What's that smell?

... That's something that my two year old niece says every so often when she encounters something olafactorily offensive.

With this new deodorant that I found on etsy, she'll hopefully be less inclined to say it around me. I know, I already posted about etsy deodorant, but it turns out I have sensitive pits (or maybe it's just pregnancy hormones) and I was itching up a storm.



So I tried some of the "No Offense Deodorant" from Mum Mum's Crafts in the plumeria scent. This stuff smells delicious. Seriously. Every so often since I've started using it, I'll think, "What's that lovely smell?" And, well, it's me! The plumeria is gently floral, clean, and a little tropical. And in the past week since I started wearing it, my husband has not once said "You kind of stink," as we've climbed into bed. Either we're really making progress in our relationship or this stuff really works. The only downside I've come across is the one day that I put it on with a black tank top -- some of the white stuff showed up. But I'm also pretty careless about that sort of thing -- and, besides, tank top season is almost over. At $7 for 3 oz, it's quite a bit pricier than any store bought stuff, but I don't mind paying extra for handmade and the stuff is so thick that I'm confident it will last me a while. Although, I might be buying before I run out just so I can check out some of the other scents!

Urban Eden Deodorant: Fresh and Citrusy

It's been quite some time since I've worn antiperspirant. While there are those out there who would only make such a drastic move based on scientific evidence proving that the chemicals that keep us from sweating cause cancer or Alzheimer's, I relied on a much more readily-accessible source of information to make this decision: my gut. What my gut told me was that the human body was made to sweat to keep us cool and, absent an excessive sweating issue, trying to keep the body from sweating seemed unnatural. Besides, my t-shirts were getting yellow pit stains from antiperspirant and, as my sister recently pointed out, antiperspirant always seems to leave a film on your pits that never washes off. Who wants a sticky film?

My aversion to antiperspirant, however, is only slightly stronger than my aversion to my own stank. My trip down the deodorant aisle was increasingly becoming an exercise in frustration. Is there a deodorant out there that not only smells good but keeps me smelling good for longer than three hours?

It was only when I saw a Tweet from a fellow etsian about a shop called "Urban Eden" that I realized that there were options beyond Toms of Maine and "The Rock." I ordered up some of her lemon myrtle deodorant.

The 1.65 oz container of yellowish, easy to rub on deodorant has a citrusy scent that verges on astringent. I mean that in the best way. I like slightly astringent deodorant because it makes me feel like it's working. "Astringent" means "clean" and is in direct opposition to "funk."

I have to admit that when I finally go to bed at the end of the day and I throw my arms over my head, even I still find the odor permeating from my pits pretty offensive. But I think I'm coming to accept that that has little to do with what deodorant I'm using and more to do with my own sweat stinkiness. I think I'm a twice a day rub under the pits kind of a girl. And that's fine by me -- as long as I can keep finding deodorants has easy and fragrant as those made by Urban Eden.

Right as Rain Creations: Aptly Named.

Months and months ago, I started what I called "Friday Feature" wherein the goal was for me to feature an etsy product every Friday. Well, I've come to realize that regular blog themes based on alliteration and days of the week just doesn't work for me. My muses don't follow a seven day pattern.

So I've opted to feature when the muse strikes... and boy, the muse bopped me over the head a good one.

Megan at Right as Rain Creations makes luscious lotions that I cannot say enough about. Minnesota winters are cold and dry. Really, really dry. But even in the middle of winter, with chapping and chaffing at its worst my husband (who washes his hand often at his job in a research lab) and I only had to reapply once every few days. When the skin on my knees and thighs got red, itchy, and flaky, I put on some of Right as Rain's lotion and -- I kid you not -- the next morning I saw a marked improvement. After a few days, my skin was as soft and silky as a newborn baby. (OK, maybe not that much, but did you really expect a miracle?)

After we finally used up our first 4 oz, I was ready to place an order for a larger bottle. My first bottle was "April Showers." I liked the scent well enough, but wanted something new. I e-mailed Megan and asked her for advice on a gender neutral scent since both my husband and I were hooked. She responded promptly with a few suggestions and I decided on Green Tea and Cucumber. When it arrived, I feared it was a little too feminine for my husband, but I didn't say anything and let him smell it for himself. He asked if it was too masculine for me. Needless to say, I was impressed with Megan's olfactory insights.

It's probably a little pricier than what you might pick up at CVS or Walgreens, but we have to use it so infrequently that we can't afford NOT to buy it. Our four ounce bottle lasted both of us through the winter. Besides, it's well worth it for the personalized service and the comfort of knowing that there's a person behind the product working to make sure ingredients are as natural as possible. ... Oh, and with our 8 oz purchase she included a sample of her "Chai Tea" body cream -- thick and sweet enough to eat!