Bisou delight!

Hi everyone! I know in my last review I said I would have more reviews coming but time and laziness got in the way. My apologies! Vanessa AKA Tink/Serendipity :D

http://www.bisoubath.ca/

I mostly wanted to try Bisou for their tubcakes. I ended up trying the tub cakes, soaps, shampoo and conditioner. When the items arrived the box filled my nose with wonderful delight. Unable to control myself I ripped open each product to get sniff. Everything smelled so good!!


I had to try the Blackberries N' Cream soap first! I ran a bath using 1/2 of the Blackberries N' Cream tubcake. The bathroom quickly filled with the smell of blackberries. I did not get many bubbles but the disappoint went away once I slipped into the tub. The smell of blackberries and sweet cream took over my senses. I used the soap in the tub and when I showered off. With the soap containing so many different oils I was worried that it would leave me greasy. I was left soft and well moisturized. It was a very nice luxurious bath.

In the shower I tried the solid shampoo in Cabana Boy and the conditioner in Cabana Boy. YUMMMY it smells like bananas and coconut. Cleanded and conditioned my hair with ease. I have to hide this from my son until I order more.

Here is a quick review of the other products.

Pink Cupcake and Cake tub cakes are sweet smells that reminds me of playing with my Strawberry shortcake dolls. They do not have that powerful smell as the Blackberries N' Cream but still put off a nice throw and give you a moisturizing bath.
The tubcakes are not always instock so be on the look out and order fast. Those babies do not last long when put up for sale!

Raspberries N' Violets soap has clean raspberry smell with just a hint of violets. The soap is moisturzing and makes me feel refreshed.

Bisou has wonderful customer service and great spa products. Be on the look out for the following scents in the soap:

"Mango Smoothes"
"Black Cherry"
"Lickety Split"
"Wild Plum"
"Coconut Cream Pie"
"Mandarin Martini"
"Sugar N Spice"
"Au Natural"

House Of Tarts

Posted By Serendipity
Ok finally found out what was the problem. My husband had been cleaning the tart burners with an industrial cleanser. Chemicals burning in a small room is not good! So I am updating my review since things have changed. Sadly I can not comment on any tart but Party time. It is the only one I have left.

MY UPDATED REVIEW:

Party Time:Sad because you weren't invited to the party? Well, we're bringing the party to you! This scent has everything you'd find at a Birthday Party...Cake, Cookies, Ice Cream, Candy, Chocolate and more. It's sure to put a smile on your face :-) HOUSE OF TARTS CUSTOM BLEND

Please keep mind I only burned a 1/4 of the tart. This alone was strong enough to scent 3 large rooms that are connected.

It smelled like yellow cake batter at first. Within 10 minutes it changed to smell like cookies and candy. Party Time made me wish I was having a party! The scent did not last long once I blew out the tealight but as I mentioned I was not burning the whole tart. Of course you if burning 1/2 or more of a HOT tart you would get a much longer burn and lasting scent. I got about 4 hours out of the quarter.

House of Tarts Anyone?

I began burning tarts a few years ago. I started off with a brand new Aroma melts warmer from a partylite show and a box of coffee scented aroma melts. At that time, little did I know, the world of tarts that were out there and would present itself to me in the form of MUA.

There are many places to buy tarts from and I had a few that I frequented. I quickly developed favorites scents and sites and was sure no one could top them. Boy was I wrong. House of Tarts totally rocked my world with my first small order.

I put off ordering for so long. But alot of people, whose reviews I respect alot, kept raing about HOT tarts, especially a certain Texas Baked Apple scent. So I finally broke down and purchased six of my very own HOT tarts.

The Customer Service is phenomanal. I had my tarts in hand less than a week after I placed that initial order and I haven't looked back. Even my BF commented on the quality of the tarts. He was actually very dissapointed one morning when I had started up a Paris Cafe tart. He thought that I was making coffee and croissants for breakfast! lol Seriously though, they smell that realistic.

So here is a review on my second order, which in fact was quite a bit larger than my first order. The CS was fantastic with this order as well as the quality of the tarts. My BF even helped me open this box and sniffed all the new scents with me.




Here are my cold sniff reviews so far on my latest HOT order. I can't wait to get to burning all of these little wax gems!

Iced Cherry Pastries- This one is a very realistic cherry scent that goes well with the pastry note. A hint of icing makes this one of my favorites in the bunch!

Mimi's Kitchen- I bought this scent based solely on the name! lol And I am glad that I did. I get several scents from this one..a bit of harvest fruit, some light spices and a bit of pastry. Such a lovely scent!

Yummy Halloween Cupcakes- This is your typical cake scent with a buttercream frosting, but what sets it apart is the slight apple note that peaks through.

Blueberry Danish Blast- This is another one of my favorites! This reminds me of one of those blueberry fruit pies that I used to eat as a kid. You know the prepackaged yummy, but so not good for you? Well now you can have it without the calories!

Kitchen Spice Type- straight on dupe of Kitchen Spice, not to overpowering, and just right!

Black Cat's Surprise- This one is burning right now as per BF's request. Apparently he loves black licorice. I myself am not a big fan of black licorice, but this tart is actually kind of good. And that is saying alot considering that black licorice usually makes me want to gag!

London Lemon Curd- Ah, what can I say about LLC. It is perfect. I love anything in this scent and Holly's tart in this one is spot on!

Honey Gingerbread- Usually Gingerbread is not one of my favorite scents but I wanted to try this one anyway. This smells like gingerbread dipped in cream with a slight cinnamon and honey note to it. It is absolutely divine!

Texas Baked Apple- In two words- Abso-freaking-lutely Amazing! Seriously everyone need s to buy this tart at least once. It is appley and spicey and just plain yummy. I am surprised I haven't burnt my tongue trying to eat this one.

Southern Creme Brulee- Once again this was another tart for BF. he loves anything Creme Brulee. It is creamy and smooth and he says he likes it, so there ya go!

Coconut Custard- This is another of my favorite tarts in this order! It is very creamy and coconutty. It has just the perfect amount of spices. It makes me want to whip up a batch of cocnut custard when I sniff it!

Pink and Purple- This one is your typical pink sugar scent. I am not big on pink sugar, so I was pleasantly surprised how much I like this tart. I think the Purple Haze tones the sweetness down just a bit.

Peppermint Noel- This is the perfect marriage of Peppermint and VBN. This is another one that I am half tempted to take a bite out of!

Cafe in Paris- This is by far one of the best tarts I have ever burnt. There is a great cinnamon latte scent involved as well as the perfect flaky butter croissant scent. Makes me want to crack open a tube of croissants everytime I burn this scent!

Coco-nana Cream Pie- I love this one as well! I seriously despise artificial banana scents, but the banana in this one is a fresh one and it blends beautifully with the coconut and cream. A light pastry scent makes this one so yummy!

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake- Once again, a tart for the BF ( see I buy him his own tarts so he doesn't complain so much...surprisingly this works! lol) It is your typical creamy chocolate scent. I think the cheesecake will come out more when it is burned.

Lemon Snap Cookies- Sugary, buttery and spicy cookies kicked up a bit with a touch of lemon! Fantastic scent!

Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream and Sugar- This one was a reorder for me. The pumpkin sits so well witht he sweet marshmallow scent. This scent makes me feel all warm and cozy when I burn it,

Green Goblins- Apples and caramel are equally present in this one. It is a very fresh and crisp apple scent. This one was a reorder as well.

Coffee Shop- Coffee heaven in a tub of wax! Seriously I can't wait to burn this one. Strong coffee and spicy baked goods are all in this tart! Delicious!

Black Amber Woods- I am terrible at describing these types of scents. Sot he best I can do is this. A bit of woodsy and alot of strong sexy man scent in this one! Seriously, if I met a man that smelled like this I would run away wth him!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Ice Cream- And not hat name did not fit entirely on the label! lol I get a strong vanilla ice cream sniff out of this one as well as a slight nuttiness. I will be anxious to see what this one smells like when burned.

Autumn Festival- This tart is gorgeous. I get a strong spiced apple cider scent in this one as well as a slight leaf scent. I know that sounds wierd but it works really really well in this tart! It is a beautiful scent.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies- This one smells like a butter cookie to me on cold sniff.

Pumpkin Casserole Souffle- This tart has the perfect fresh pumpkin scent with the spices added, which I think is great. I am not one for spicy pumpkins, so it is important to point that out, I also get the faintest whiff of marshmallows.

Sweet Potato Danish- This one is incredible as well! Sweet potatoes, spices and a flaky crust. Does any restaurants actually make a sweet potato danish? If so I am so there!

Sticky Campfire Ghosts- Once again Holly blows me away with her unique blends. This tart actually has a campfire scent to it. That perfect bonfire in the fall scent. Paired with the ooey gooey marshmallows it is so yummy!

Peach Apple Cobbler- I get a mostly red apple with a slight peach out of this one.

Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies- One of the best pumpkin tarts I have ever burnt hands down. The cookie scent is beautiful and the fresh pumpkin scent is so good in this one. It has the right amount as spices as well.

Polynesian Dessert- Such a yummy, creamy and tropical fruity tart! I need several more of this one!

Phew! That was alot of sniffing and my nose definately needed to recoup after that! And bless you if you read through all of my reveiws! I guess I really feel that every single tart I got in this order deserved a reveiw, because they are all so good.

I am looking very forward to this Friday, October 19th, when Holly opens the House of Tarts again, stock full of her new blends. Although it is a bit sad that some of these scents I reviewed will not be available again until November, it is awesome that there are so many choices at HOT! How could you possibly get bored. Be sure to check out what's on the agenda at HOT in a week.

http://www.houseoftarts.com/

Once again, I am not affiliated, just a very pleased customer! :)

The Bath Cream Shop Rocks!

Once again the Etsy Saturday Night Specials caught my attention. The Bath Cream Shop was running a sale on her sugar scrubs. Since I am trying to find an etailer that sells scrubs at a good price, a decent scent selection and reliable TAT, I thought I would try this store out. I am so glad that I did.

First I will start with customer service. All I can say is wow! I sent a convo to Corrie asking if she could put together a custom order of scents for me. Her SNS was to buy two 8oz scrubs and get a 4oz one for free. I planned on getting four 8 oz and two 4 oz, but the scents that I wanted were not listed. Corrie responded very quickly and had a listing up for me before I had a chance to get impatient. She even custom blended one of my favorite combos. So right away, I am loving this company for speedy answers and good customer service.

My order consisted of four 8 oz Scrubby scrubs in Pikake Lei, Blueberry Grape Soda, Marshmallow Violets (my requested blend) and Haupia Cake. The two 4 oz scrubby scrubs I asked for were Ume Candy and Lychee Lotus. She also threw in a 2oz scrubby scrub sample in Sparkling Lemonade.




And here is a picture to show you the different product sizes. They go 2oz, 4oz and 8oz.


To continue on with the stellar customer service, the bath cream shop is located in Hawaii. I ordered on Saturday night, and I received my order on Friday! So essentially my order was mailed out on Tuesday and made it to me, from Hawaii, in 3 days. I can't even comprehend how that is possible, but I have the scrubs in hand so it must be true!

I was very impressed with the packaging. The box was a little smooshed and that is usually a bad thing. But Corrie had everything packaged so nicely, that nothing leaked. It was alot of fun to unwrap the scrubs and get to sniffing!

The consistency of these scrubs is a happy medium between firm and soft. Here are a few pictures to try and show the consistency:


As you can see from the pictures, these scrubs are filled to the tippy top and covered with an extra layer of scrubby sugar! I really like the consistency and the scrubbiness. There are enough sugar granuals to exfoliate well, but not so much that I feel rubbed raw at the end of my bath. The scrub really does foam up a bit when used, leaving a creamy lather that smells so good! I think one of the things that I love most about this scrub, is that it has avocado oil as one of it's ingredients. During the winter, I put straight avocado oil on my scalp to keep it from getting dry. It is the only thing that works for me in the cold winters here up North. I am happy to have discovered a scrub maker who knows the benefits of avocado oil and uses them in their products!

Now for the scent reviews. I can only imagine that these will get better as they cure, but they all smell so awesome now! I think this is my first bath and body order where I have enjoyed every scent I ordered. It also helps that the Bath Cream Shop has a unique selection with several tropical scents that I love. Now to the scents. :)

Blueberry Grape Soda is pretty true to it's name. I can smell the Grape Soda predominately, but the tart blueberry peeks in there as well. And it does have a fizzy grape soda pop to it as well. The bubbles almost tickle your nose. Great scent.

Haupia Cake is a traditional Hawaiian dessert made with coconut custard and white cake and that is exactly what I get of this scent. A delicate white cake completely drenched in a creamy coconut. This is not a fresh cocnut, but a true creamy coconut pudding type scent. I can't keep my nose out of this one!

Pikake Lei. What can I say. I love me some tropical florals and this scent does not dissapoint in the slightest! It is a true to life strong, but not overpowering Pikake flower scent.

Violet Marshmallow was the scent I asked her to whip together for me. Violets and Marshmallows are one of my favorite scent combos and since I realized on her site she had both scents available I thought, why not ask if she could whip them up together for me. She conceded and what a masterpiece this scent is. You get the gooey marshmallow right along with the violets....such a great great scent. I also noticed today that she has a few products in this blend posted!

Ume Candy is a hard candy with a spicy plum scent. I really like plums so I thought I would try it. It is so yummy. The plum is sweet but tart but there is also another sweetness to this scent that makes me want to eat it. But, I won't....I promise!

Lychee Lotus has both components of it's name in a perfect balance. I get the sweet, juicy and slightly woodsy lychee scent as well as a whisper of the lotus. Such a beautiful scent.

Sparkling Lemonade is a sharp lemon scent. I know that alot of people want to know if lemon scents are pledge-like or not, so here is my take on that. It is a strong lemon scent that does not cross the household cleaner lines!

In closing I just want to say that I am very pleased with my Bath Cream Shop scrubs. The product itself and the customer service will make me a repeat buyer from Corrie. In fact I alreay have my next order plotted out! Don't worry I will be sure to review it and post it here, on Wicked Hot Enablers!

To find The Bath Cream Shop click this link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5225731

Not affilated, just a happy customer!

What's to come

It has been a busy busy weekend for me which explains the lack of an update but here is what is to come on Wicked Hot Enablers and I hope to have everything up by Sunday evening....

-A peek into my madness. Pictures of my organized stash and yes, I do use it all!

-Scrubs Wars! This round will pit Skindecent against Mad City Sue. Both scrub are champions but who will come out in this intense episode of...... Scrub Wars!

-I went into the city yesterday to pick up my Fresh From the Past Items from Lush and could not resist purchasing some of their Christmas ballistics. Check back for product pics of the gorgeous holiday fare!

-Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!

-If you have any match ups that you would like to see for Scrub Wars! or if there is a product line or a particular product that you would like to see a review on, send me an email at

wickedhotenablers@gmail.com

and we will do our best to get it done for you.

edited on Monday, October 8, 2007:

My Sunday sucked. I developed a migraine and that kept me from getting to all the updates that I was planning. All I accomplished was taking a Vicodin and sleep/dozing all day. I am sorry for the shift but will get to everything throughout the week.

As always... thank you for visiting Wicked Hot Enablers!

Villainess & More

Post By: SerendipityPink/ HaileyCosmic on MUA

This is my first Villainess order. Wish I had ordered from there sooner. The TAT was great. About a week from order to it being in my soapy hands.

I love everything. I *think* I might be placing another order today or within a week once they restock some items.

So I got Smooch in Novocaine, Soaps in Scintillating & Krakatoa. I love both so much! Scintillating is very minty with a slight black tea scent. Krakatoa is a sweet red fruit smell, makes my mouth water.

Novocaine is a strong mint but the black pepper really grounds it so that you don't get that Vicks smell. It is an oil scrub but after the shower it feels more like a dry oil.

I got samples of Jade and Blush. Blush smells just like a berry wine to me. Jade smells like sweet wood to me, very earthy.

I also got Scintillating tarts. I just started burning one in the livingroom and I can already smell it in the back of the house.

As for my SBS tea order, I managed to get the last Bubble Gum Fun tea. I hope they put this back instock. I also got Mint Chocolate Truffle Hot cocoa, Milk Chocolate hot cocoa, some honey sticks, Sugar canes & they gave me samples of White Chocolate Toffee Rootbos & Sophie's Tea Party.

I had an AB order arrive with usual faves of Monkey Love, Strange Music, Candy Coma, Bon Bon Voage & Ooey Gooey Goblin. Tod gave me tons of samples. I usually get a few but this time I got 8 different samples of tarts. Must be because of his clearance sale and changing over the wax formula.

Anyways so here a few pics.

Click for a larger view if needed


SBS Bubble Gum Fun Tea

El Numero Uno

My favorite product for silky, hydrated skin is a humble tub of unrefined Shea Butter. The color is not all that appealing; kind of a drab grayish brown. The smell is not as fun as some of the scents you would find on any etailer site and it can be a little grainy but once it is warmed in your hands and worked into the skin... magic happens.

Nasty, gnarled heels are transformed and softened, ugly ashy elbows are supple and silken and dry chapped lips are soft and pillow like. Sure, you can buy some body butter that contains some Shea Butter but why not punch up your beauty ritual by incorporating the real stuff in your routine?

I always apply a layer of pure shea and let it sink into my skin before applying whatever cleverly scented body cream that I choose. If you don't use too much, the shea butter sinks in pretty quickly and will not leave you a greasy mess and adding a layer of body cream gives you that playful scent that everyone wants.

Your skin will be glossy and butter soft all day.

Thursday morning, October 4, 2007

I was dragging ass this morning and I needed something refreshing! invigorating! tingling! to clear my my muddle head and give me some needed pep.
Usually, I use Freeze by Lush for this but I am all out until Saturday so I substituted this new shower gel that I got from Get Whipped in Ice Cap which is described on the site as a combination of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Menthol. I am not the biggest fan of e-tailer shower gels but this was really good! It was cooling to the skin and inhaling the peppermint and menthol gave me the pick-me-up that I was looking for.

Scintillating Smooch is Villainess’s answer to the sugar scrub and it is one of those great utility scrubs that not only smell great but it also does wonders for your skin. The ingredients are short and sweet; Sucrose, Grapeseed Oil, Mango Butter, Emulsifying Wax NF, Fragrance, Menthol, Jojoba Beads. Villainess is a terrific company that makes artisanal bath and body products and I have been a fan of their smooches for a while now as the Smooch was my first foray into the world of etailer bath and body products.

Scintillating is described as: A complex blend of revitalising mints - spearmint, cornmint, peppermint - grounded with a rich base note of black tea, and barely sweetened with soft vanilla.

It is like buttermints with a black tea edge and is truly wonderful.
Callisto! I don’t talk about Callisto Bath and Body enough and I really need to get on the ball and start talking them up because they continue to impress me with the quality of their products, fast turnaround time and unique scent list.

I love their Buttercloud Cream; it is so much nicer to me than the spongy, zombie brain looking soy body butters that are all over the place. The texture is silky and rich and it truly moisturizes your skin without feeling tacky.

Starlit Mint smells just like the red and white swirled candies and is a nice, sugary and mellow mint. As much as I love menthol to wake me up in the morning or clear my sinuses, I wouldn’t want to smell like it all day but smelling like Starlit Mint is a very good thing.

**Not pictured but I topped this all off with Lick it Again by Bpal and that just took this whole scent buffet to new heights.

Yay or Nay?

You might be saying to yourself….”mmm, coconut peach haupia” while busting out your best Homer Simpson impersonation or you could very well be saying…”what in tarnation is a haupia?” The wiki description of Haupia is:

Haupia is a traditional coconut milk-based Hawaiian dessert often found at luaus in Hawaiʻi and other ….

Wait. Stop. Right. There.

It’s a cross between pudding and cake with a high milk content and looks gelatinous and creamy. Think of it as flan. A delicious,Hawaiian, coconut flavored flan. Mmmm… flan.

Seeing that I have this thing for creamy and gelatinous cake, it was natural for me to do a double take after reading this description off the Coconut Hut Website.

coconut pudding made with fresh coconut milk and cane sugar in Hawaii with fresh babcock peaches.

I really like the scent and it is exactly as it is described; rich, milky and cakey with the fresh scent of peaches. However, I am not loving the texture of the scrub. I got the whipped sugar scrub thinking it would be a lighter and fluffier texture but this is drippy, oily and eh... not so great.

I usually I don’t have a problem that; some of my favorite scrubs are oil based but I do have a problem with [and this goes for an oil scrub or a soap based scrub] is when the sugar does not hold up to a good scrubbing and melts away. Call me picky but I like my scrubs… to scrub!

I am not giving up on Coconut Hut! I love love love their body lotion [reviews later] and they have a terrific scent list.

Check out The Coconut Hut's scent list for yourself at...

http://www.coconuthutbeauty.com/index.php

Get Whipped

After looking at their extensive scent list, this is what I've come up with. I am not getting it all at once, because unlike Jude, I'm not INSANE!!! HAHA. Here's my list:

Coconut/Banana
Raspberries and Cream
Strawberry/Banana
Banana Fudgebitter
Almond
Black on Black
Buttermints
Canoli di Albicocca
Cinnamon Sticks
Creamsicle/Dreamsicle
Death by Honey
Heavy Cream
Amandine
Oatmeal Raisin
Peanut Butter Banana
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Red Velvet Cake
White Chocolate Cherry
Chai Tea
Razzledazzle Martini
Cocoa Butter
Avalanche
Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey
Red Currant and Casis
Virfluffen
Butterflies
L Dé (Lolita Lempicka)
Lolita Lempicka (Designer type)
No Shrinking Violet
Blue Sugar

That's what caught my eye... That's it...

I'll let you all know what I end up getting and then I'll review it when I get it...

Tart Purchase

Although I have about 70 tarts hanging around in a nice plastic box at, waiting to be burned, I HAD to buy more. I decided to buy a few tarts from Frizz's House of Tarts.

I got:
Blueberry Danish Blast
Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake
Fruti n Butter Cookies
Sweet Potato Danish
Lemon Snap Cookies
Pink Peppermint Cookies
Honey Gingerbread
Peachy Apple Cobbler

I can't wait to get them. All of the descriptions sound so yummy!!! Can't wait to get them...

I'll review them when they come in...

JUDE, YOU'RE AN EVIL EVIL WOMAN!!!

Next is going to be LOL Candles WHOOT

Halloween with Isle of Eden

Boo! But not really...

I posted some photos and reviews of the free cauldrons that are promotional items from Isle of Eden. Well... I had to order something to qualify for those free scrubs so here is the low down on some pretty awesome smelling scrubs.

Just a quick heads up here; Alexa of Isle of Eden has announced that the free cauldron promotion ends tonight at midnight and that the Halloween collection will be taken down on October 13, 2007. So... if you are interested on any of these scrubs, order quick but prepare to receive your Halloween scrubs after Halloween. Kinda Sucky? Yes. However, some of the scents are great and their appeal surpasses the Halloween hype.

**I accidentally ordered Sunrise in the Cemetery twice so it shows up twice in the photos.

***Click on the pic to enlarge to gargantuan proportions!


A Little Drop of Poison is a throw back from last year and it is one of those scrubs that I hoarded because I loved it so much. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see it as part of the 2007 collection and ordered it. This is all about candied violets, rose butter creme and marshmallows. The top layer is the candied violets, middle layer rose butter creme and bottom layer is the sweet marshmallows. I can't recommend this scrub enough and will probably order one more before the collection is removed.
Darkened Castle Treats is described on the site as black licorice, vanilla ice cream and waffle cone. Licorice and anise are quite the trend for Fall 2007 and I have ordered a variation of a licorice scent from each etailer that I have purchased from. Darkened Castle Treats is my favorite thus far. There was a small issue with a few of the licorice scented products I have ordered where the licorice or anise scent is too heavy and almost sickening. I love a hint of licorice or anise but when it is too much... it is well... too much! The vanilla and the waffle cone temper that licorice and you get a feel for every note. IOE done good with this one.





Pumpkin Cinnamon Toast is pretty good with a heavy spicy pumpkin note. If buttery pumpkin is your thing, this might not be the scent for you. When I inhale the scent deeply, I do get the dusty quality of cinnamon and I like that; it isn't all about nutmeg and allspice. I would have liked the scrub to have a heavier yeasty note since Isle of Eden had a pretty great bread based collection out in 2006. This scrub does not disappoint; it smells terrific.

Alexa's Bubbling Cauldron is... I don't know what it is. It is a hodge podge of scents. A little sweet, a little spicy with some pumpkin thrown in there. It is pleasant but when I really smell the scrub, I can smell the base.




Death by Sunlight: Blazing gingered orange peel and glazed lemon candies. This smells like lemonheads. I like it. It didn't set my world on fire but it is a nicely scented scrub.




Josie's Flaming Tomb is sweet and delicious and how cool is that blazing orange color. Crimson Pomegranate, Red Cherry Brown Sugar and Sugared Red Marshmallows.
The top layer is the red cherry brown sugar and it is different from her regular cherry scent. Usually her cherry is very sharp and sweet. This is a mellow and sweet cherry with very little brown sugar. I was worried the brown sugar would muscle the whole scent combination but thankfully, cherry is the top note.

Sunrise in the Cemetery: This is one of those scrubs where you just scoop and scoop and scoop; digging your fingers through every layer because it is so damned good. Top layer is a very true cinnamon toast, followed by creamy and milky coffee and rounded off with a caramel scented whipped cream. I accidentally ordered two of these which is quite the lucky accident!




5100 Pontchartrain is listed on the site as composing of blackberries, sweet buttered cream, turbinado sugar and pastry crust. This scrub should smell like a warm blackberry pie ala mode but has no sign of pastry crust so it is essentially blackberry ice cream. If you like blackberries and cream, it is a great scrub to have but it does not quite live up to the site description.





Warm Pumpkin Latte is the resurrection of Pumpkin Frappucino which was my all time favorite scent of 2006. So yeah.. I love this! This smells just like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte; I can't have the drink but can enjoy some of its qualities in a scrub.

Purple People Eater is purple grapes and pink cotton candy. Yep.. that is what it smells like. It is sweet and smells really good but if you are looking for any kind of complexity, pass this one up. This is a great scrub to satisfy any kind of sweet cravings you might have.




I love Wedding Day Anguish and wrote about it in a previous post. It is everything I wanted Candied Rose Butter creme to be; fragrant roses and sweet cream. Unlike CRB, the rose is mellowed by the cream scent and not completely obliterated.

Phantasm is minted vanilla ice cream, black licorice and anise and it is such a great smelling scrub! This is like Frosty Mint Goddess in a black corset and a whip. The top note is that scrumptious creamy mint and the anise and licorice are hogtied in the background. This is a very sexy, minty scent.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Isle of Eden – Sugar Potion: Sugar Potion is a limited edition scent that was part of a promotional give away from Isle of Eden. So this is where I have to come out of the closet and admit that even though I am no longer active on the IOE forum, I am still a lurker to get the skinny on the little giveaways that they sometimes have because free stuff is…well…free!

How funny are these little deli containers? Am I reaching for cream cheese or am I reaching for bath cream? I kid, of course.. today I reached for Sugar Potion bath cream. Sugar Potion has the potential to be a great scent but alas it must settle on being a really good scent. This smells like caramelized sugar with a little hint of maple candy. To me, Isle of Eden missed out on this smelling just like the hardened, caramelized sugar that sits atop a ramekin of crème brule. My goodness, that would have been so awesome but instead, the brown sugar note was carried a little too far and made the bath cream smelling a little more maple-y and smoky than it needed to be.

Sugar Potion is the best name for this however because it smells like sugar that was left on the bunson burner for too long.

The moment I smelled Sugar Potion, I knew that I wanted to pair it up with my Pineapple Upside Down Cake scrub from Get Whipped and Mango Sorbetto body cream by Coconut. Can I just interject here with a complete and heartfelt rave for Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Get Whipped? I am so picky about pineapple scents; I like them to be sweet and creamy yet retain the distinct note of pineapple. I have had quite a few misses so when I smelled Pineapple Upside Down Cake, I threw my arms up in the air in a moment of exaltation and wept silent tears of joy. Right, I didn’t do anything like that but I was happy to find the perfect pineapple blend. It’s called pineapple upside down cake and that is just what it is; it is a fabulous fall season fruity blend.

Mango Sorbetto body cream tied it all together and left me smelling like a tropical cake. This is a terrific and true Mango Sorbetto [Tutti Dolce-Bath and Body Works] dupe and thank goodness for it because I was so bummed when Bath and Body works pulled the scent from their lineup.

It is Fall at Olive Branch Soaps!

I always enjoy going to the Farmer's Market. There are always so many new varieties of fruits, vegetables and other items to look at and buy. On my first trip there back in early July I wasn't even looking for any B&B products, but as always, they seemed to fall right in my lap! As I was perusing a stand that carried an array of peppers, kohlrabi and green beans, my nose began to twitch. I looked to the left and sure enough some of the most beautiful soaps I have ever seen in my life were staring back at me. Much to my SO's dismay, I had found bath and body products at the Farmer's Market.

At this time, I didn't even like bar soaps. I never thought they were fragranced enough and they left me feeling too squeaky clean. I like to be moisturized when I leave the shower! At any rate, I could not pass up these brightly colored treasures, so I picked up 3 (priced at 3 bars for ten dollars you can't go wrong!) and went on my merry way. These soaps are huge and wonderful. No matter how dark the color, the lather is a nice foamy white and they smell so good! Even my first bar, a black and red swirled bar, Pomegranate, didn't leave any residue and lathered up white as snow. Needless to say I was hooked! Pictured below are some of the bars I have acquired on subsequent trips to the Farmer's Market.



So I digress, this blog was supposed to be about some of Lynn's new scents so here they are!



I am in love with all three bars, although SO (who you remember was dismayed at my discovery of Olive Branch) insisted that we buy a bar of vanilla bean.

Apple Cinnamon is a bar that is a must have for anyone who loves apples in the fall! This bar is loaded with appley goodness as well as sweet sweet cinnamon! One of the things I love about OBS, is that all the products with cinnamon have real cinnamon in them and not a fragrance oil. She actually uses cinnamon from a local shop called Penzey's, which has been another love of mine for a year or so. (for anyone who likes to bake or cook check them out too! http://www.penzeys.com/) This is by far my favorite of the 3 bars, even though I am a self admitted pumpkin junkie.

Pumpkin is a beautiful scent as well. Since it actually contains a fresh pumpkin puree that is the pumpkin scent you get, very fresh. I really love this bar and I think it will be joining me in the shower tomorrow!

Vanilla Bean is another great fall scent. As I said SO wanted this one and I always comply with his B&B wants. Makes me feel a bit more justified with mine! Vanilla bean is a very smooth and sweet vanilla scent. If you like vanilla, you would like it.



I almost forgot about this little gem! I talked Lynn into letting me have this prototype bar about a month ago. She had told me it was going to be part of her fall line and I absolutely fell in love with it! So she let me adopt it, with a promise I would let it cure. It is very orangey and chocolately, like a terry's chocolate orange. I have had it sitting by my computer and sometimes I just sniff it. Just because it smells so darn good!

So all in all I am absolutely knocked over by Olive Branch's Fall line of soaps. Out of the CP soaps I have tried, I love these the best! Especially Apple Cinnamon!



http://www.olivebranchsoap.com/ (not affiliated just wanted to share the love!)
Also, although I know some people have had issues with OBS in some shape or form, I also know that alot of people have been pleased with their products from this company. So I write this blog as a pleased customer only, not to start any sort of drama. Thanks!

Long Wait? Yes. Hella Good Free Stuff? Oh Yes.

Alexa at Isle of Eden has my favorite Halloween collection. She sucked me into the IOE vortex with Halloween 2006 and I am happy to say that the Halloween 2007 products have exceeded my expectations. In spite of the long wait, I am glad that I have my products and did not miss out on such a great collection and even better freebie offer.

I received all of these scrubs or Halloween Cauldrons [as they are listed on the website] for free thanks to the special promotion where one cauldron is received for every $35.00 worth of products purchased. The customer is able to choose which flavor cauldron they would like to receive.





Let's start with R.I.P.; this is supposed to smell like Lavender and Mint but I am not getting any of those notes. It smells like iodine and vicks vaporub to me; completely medicinal and not very appealing. I am going to let this one rest because there is a good chance that once the scrub has cured a bit, the astringency of the lavender will mellow and more of the mint will round out the scent.

Freshly Bitten is straight up strawberries and cream. The cake note is very slight and the strawberry totally muscled its way to the forefront. This scrub is yummy.

Graveyard Apple is described as being an intoxicating blend of crisp green apples and hot buttered rum. I don't detect any hot buttered rum from the scrub. This smells just like an apple jolly rancher.

Bath of Blood is one of my favorites of the freebies. It is creamy pomegranate and is very reminiscent of Midnight Pomegranate [by Bath and Body Works] but with a softer edge.

It was a given that I would order White Hearse because I love rose scented products. This was predominantly cake scented for me with sugared rose petals floating in the background. It is such a lovely scent.

I am starting my round of Isle of Eden Halloween reviews with the cauldrons because the promo is still running and you may also find some of the cauldron bouncing around the swap sections. In addition to the free scrubs, these were included in my order...





There is a little controversy associate with these cute little toys. The original intention of the Halloween toy promo is that everyone receives special toys with their order. Every toy is good for a unique promotion which could be a free scrub, free shipping or a certain percentage off an order. Naturally, their was some sort of excitement and anticipation over these little toys.

In an attempt to foresee any issues over potential toy envy, it seems that Alexa has decided [maybe, still no "official word"; just a quoted private message] that all toys will be good for the same promotion. So now everyone gets the same promotion and Customer A does not start a thread on her forum demanding answers why she got a spider while Customer B got a cute squishy pumpkin. This is not going over too well and some customers are genuinely sad and are fretting over the promotion being changed.

I am a recovered fan girl who now approaches dealings with Isle of Eden on a strictly business-like basis. I no longer make it personal; I will pay whatever the amount and wait.. and wait and they will make sure that my order is packed correctly and smells as good as it is supposed to. As long as we both hold up our end of the deal, I am an Isle of Eden fan and when they don't; I scream from the rafters.

That being said, I searched deep within myself and discovered that I really don't care if everyone gets the same promotion despite their receipt of different toys. Yeah, I know what is on the site and that she is changing the plan midway but I just don't get so excited over Halloween toys and games and in the end, everyone still gets some kind of a deal. Now, get that TAT at ten to fourteen days and then we will talk about excitement.

Bath Cream Wars

Rain Forest Soap Shack vs. Isle of Eden

I have read on a number of bath and body boards [MUA, Lush, Bpal] that Rain Forst Soap Shack products are comparable to those of Isle of Eden. I did a comparison of their bath creams and here is how it all came out....

to open up the picture to full size, click on the picture and it will open up in a new window. you may be prompted to click again once in the new window.




There are definite differences between the two bath creams and I think the pictures show that despite some claims; Isle of eden and Rain Forest Soap Shacks are not the same.

The Rain Forest Soap Shack bath cream is a lot softer; too soft in my opinion. I think that the super soft bath creams are used up quicker while the harder bath creams last for a long time and give up more lather with less product. The Isle of Eden bath cream was really firm and gave off a thick, dense lather.

Both bath creams were nicely scented on cold sniff and gave a decent bloom of scent upon lathering. Neither left much of a lingering scent on my skin after rinsing and toweling off.

You really can't go wrong with either of these bath creams; they both smell great and even though Isle of Eden did better in the lathering portion of the test, if you are not up for waiting four to eight weeks for an Isle of Eden product, you would not be remiss to give Rain Forest Soap Shack bath creams a try. Personally, I prefer the Isle of Eden product because I have always been partial to the firmer bath creams.

**Please note that despite my reference to the Isle of Eden turnaround time as anywhere between four to eight weeks, it is listed on the site as four to five weeks although there have been recordings of customer waiting up to eight weeks for their products.

Halloween with Rainforest Soap Shack

Halloween and Christmas are my favorite bath and body themes so when e-tailers start dropping their Halloween collections, it is very difficult for me to restrain myself. Oscar Wilde once said; "I can resist anything but temptation". This statement sums me up in a nutshell; I am driven by temptation. It is challenging to reign myself in with all these fabulous sounding Halloween scents and I have to admit, I haven't really been up to that challenge. I cave almost every single time...

I have been reading a lot about how Rain Forest Soap Shack compares to Isle of Eden in quality. Since I was waiting on an Isle of Eden order to process, I figured it couldn't hurt to check out the Soap Shack's Halloween offerings.

These are my choices from the wonderful array of Halloween items offered by The Rain Forest Soap Shack;



The official description of Jack O'Lantern's Revenge is Black Currant and Pumpkin. This combination grabbed me immediately and was number one on my list because I was really curious to see how the tangy and tart notes of black currant would marry with the round, buttered creaminess of pumpkin. Before I get into whether this combination was successful or not, can I please mention that this scrub looks good enough to eat? My goodness, when I was editing this picture, my mouth was watering! Just look at it; it looks like pumpkin mocha frozen yogurt.

Small digression aside, I can't say that I am loving this. To me, a successful scent partnership is defined by one's ability to pick out each scent. Each scent should blend together to make a pleasing fragrance but at the same time, they should also retain their individual characteristics. Sadly, this combination does not achieve this... I don't get a sense of the pumpkin and I certainly don't get a sense of the Black Currant. The two scents overwhelm each other and leave behind a sharp, soapy and somewhat perfumey fragrance.




I am so glad that Candy Corn Cupcakes shook me out of my disappointment over my bad experience with Jack O'Lantern's revenge. The word on Candy Corn Cupcakes is.... Cupcakes and Candy Corn! The bath cream smells exactly like the description. I am really impressed with the cupcake scent; it is dead on cakey goodness. This bath cream reminds me of the vanilla frosted cupcakes topped with candy corns that we used to have at school.




I love Phantom Crush! Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Cherries not only make for a fantastic dessert but a luscious scented bath product as well. I get more cherry than pineapple off the bat but that could change as I make my way down the jar and hit more of the pineapple blend.




I am a big fan of Tiger Bite despite my normal aversion to orange dreamsicle type scents. The licorice provides a needed edge to the sweet and creamy orange but keep in mind, this is a very sweet scent. If you are adverse to overtly sweet and foody type scents, this is not the combination for you.




I told you that I have been drawn to licorice lately, right? So it can't be a surprise that I ordered Witches Shoes. The description of this bath cream is Ruby Red Grapefruit and Licorice. If you are staying away from Tiger Bite because it is too sweet, The Witches Shoes is one to consider. Ruby Red Grapefruit is the predominant note and the licorice lingers in the background, rounding out the sharpness and adding a touch of sweetness to the combination. It is still a sweet scent but not a sticky sweet scent like Tiger Bite. It is a sweet scent while managing to retain the crisp and clean of the grapefruit.