the semi-finals. Sad to say, this perfume evoked nothing like euphoria in me. It went on nicely at first and I really liked the top notes, but the bottom notes were unimpressive.

Marc Jacobs, Daisy

Daisy started off very promisingly. It was light and refreshing, a perfect day scent. However, just a few hours later, I couldn’t smell anything anymore. Unfortunately, I require my scents to last and Daisy was nice, but this pretty scent has a half-life that is far too short for me.

Bvlgari, Omnia Crystalline

A beautiful, soft, sensual scent. I liked it and everyone else I shoved my arm at liked it, too. However, I’m looking for a day scent for when the days get warmer, and this is definitely an elegant “date” perfume. I’m sure my son’s kindergarten teacher would appreciate how nice I smell when I volunteer in the classroom, but this stuff is wasted on a bunch of five and six year olds.

Aquolina, Pink Sugar

As I like sweet scents and don’t mind smelling like food, I had high hopes for Pink Sugar. And true to its name, you definitely smell like you have been rolling around in sugar cookie dough. However, it has absolutely no staying power and I found it overly cloying for my taste. Very girly, and I think I’m a little old for girly.

So which one am I picking?

If I was going for a dramatic scent for special occasions, the Bvlgari would have been the top choice. However, I need this for every day wear. So, by a large margin that surprised even me, the LAVANILA Vanilla Grapefruit will soon be making its way into my hot little hands. Yay for new perfume!

Now, this just can’t be right:

via BestWeekEver:

The Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe is a gigantic (to a baby) fleece blanket diaper that wraps around an infants arms and legs, rendering it into nothing more than battery-free glow worm.

The (organic) cotton Kiddomopotamus & Co SwaddleMe may look like a good idea on paper; who doesn’t get pleasantly pine-scented frissons of Christmas nostalgia at the idea of swaddling clothes? And yet…and yet…what must this poor child have done, to deserve to be cooped up in what is very obviously nothing more than a New Age version of a straight jacket?

By the way, I speak from some secondhand experience here, as my sister, when young, was admitted to hospital, I forget what for because, of course, it happened to her and not me so who cares, really? but so she was, admitted that is, and she became what is known in the medical profession as “agitated” and in my family as “having one of her fits you know.” And the very professional nurses very kindly offered her a special treat: the Bunny Jacket!

The Bunny Jacket was special! The sleeves were long, long, long like bunny ears, and they fastened all the way in the back! How fun!

Where was I?

Oh yes. Presuming you give birth to my sister’s psychic twin, you may find these twee restraining devices to be of some use on a regular basis. Otherwise, however, please keep in mind that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes because his parents couldn’t afford sleeves.