Clinical Strength

After a pretty long hiatus, I am back. My family and I relocated from Northern Virginia to Cary, North Carolina and things are just settling down. The kids are in year round school and I have some quiet in the house.

Today I want to talk about those Clinical Strength deoderants out there. Now, usually, I'm not one who needs to use these stronger versions...however, it has been way to hot lately and once that heat shows up I actually find I do need them. I'm actually going to compare/review the last two brands that I've tried...there is a distinct difference in quality. So, before you spend anywhere between 7-12 dollars on deoderant please read my post.

I do believe Secret was the first "ladies" brand to come out with a clinical strength deoderant that you could buy OTC. I'm using the Secret version now because I had a coupon (silly isn't it what we buy cause we have a coupon). It's about 1.6 ounces and yes I bought the smaller one, they do make larger sizes but the price is higher. It has a small container that is not the easiest thing to hold and the dial you need to turn to get the stuff out is a little stiff. There's maybe 5 holes up top where the product comes out and it does sometimes come out uneven.

The brand I had before I ran out was Dove. The Dove version, which I think is a recent product..I usually use Dove deoderant anyway and had not seen the clinical strength till I bought it. The Dove version is about 1.7 ounces, has a larger and easier to hold container than the Secret. Also, the dial is much easier to turn and the product comes out smoother, more even. There are multiple holes in the top for the product to emerge from..both large and small so you get a more even amount for application.

The product basically feels the same no matter what brand you use and they do all have the same main ingredient. But, I found that the Dove product dried quicker and stayed dry..even after showing the next morning. The Secret does not dry quickly and throughout the day it feels wet and like I need to reapply the stuff. Now, of course I plan on finishing the Secret even though I don't like it as much, I don't like to waste stuff. But from now on, I plan on sticking with Dove, coupon or no coupon!

Handmade Birthday

Ok, sorry it's been awhile. As some of you know I am having a new home built in North Carolina which should be done in June..so I've been going nutso.

Anyway, last week I celebrated my 38th birthday and luckily the hubby got me something I wanted. I love being able to just email my Etsy favorites to people and say here get my gift from here.





My husband got me this beautiful lampwork Teapot necklace from Helen's Harvest. I've been coveting her work for awhile. She just makes the most beautiful lampwork jewelry. Take a look at her shop and peruse the floral pieces. Absolutely gorgeous. I love my Teapot..it's black, which is like my color and the pink roses make it more cute. I can't remember what this piece cost but I think it was around $35. Her prices range from $27 on the low end to $197 depending on the piece.















My boss was another "what do you want for your birthday cause I don't know" person, so I also passed my Etsy favorites on to her. She got me this gorgeous Silver Wreath necklace from Erin Elizabeth. I just love the Garnet surrounded by the simplicity of the setting. I've bought from Erin Elizabeth myself and she does not disappoint in her service and her work. I think this necklace cost around $30 or so. Erin Elizabeth's prices range from $17 to $250 with many inbetween. There's something for everyone price wise here.

Now this last one I did not get for my birthday, I won it in a treasure hunt type contest. But, it's cute no matter what you say. It's this crocheted flower bookmark from Joyous Treasures. It's made to look like a Primrose bloom and when you shut your book, you've got this little flower growing from your book, it's really unique. She's got rosebuds, full roses, daffodils (that one is really neat and I featured it on Rare Bird Finds the other day) and a ton more. Very reasonable prices too. My primrose bookmark will run you $7. Prices range from $3.75 to $15 for the bookmarks. Very unique and way better than a paper one or doggy earring the page.

So, a good birthday and even better were the gifts. I can honestly say I got what I wanted for my birthday.

To Pronate or Not to Pronate

I have been a Pronater all of my life. And, no this is not some new fangled political group or something. Basically, I walk on the inside of my feet. I've done this all my life. I've sprained my ankles I can't tell you how many times because of it (I used to think I just had weak ankles). When I was a kid, I used to shove tissue into the inside of my shoes thinking that would help. I used to get teased and told I ran like a "chicken." I've also been in denial for many many many years. I look at my shoes and see how bent out of shape they are because of my pronation. I didn't even know the term for my problem till I started going to a chiropractor years ago.

So it wasn't until my husband told me that it hurts to watch me walk and that I walk really messed up, that I decided to see if I could find a solution. So I googled "pronation" and took a look at what came up. I found this online store called Footsmart and they have got tons and tons of products from inserts to shoes that help all kinds of foot related problems. I thought the shoes were kind of expensive so I searched "pronation" under their inserts and orthopedics. I found a pair of these gel inserts that were pretty inexpensive and thought, what the hell..I don't have anything to lose. They don't have the first pair I bought anymore so I can't post a photo. But, when I got them and put them in my shoes and walked around..there was an instant difference. After a day or so my back pain started going away. The only problem I had with this one pair was they made a couple pairs of my shoes way too tight and I couldn't wear them.

I went back to Footsmart and ordered a couple more different pairs of inserts. One was these ArchUps Slim inserts in the photo to the left. Very sturdy but not made of the gel like the other pair. They also come with an adhesive if you want to keep them from moving around in your shoe. These work alot better in my shoes, especially the ones that were too tight with the other inserts. Very easy to use and you can't really feel them at all. The effect is immediate. They are on sale at Footsmart right now for $4.97 and are regularly $12.99.

The other pair I got were these Bio-Balance inserts. These are more the soft gel type but slimmer in design so they fit any shoe fairly easily. These worked just as well. They're on sale at Footsmart for $3.97 regularly $6.99.

These were the inexpensive inserts. There are more expensive ones that I won't be trying but probably give you the same results. These were much more on my price radar. I'm happy with the results I've gotten with all three. I'm walking better and my posture is better. If you've got a pronation problem, don't go as long as I did without using a shoe insert. I have to say they have made things alot better.