Since J and I have been sharing a shower for the last month, I've been going through soap at a record rate. It's time to make another soap order, methinks.
Villainess:: I continue to be amazingly impressed by both Brooke's TAT and customer service. I've been ordering from Villainess for about four years now, and I have never, ever had a problem with either an order or a product. I may dabble in other etailers, but Villainess remains my Soapy Love.
Birth Rite Soap & Perfume (LE):: Layer cake. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, frosted with berries, and grounded with a resinous skin-sent - precious amber, sweet myrrh, tonka bean and peppercorn. I've raved about this one before, so when this one came out again with a matching perfume, I was all over it. This is hands down one of my favorite soaps of all time. I don't usually do desserty/gourmand scents, but this one has enough resin in it to keep it grounded and yummy for me. I mostly get ambery spicy cake with an after-whiff of soft berries. It's positively addictive, and Jason loves it, too. When I asked him what he thought of the perfume, his response was "I'm not going to get any work done tonight." YUM. Every time Brooke puts this one out, you can count on me to buy at least two bars.
Haunt:: I really have been enjoying these products. However, they state in their Etsy announcement that their turnaround time is about two weeks. Understandable, as the proprietress does this on the side and she has a special-needs child who is her top priority. However, in my experience, TAT is actually closer to three weeks, so I'd suggest ordering her stuff from The Soap Box Company, which has a much quicker TAT.
Rasa Skin Glossing Oil:: Hot ginger creamed with coconut milk, nutmeg, apricot, nectarine, mandarin, dark patchouli and sandalwood. Guh. Yes. Here, I mostly smell a coconutty nectarine with a deep, earthy base of sandalwood and ginger. It's springy/summery without being stereotypically tropical. Also, I have been LOVING the glossing oil. I'm not really a lotion person (aside from Villainess's Whipped products), but I spray this on after every single shower. It's not oily like a massage oil-- it easily sinks into the skin and gives a nice glow. The only place that requires extra moisture is my legs, which get really dry. Two thumbs up for this product.
Milk and Nectar Soap:: Luscious peach and mango nectar, sweet milk, honey and a dash of cardamom and nutmeg with added mango butter, coconut milk and honey. Wow, this one is like milk and honey for the soul. First: it is amazingly moisturizing. Secondly, the peach is very soft and creamy-- it's almost a background for the mango and the honey. It was sweet without being desserty, and nicely fragrant without being overpowering. It would make a good gift soap. Jason also really liked this one-- I will order it again. In fact, I've already ordered the sugar polish. Plus, these are very nicely-sized bars!
Pomona Soap:: Candied clove, sparkling yuzu, tart pink grapefruit, bitter orange and lemon. This was a sweet, clove-y fruit scent, though oddly I got pear more than I got citrus! I got absolutely no lemon or orange whatsoever. It's not bitterly spicy or even gourmand spicy, but the clove gives it just a little bit of a "wake me up" kick. It's a good choice if you need somethin' extra in your morning shower. I liked it. Jason said it was like taking a shower with Christmas, though. I think it's a clove thing.
Kamadeva Sugar Scrub:: Freshly crushed sugarcane, green lemon, pink grapefruit, jasmine, lotus, passion-red rose and soft sandalwood. Meh. Honestly. Smelled like lemon drops on me. I got none of the florals or the sandalwood. The scrub base itself was fine, but I've tried better.
SuperBad
Girls' Guide To Compromise Soap:: Snappy and slightly bitter, gingered grapefruit yields to summer sweet honey. Neeeeext, please. The scent was weak... a very subtle honey-grapefruit. It's not very moisturizing. And it's a totally unappealing dark brown color. It's been banished to the hand soap dish. I'm done with SuperBad. Their soaps have been terrbly underwhelming.
The Garden Bath:: My first order from this company. Customer service was superb and very personalized. The order was promptly shipped and packaged beautifully. The scents are quality, and she included two perfume samples based on my scent preferences. I will order from here again.
Sugar Scrub Sample: Lei Flowers:: Soft tropical plumeria flowers are the traditional lei flowers of Hawaii and this fragrance is the perfect blend of creamy subtle flowers and hints of spice. Their sample sizes are a great size-- about 4 uses apiece! First of all, I am IN LOVE with this scrub. I was craving fresh, bright spring scents and a lot of my favorite etailers have yet to put theirs out, so I gave this a whirl. SPOT ON PLUMERIA. Fragrant and lovely. Will DEFINITELY be a full sized purchase. Also, their scrub has the consistency of cookie dough when scooped and is nicely scrubby without being oily, grainy, or abrasive. Good stuff.
Sugar Scrub Sample: Honey Blossom (LE):: This is not the sickly sweet honey you may have smelled before - instead, it's like raw honey: honey nectar with a floral touch of honeysuckle and jasmine, with a little bit of vanilla - soft and sweet! Creamed honey with a strong floral component of honeysuckle and jasmine, just as advertised. It's yummy and nuanced and not at all synthetic smelling. I understand why this one was a hit!
Sugar Scrub Sample: Fresh Roses:: This is not your grandma's rose! Fresh & clean soft rose fragrance that's like sticking your nose deep in a gorgeous bouquet of fresh roses, leaves & all. A modern take on a feminine classic. BPAL's Rose Red in scrub form. No lie. You can smell the stems-- this is NOT a tea rose, but more like a bouquet of very fresh red roses.
Perfume Oil Sample: Ginger Bergamot:: A tantalizing fragrance that blends the fresh citrus bergamot with exotic spices such as ginger, sandalwood, patchouli, and basil. Mysterious and one-of-a-kind. Very light and fresh! Heavy on the ginger, but the bergamot adds a great bright note and I can smell the basil. This is like a high-quality spa scent. I sort of want a linen spray in this!
Perfume Oil Sample: Jade Gardens:: Escape to a soothing jade green garden with a cup of black tea and fill your senses with soft wood, tea, honey, and floral fragrances floating on the wind. I can't really describe this one. It doesn't ping me as tea in a way that I'm used to. It almost smells citrus/floral to me, and bamboo-- which I guess is soft woods. Regardless, this is tranquil and nice! Like a spring breeze. I've been putting this on fresh out of the shower. Staying power is a little short, about three hours, but I'm not a slatherer. Another quality scent from this etailer, and has pinged my interest to try more.
Bliss Candles
10 oz. Soy Candle in Plumeria:: A good true plumeria scent. Burns well. Not a very strong scent, though. Great for those of you who don't like Yankee-strength scents. Plus they have good deals. I, however, do like very strong scents, so I will likely be searching out a stronger Plumeria candle.
10 oz. Soy Candle in Lime Cilantro:: I was hoping for something like Pier One's Citrus Cilantro, which is layered and herby and just freakin' divine. This smells like soap. Thankfully, the throw isn't that great, and it burns well enough.
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( Lusting After.Collapse )
Villainess:: I continue to be amazingly impressed by both Brooke's TAT and customer service. I've been ordering from Villainess for about four years now, and I have never, ever had a problem with either an order or a product. I may dabble in other etailers, but Villainess remains my Soapy Love.
Birth Rite Soap & Perfume (LE):: Layer cake. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, frosted with berries, and grounded with a resinous skin-sent - precious amber, sweet myrrh, tonka bean and peppercorn. I've raved about this one before, so when this one came out again with a matching perfume, I was all over it. This is hands down one of my favorite soaps of all time. I don't usually do desserty/gourmand scents, but this one has enough resin in it to keep it grounded and yummy for me. I mostly get ambery spicy cake with an after-whiff of soft berries. It's positively addictive, and Jason loves it, too. When I asked him what he thought of the perfume, his response was "I'm not going to get any work done tonight." YUM. Every time Brooke puts this one out, you can count on me to buy at least two bars.
Haunt:: I really have been enjoying these products. However, they state in their Etsy announcement that their turnaround time is about two weeks. Understandable, as the proprietress does this on the side and she has a special-needs child who is her top priority. However, in my experience, TAT is actually closer to three weeks, so I'd suggest ordering her stuff from The Soap Box Company, which has a much quicker TAT.
Rasa Skin Glossing Oil:: Hot ginger creamed with coconut milk, nutmeg, apricot, nectarine, mandarin, dark patchouli and sandalwood. Guh. Yes. Here, I mostly smell a coconutty nectarine with a deep, earthy base of sandalwood and ginger. It's springy/summery without being stereotypically tropical. Also, I have been LOVING the glossing oil. I'm not really a lotion person (aside from Villainess's Whipped products), but I spray this on after every single shower. It's not oily like a massage oil-- it easily sinks into the skin and gives a nice glow. The only place that requires extra moisture is my legs, which get really dry. Two thumbs up for this product.
Milk and Nectar Soap:: Luscious peach and mango nectar, sweet milk, honey and a dash of cardamom and nutmeg with added mango butter, coconut milk and honey. Wow, this one is like milk and honey for the soul. First: it is amazingly moisturizing. Secondly, the peach is very soft and creamy-- it's almost a background for the mango and the honey. It was sweet without being desserty, and nicely fragrant without being overpowering. It would make a good gift soap. Jason also really liked this one-- I will order it again. In fact, I've already ordered the sugar polish. Plus, these are very nicely-sized bars!
Pomona Soap:: Candied clove, sparkling yuzu, tart pink grapefruit, bitter orange and lemon. This was a sweet, clove-y fruit scent, though oddly I got pear more than I got citrus! I got absolutely no lemon or orange whatsoever. It's not bitterly spicy or even gourmand spicy, but the clove gives it just a little bit of a "wake me up" kick. It's a good choice if you need somethin' extra in your morning shower. I liked it. Jason said it was like taking a shower with Christmas, though. I think it's a clove thing.
Kamadeva Sugar Scrub:: Freshly crushed sugarcane, green lemon, pink grapefruit, jasmine, lotus, passion-red rose and soft sandalwood. Meh. Honestly. Smelled like lemon drops on me. I got none of the florals or the sandalwood. The scrub base itself was fine, but I've tried better.
SuperBad
Girls' Guide To Compromise Soap:: Snappy and slightly bitter, gingered grapefruit yields to summer sweet honey. Neeeeext, please. The scent was weak... a very subtle honey-grapefruit. It's not very moisturizing. And it's a totally unappealing dark brown color. It's been banished to the hand soap dish. I'm done with SuperBad. Their soaps have been terrbly underwhelming.
The Garden Bath:: My first order from this company. Customer service was superb and very personalized. The order was promptly shipped and packaged beautifully. The scents are quality, and she included two perfume samples based on my scent preferences. I will order from here again.
Sugar Scrub Sample: Lei Flowers:: Soft tropical plumeria flowers are the traditional lei flowers of Hawaii and this fragrance is the perfect blend of creamy subtle flowers and hints of spice. Their sample sizes are a great size-- about 4 uses apiece! First of all, I am IN LOVE with this scrub. I was craving fresh, bright spring scents and a lot of my favorite etailers have yet to put theirs out, so I gave this a whirl. SPOT ON PLUMERIA. Fragrant and lovely. Will DEFINITELY be a full sized purchase. Also, their scrub has the consistency of cookie dough when scooped and is nicely scrubby without being oily, grainy, or abrasive. Good stuff.
Sugar Scrub Sample: Honey Blossom (LE):: This is not the sickly sweet honey you may have smelled before - instead, it's like raw honey: honey nectar with a floral touch of honeysuckle and jasmine, with a little bit of vanilla - soft and sweet! Creamed honey with a strong floral component of honeysuckle and jasmine, just as advertised. It's yummy and nuanced and not at all synthetic smelling. I understand why this one was a hit!
Sugar Scrub Sample: Fresh Roses:: This is not your grandma's rose! Fresh & clean soft rose fragrance that's like sticking your nose deep in a gorgeous bouquet of fresh roses, leaves & all. A modern take on a feminine classic. BPAL's Rose Red in scrub form. No lie. You can smell the stems-- this is NOT a tea rose, but more like a bouquet of very fresh red roses.
Perfume Oil Sample: Ginger Bergamot:: A tantalizing fragrance that blends the fresh citrus bergamot with exotic spices such as ginger, sandalwood, patchouli, and basil. Mysterious and one-of-a-kind. Very light and fresh! Heavy on the ginger, but the bergamot adds a great bright note and I can smell the basil. This is like a high-quality spa scent. I sort of want a linen spray in this!
Perfume Oil Sample: Jade Gardens:: Escape to a soothing jade green garden with a cup of black tea and fill your senses with soft wood, tea, honey, and floral fragrances floating on the wind. I can't really describe this one. It doesn't ping me as tea in a way that I'm used to. It almost smells citrus/floral to me, and bamboo-- which I guess is soft woods. Regardless, this is tranquil and nice! Like a spring breeze. I've been putting this on fresh out of the shower. Staying power is a little short, about three hours, but I'm not a slatherer. Another quality scent from this etailer, and has pinged my interest to try more.
Bliss Candles
10 oz. Soy Candle in Plumeria:: A good true plumeria scent. Burns well. Not a very strong scent, though. Great for those of you who don't like Yankee-strength scents. Plus they have good deals. I, however, do like very strong scents, so I will likely be searching out a stronger Plumeria candle.
10 oz. Soy Candle in Lime Cilantro:: I was hoping for something like Pier One's Citrus Cilantro, which is layered and herby and just freakin' divine. This smells like soap. Thankfully, the throw isn't that great, and it burns well enough.
( On Deck.Collapse )
( Lusting After.Collapse )
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