It's New Year's week. We have some resolutions of our own, including not sending out any more blanks. (Sorry about that extra Christmas Day email!)
Our first resolution for you, our dear reader: Clean up your act.

We will explain through this inspirational tale: Five years ago, Crystal Merkel and her fiance Kyle Herring lost their jobs. They decided to be their own bosses and started Scrub Your Butt, a bath and beauty product company in Rochester.
That curiously descriptive name was Crystal's idea. "My mom always told me to scrub my butt when I was a kid," she says. That directive really stayed with her.
The Stinky Hippie Body Wash, a surprisingly refreshing blend of patchouli and lavender, was the company's first product and is a top seller.
We really like the Prim & Proper Private Parts Wash with its sweet blend of orange and vanilla. It smells like Creamsicles and is designed to gently cleanse your, errrr, more sensitive parts.
Also note that the sassy old-fashioned labels were designed by Crystal's friend Natalie Bunton. Oh, and Crystal's mom also works with them. Scrub Your Butt is a truly collaborative labor of beauty.

Prim & Proper, $13.50, scrubyourbutt.com and StormSister Spatique, 635 S. Smith Av., St. Paul, 651-221-4668.

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