Haus of Gloi Fall Goodies!

Hi again! I am getting more excited by the day as fall impends on us and the Halloween/Fall collections begin to pop up. The awesome and vegan Haus of Gloi released their Fall collection August 19th (last Sunday; via their website http://hausofgloi.com/), so of course I had to get a bunch of goodness from them! I actually made a little list of what I *really* wanted to purchase when they released the product descriptions on their Facebook, so I stuck to my wish list at check out.

Back Row: Samhain handmade soap

Middle Row from L to R: Spider Silk Bubbling Scrub, Spider Silk Perfume Oil, Samhain Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Bubbling Scrub

Front Row: A sweet thank you note from Matt and Britton with a sample of Pumpkin Queen Perfume Oil

Back Row: Samhain handmade soap

Middle Row from L to R: Spider Silk Bubbling Scrub, Spider Silk Perfume Oil, Samhain Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Bubbling Scrub

Front Row: A sweet thank you note from Matt and Britton with a sample of Pumpkin Queen Perfume Oil

Back Row: Samhain handmade soap

Middle Row from L to R: Spider Silk Bubbling Scrub, Spider Silk Perfume Oil, Samhain Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Perfume Oil, Ghost Puffs Bubbling Scrub

Front Row: A sweet thank you note from Matt and Britton with a sample of Pumpkin Queen Perfume Oil

Now onto the scent descriptions. The following scent descriptions are from their website, http://www.hausofgloi.com/.

Spider Silk: Procured from a dream: delicate water mint, wispy grey musk, crystalline webs of amber, oakmoss, torchwood, copaiba resin, and a touch of withered violet leaf.

Samhain:

Freshly turned earth, wet leaves, and a cool spectre ridden wind.!

Ghost Puffs:

Buttery popcorn and marshmallow goo orbs, presented on a wooden stick.

Pumpkin Queen:

Gentle hay pillows, pumpkin, ripe peaches dusted with clove and nutmeg, dried summer herbs, and lastly, a lovely crown of amber.

My Thoughts: Spider Silk, Samhain, and Ghost Puffs are all extremely different from each other. I could smell Samhain through its plastic in the handmade soap, and it smelled so earthy and lovely. Then, I opened the perfume oil in the same scent; and upon cold sniff it was incredibly strong and overbearing. I really didn't think I'd like it (at least on its own), but I dabbed a bit on my skin to see how it evolved. It stayed pretty strong until the dry down, at which point it became more tolerable- but still a bit too much for me. BUT, when it was completely dry, I actually really, really enjoyed it. It wasn't overbearing anymore, it was just right. Perfect, in fact. Once dry, Samhain is so beautiful and such an enchanting fall scent.The dirt and wet leaves notes take me to a beautiful fall day- the ground glistening from rain while passersby step on the freshly fallen autumn leaves. I'm wearing it right now, and I'm very glad I purchased it full size! :)  I truly believe all perfumes must be sniffed in each stage in order to truly judge their character!  Spider Silk is, as I mentioned, worlds different from Samhain. It is a light, minty scent that smells so clean and beautiful. It's perfect for wearing right after a lovely shower. I'm happy with it! I surprised myself with ordering Ghost Puffs, as I generally don't care for foody scents. However, this one just sounded freaking yummy and fun for fall. I am glad I ordered it, because it smells freaking delicious! I can't wait to take a Ghost Puffs bubbling scrub shower and follow it with my Ghost Puffs perfume oil. You probably shouldn't wear this on Halloween unless you want your Trick-or-Treaters to mistake you for a delicious treat and consume you, zombie style. ;P I've yet to try Pumpkin Queen other than cold sniff, but I already have a hunch that I might need to own it in my perfume hoard. Heh.

Here's my obligatory bonus kittah picture:

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys are looking forward to this fall (collection-wise or just life in general) in the comment section below. I'd love to hear from my lovely readers :)

DISCLAIMER: All products mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not compensated by or affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are entirely my own and honest.

Cute Frankenstein Nails of the Day!

Why hello! Since my last manicure was looking worse for wear, I decided to drown it in acetone and put cute little monsters on my phalanges! I achieved this mani by following a nail tutorial by the lovely GoldieStarling on YouTube, which I've posted below for your convienience! :)

Pure awesomeness! She also has a cute little vampire nail art tutorial that I recommend checking out as well.

Now, onto the monster nails!

Above: My 'lil Frankie mani. Here I'm holding the base color, which is Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy.

Above: More 'lil Frankies. This reminds me of "the claw" from Liar Liar. ;D Or, sticking with Halloween themes, the claw of a werewolf! Or . . . me awkwardly trying to get mah nails in the picture.

 Above: My 'lil Frankie nails, take three.

x Orly Bonder as a base coat
x Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy
x China Glaze Ghoulish Glow on top of Green With Envy (this part isn't in the video tutorial from GoldieStarling- I just wanted my monsters to glow!)
x Art Deco striper in white
x Kiss striper in black
x LA Colors Diamond top coat

That about wraps this up! I hope you guys enjoyed my little Frankenstein nails. Thank you so much for reading, it sure does me a lot to me! Have a fabulous morning/afternoon/evening, whatever it may be! :)

DISCLAIMER: All products mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not compensated by or affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are my own and completely honest.

OHWTO Halloween Scents!!!!!

Hold on to your cats, grab a bag of candy corn, and try not to be annoyed with my overabundance of exclamation marks to come, because I've received my HALLOWEEN OHWTO SMELLIES!!!!  If you've read my blog in the past, you may have picked up on the fact that I absolutely love Halloween, particularly all things Halloween; and I've been dying of anticipation for the potential upcoming indie Halloween collections. I'm like a mad woman with my constant stalking of company websites and facebooks in hopes to see signs of upcoming collections. Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a Halloween section on One Hand Washes The Other's main page last month! I was lucky enough to stalk it at the right time, as it was a one-weekend-only thing. So, you can't get these products yet (with the exception of the perfume oil- more on that below); however, I'm fairly certain the products I purchased are popping up again this fall, so stalk away! (http://www.ohwto.com)

I'll begin by providing Becca's official scent descriptions, which can all be found at http://ohwto.blogspot.com/2011/09/halloween-2011.html.

Final Girl: The Final Girl is a horror/slasher film character type which specifically refers to the last female alive to confront the killer; the sole survivor who lives to tell the story. A crushed corsage of Magnolias and Carnations, the Musky Cologne of a Maniac, a whiff of Oil from a freshly-sharpened Chainsaw blade, and the paralyzing scent of Fear.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things: A creepy multimedia fragrance experience, see [video below]; sweet baby sweet baby sweet baby. Acorns, Oak, Vanilla, Apples, Roasted Spiced Pumpkin, a bit of Musk and a mound of freshly-dug Dirt. Sort of disturbing!

Bobbing for Apples: A game traditionally played at Halloween parties, bobbing for apples involves a water-filled tub and apples floating in it, waiting for you to pick them up with your teeth. Fun! Fresh Apples, Apple Skin, Bonfire Smoke, Hay Bales, and Tonka Beans.

Mirror Witch: Legend says that in order to summon the spirit of Bloody Mary, also known as The Mirror Witch, you must say her name thirteen times in front of a mirror, in the dark; it is said that on the thirteenth repetition she will appear. Upon appearing, the Mirror Witch may do any number of things to her summoners, depending entirely upon her mood upon being awakened. If she's not offended you may get away with a scratch, but offend her and the price may very well be your life. Reverent gifts of Pomegranates, Dried Figs, White Sage, Candied Ginger, and a vision of White Musk.


Pumpkin Eater: No, it's got nothing to do with that movie from the 60's... it's more to do with a story. As long as anyone can remember, the tale's been told, every Halloween night one can go up to old Peter's house, past the cemetery and up the hill, through the pumpkin field and the wood just past it, and catch a glimpse of his ghost if you bring him an offering of a pumpkin. Surrounded by pumpkin fragments, they say he can be seen sitting where his body had been found years before, still consuming the flesh of pumpkin after pumpkin, as though he'd never left. This fragrance smells of mangled pumpkin flesh, tilled earth, and a dash of spiced cider, haunted by an apparition of patchouli.


Hungry Ghost: In Taoism, Hungry Ghosts are ghosts of people who did not find everything they need to survive in the after life. If a person passes on, but does not have enough food, water, shelter, etc., it will come back into the world of the living to feed on the living. They will scare you, and then they will feed on your energy and fear. You get rid of these Hungry Ghosts by performing a ritual; pray or chant and offer food and other things to the Hungry Ghosts, so they will have what they need to survive and move on to their next life. Steaming-hot Green Tea, Lively Lemongrass, and Cardamom, with Peppermint providing a wisp of otherworldly chill.

Above: My goodies were housed in adorably beautiful black and orange organza bags. This was a major plus in my book, and such a cute way to show attention to detail. :)

Above from Left to Right: Bobbing for Apples, Mirror Witch, Pumpkin Eater, Hungry Ghost, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, and Final Girl. All of the above are solid scents, with the exception of Hungry Ghost (which is a perfume oil). Who couldn't love those little skulls on the labels?

Above from Left to Right: Bobbing for Apples, Mirror Witch, Pumpkin Eater, Hungry Ghost, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, and Final Girl.

The Verdict:

Holy shit, I am SO bummed I missed out on these last year; and I'm incredibly stoked I was able to grab them while they were available. I definitely plan to purchase the rest of the Halloween scents once they're available. Each and every one of these scents is absolutely charming.

Bobbing for Apples is such a comforting scent that I'm really enamoured with. The apple notes in it are not synthetic smelling at all, and actually like holding a real apple to your nose. Very impressive, I must admit! 

Mirror Witch is so feminine, haunting, and very simple to fall in love with! Not gonna lie: the whole "Bloody Mary" legend scares the crap out of me. However, I'm glad I faced my fear and purchased the solid scent. If you're a fan of musky scents, you won't be disappointed one bit. I wore this one yesterday, and I couldn't stop smelling my wrists!

Hungry Ghost is a simple, yet extremely refreshing fragrance. The peppermint really completes this blend and makes it something special. If you missed out on Hungry Ghost last year, fear not: Hungry Ghost has been renamed Cicada Song and is currently available in the permanent catalogue!

Pumpkin Eater is autumn in a bottle. It is absolutely stunning. I think I'm going to wear this every day to pretend the weather isn't disgustingly sweltering. I can haz fall nao? You can haz fall nao if you buy Pumpkin Eater too! :)

Final Girl is really beautiful. It's kind of impossible for me to describe, but it is truly stunning. I can detect the floral notes, but there are a lot of other compnents to this (such as serial killer cologne) that make it something special. It's very unique and absolutely breathtaking.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things really is sort of disturbing, but it's disturbing in all the right ways! It's really complex and rather fun to try and depict the individual notes that went into this gem. I think the acorn, oak, and dirt notes are what make this would-be ordinary scent into something extarodinary! However, I'm not super-talented and amazing like Becca, so all I really know is that it smells good and that I like it! ;)

The solid scents are $4.00, and the perfume oils are $9.00. I really think that's more than a bargain for the beautiful, great quality perfumes you receive. I continue to be more and more impressed with One Hand Washes The Other. Now I'll be on my way to stalk http://ohwto.com/ for their official Halloween scent release. Halloween, why can't you be every day?!?

I hope you enjoyed my post. I had a great time putting it together! Thanks for reading, as always!

DISCLAIMER: All products mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are 100% my own and 100% honest! :)