Disappointing products, peanut butter and chili, and the book

So you know how it's April Fool's Day and all that? Well, I don't trust ANYONE today! Anyone. Especially Tom, because if he's going to want to prank anyone, it's going to be me. He did, actually. He convinced me he'd be home late, then BOOM! He wasn't, and I was happy.

However. We had dinner tonight, and there he was, telling me how delicious peanut butter and bread is with chili. Naturally I thought he was spewing lies, because come on now. Gross. But his family was in on it! They all eat that weird combo! So I ate it, and it was kind of delicious. I'm still convinced it's an elaborate April Fool's Day prank.

Anyway, something has been on my mind. And it's that the last group of products I bought have been deeply disappointing. I would like to share those with you so that you might save some money. However, I do have successful versions of all of these things, so I will do another post with the good things I have bought.

There is something so awful about being really, really excited to try something for awhile, buying it, and then hating it. All of these things fit into that category.

1.) Herbal Essences naked shampoo and conditioner, Herbal Mint scent

Via

I was so excited to try these! I kept seeing ads for them, and I love anything that's a little more natural, so these seemed like a budget-friendly option. Plus, the packaging was pretty and I can be a sucker for pretty packaging.

All I can say is my hair was VERY dried out after using them, and for whatever reason, the scent smells like men's body wash. It's weird for your hair to smell like that. I was so disappointed in these that I don't even think I want to finish the bottles. They are "moisture" shampoo and conditioner, but it took a lot of coconut oil to make my hair look less fried. They had some good reviews online and they may work for your hair, but for me, they were disappointing.

2.) gud from Burt's Bees, Red Ruby Guava body lotion

Via

I am a big fan of Burt's Bees products. I have been using their cream cleanser for years and I love it. So when I saw they had a new line of products, I was excited to try it out. I smelled the gud's lotion in the store and thought it smelled light and refreshing. Then I got home and put it all over my arms. It felt really weird, like it made my skin feel even drier. Then, after a little while, the scent seemed to intensify and ended up smelling like rotten fruit. 

It didn't provide much moisture at all and smell really ruined it for me. I used it once or twice but I don't plan on finishing it up.

3.) Tom's Long Lasting Aluminum-Free Deodorant, Fresh Apricot scent

I've been trying out aluminum-free deodorants for about a year now, and it's been hard to find one I really like. Since I ran out of the last one I liked ("Kiss My Face" Natural Liquid Rock) I decided to give this one a try. 

For me, it wasn't long-lasting and it made my skin peel. I felt like I just rubbed some apricot-scented lotion on my armpits. So I ended up buying the liquid rock again, and I think I'm going to stay with that until I give Lavanila a try. For now I'm pretty happy with it, and it's even unscented.

Book Updates

I got the edited manuscript back from my editor! I fixed what was needed, sent it back, and now it has to go through formatting and one more round of editing. Pretty soon I will also get to see the cover!

This is such a terrifying/exciting process. Last week I panicked and almost didn't want to put the book out anymore. Something about just inviting people to read this made-up story from my brain is scary.

I don't know if that makes sense or I just sound crazy, but either way, I have accepted it now. And the second book is well under way. I will share the release date once I know it! I'm guessing it's two weeks away now.

Happy Tuesday!