In the past few months I've had to really scale back my bath and body addiction. I have a bunch of Autumn-themed soaps and scrubs still left to go through, but I am starting to crave other scents. Tropicals, juicy scents, rose. Anyhow, here are some of the things I've gone through lately and some things I have on my wishlist.
Tried
Arcana Sleepy Hollow Sugar Scrub (LE) - An atmospheric ode to romantically spooky Autumn evenings, with fresh pumpkin, spiced apple brew, bonfire smoke and sweet almond oil - First of all, I love Arcana's sugar scrub base. It's not as good as Villainess's for scrubbiness, but it is incredibly moisturizing. It feels soft and velvety as opposed to scrubby, which is nice. Also, I am totally broken up that Sleepy Hollow is no longer available and may not come back next year-- I have tried this in soap form, which more or less just smelled like apple cider. But in the scrub, the pumpkin really came out-- it was warm and buttery without smelling like pumpkin pie. Not that I don't like pumpkin pie, but with Smashing in my shower, I didn't need two things that were too similar. This smelled like pumpkins and honeyed almonds with a very slight tinge of cider and spice. Very, very nice and I pray it comes back.
Arcana Solstice Sugar Scrub (LE) - The scent of warmest celebrations and Yuletide feasts with notes of toasty almonds, apple cakes, baking spices and honeyed mead - Almond cake batter with a little bit of cinnamon spice. Not overly complicated, but a nice warming scent for winter, and in Arcana's awesome sugar scrub base.
Arcana The Ulda Soap (LE) - With white almond, resinous Baltic amber, crisp bayberry, warm cardamom and pink pepper - I don't think Arcana's soaps are as well scented as their scrubs, but they're not too bad. Mostly I smell the bayberry here, with a little bit or resins in the background. It's not peppery or spicy at all. It's not bad, but I probably won't buy this one again.
Villainess Smashing Smooch Scrub AND Soap (LE) - Creamy sweet pumpkin pie with a full complement of spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - Straight up pumpkin pie with a cloves on steroids kick. Very spicy, not for sensitive skin. Though Villainess's Jai Mahal is my go-to for winter scrubby warmth, this is also a seasonal classic. With all the pumpkin pie scents on the market, this one is distinct and very yummy. Brooke is really awesome-- I don't review her stuff all the time because while I try out a bunch of other sellers, there are Villainess soaps and scrubs that I buy over and over again because I never want to run out.
Savor Red Lychee Bubble Tea Soap - It is a sort of raspberry-like berry with more tartness, covered by a thick skin and with an inside similar to a grape. There are notes of rich black tea blended with an almost raspberry/cranberry-like fruitiness - YUMMMM. Mouth-wateringly juicy and tart. I want to drink a cocktail that smells like this. I love lychees, and this soap, with its cute bubblewrap pattern, is awesome. The only thing is that all of Savor's soaps are olive oil based, so while they're really moisturizing, they will melt quickly if left in the shower.
Savor Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Soap - This scent is so realistic, you can smell the freshly baked pie crust, cradling the warm, thick, delicious strawberry and hot, bubbling rhubarb! - I was a bit disappointed in this one. Not because it was bad. It was yummy. But this was written up as the cold-weather variant of their Summer Rhubarb soap, which was DIVINE. This had a similar strawberry-rhubarb base in a creamier formula, but it didn't have the same bright zing that I really liked.
Savor Ginger Icing Soap - Nutmeg. A sprinkle of cinnamon. Ginger, but of course. Sweet sugar. Allspice. A hidden dash of clove - Understated but nice. At first, I wasn't over the moon with it, though it was very very creamy and moisturizing. But then I realized that every time I went in the bathroom, I thought, "man, something smells really nice." And I eventually realized that it was this soap. It's a nice warm cream with a little cinnamon ginger. Very comforting.
Savor Chai Soap - The aromatic spices of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, anise, and cloves combine with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of black tea - Yummy. Very, very sugary chai, but the sweetness is addictive. It's not super creamy, but it is very smooth and moisturizing. I have bought this one several times.
Lush Bath Bombs - I think I'm done with Lush. Aside from Jingle Spells, none of their bath bombs hold up to Fantasy Bath's. Plus they put weird stuff in perfectly good bombs that gunk up the tub. Flower petals that look gross clumped at the bottom of the tub. Foil-y confetti that just does. not. come. out. of. hair. I think the bubble bombs are fun, but I can get the same effect with a FB bomb, so meh.
Fantasy Bath Wild Rose Bath Bomb - My constant favorite. There is no better rose bath bomb on the market, and I am quite fond of several of their other scents as well.
( On Deck.Collapse )
( Wishlist.Collapse )
Anyhow, everything mentioned can be found here (if it is still in stock): Villainess.net, The Soap Box Company, Haunt's Etsy, Savor's Etsy, Fantasy Bath.
So, what's in your shower?
Tried
Arcana Sleepy Hollow Sugar Scrub (LE) - An atmospheric ode to romantically spooky Autumn evenings, with fresh pumpkin, spiced apple brew, bonfire smoke and sweet almond oil - First of all, I love Arcana's sugar scrub base. It's not as good as Villainess's for scrubbiness, but it is incredibly moisturizing. It feels soft and velvety as opposed to scrubby, which is nice. Also, I am totally broken up that Sleepy Hollow is no longer available and may not come back next year-- I have tried this in soap form, which more or less just smelled like apple cider. But in the scrub, the pumpkin really came out-- it was warm and buttery without smelling like pumpkin pie. Not that I don't like pumpkin pie, but with Smashing in my shower, I didn't need two things that were too similar. This smelled like pumpkins and honeyed almonds with a very slight tinge of cider and spice. Very, very nice and I pray it comes back.
Arcana Solstice Sugar Scrub (LE) - The scent of warmest celebrations and Yuletide feasts with notes of toasty almonds, apple cakes, baking spices and honeyed mead - Almond cake batter with a little bit of cinnamon spice. Not overly complicated, but a nice warming scent for winter, and in Arcana's awesome sugar scrub base.
Arcana The Ulda Soap (LE) - With white almond, resinous Baltic amber, crisp bayberry, warm cardamom and pink pepper - I don't think Arcana's soaps are as well scented as their scrubs, but they're not too bad. Mostly I smell the bayberry here, with a little bit or resins in the background. It's not peppery or spicy at all. It's not bad, but I probably won't buy this one again.
Villainess Smashing Smooch Scrub AND Soap (LE) - Creamy sweet pumpkin pie with a full complement of spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves - Straight up pumpkin pie with a cloves on steroids kick. Very spicy, not for sensitive skin. Though Villainess's Jai Mahal is my go-to for winter scrubby warmth, this is also a seasonal classic. With all the pumpkin pie scents on the market, this one is distinct and very yummy. Brooke is really awesome-- I don't review her stuff all the time because while I try out a bunch of other sellers, there are Villainess soaps and scrubs that I buy over and over again because I never want to run out.
Savor Red Lychee Bubble Tea Soap - It is a sort of raspberry-like berry with more tartness, covered by a thick skin and with an inside similar to a grape. There are notes of rich black tea blended with an almost raspberry/cranberry-like fruitiness - YUMMMM. Mouth-wateringly juicy and tart. I want to drink a cocktail that smells like this. I love lychees, and this soap, with its cute bubblewrap pattern, is awesome. The only thing is that all of Savor's soaps are olive oil based, so while they're really moisturizing, they will melt quickly if left in the shower.
Savor Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Soap - This scent is so realistic, you can smell the freshly baked pie crust, cradling the warm, thick, delicious strawberry and hot, bubbling rhubarb! - I was a bit disappointed in this one. Not because it was bad. It was yummy. But this was written up as the cold-weather variant of their Summer Rhubarb soap, which was DIVINE. This had a similar strawberry-rhubarb base in a creamier formula, but it didn't have the same bright zing that I really liked.
Savor Ginger Icing Soap - Nutmeg. A sprinkle of cinnamon. Ginger, but of course. Sweet sugar. Allspice. A hidden dash of clove - Understated but nice. At first, I wasn't over the moon with it, though it was very very creamy and moisturizing. But then I realized that every time I went in the bathroom, I thought, "man, something smells really nice." And I eventually realized that it was this soap. It's a nice warm cream with a little cinnamon ginger. Very comforting.
Savor Chai Soap - The aromatic spices of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, anise, and cloves combine with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of black tea - Yummy. Very, very sugary chai, but the sweetness is addictive. It's not super creamy, but it is very smooth and moisturizing. I have bought this one several times.
Lush Bath Bombs - I think I'm done with Lush. Aside from Jingle Spells, none of their bath bombs hold up to Fantasy Bath's. Plus they put weird stuff in perfectly good bombs that gunk up the tub. Flower petals that look gross clumped at the bottom of the tub. Foil-y confetti that just does. not. come. out. of. hair. I think the bubble bombs are fun, but I can get the same effect with a FB bomb, so meh.
Fantasy Bath Wild Rose Bath Bomb - My constant favorite. There is no better rose bath bomb on the market, and I am quite fond of several of their other scents as well.
( On Deck.Collapse )
( Wishlist.Collapse )
Anyhow, everything mentioned can be found here (if it is still in stock): Villainess.net, The Soap Box Company, Haunt's Etsy, Savor's Etsy, Fantasy Bath.
So, what's in your shower?
9 comments | Leave a comment