Wicked Hot Enablers

Bisou delight!

2007-11-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T19:07:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-10-14T15:15:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-07T08:27:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-04T19:39:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-04T15:12:00.001-04:00

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?

2007-10-04T14:21:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-03T23:24:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-03T12:18:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-09-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

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.

2007-09-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-30T13:55:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-30T11:21:00.001-04:00

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.

My First Cherriflip Order

2007-09-29T22:13:00.001-04:00

Cherriflip is one of those etailers that I had wanted to order from for quite some time, but for whatever reason I didn't. Then finally, this fall, in my quest to find the perfect pumpkin scent, I stumbled across the Cherriflip fall scent list and found several scents that I was interested in. They are also running a contest with their Limited Edition blue meanie bubble bars as well, and since I am a sucker for contests, I couldn't resist placing a small order.

My order consisted of 2 hair mists, (I am always on the quest for the perfect hair mist) a bath fizzie and several bubble bars. I placed my order, I had a few issues submitting it, but the owners of the site were extremely helpful and finally my order was in their queue. There is something about great customer service that makes the products so much better when they arrive! :)

First off, let me say that the actual package is very professional. I opened my box and was delighted to see a smaller box inside containing my goodies. As I opened it up, I was excited to smell the Dew Good Hair and Body Mists.

These are the 4 oz mists, and as you can see, the packaging and labeling are very professional, and waterproof, which is always a plus. Overall the hairmist quality is excellent. A few squirts on my towel dried hair takes out the majority of the tangles that I have. I would definately order these guys again.

The scents I ordered were The Vanishing and Smashing Pumpkin. They are both great scents that I would for sure order again.

The Vanishing
Site Description: A delicious banana blended with ripe, fresh fruit mallow cream. Fresh banana slowly vanishes to reveal light berries, citrus and marshmallow cream. This is one disappearing act you don't want to miss.

My take on The Vanishing: I specifically remember taking my first whiff of this scent. At first I thought I had made a terrible mistake. It didn't smell that great on a cold sniff. Fortunately I didn't give up on this fabulous scent. Fresh banana is a hard scent to pull off, and I can safely assure you that Cheriflip has done a great job with this one. To me it smells like fresh bananas dipped in cool whip. The berries are there, but the banana is forfront in this delicious mix. I am a big fan of BBW Ile de Tahiti Banana Fei and this mist layers perfectly with it.

Smashing Pumpkin
Site Description: Pumpkin smashed with mild coffee, a touch of steamed milk and one wild raspberry. Perfect for Fall or anytime of year.

My take on Smashing Pumpkin: Usually coffee scents scare me in products other than a tart, but on my quest for the perfect pumpkin, I was willing to take some risks. Smashing Pumpkin starts out a bit strong but dries down to a lovely pumpkin scent. It isn't your typical spicy pumpkin either. It is a bit hard to describe but I will do my best. The steamed milk gives the pumpkin a creamier touch and the coffee gives it an interesting dimension as well. The coffee is not strong at all. All in all this blend is a really good pumpkin scent. And my SO loves it!

The other products I ordered were two bubble bars and a bath fizzie.

Unfortunately, I used the Wicked Apple bath fizzie, before I had a chance to photograph it. But it looked identical to the one on the Cherriflip site, and it was a great product. It fizzed in the tub very well and filled my entire bathroom with the delicious scent of golden delicious apples. There need to be more golden delicious apple products!

The bubble bars I purchased (pictured above) are Little Fish and, of course, a Blue Meanie for the contest! The contest is to purchase a Blue Meanie Bubble Bar and if he comes wih two orange eyes, you win your entire order for free! Unfortunately, as you can see, my Blue Meanie only had orange eye, but I won with him anyways. What a wonderful scent of berries! And the Cherriflip bubble bars produce tons of soft white bubbles. Little Fish is another one that I will order again. it is the perfect wake me up bubble bar. It is the perfect 7-up and blueberry blend. Lovely! These bubble bars rival LUSH ones anyday, in my book at least!

So all in all, I am very pleased with my Cherriflip order. I will definately be ordering more bubble bars in a future order. I am looking forward to their holiday scents.

2007-09-29T21:42:00.000-04:00

What's Crackin' B&B Lovlies! :)

Hello everyone! You may have seen me around the MUA boards giving my two scents (haha) on the products I have tried. Yes I am a self admitted B&B and tart junkie. Two years ago I didn't even know that etailers existed, and now I know more acronyms than a normal person should! IOE, CYS, MCS, SDE, ChF are just a few of the etailers I have ordered from. Some I can rave about, some not so much. But I do enjoy sharing my reviews with all of you, so I am thrilled that Jude allowed me to do so on her awesome blog!

Jude and I go back a few years. We met on a MAC site and she wowed me with her extensive makeup know-how, as she still does! And then I found her again on LUSH. So I felt it only right to pay back the love she showed me for makeup, for my own newly discovered love of etailers...and so the story goes on.

When I am not elbow deep in scrubs and hair mists, I do have a few other interests. My newest love and addiction is nail polish, and usually that is where you can find me on MUA. I am also a preschool teacher, so vegging out on the computer is a great way for me to wind down after a day of 4 year olds saying my name 100 times.

I hope that my review blogs on here will be helpful to you and that you will enjoy reading them. I can't wait to get started!

Let's Get the Party Tarted!

2007-09-28T21:03:00.000-04:00

*cough cough... nerd alert....

Yeah.. I know.

Let's talk about tarts for a moment. It is a wonderful thing to smell good but if your living area smells like a dank basement it does impede on all the lovely products you used to achieve maximum damn-you-smell-good-ness. If you are taking the time and expense to thoughtfully choose products to scent your skin and convey a mood, it is a natural step to do the same for the atmosphere around you.

There are a myriad of products that one could use to boost the olfactory qualities of your living space; candles, room spray, carpet fresh or my personal favorite; tarts. I prefer tarts because it is a relatively inexpensive way to change up the scents and there are so many fun choices to be had.

I purchase tarts from a number of e-tailers; some were bad, some were good and some were really really good but none are quite like House of Tarts.

House of Tarts became my number one e-tailer for tarts in the span of one small order...

Black Cat's Surprise - Black Licorice, Cookies, Oranges. I don't know what it is but I have been drawn to anything scented with Black Licorice. You might think..why would I want my space to smell like Sambuca? And I don't blame you but please be assured, your room will smell like the inside of a Halloween treat bag if you burn this tart and not like the back of a dusty liquor cabinet.

Party Time - Cake, Cookies, Ice Cream, Candy, Chocolate: I get mostly cake, cookies and ice cream with this tart. If I really inhale deeply, I get a sense for the chocolate. I like that though as I am not a big fan of chocolate scents so having it in the background works for me.

Candy Store - I get more chocolate with this one but thankfully, the chocolate is anchored down by a bubblegum and lollipop note. Good stuff going on with this tart.

Violet Birthday Cake - Birthday Cake with Butter creme Frosting and Violet Icing Flowers:
Sugared violets resting atop a cake note. I love violets and I love cake; win, win proposition on my end.

Frosted Pink Cupcakes with Sprinkles - white Cupcakes, frosted with Pink Butter creme Frosting & sprinkled with pastel Candy Stars: Do sprinkles even have a scent? I never stopped to smell a sprinkle so I can't rightly say but this tart is as good as any pink frosted scented product that I have tried. It is a terrific variation of a classic scent.

Sweet Sixteen - Pink Sugar Cookie, Bubble Gum, Butter creme Frosting & Strawberry: This tart is everything that the description entails. I think that an addition of a soft, musky back note would work well to convey the idea of "not a girl yet not quite a women" theme of this tart but all in all, the tart smells great and you really get a sense of all the listed notes.

House of Tarts has an impressive scent list and the scent lasts for a long time. I am currently on my fourth day of burning Black Cat's Surprise and the scent is as strong as when I first started to use it. Also, and this is so important, even though the scents are strong enough to fill the room; they are not fakey or over perfumey. They strike the perfect balance between subtle and super scented.

Check it out for yourself and perhaps place a try it out order for these sublime tarts at....

http://houseoftarts.com/

Thursday evening, September 28, 2007

2007-09-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

Here we are; summer is over and September is well on its way to being a memory which leaves me with the question as October approaches...... why is it still so freaking hot and humid!?!?!

In my desperation for some autumnal goodness, I used the following items for quite a lovely shower experience:

So here is what we have going on; Mad City Sue Whipped Sugar Scrub in Caramel Apple, Bath and Body Works Pecan Passion 3-in-1, Callisto Buttercloud Cream in Autumn Brulee and who is that long, tall handsome stranger in the background? Why it is Vanilla Ice Cream body splash by Bath and Body Works. Big ups to Perfume911 on MUA for piquing my interest for this product. It is something that a few weeks ago, I probably would have passed by but her enthusiasm was completely infectious and led me to a wonderful discovery!

Here is a quick breakdown on everything.

Pecan Passion is quite the little dark horse. When I smelled this last week at Bath and Body Works, I wrinkled my nose and thought.."oh no". I was standing at the register and they had a bowl of the baby bottles just looking at me, calling for me to take one home. What the hell..you can't always trust a cold sniff so I will give it a shot. I just smelled this again in the bottle and I still don't like it, it smells like cinnamon-ey frosting but once it starts to lather, the smell of pecans pushes to the forefront and that little ho-hum shower gel turns into something wonderful.

The Mad City Sue Scrub is [yeah, I know.. I say this all the time]fantastic. I just love the frosting like texture that still manages to give my skin a good scrubbing. The scent is not cloyingly sweet; you really get a sense of a fresh granny smith apple wrapped in buttery caramel.

I came out of that shower smelling like a country kitchen; pecans, caramels and apples. Not too shabby...

Lucky for me, my small Callisto order came in that consisted of body creams in their autumn scents. One of these scents was Autumn Brulee with notes of Pumpkin, coconut vanilla custard and caramelized sugar. It is creamy, spicy, sweet, decadent and super scented so it married beautifully with the other components of my shower.

Even though the climate outside was reminiscent of a rain forest, the atmosphere in my room was all about the crisp spiciness of Autumn....... with the air conditioner on full blast.

Wednesday Evening, September 26, 2007

2007-09-26T20:19:00.000-04:00

Today I used a Rainforest Soap Shack body wash in Girls Night Out" and Cremoso Layer Cake Sugared Frosting Shea Scrub in "Confection Extravagance" which consists of three layers.

The bottom layer is Gothic Lolita in Purple-tender violets, juicy blackberries, and plump blueberries with amber.

The middle is Rose Puff - sweet rosewater, flaky pastry, custard...and a handful of red rose petals atop a mound of whipped cream.

And the top layer is Lavender Cotton Candy-Sweet, fluffy pink cotton candy blended with lavender essential oil.

I haven't gotten to the two lower layers but the top layer, Lavender Cotton Candy is clean, refreshing and sugary sweet. The scent is almost exactly like an older Isle of Eden scent called Lavender Pound cake that was a component of a scrub called Pillow Talk. Pillow Talk was part of the Princess collection that was discontinued. Anyway, this post is about Cremoso but I wanted to note that I loved Pillow Talk for that lavender layer so I am pretty psyched to have found a scrub that takes that sweet lavender flavor to another level. Cremoso has managed to create the best lavender scent that I have ever tried. You know how some lavender blends have too much astringency? Lavender Cotton Candy has the clean, freshness of true lavender but the cotton candy layer amps up the fragrant sweetness as well. I didn't think it got better than Lavender Pound Cake until I tried Lavender Cotton Candy. I know.. I need to get to those other layers [especially Gothic Layer which is my nominee for best product name ever!] but the scrub is so so pretty and I am loving the Lavender Cotton Candy so so much that I will just be patient. Alas reader, you must be patient with me as I will be sure to report back my thoughts on the bottom two layers. Something tells me that my findings will be glowing.

The texture of the scrub is one that I am growing increasingly fond of; the non foaming, skin softening shea scrub. After rinsing, my skin is not left oily and once dry, my skin is really soft.

I could go on and on about this scrub and lest I forget that there was another component to my shower, I am going to turn my attention to Girls Night Out!

The official word on this shower gel is fruits and flowers on an intense base of musk & creamy vanilla notes. That pretty much sums it up; great scent in the shower that is very reminiscent of Blackberry Cream Musk by Callisto Bath and Body. The lathering left a little to be desired but in the end, it got the job done. All in all, It is a decent shower gel in an un0original scent but I do like it and will use it.

Flower Peddler

2007-09-26T15:27:00.001-04:00

By SerendipityPink (AKA HaileyCosmic on MUA)

There has been talk about Flower Peddler on MUA so thought I'd break out my pics and give it go.

Overall Thoughts: I like the items I got but the scent was not very strong even after letting the cure. The soaps where a bit average but the scrub was one the best salt scrub I've tried.

Soaps:What the soaps lacked in scent they make up for in moisture. I typically just use my soaps to shave. I got a wonderful clean smooth shave and I didn't even lotion afterwards.

Scrub:I expected this to be an oily scrub as most salt scrubs are greasy. I also expected it dry me out. Salt is not known for helping you keep in moisture. The scent was intense and I was not left feeling greasy or dry.

Now on with the pics....(for a larger view click on the pic)

Mail Call!

2007-09-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

Sweet anticipation. Once I get that little notice in my inbox, I know that wonderful and glorious things are in store for me. Your package will be shipped by PayPal Shipping with U.S. Postal Service.

What will it be today? Tarts, Scrubs? Both maybe?!?!

If the package is arriving via USPS then it is a blind anticipation. Thanks to the United States Postal Service's lack of step by step tracking info, the only sure thing is that they were electronically notified to expect your package. Perhaps I am waiting for home delivery and although I may look busy cooking or cleaning or even just lazing around and watching tv; my ears are pricked and waiting to hear that familiar rumble of my mail carriers truck. Yes, I can tell the distinct tone of his engine rumble because I am just that far gone.

Maybe I am at work, sitting at my desk and laboring over accounts payable. I look like I am really into what I am doing but I am just waiting. Waiting for Anthony the mail carrier to cry out as he is walking in... "Jude! Ya got more stuff here!"

This is where I jump out of my seat and greedily grab my boxes and proceed to rip them open in a quiet frenzy. This is where my co-workers roll there eyes, question my sanity and remind me that I already own a large amount of bath and body products so why would I need more?

Yeah... well I smell good so fuck em all.

Look at these beautiful jewels.....

2007-09-26T07:27:00.001-04:00

courtesy of House of Tarts

The last thing I need in my life is another tart. I already have so many but the quest to find the perfect tart is like the quest to find the perfect foundation or mascara. Even when you are pleased with what you have, there is always the possibility that your skin can look smoother, your lashes can be longer or your living area can smell a litte more heavenly.

These tarts are as close to perfect as one could get. If it were not late and I did not have to get up early in the morning, I could go into an in depth review of each scent. Alas, I am tired and must leave the tart by tart review for tomorrow but for now.. I leave you with the link to House of Tarts so you can check out their incredible scent list.

http://houseoftarts.com/store/Default.asp

Wednesday morning, September 26, 2007

2007-09-26T05:57:00.000-04:00

I have been on a sugar coma lately so I wanted something a bit cleaner today. The scrub is a split form Isle of Eden in Blood Orange and Ocean. It is a terrific and bright scent and perfect for when you don't want something too sweet smelling.

The bath cream that I used is actually a scrub that I purchased from and etsy shop called The Bath Cream Shop. This scrub is not very scrubby at all despite the extra coarse sugar crystals that were sprinkled on top. It is pretty sticky and soft and works really well as a bath cream than a scrub.

The scent on this scrub is Guava and to be honest, it smelled like Pomegranate Cocktail from IOE and nothing like Guava. I grew up eating Guava Paste on crackers with Queso Fresco or drinking ice cold Goya Guava Nectar so I was so excited about this. It is more sharp and tangy with a distinct champagne note and Guava is a very mellow and sweet fragrance.

Today's Featured Scrub

2007-09-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

Presenting Chokecherry Parfait by Isle of Eden

What the heck is a chokecherry and do I really want to smell like one? Well, if the Prunus virginiana smells anything like Isle of Eden's Chokecherry parfait then yes.. I do want to smell like a chokecherry.

Wouldn't want to eat one though since they are not edible and having one in my back yard would suck since the tree is home to tent caterpillars and those things are just gross.

All that aside, this is a really fun scent and to me, it smells more like a blend of funnel cake and Alexa's fabulous Black Sugar which was a sweet and tart black cherry scent but hey, Chokecherry is a more catchy name than funnel-cake-mixed-with-black-sugar. I haven't gotten to the creamy lemon middle yet but knowing how well Isle of Eden does lemons, it is sure to be fabulous. If it isn't, I will report back and let you all know.

Monday Evening, September 24, 2007

2007-09-24T22:00:00.001-04:00

I am in carnation heaven tonight. I haven't busted out the Lush products in a while but what lotion would go better with my just-arrived-today Skindecent scrub in Pink Carnations than Potion.

If you are not familiar with Potion, it is a wonder of a lotion that can only be ordered on a regular basis from the Lush UK site. Every once in a while, Lush NA will have discon rounds where they offer up voted upon discontinued products and Potion always makes the cut. You would think that Lush NA would get the hint and just offer Potion up as part of the regular lineup but a lot of what Lush NA does makes little sense.

What makes Potion so special? Why it's the rose petal infusion, almond oil, rose absolute, fresh tangerine and carnation absolute of course! One thing is a given if you want to try Potion, you have to like that dry, somewhat spicy scent of carnation and I do, so all is right in my world.

So it is established that I have hankering for some Potion and Pink Carnation Scrub. I don't however, have a carnation scented soap or bath cream. I do have Vanilla Chai Bath Butter by Get Whipped and it turned out to be a match made in heaven. Vanilla Chai bath butter smells like vanilla ice cream with a light essence of chai. It is not over the top in it's spiciness and really worked well with the floral notes of the scrub and lotion.

Time to go gonzo here and top it all of with Maiden by Bpal. Yes... I dabble in the dark arts of Bpal. I sold a lot of my collection because there was too much that fought against my chemistry but the few bottles I have are little treasures.

Maiden is white tea, carnations and damask rose. It was the perfect finale to an incredible shower and two hours later; I still smell this amazing combo around me.

So Pretty

2007-09-24T18:49:00.000-04:00

I picked up the products from the new Blackberry Amber line by Bath and Body Works. I was pretty excited for t he release since I have been on a big blackberry and amber kick so it is just a huge plus for me two have two great tastes in one!

2007-09-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

Click on the picture to open it up in another window and then click on it again to view in full size. Thank you!

Sunday Morning, September 23, 2007

2007-09-23T19:34:00.001-04:00

I know.. I know. More Get Whipped love and I don't want this blog to be all about Get Whipped so I am going to use different products for my evening shower. However, this stuff is great and I just had to try these items.

This is the official word on Frosty Snowflakes:
Frosty Snowflake: Top notes of Green and Orange Jasmine; mid-notes of Ginger, Rose, Carnation, and Peach; base notes of Patchouli, Musk, Powder, and Vanilla.

I must admit that I ordered Frosty Snowflake without reading the notes because I assumed it would be an iced vanilla peppermint scent along the lines of Buttermint Baby by Isle of Eden. I am happy to say that I was wrong. If I had read the description, I would never have chosen it. I have a deep adversity to anything Jasmine but Frosty Snowflake has shown me that when Jasmin is done right and blended with the right notes, it is a glorious thing.

I thought that pairing my Lolita Lempicka dupe scrub and body butter would work really well with the scrub. I was right; the anise and violet properties of Lolita Lempicka melded beautifully with the notes of Frosty Snowflake. It was one sexy shower.

Sunday, Sept 23 2007

2007-09-23T19:30:00.000-04:00

So today I was staying home the whole day and I was feeling particularly PMSy so I opted to take a sweet Chocolatey shower to go with my nice Bon Bon Voyage scented home (FYI: Alternative Breeding Tart).

So I looked at my modest little stash and picked out my chocolatey smelling stuff. I picked my fave: Double Rich Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 by Philosophy as my cleanser. As you can see (sadly) I am almost out. I also used this as a shampoo since my hair is doing this wierd "I wanna be a bit greasy thing" right now and using this as a shampoo isn't AS moisturizing as my other shampoos, although it doesn't totally dehydrate my hair either. If you don't have this and you like chocolate scents... you need it. It's not overly chocolatey but its a really nice bitter sweet scent.

I followed with Isle of Eden's 5th Avenue Angel scrub. It is described as Madegascar Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Exotic Lychee. The scent is actually quite nice. I predict the lychee takes away some of the chocolatey scent because, in all honesty, it doesnt smell too much like chocolate... but it does have a slight bitter scent of the dark chocolate.

After my nice warm shower I used Isle of Eden's Sweet Kisses Body Butter in 6 Feet Under. I actually ADORE this scent and since it's part of Alexa's old stuff, it is on point in every way shape and form. The scent is rich and sweet and a wee bit bitter. Everything you want in a chocolate scent. The texture is moisture-filled and lingers so that 3 hours later, I still smell like it. Unfortunately, last I heard, it was discontinued so I try to be easy with it as to not run out.

Alrighty then, happy bathing!

Nice to meet ya...

2007-09-23T18:01:00.000-04:00

Ness took the silly title... DAMNIT!!! Anyways, that right over there (<--) is me... Like, Ness, I hate doing this because I never know what to say. I love baths and showers and anything that has to do with being clean and smelling yummy. I am not as crazy about it as Jude but I do enjoy buying and using all this amazing stuff that is out there.

I do usually buy from Etailers inc Callisto (their lotions are heaven), Skindecent (don't know how I ever lived without their scrubs), Fantasy Bath (the best bath bombs out there). Outside of Etailers I also occationally buy Lush (although I'm slowly falling out of love with them). And I also love Philosophy 3-in-1's since I still have not found a better showergel. I also sometimes use Body Shop or Bath and Body Works things (but only scents that fell in love with a loooong time ago before the discovery of new and smellier things.)

I think that's it about me... happy bathing!!!

Get Whipped v Isle of Eden - Round Two

2007-09-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

I am pitting Isle of Eden's Banana Split Cake scrub against Get Whipped's Lolita Lempicka dupe scrub.

This round of comparisons are all about the scrubs. And let's face it; scrubs are the king of the bath and body realm. There were significant differences between the two scrubs and just by looking at the ingredients list, you can gauge what the end results are going to be. The three main ingredients in the Get Whipped scrub are cocoa butter, shea butter and aloe vera while the three main ingredients in the Isle of Eden scrub are Sucrose [sugar], sucrose [raw cane sugar]and evaporated sugar cane juice. This does not mean that the Get Whipped scrub is not as scrubby as the Isle of Eden scrub; the sugar however does melt faster and leaves your skin softer.

I think that the picture comparisons give a good idea of the differences between the two products. Look at the two scrubs side by side and they have very similar textures but the Get Whipped scrub has a noticeable sheen to it and is more moist.

For the scoop test, they both did really well and had great textures. The Isle of Eden scrub held its texture and stayed firm while the Get Whipped scoop started to melt a little; I assume this is owed to the high cocoa and shea butter content.

They both spread nicely without any scrub fall out. The Isle of Eden scrub was drier while the Get Whipped scrub started to melt upon contact.

This is where the scrubs similarities end. Upon scrubbing, there was no foaming action from the Get Whipped scrub. There is no soap base in the Get Whipped product so yeah, how can it foam? I did a Google search on the last ingredient "Liquipar Optima" and learned that it is a preservative for oil based products and keeps bacteria away. Even though the main ingredients are cocoa and shea butter, this is not a greasy scrub at all. It did leave my skin very moisturized.

The Isle of Eden scrub was very scrubby and it foamed once the scrub was worked into the skin. This is a soap based scrub so although it rinsed easily and cleanly and despite the sunflower, macadamia and soybean oil that were added, the final result was clean skin with no sense of softened skin.

The final part of the test can't be photographed and that is how the scents hold up on cold sniff and how the scent lingers on the skin. On cold sniff, they both smell good. There is something about the Get Whipped product though because the scent really blooms and intensifies as it is being used. The Isle of Eden scrub did not intensify as it was being used and after toweling the area, there was no distinct lingering of the scent. The Get Whipped scrub scent stayed on skin for about thirty minutes after my skin was dry.

I greatly preferred the Get Whipped scrub over the Isle of Eden scrub. My skin felt like silk after using the Get Whipped Scrub and the lingering scent was lovely.

Because we are all deviants here......

2007-09-22T18:11:00.000-04:00

I have some pretty Rain Forest Soap Shack Porn!

Group Sex

Sarturday, September 22, 2007

2007-09-22T17:46:00.000-04:00

I am really loving what I used today. More so than I thought I would because I was not liking Lemon Sugar on cold sniff.

This is what I used today:
Now and Zen bath cream - Get Whipped
Lemon Sugar Scrub - Get Whipped
Mandarin Honey Buttercloud Cream - Callisto

So here's the run down on the goods;

Now and Zen is terrific. This is a Karma dupe that is not quite a Karma dupe because more orange oils were added to tone down the heavy patchouli of the original. I hate Karma because it is instant headache for me but the site description intrigued me so I took a chance. It is a kinda spicy, orangey type scent but it is not too heavy.

I really thought I made a mistake when I ordered the Lemon Sugar scrub and gave it a cold sniff. I just wasn't loving. I am a big fan of Lemon Sugar scent and have tried other etailers versions and they all come out the same... MR CLEAN! I really wanted something to work with Now and Zen so I tried and learned that one can not go by cold sniff alone. The scent really bloomed in the shower and the lemon scent popped to the forefront. Is this a true Lemon Sugar dupe? Not quite. It is however, a really nice somewhat spicy, gingery lemon.

What can I say about Mandarin Honey Buttercloud cream by Callisto? I don't have the words. It is just that heavenly. Sweet Mandarin oranges with thick dripping honey and a slight tea background. Simply wonderful.

Get Whipped?

2007-09-22T06:43:00.000-04:00

Get Whipped is an ebay store that carries an impressive array of bath and body products. I first learned about the store from the Lush NA forum where the owner was trounced for comparing her products to Isle of Eden. She was also called out for having spelling errors on her site and using ugly, hard to read colors for her font. Huge props to the owner of Get Whipped for taking the constructive and not so constructive criticism and making significant changes to her storefront.

I thought it would be interesting to do a side by side comparison of some Get Whipped products against Isle of Eden's products since there was so much drama involved. This is a completely non-biased comparison. Although I do believe that Isle of Eden is totally hit or miss when it comes to quality, turn around time and customer service; I love my stash and when an IOE product is made correctly, it is a wonderful thing.

Okay, so on to the comparisons. I took as many pictures as I could and used the same amounts but in the end, I received different results.

The products used here are Isle of Eden whipped bath cream in Red velvet Cake and Get Whipped Bath Butter in Now and Zen which is a Karma dupe.

I used the same arm for pic purposes but also lathered up with the Isle of Eden bath cream on my left arm so I could do a comparison of how long each scent clung to my skin.

As for the side by side lather comparison pictures, please note that I first tested out the Isle of Eden product and followed it with the Get Whipped product.

The differences in the two products were pretty clear but keep in mind that there are some similarities.

When it came to texture; Get Whipped was firm but still managed to be soft and not waxy. The Isle of Eden bath cream was softer to the touch and let go of more product when I applied gentle pressure to the surface.

As for the lathering; Isle of Eden lathered more and it was a clean type lather. Get Whipped did not lather as much but the lather was silk-like and milky. One thing I noticed when I was doing the scrub/lather test is that the Get Whipped lather gave off a ridiculous amount of scent.. it was incredible. The Isle of Eden lather was scented but not as much as the Get Whipped Lather.

After rinsing the Isle of Eden lather, my arm was clean and moist but there was very little scent linger. After rinsing with Get Whipped however, my arm was still clean and but their was a noticeable softness to my skin. Also, the scent really clung to my skin after toweling the area.

Thirty minutes later and I still smell Now and Zen [Get Whipped] on my arm.
On my other arm where I did a lather and rinse with the Isle of Eden product, there is no scent.

Both bath creams were 8 oz. The Isle of Eden bath cream was $13.94 and the Get Whipped Bath Cream was $10.00.

Personally, I prefer the Get Whipped Bath Cream. Who cares that the lather was not as abundant as Isle of Eden's? The Get Whipped bath cream was so moisturizing due to the added cocoa butter and shea butter that I can learn to live with less lather. As much as I have enjoyed IOEs bath creams, they were never moisturizing. I will definitely continue to purchase more of the Get Whipped bath creams and ooh and aaahh over my soft soft skin.

http://stores.ebay.com/Get-Whipped

http://www.isleofeden.com/catalog/

Skindecent Pink Ambrosia

2007-09-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

Yummmy! I am fan of almost anything mixed in with Pink Sugar dupes. Pink Ambrosia is perfect for this transaction into fall. It is sweet, fruity and a bit tropical. If you loved Pink Caramels you will love Pink Ambrosia. The scent is not heavy but you get a nice whiff of Pink Sugar a bit of fruit and coconut. It is not that heavy tanning lotion coconut but a sweet creamy coconut smell, very light.

I got it in my favorite Skindecent scrub, Body Buffer. The scrub is the perfect texture for me. It is creamy with a light to medium scrub texture.

Scrub a dub, dub, it's a pink marshmallow in the tub

2007-09-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

Yup, it's a silly title for a silly person. I never know what to say with intros so I will keep this short. I met Jude about 2 years ago and year later she turned me on to using baths a stress relief. Now I just can't get enough of my bath products.

I buy from mainly e-tailers and do not venture much with large companies besides Lush. I have even my husband and son loving smelly soaps, shampoos, bath bombs, bath gels and scrubs. Aww the pampered man does smell good!

My favorite companies are Skindecent, Fantasy bath, Smells So Sweet, Wylde Ivy & of course Lush. I tend to keep to my faves lately but I do have tons of input with many other companies that I have purchased from in the past.

Keep it sweet and smelling yummy!

No, I am not some kind of a blog hog!

2007-09-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

Two lovely ladies will be joining me as contributors to Wicked Hot Enablers and they should be making their introductory posts any time now. I am very excited that they have accepted my invitation as their contributions will be a great asset.

Friday, September 21, 2007

2007-09-21T07:29:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to use some of the Sensual Amber products that I got from Bath and Body Works last night. I know the line has been around for a long time and despite my intrigue; for whatever reason I just never picked it up. I am glad that I did though because I am a big fan of amber based scents and this one has a kiss of sweetness to make it quite feminine and lovely.

I chose the Skindecent Body Polisher scrub in Sweet Violets because I thought that the sugary floral scent of the scrub would blend nicely with the amber. My skin was feeling a little on the dry side so Body Polisher was the way to go. This is one seriously oily scrub so if you don't like the slick of oil on your skin after a shower, run away from the scrub.

For my scent today, I think I am going to carry on the sweet amber theme and use Eu de Merveilles by Hermes with an added spritz or two of Nectarine Blossom and Honey by Jo Malone.

What did you use today?

2007-09-21T06:26:00.001-04:00

I love that question. I really like to know what people are using and why they love it so much. Simple reason really... I love lemmimgs!

This is going to be a regular feature and I will try to put up as many pics of the combos as possible with full descriptions and a rant/rave of how it all turned out.

A Quick Fix at Bath and Body Works

2007-09-21T06:21:00.000-04:00

I have not been to the store in a long long time but like many; I am pretty excited about the release of the Blackberry Amber line that will be released on September 24, 2007. I popped in last night to check out the new Apple scent. I was not too impressed with it as it was too sweet and too apple-y [apple is my least favorite note]but I did come out with some sweet goodies.

This is just a group shot of the kids but when I get home from work, I will do a pic breakdown of everything and why I love them so much. Um... except for the Cherry Pie Temptation. I am on the fence about this one.

A little bit about me....

2007-09-21T06:14:00.000-04:00

My name is Jude and I am a completely hopeless Bath and Body addict. I get most of my items from a network of etailers but you can also find me sniffing around Bath and Body Works, Lush and even the bath/body section of TJ Maxx.

I started this blog with my girlfriends Ness and Nohemi as a resource where anyone can jump in and find honest reviews/opinions on bath and body products as well as our overall experience with a company. Along with the reviews, rants and raves; we will also be throwing massive amounts of porn [from new collections and classic stashes]for your viewing pleasure.

We are three women who possess a massive bath and body stash and we love to enable....

chic sassy images

2006-11-02T15:20:00.000-05:00