Fashion Friday: What's That Smell?

I'm no perfumier, but I was reminded that things can always get worse in the odor department as I was sweating buckets in 70+ degree sun while harvesting lava rock. (As a side note, I saw some yesterday morning on a walk, and the lava rock PTSD kicked in. It's gonna take a lot of time and work to heal.) So today I wanted to share two products that keep me smelling reasonably feminine and fit to work with others.

The first is the best hippie deodorant I have yet to find. It's the embodiment of Glam Granola; it smells delicious, is 100% natural, and doesn't leave marks on my clothes. Made by LaVanilla, it comes in four, all-natural scents: Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut, Vanilla Lavender (below), and Vanilla Grapefruit.

I get it from Sephora; at $18 bucks a pop, it's not cheap, but I think the piece of mind is worth the extra cost. I am worried about the link between the aluminum in conventional antiperspirants and deodorants and Alzheimer's disease. While the earth momma in me thinks that blocking sweat glands just can't be good for you, my vain other half doesn't want to smell like a wildebeest and repulse others. Until I found this stuff, that's exactly what I ended up smelling like after a couple hours of using all the other crunchy deodorants out there: Tom's of Maine, Kiss My Face, those worthless crystal rocks, etc.

Now, LaVanilla won't hold up to heavy sweating like manual labor or marathon training. (Trust me on this one.) But it does keep me pretty well covered during the day-to-day, even during teaching, which for some reason causes me to sweat quite a bit. (TMI, I know, but does this happen to any other teachers out there?)

Where LaVanilla might fail me, my favorite perfume has me covered. I have been using Jo Malone's Orange Blossom for a couple of years now. It is light and refreshing without being overpowering, and its citrusy scent pairs well with LaVanilla's Vanilla Grapefruit deodorant.

Its combination of orange blossom and water lily had me at first whiff - it seriously smells just like the orange blossoms in bloom on our tree. And I love the simple and clean packaging. It's not too much more costly than the stuff in department store, and it lasts forever. I have had mine for a year and a half now, and I am hoping to make to till my next birthday in September. (Hint, hint...)

I will definitely be slathering these products on before the heavy lifting begins tomorrow! And since I'm oversharing, what do you use to make yourself fit to be around others?