My Experience with Natural Deodorant

My decision to switch over to natural decision is because my mom told me to and honestly, isn’t that the best answer? LOL! My mom had finished up at a doctor’s appointment and called me to tell me that at every doctors appointment she goes to, the doctor asks what deodorant she uses. Isn’t that a bizarre question to ask again and again? One would think so but there is a lot of science backing up the persistent questioning. My mom called me that day to tell me to throw out my deodorant and switch to a natural one because it wouldn’t have aluminum in it. There is a lot of information out there about the pros and the cons along with the recent trends of using natural deodorant. But this became personal for me because it is an easy product swap for me that I know I will appreciate that I did down the road.

I’m that weird person that has more than one deodorant – one at work, one in the bathroom, one for traveling and one in my car. All different brands but all of them had one thing in common – aluminum. Some research suggests that aluminum may contribute to the development of breast cancer. After all, it is a chemical that we put on our body directly every day for basically our entire life. Whether you believe in this research or not, what is the harm of using an aluminum free deodorant? For me, it was a personal choice and it brought me some peace with the current situation in my family right now. I haven’t shared it on the blog or told many people, but if using another product decreases my chances of breast cancer, I’m gonna do it.

Some of my thoughts while using schmidt’s natural deodorant so far…

You still can sweat… It can be confusing but antiperspirant and deodorant are two different things. Aluminum is in antiperspirant and that is what prevents us from sweating. I have a pretty good walk to the train station every morning and have to walk quickly if I am running late which then causes me to sweat. It’s been weird feeling sweaty because it’s not something I experienced before.

Sweat stains are real…. So now that I’m sweating, I’ve noticed some sweat stains on my white tops. For days that I wear white to work, I admit that I use my old Dove deodorant to prevent sweat stains. I have a large pile of laundry right now with a few sweat stained tops so we will have to see how easily everything washes.

I check if I smell…. again, I’m now sweating again so now I constantly check to see if I smell. I keep a small bottle of perfume at my desk so as an extra precaution I will spray myself once I get to the office. I’m told I don’t smell but I still worry.

I can tell there’s less chemicals in my natural deodorant…. from the way that it looks to the way that it glides. Which only confirms that I made the right decision of switching over to a product with less chemicals.

pumpkin spice and everything nice collection

Sharing a recent purchase today on the blog! For a limited time, you can buy the Too Faced Pumpkin Spice eyeshadow palette and it’s just as amazing as you would expect! I’m trying to cut back on the eyeshadow palettes that I have because they can accumulate really quickly but I had to buy this one because of the extras it came with. The special edition collection comes with 16 pumpkin spice scented eyeshadows, a brush, Better Than Sex mascara and a Pumpkin Spice Ultra Plush lip gloss. You can get everything for only $49! The mascara alone costs $25!

The packaging is amazing! It has the perfect assortment of fall shades and I’m excited about the mascara and lipgloss that came with it. You cannot beat this price with everything you get in this collection. This palette is going to be my go-to for fall and I’m so excited about it!

Or if this is your first time ordering from HSN, you can use promo code NEW20 to get $20 off your order!

Who knew Target had such cute clothes?

I like to take advantage of Target’s free shipping and the endless options the store has to offer. While browsing for some essentials, I started to look at the new fall collection that was just released. And oh my goodness – who knew Target had such cute clothes???

I immediately scooped up this houndstooth tie front top because it looks so expensive but it’s priced for Target. The joke is that if something has a bow, I need to have it so this top easily became one of my new faves. This top is something I wouldn’t normally wear, but the bow kinda sealed the deal. It’s work friendly paired with a black skirt and screams fall with jeans and brown riding boots.

blazer | flats

This blazer is worn on repeat because it is so easy to throw on with any outfit to dress it up. I wore it with jeans one day and then the next week I wore with black pants and a sweater tank for a partner meeting. I’m wearing a size 2 and it’s still fitted. Also, the price is even more amazing! My loafers are new and I’m not sure how I ever lived without them! They have quickly turned into my most worn shoe because they are comfy and go with everything.

This skirt is not something I usually wear but I immediately fell in love with the pattern! It’s been easy to wear to work with a simple black long sleeve top or colored tops that match.

plaid pants // poncho // tory flats

These pants are surprisingly stretchy and are really comfortable. I’m wearing a size two and are the perfect fit. The poncho is a bit large, but it is a one size fits all so that is the look. It’s nice for work because it’s it’s long in the back so I can get away with a legging that looks like pants and it covers the booty!

I thought I was done shopping until I found these pajamas and was so excited to see that my fave pajamas are in a new pattern! As long as Target keeps making these pajamas, I plan on buying them in every color 🙂

Cleaning My Home with Grove Collaborative

I love having a clean home. So much so that I actually look forward to cleaning on the weekends. But I have to admit, it’s been a bit of a challenge to juggle moving into a house and trying to keep it clean while we still unpack. I needed the right products to help me clean and get it done quickly!

I got all of this for only $50 with my first order!!

I had been wanting to try Grove Collaborative since forever and finally made a purchase on the website after visiting my parents house a few weeks ago. Grove Collaborative makes it easy to shop clean, environmentally friendly products that work as well as having really cute cleaning supplies! I am way too excited about a cute tray for next to the sink ha! I ended up getting a free tray with my order as well as a tray with a sponge holder attachment so I use the second tray to hold miscellaneous kitchen items like the salt and pepper and such.

The Grove Collaborative makes it easy to shop because all of your favorite brands are on one website and all of them are delivered to your front door! No more running out of something or walking up and down the aisles trying to find that one item that you need.

Also, did you know that you get free products with your first order?? This makes it the perfect chance to try a new product to see if you like it. Just use this link to make a purchase to try out Grove Collaborative and get free products with your order.

How I Deal With the Sunday Scaries

I’m writing this post on a Sunday night as I procrastinate before going to bed. I still have a few more things to get done tonight but like most Monday’s, I am getting a little anxious about starting another work week. The Sunday Scaries usually start on Sunday morning and my brain goes into over drive making me create unrealistic to do lists and freaking out that I won’t be able to get everything done. I’m sure I am not the only one who goes through this… hopefully? I’m only four months into my new job and there is still so much for me to learn. Each day is unpredictable no matter how much I try and over plan and over prepare. I organize meetings for the practice group and there are a lot of logistics that people don’t realize, update charts with data and putting out fires before anyone realizes that something didn’t go to plan! I’ve made an effort to not just mope on the couch and stress about the things I haven’t done on Sundays and actually enjoy my weekends.End

1. Your Work Week Properly
Do you just drop everything at 5pm on a Friday and rush out the door because it’s finally the weekend? Yeah, I used to do this and then would stress on Sunday night because I couldn’t remember if I did xyz or I would get stressed about the upcoming week because I had no clue what was coming up. Now on Fridays, I make sure that I get everything done for the week even if that means that I stay at work a little late. I also go through my Outlook calendar for the upcoming week and make my to do list for Monday morning. Once I go over what I have coming up, then I don’t feel so overwhelmed before I step into the office. Just knowing that I finished up the previous work week and there is nothing outstanding on my to do list helps me feel more confident.

2. Saturdays are for Errands. Sundays are for relaxing
Gosh, this rule alone has changed my weekends dramatically! I try to make it a rule that I do my errands; grocery shopping, trips to Target, adulting, cleaning the house, etc. on Saturdays. With everything out of the way, I have all day Sunday to relax and take things slow instead of rushing and feeling drained Sunday night. I’ll leave laundry and change the sheets for Sunday morning because it’s something that I can always do it during the week and I have plenty of clothes to get me through the month!

3. Shower Before 7pm on Sundays
I shower at night and if I’m not careful, I will procrastinate and not shower until close to midnight on Sunday nights. This is a recent rule for me and I already see a dramatic difference in my night time routine. When I shower and wash my hair earlier in the day, I actually have time to let my hair air dry and style before bed! No more going to bed after a quick shower and wet hair!!

4. Meal Prep for the Week while You Make Dinner
One of the reasons I am so burned out during the week is because I just don’t have the time to pack a lunch or snacks for work. If I don’t bring a lunch with me, I will just go all day without food and then have no energy when I get home from work. Now on Sundays while I cook dinner, I spend a few extra minutes to pack easy grab and go containers of food for the week.

5. Tell Someone About Your Sunday Scaries
I honestly could not get through the week without Jake. He’s my voice of reason to calm me down when I am freaking out about getting everything done and reminds me that I need to sit down and enjoy my weekend! It’s nice to vent about what you are stressed out about and help enforce that work/life balance. It’s also really nice to share responsibilities with. Some Sundays, I will go to bed and Jake will clean up the kitchen or will stay up to finish the laundry. After talking about what causes me to get stressed out, he has stepped in to help take a few of things off of my plate so we get things done faster and have more time to relax on the weekends. If you don’t have a significant other, do your grocery shopping with a friend, Facetime with a friend while you clean your apartment or talk to your mom when you need some encouragement to keep you going.

hello fall + a sneak peak of the new house

One of the most exciting things about moving into the new house is that we had a home to decorate for fall! A few weeks ago, we cleaned up a little bit to make room for some fall decor. I still want to go to Target and Homegoods to pick up a few more things but I love having my little pumpkins here and there around the house! This moving process is taking longer than I thought it would because we spent two weekends moving all of my stuff into the new house and then before we could unpack, we had to do a few (many!) trips from Jake’s apartment to the house. Gosh – we are exhausted and we are still in the moving process! On one of our trips to Lowe’s to buy a few things for the house, we also picked up mums and it brought me so much joy! We still need some pumpkins which I hope to buy this upcoming weekend but it’s so nice to home to decorate for fall! I’m just so obsessed even though our living room is once again filled with boxes and we still have so much unpacking to do. But I’m trying to find the joy in finding a home for each thing. Our weekends are spent on the couch, enjoying our home and watching lots of movies while a fall scented candle fills the house.