Category: Products

Saturday Favorites

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Happy almost end of April! I thought I’d share a few favorites and discoveries from this past week.

Music:
Sylvan Esso – this is a collaboration between a singer-songwriter from the Appalachian indie folk trio Mountain Man and an electronic producer/bassist – which results in a happy electro/pop/folk sound.

Holst’s The Planets – heard a snippet of this and was reminded about how much I love these pieces.

Because we were down and out with the crud and busy this week, I didn’t cook (okay – maybe one night).  As a result, I’ve been studying recipes and also ate out a fair bit for lunches this week. Some of my new favorites and ideas!

Eats:
Bep Eatery – Because I hardly ever venture out into the skyway, a coworker of mine had to introduce me to this place – and it was delicious. And most of their food is gluten free, because: rice noodles. I got some pho and not only was it affordable for a lunch, a large quantity, but I got to choose everything I wanted from the protein to the sauce. Comfort in a bowl.

This Ricotta Dumpling with Asparagus and Green Garlic looks amazing (putzy, but amazing) and perfect for spring. On my list!

One of my friends and I have decided to revamp happy hour to fit how we feel on Fridays. Because really – let’s face it – most of the time on Fridays, you don’t really want to go out (translate – we’re not as young as we used to be). So our new plan is to go and get snacks from a restaurant or have them on hand and then bring them, the wine and yoga pants to the happy hour. Best ever. Last night she had fries and this Sriracha Mayo – delicious.

Beauty/Lifestyle:

I’d forgotten how much I like to take a bath every now and again, until my chiropractor told me to take a epsom salt bath last time I was in to help relax my muscles. I love this Lavender and Honey scent from Calgon. Great before bed with that lavender!

Young Living Essential Oils certainly have their following and my sister has now introduced us to the joys of a diffuser with essential oils. Our diffuser came yesterday (it may or may not be the same one that both she and my mom have) and I could not be more excited to try it!

Sea Salt Spray is something I’ve used for a few years, but haven’t found one that I really liked until recently. Growing my hair out for a special occasion is not new to me, but this time, because it will be my wedding, is a different story. My hair is pretty fine and thin, so as it gets longer, I have to putter around with it more to make it look decent. Sometimes, I don’t want to and end up air-drying/retraining it to be wavy/curly. I love how light the Beautycounter spray is, plus it adds body and some level of hold and is free of so many ingredients I don’t want to be using!

And completely unrelated, I purchased some Yankz laces on the recommendation of my triathlete friend and just finally got them on my retro Sauconys – easy for putting on and cute!

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What are some of your new favorites or discoveries?

Cheers to Saturday!

Safe deodorants are hard to find… (or maybe not?)

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One of the things that I’ve been shocked about as I’ve continued to switch out my cosmetics, body care and hair care is the number of reviews that are already out there on safe, great products. It makes me happy to see that as society, we’re becoming even more conscious and making sure to use products that are safer – for all the reasons we should. These products carry less ingredients that cause concern for cancer, developmental disruption, and allergens.

We think so much about what we eat. We buy organic meats and veggies, we drink coconut water, we buy organic wine and beer, we do yoga, we run, we buy filtered water…the list goes on and on. But how many of us think about what we are using each day on our largest organ – our skin?

The thought is slightly chilling – once I started thinking about all of the different products I used each day (deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, soap, lotion, face lotion, hair products, makeup) and what was in them, I decided to do some research on a few products that I hadn’t really been paying attention to.

First on my list? Deodorant.

I had discovered several blogs that were touting top five safe deodorants for women. I decided to give Native – one that was mentioned in multiple places – a try. I journeyed to my local Whole Foods to see if they had it – no such luck as you can only order it online.

In the mean time, I decided to try Nourish Organic’s Almond and Vanilla stick until I could get my hands on Native to try it.

Nourish

The scent threw me a bit at first – I was used to my Dove Renew – and this smells much more like a lotion I would use instead of a deodorant. That said, I got used to it pretty quickly and I love how smooth it is. With shea butter and cocoa butter it goes on really nicely and doesn’t transfer to clothes. I don’t sweat much – even when exercising, so that’s one caveat I should share.

I wasn’t sure if I would like the Nourish Organic, so I had also gone ahead and ordered a Native Women’s Sample Pack (3 full size deodorants for $30 – which is a steal when 1 stick is $12 – plus free shipping!) to give it a go.

Native

Left to right: Unscented, Lavender & Rose, Coconut & Vanilla

Having read many reviews, I tried the Coconut & Vanilla scent first – and I like the lightly tropical scent. It’s not overpowering at all. The Lavender & Rose Scent is nice and light, too. Unscented – well, that’s easy to guess.

Generally, I like Native just as well as the Nourish stick, but it doesn’t go on quite as smoothly. That said – either brand would be a good safe alternative.

What have you tried and what works best for you?