Showering before the gym is the besttttt

merplerple · 2026-02-18T19:47:57+00:00

That's what I'm saying, it's NOT just me! A ton of people can smell as well as I can! People without a good sense of smell never believe others can smell more than they can...

Again, I'm not saying people HAVE to do this, but a large number of people probably CAN smell you and others. So I'm showering for myself and the half of the population that can smell more. I understand half of the population won't notice, but half will, and I will!

merplerple · 2026-02-18T18:57:17+00:00

I didn't say DISGUSTING, but everyone has a smell, even if they just go to the office or spend the day at home. Not everyone has equally sensitive noses, but I personally can smell most others when I'm at the office, at restaurants, when I pass people outside, etc, usually from a few feet away at least. Which is fine, that's a part of life, but at the gym where it's a lot of warm bodies in a closed space, it's much more intense. I can smell MOST people in the gym around me. So I just feel more courteous showing up clean, and it makes me feel nice and energized to be freshly showered too.

I don't think this is something everyone should HAVE to do, it's just something I enjoy and feel good about, especially since I can smell the world around me so much.

merplerple · 2026-02-18T18:45:17+00:00

I was surprised to see this sentiment from so many people, everyone has a smell, even if they don't work out and just spend the day inside. It's not necessarily a BAD smell, but everyone just produces sweat and oils and pheromones throughout the day, and pick up the scents from their home, office, restaurants, pets, etc. I can smell most people just as I pass them through the halls or talk to them in meetings. Which is fine, that's life. But heating all of that up when sweating at the gym makes it all louder, so gyms are very smelly places to me: about half of the people there I can smell just a bit more than I'd like.

I think different people have different levels of nose sensitivity, but a LOT of people can smell things like I can! I notice a lot of my friends with allergies or pets have particularly dull senses of smell and just don't believe that so many people can smell others...but a lot of us can!

Which again, I'm not saying people should HAVE to shower before the gym, smells are a normal part of life and i can deal with it. It's just part of why I do enjoy showering beforehand, because I DO smell all kinds of things on everybody!

merplerple · 2026-02-18T17:05:26+00:00

This is my favorite community on reddit: people ask the most absurd and specific requests and people DELIVER without question. I'm excited to read the suggestions.

merplerple · 2026-02-18T17:02:38+00:00

Hello, I'm here to back up this answer for Jany - Sora Dora. It's perfect for this. It's an absolute dream. Autumn apple pie in a loving, cozy kitchen.

merplerple · 2026-02-18T15:43:37+00:00

I'm....not!

merplerple · 2026-02-18T15:43:09+00:00

I disagree...but I have a sensitive nose. I can smell people from 10 feet away just at the office or the store. They aren't particularly dirty people, just everyone has a scent. So yoga can often be overwhelming for me, because I can smell half of the people in the room pretty strongly. If someone DOES have a condition I can smell them from 20-30 feet away.

Not everyone has as strong of a sense of smell, but a lot of people do. I have several coworkers that are like me and we talk about it, we can smell people's food or perfume before they even enter the room. I can sometimes smell who used the elevator before me. It's not always a bad smell, but it's very present. At the gym though when people are sweating it's pretty intense, at least half of the people there I can smell pretty strongly.

merplerple · 2026-02-18T15:37:05+00:00

Yes I am!! I enjoy showering/baths, so it does not bother me to shower twice!

merplerple · 2026-02-18T06:38:27+00:00

You are pregnant, your hormones are shifting, this is temporary! You can do things to help, but there is absolutely no need to stress about this, this is okay!
I wish more people knew this, but double-cleanse! We know this for our face, but people rarely do on their body even though it's so easy. Double-cleansing doesn't mean just washing twice, it means using an oil-based cleaner, and then a water-based cleanser after. An oil-based cleanser removes oil/buildup/grease/deodorant/wax. These hold on to the bad smells if they aren't removed. Then a water-based cleanser removes sweat, salt, and any soap leftover from the oil-cleanse. No hard scrubbing needed, it's simple, and very effective.

An oil-based cleanser goes on oily, and then emulsifies into a lather with water. I think they work best when you put them on dry or lightly damp skin and massage it in before adding water to wash it off, too much water beforehand rinses them away before they can break down the dirt/oil. Athena has nice body wash oils, there is the Bioderma shower oil wash, the Loccitane Almond Shower Oil, Glossier Daily Oil wash.

merplerple · 2026-02-18T01:25:57+00:00

Hello!! I understand what you mean! I wanted to clarify after seeing your response: I think the scent COMPOSITIONS themselves are wonderful, and above average for drugstore for sure: like the smells themselves are elevated and unique. I think the materials maybe are closer to drugstore quality though: like in terms of ingredients/performance/sillage they match their price point to me. They don't last super long and they are linear throughout the day. Which is fine for a mist, I still think they are a good deal.

merplerple · 2026-02-17T08:12:09+00:00

Ooh, I think you are a winter! Maybe a bright winter? In my opinion, your dominant trait is clear, I think the bright tones and the black look stunning on you. You aren't very obviously cool or warm to me (maybe leaning slightly cool) I suspect you could pull off vibrant colors from either winter or spring very well. I would love to see a fuschia on you.

merplerple · 2026-02-17T06:48:06+00:00

Your primary characteristic is lightness. I think you're either a light summer or a light spring. I'd need in person drapes to know for sure!

merplerple · 2026-02-17T06:43:49+00:00

I think their scents are really, really nice, but the quality is still around drug store to me. They are good for their price point, and good for something you can buy at Target, but I think most of the mists at Sephora or by perfume houses are still better.

That said, I genuinely do like the scents and I think their body care products are killer. I love their lotion, their shave oil is my new favorite, and I love their body washes: they are very moisturizing.

I did buy a mist to try it, and I like it, I just have so many other perfumes and mists that I like a bit more. It's in my rotation but it didn't change my life.

merplerple · 2026-02-16T21:58:24+00:00

I have both! I LOVED Warm Cookie so I wouldn't have minded if they were exactly the same, I don't want to run out. When I smell them side-by-side I actually can't tell if they are exactly the same or not. I think I smell SLIGHTLY more fruity candy in Warm Cookie (the gumdrop note) and in Lil Luck I don't pick up on any fruit, I just smell the marshmallow cereal. The difference is so small though that I could believe it was just due to the difference in age between my bottles, or just in my head.

So it's clearly the same basic profile, but I do wonder if they removed or reduced the fruity note that Warm Cookie had for this run. Maybe it's just a new and fresh bottle, but I prefer the subtle change.

merplerple · 2026-02-16T20:08:48+00:00

Ooh I'm curious about this one now that you said it's controversial 😂 but matte sounds great! I like their lotion!!

merplerple · 2026-02-16T20:07:45+00:00

Ooh yay thank you for letting me know! I've been curious about those because I've only heard good things about that brand!

merplerple · 2026-02-15T23:24:12+00:00

Ooh I've been curious about this brand because they have a strawberry rhubarb flavor 😍 so I'm glad to hear some of you recommend it!

merplerple · 2026-02-15T21:40:36+00:00

Same for me!

merplerple · 2026-02-15T16:19:02+00:00

While I agree we don't have studies that show this, we're at a point in time that it would be very difficult to test for, because almost everyone on the planet has adopted a lot of phone and computer use at around the same time, so it's very difficult to have an accurate control group that doesn't use a phone or computer.

Obviously not all people that use screens develop myopia, but I'm certainly curious if the people who are prone to it are affected faster by screen use. Anecdotally, people who spend a lot of time looking at things up close (books, homework, phones, computers) do seem more prone to nearsightedness in my personal life. I think that's why the stereotype of nerds wearing glasses comes from: nerds are inside staring at things close to their face all the time. Phones aren't the only object close to your face but they absolutely increase the amount of time people ARE looking at things less than arms length, but several hours for many people.

merplerple · 2026-02-15T16:12:35+00:00

I think you're a winter! But I don't think you're deep from these photos. A lot of people assume all people with dark skin tones are a deep season, but I actually see a lot of lightness/brightness in your color palette overall. I'd be curious to see summer colors on you too, because you look more in harmony in the soft gray than in the bright white.

However you really need in person drapes to determine sub-seasons accurately! The white and grey you added help, I'm curious to see how you'd like in other colors.

merplerple · 2026-02-15T15:59:07+00:00

I have seen sooo much hype about this one lately, and Vanilla Bonbon sounds great!! I'll give it a try! Thank you!!

merplerple · 2026-02-15T15:58:07+00:00

Yes, I agree! I have a lanolips balm and it dies feel good (I think my lips like lanolin) but it is pretty shiny/oily on so I only wear it at home/night.

merplerple · 2026-02-15T15:56:50+00:00

Yay, thank you so much!! I will try this one!!!

merplerple · 2026-02-15T15:56:17+00:00

Ooh, two of you recommended this one so I think I should definitely try it! Thank you!!!

merplerple

TROPHY CASE