It seems like an eon ago that I started my Master’s Program, but I have done it! I have FINALLY finished. After hours and hours, years of schooling and research (and a 68 page paper) I have graduated. I now have my Master’s Degree in Cosmetic Science!! It has been a long time coming and I can’t believe I was able to get it done with a new baby (now a toddler) and during a pandemic no less. It is crazy to think that I am done. I have essentially been in some sort of school for most of my life and now there is this empty space in my time. It’s incredible. And frightening. Now what?! What should I be doing with this new degree?! The answer is…I have no idea. In a different stage of my life that might have been an easy question to answer, but now, not so much.

I have always had a clear path (maybe winding, but clear) as to what my next goal was, but now I feel like I am stumbling in the dark a bit. I am in a stable job that pays the bills, but is it something that I can see myself doing for the next several decades. Unfortunately, no. So here I am, sitting at my computer, in the process of buying a new house and pregnant with our second baby and I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. Would it be nice to say that I can be a stay at home mom and do a little something on the side for some extra cash. Yes, it would, but we aren’t there yet. Would I absolutely love to be in the lab researching new and interesting beauty products…of course, but there isn’t that opportunity where we live (at least not that I have found yet!). Where does that leave me? I just don’t know.

For now, I will continue to sell my wares in my Etsy shop (and hopefully get more time to do that!)…shameless plug, I know…and try to make it to my due date. Once that has happened I will revisit the job hunt 🙂

Let’s get real. People sweat. People stink. I am people!! Another AMAZING side effect of post-pregnancy hormones is extra stink. Prior to pregnancy, I wasn’t super stinky and didn’t really care about the deodorant I was using. Anything that was cheap and easily available was what I used. When I got pregnant, I started paying more attention to the ingredients that were in my deodorant products. I moved to what I perceive to be a healthier (for me and baby) deodorant option (i.e. Native). I loved Native deodorant while I was pregnant, but it just wasn’t cutting it with the post-partum hormones.

Enter my holy grail of deodorants–Beautycounter’s Clean Deo. I was really skeptical that this product was going to be any better than the Native deodorant that I was using. How can one clean deodorant be substantially better than any other clean deodorant? Well, let me tell you…it can! There are three main aspects of this deodorant: aluminum-free, sustainable, and IT WORKS!!

Quick lesson about antiperspirants vs. deodorant: Deodorants (like The Clean Deo) work to neutralize odors, whereas antiperspirants are typically made with aluminum, which works to stop odor by plugging sweat glands and preventing sweating (from Beautycounter.com). As gross as it sounds, you need to sweat! This deodorant really, really works! I put it on in the morning and can go all day smelling like coconuts. It holds up through a workout, through running around after my daughter, etc. The best part about this deodorant, other than the fact that it leaves me smelling fresh, is that it is refillable. The product outer shell can continue to be used with the dispenser can be recycled. Ingenious! It comes in three different scents: coconut, lilac, and rose. I have only tried the coconut (because…who doesn’t want to smell like a beach vacation!), but have heard nothing but excellent things about the other two scents.