Holly Jolly Haul - Haus of Gloi Yule 2013

This is such an awkward time of year where the seasons are in between autumn and winter. The Halloween stuff is on clearance and all the Christmas stuff is already out. Just like enjoying Halloween-themed items early, I'm more than okay with enjoying Christmas items early too! The days go by so fast that I figure I might as well enjoy my favorite holidays as much as possible. That being said, I went on Haus of Gloi's Facebook last weekend and found out their Yule release was last Sunday (November 3rd). Needless to say, I did splurge on a few things for the Yule release!

Most of the items I purchased are in Haus of Gloi's new Yule scent for 2013 called Wintervale. Here is the Wintervale description from Haus Of Gloi:
Snow covered blue spruce boughs, frozen woods, crystalline sugared violets and sharp wintery air, all wrapped around a minty mug of hot cocoa. 

Above: Wintervale Bubbling Scrub, Wintervale Pumpkin Butter, and Wintervale Whipped Soap.

Above from L to R: Silver Fir Butterbomb, Rain (single note that was free with over $25 purchace), Wintervale (I purchased this imp), and Rosy Cheeked (free perfume sample with purchase). All of the above items came in a cute little white pouch, like a little stocking stuffer.

So far, the only things I have used since I received this package are the Wintervale Bubbling Scrub and the Wintervale Pumpkin butter. The scent is quite nice, though a little difficult to describe. The minty notes in it make it a really cool, refreshing perfume that is really festive and nice for winter. The violet and hot cocoa notes also come through, which I think is a really neat combination. The spruce/woodsy notes are not as prominent as the other notes in this blend, which is kind of a bummer for me; but this is still a nice scent that I'm happy I ordered. The most awesome part about the bubbling scrub and pumpkin butter is that it has helped my dry skin immensely. I haven't tried the actual perfume oil in Wintervale yet, so I'll try to remember to edit this post when I do. I'm saving the Silver Fir butterbomb for a time when I can truly relax with a bath. I used their rose scented butterbomb in the past, and it was absolutely wonderful. Not only did it make my bath awesome, it actually left my entire bathroom smelling lovely for days. Haus of Gloi also offers a sugar cookie butterbomb that was released for this year's Yule, and that would definitely be a good choice for those of you that are into foody scents. It even has festive sprinkles on top like a real sugar cookie! Butterbombs are less than half the price of LUSH's bath bombs and just as good (in my opinion). Definitely worth the $2.50, especially if you're a bath person.

So I guess that's all for now! Thanks for putting up with my super early Christmas haul. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

DISCLAIMER: All items mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own. Thanks for reading!

Autumn Daze: The Horseman by Haus of Gloi

Hello lovely little raindrops! I hope you're all doing very well. I thought today would be a perfect day to begin my Fall-based series, since we are already two days into September!

Recently, Liber Vix wrote about some great things she picked up from Haus of Gloi's Indian Summer collection (you can view that post here!); and she gave us a sneak peak of one of Haus of Gloi's new Autumn scents- The Horseman! I was so excited about the scent description, and I just knew I had to own it.

The Horseman official scent description:
Autumnal forest and wood, distant fire, smooth saddle leather, brown musk and the lingering scent of a dark gentleman's cologne on a black woolen coat.

I jumped and purchased the full size perfume oil, which I'm glad I did! I also ordered the bubbling scrub in the same scent. I actually received the pumpkin butter in The Horseman instead, but I didn't even contact them about it because I have a plethora of soap and not much lotion. I have no doubt in my mind that Matt and Britton would make it right if I were to ask, though. I have always gotten excellent customer service from them.

Onto the pictures and my thoughts on this perfume! :)

The Horseman is very dark, musky, and smoky upon cold sniff; and I can even smell the autumn woods. I sniffed Samhain to see if they were alike in the bottle, but Samhain is completely different to me.
I know this is crazy, but The Horseman completely captured The Headless Horseman in a bottle. It is musky, woodsy, and autumnal, with a good amount of leather from the haunted rider's saddle. It's like walking through the woods on a foggy fall evening. You can't see what's through the mist, but you're pretty sure it's a good thing you can't. The light from your torch does nothing to your field of vision, but releases a sweet smokiness into the autumn air.
I am seriously in love with this perfume and couldn't be happier that I got it. I wore it yesterday, and it lasted about 5 hours on me.

If you'd like to see what I ordered last year for Haus of Gloi's autumn release (which includes my thoughts on Samhain, Ghost Puffs, and Spider Silk),  please go here! :)

Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!

1 Year, Cheyenne, and Ploughman

Hey friends! I hope you are all doing wonderfully. I have exciting news! Today is my one year anniversary for this blog! I can't believe it's already been a year! I'm so glad I made the decision to start my blog last year, and I'm honored to know you guys through blogging. I wish I had some sort of fancy giveaway planned... But I don't. I've been crazy busy lately. This week I returned to work after spring break, and it wasn't exactly the best work week I've ever had. But on Friday last week, my boyfriend and I rescued a dog that was running through the street. She came home with us and we took her to the vet to get her microchip scanned. It wasn't registered, but the employees were awesome and able to find the owner the next day. We called the owner, which was a crazy conversation to say the least. Apparently her son is mentally unstable, and he broke into her house and let the dog out; then he stole her car. I don't know how her other dogs didn't get out, but I don't know how true her story was in the first place. She then went on to say she was DOWNSIZING and that we could keep the dog. She also said we could return the dog, but that she knew this would happen again. It's 11 years old and I'm pretty sure it's a German Shepard lab. She's such a sweet dog and is very well trained. We still have her, and I really don't want to give her back to a lady that views her as an object to be downsized. But it's been a hard decision to make. I'm almost certain we'll keep her. The crazy thing is that her name is Cheyenne, which is the city my boyfriend was born in. I'll keep you guys updated if you're interested and I'll try to get pictures of her. I have some, but the quality isn't good.

I have an insane amount of perfumes to review, but today I'm going to review Ploughman by Haus of Gloi. They recently released their Spring products, but I did not buy anything initially. Then I read Liber Vix's Haus of Gloi Spring haul here, and she inspired me to purchase a lovely Spring perfume from them- Ploughman! I also got a whipped soap in the same scent.

Haus of Gloi describes Ploughman as:
Well worn leather, dirt n' dandelions, carrot, a pinch of tobacco and a light sheen of feral skin musk.

Cold Sniff: The dandelion note is very strong upon cold sniff. It's quite glorious, though I am a huge dandelion fan.

Initial Application/Wet on Skin: The earthiness/dirt note pops out, though it blends so seamlessly with the Dandelion note that it's just absolutely magical. I never noticed this from my Ploughman imp, but the carrot note peeks out here too.

Drydown: The drydown for me is every note from the scent description dancing together beautifully. Eventually this perfume ends right where it started- with the green dandelion note.  This is truly a unique and wonderful spring scent.

Final Thoughts: Liber Vix told me that this scent kind of reminded her of a hobbit, and I thought that is a perfect description for Ploughman! Working hard in the field all day to plow vegetables, dandelions dancing in the light breeze, riding ponies with leather saddles, and having a delightful puff of pipe weed after a hard day's work. The Shire would most definitely smell like this perfume. I'm happy to finally be the proud owner of a full size.



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 always my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

Quick Scent of the Day

Hello there and happy Saturday!

Last year, I received a free imp of Spring Tonic 2 with my Valentine purchase from Haus of Gloi. I loved it so much that I devoured the entire imp (which is rare for me!) and ordered a full size.

Today I decided to wear Spring Tonic 2. It's the embodiment of all the beautiful weather we've been having lately, and really is the perfect green/spring perfume.


Image Source: Haus of Gloi


Scent Description from Haus of Gloi:
Fresh cucumber, parsley and dandelion greens.

Each stage of this perfume can be described as fresh and green. It's a scent I truly cannot get enough of. All of the notes coexist beautifully to create a magical and tranquil spring fragrance. I am so glad I was able to try this scent with my order, because I doubt I'd order this based on my usual tastes in perfume.


Disclaimer: The perfume mentioned was purchased by me. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

Haus of Gloi ~ Vice

Hello and happy Monday! I'm definitely happy this Monday because it's Presidents Day and I'm off work. Weehee! So I will be enjoying this extra day off, as tomorrow morning I have a meeting and other responsibilities to tend to.

Today, I will be going out of my comfort zone with a free imp I received with my Haus of Gloi Valentine order- Vice! Vice is a fragrance I wouldn't choose for myself, but I think every perfume deserves a chance!

Let's explore the scent description together! :D

Steam billows rolling off a vessel of fresh made Turkish coffee, marshmallow goo tainted by graham cracker crumbs, toasted hazelnuts and blanketed in black chocolate.


Vice by Haus of Gloi

Vice is a perfume from Haus of Gloi's general catalogue, so I have happened upon the scent description before. The reason I have not given this little guy a chance yet is because I'm usually not into foody scents, I don't think I'm into coffee scents (as I'd rather smell like tea, but I've never explored the realm of coffee fragrance until right now), and I'm not a big fan of chocolately scents. Therefore, Vice is a combination of things I tend to avoid in a fragrance. Sorry, Vice!


Preparing myself for the worst!

When I opened the imp, I smelled coffee and marshmallows!

Initial application is interesting and perplexing. Where are the foody notes I so dread? This smells nothing like the description. In fact, I'm actually rather liking what I smell! Maybe the notes melted together and made a super fragrance that's not foody, but just balanced and sexy! I almost smell something that's not in the scent description, like maybe a floral note? I can't put my finger on it!

The drydown reveals the coffee once again. I think I can smell the dark chocolate and a bit of the graham cracker notes as well. Okay, this is more like the description. I definitely don't dislike it as I thought I might. I still can't quite put my finger on this perfume. I don't know if I like it or I don't like it. Is that weird?

Once the perfume is dry and settled on my skin, it's a lot more subtle and the mystery note comes back for me. What am I smelling?! I do detect hints of the scents in the description, but it's still not what I particularly expected.

So, have I been converted? Not really. I think Vice is a nice scent that I had fun trying out. I bet it's absolutely perfect in a pumpkin butter, which I'd be willing to purchase. However, Vice will not make its way into my full size collection. I can absolutely see it working for people that are more into this kind of perfume, but it's still not really my thing. I give Vice a lot of credit though, as it's so much better than I expected it to be (not that I thought it would be bad- just that I didn't think it would be a scent I'd enjoy).

I hope you all have an amazing week! I am waiting on a couple orders I made, and I can't wait to review them for you wonderful ladies!

~Rachel

DISCLAIMER: The perfume I mentioned in this post was a free sample with my order. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own and always honest! Thanks for reading!

Happy Valentines Day! Odette by HoG

It is Valentine's Day! It also happens to be my grandpa's birthday! I wish I could be there- he lives halfway across my country though :(

In my last post, I talked about the stuff from Haus of Gloi that I ordered. It was on hold for a couple extra days because they were out of the whipped soaps I ordered, so I didn't think I'd be able to post about it for Valentine's Day. But it actually arrived a day earlier than scheduled- it got here the 13th!

Last year, when I was still new to indie brands, I ordered some Haus of Gloi goodies from their Valentine selection. One of my favorite scents I tried was Odette. I got it in the whipped soap, and it smells so fresh and dainty and beautiful! This year, I ordered the full size perfume in Odette, two whipped soaps in Odette, and one of their new products: A butterbomb in A Simple Rose.

Odette- Scent Description:
Clean sun dried linens, tuberose, ginger lily and white musk.

Odette by Haus of Gloi

Odette is a simple scent, but very beautiful and feminine. From the bottle, it smells so fresh. I also get the white musk.

Once applied (wet on skin), Odette smells like clean laundry! I LOVE the smell of clean laundry- like the smell of my house when the washing machine is running. I think the "fresh sun-dried linens" is an accurate description of that note- that's exactly what I'm smelling. I think that this note is the main reason I love this scent. I usually opt for darker concoctions, but I love variety too- so having "fresh" scents can be, well, refreshing. Hurr hurr.

Next I smell the tuberose and ginger lily. I was lucky enough to sample one of their Reverie scents that contained ginger lily, so I distinctly know what it smells like now when I smell it. It's hard to describe exactly what ginger lily smells like, but it is absolutely a stunner (in my opinion, of course).

The white musk makes its presence on the drydown, which totally completes this perfume. I think it's cool how the scent description has the correct order of what you smell- the linens, tuberose, ginger lily, and white musk. Once the white musk is detected, the scent "becomes one." All the notes are detectable, and they play so nicely together. Odette is not a complex perfume, but it is VERY pretty; and I am happy I bought it in a 5ml!

Odette perfume oil, A Simple Rose butterbomb, and two Odette whipped soaps


I also purchased two whipped soaps in Odette. I like Haus of Gloi's whipped soaps, though I don't use them daily because I go through them so fast. I usually use them as a shaving creme, though I also use them on a washcloth to lather up in the shower. I've been using Amanda's honeysuckle soap that I mentioned here , and I use it on a pouf. It lathers phenomenally on a pouf! Anyway, I will probably mainly use Odette whipped soap as a shaving creme now that I have a soap I truly enjoy. Or I could always "take turns.". My only complaint about Haus of Gloi's whipped soaps is, like I mentioned earlier, I totally blow through them. That's probably a lot of my fault, as I tend to use a lot of product in the shower. However, Solstice Scents sells whipped soaps in bigger quantities for only one dollar more. So it makes more sense financially to go through SS. I'm not sure if they carry whipped soap all year though- I know that HoG doesn't sell whipped soap in extreme weather conditions (like heat).

Haus of Gloi also carries butterbombs now. I think I already said this in my Lush haul, but I'm not much of a bath person. I definitely believe in the power of a bath and its ability to ease the mind and the muscles. However, I find showers so much more convenient. I do think it's important to take the occasional bath to pamper yourself and relax. Sometimes I find a bath helps when I feel a bit depressed. I purchased the butterbomb in the scent "A Simple Rose." I think rose would be a good bath scent. Since butterbombs are new products for HoG, I will provide their product photo and description:

Haus of Gloi Butterbombs

Image Source- Haus of Gloi

Via Haus of Gloi:
Toss these little scoops in hot bath water for a fizzy, slightly foamy and decadently moisturizing bath. Crumble under running bath water for best results! Please be cautious when moving around or standing in the tub, these little bombs can make things slippery!

I will review this butterbomb if you guys are ever interested (or if I run out of stuff to blog about, hehe).

Hopefully this post isn't too long. Thanks for being here and reading! Let me know if you guys are going to do anything special today. Are you going to spoil yourself with a fancy meal or relaxing bath? Are you going anywhere? Is this just another day that has been corrupted by card and flower companies?! Hopefully I will get a chance to post later on with stuff I do today. Have a day filled with lots of love- especially for yourself- because you are ALL very lovely!

~Rachel

DISCLAIMER: All items mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are always my own and honest. Thank you for reading!

Ermahgerd! Indie Perfume Collection!

Quick intro before I tackle this madness: I've been debating on posting my indie perfume collection for quite a while. One of the reasons I haven't done so is I didn't know the best way to organize it. Ultimately, I decided on posting about my perfume oils in this post, and I'll post about my solid scents another time. Oh, and perhaps someday I'll write about my sample vials too...They're a huge mess at the moment. It would be a fun mess to post about though! I wanted you guys to know that *you* are the inspiration behind this post. I got some awesome new readers out of nowhere, and a lot of you are pretty perfume ladies- so I thought this post would be fun for us all! :D I want to thank Dee from http://365daysofsmells.blogspot.com/?m=1 and http://yearofthetightarse.blogspot.com/?m=1 for inspiring me to finally get my butt in gear and do this collection post. She is so amazing, and I wish I would have found her blogs in the blogosphere sooner!

Also, before I get started, please note that from being clumsy (i.e. spilling perfume oil on said perfume oil label) and from bringing my little perfume oils along in my purse, some of them look a little worse for the wear. You'll notice that some of the labels have worn off, and that I have attempted to label some of them with a sharpie. So yeah, some of them look ghetto, and I apologize in advance ;)

*Solstice Scents*

 

Above from L to R: Library, Moonlight on the Grove, Shoikan Grove, Manor, Attic, Snowshoe Pass, and Lace Draped Spectre

My Solstice Scents collection contains some of my very favorite perfume oils. Manor and Library are my absolute favorite scents, and I always go to one of them when I cannot decide on a fragrance. I have raved about Solstice Scents many times, so I'm sure you guys don't need me to do any more gushing here :)

 

 

*Haus of Gloi*

 

Above from L to R: Ghost Puffs, Samhain, Spring Tonic 2, Selkie, and Spider Silk

Next, I have my Haus of Gloi perfume oils. One thing I love about my HoG perfume collection is that I have a scent for basically every season (sans winter). Spring Tonic 2 is the absolute perfect spring scent. It smells so fresh and lovely. I received it as a perfume sample last year with my Valentine order, and I absolutely *had* to purchase a full size because my boyfriend and I were obsessed with it. Selkie is an aquatic, oceany scent that is great for the summer. I don't even blink at any other ocean type of scents because Selkie is just perfect. Growing up, my dad taught me how to surf; so Selkie also makes me smile and brings back great memories of surfing in California. For instance, there was one time a seal poked its cute little head out of the water and looked at me with wonder. Another time, my dad and I rode the same wave! It was awesome and very precious to me, because he cannot surf anymore for medical reasons. Samhain is a perfect autumn fragrance. It is very dark and not for everyone, but I think it is beautiful and that it really evokes the image of a perfect fall afternoon with fallen leaves and dreary skies. Ghost Puffs is a great sweet, marshmallowy scent. Spider Silk is a good 'fresh' scent that I think could be worn all year.

 

*OHWTO- Halloween Scents*

 

Above from L to R: Down a Dark Path, Final Girl, Jack in Black, Hungry Ghost, Gracie, and Dudleyville

Okay, I really went overboard when the OHWTO Halloween collection came out in 2012. Embarrassingly enough, I even got a few solid scents along with these perfume oils. I'm just really, really obsessed with Halloween, and when you mix Halloween with indie collections, I'm all over that shit! Down a Dark Path is my favorite out of this selection. Since I am absolutely terrible at describing scents, I will provide the scent description!

Down a Dark Path: It's where many a good scary story starts. Fresh figs, Dried Leaves, Carnations, Oakmoss, Amber, Sage, Black Pepper, Pumpkin, Vanilla, Pomegranate, Beeswax, Rhubarb, Lavender, and the scent of an unidentifiable animal stalking you in the shadows between the trees.

I got that description here; and you can find the rest of the OHWTO Halloween scent descriptions there if you're curious! :)

*OHWTO- Other Perfume Oils*

 

 

Above from L to R: Finnegan's Folly, I Smell Like a Witch, and Maura

Mae

I think I like all three of these scents equally, if that's even possible. I already did a quick review on Finnegan's Folly here, so I will say no more about that. I Smell Like a Witch is absolutely amazing. It's a pretty unique scent that intrigued me when it first came out at the end of 2011. It was my first One Hand Washes the Other order, and I was very impressed! I love the little back story that goes along with it, and it smells just wonderful. I already did a post on this scent during the summer, so I will again provide the link if you guys are interested- Clicky Clicky!

I bought Maura Mae (with Finnegan's Folly) when OHWTO re-opened their etsy to sell limited quantities of a previous spring collection. Here is the scent description- Maura Mae: With her curls of copper, her twinkling eyes, her sweet smile- this is what they mean when they refer to "The luck of the Irish". A sweet and fruity scent, Maura Mae is strongly apricot, with supporting notes of green clover, tea, cut grass, a sprinkling of field flowers- lily of the valley, violet, lavender, as well as a dash of berries, vanilla bean, and the faintest, tiniest, entirely lady-like nip of whiskey. Source- OHWTO blog

 

*Cocoa Pink*

 

Above from L to R: Fear of Cemetaries, Fear of Halloween, Fear of Pumpkins, Black Cat in the Pumpkin Patch, Fear of Witches, and Fear of Ghosts.

As you can see, Fear of Cemetaries is the only bottle that has gotten any love, and that makes me really sad. I adore the scent, so that's not what makes me sad. The fact that none of the other scents worked for me (and they're all full sizes because I'm a noob) is the saddening factor. Black Cat in the Pumpkin Patch is probably one I'd keep, but the other four were just meh. I really want to find good homes for these guys where they will be loved and not neglected! :( Someday, I will. Someday. Here's the Fear of Cemetaries description from cocoapink.net because I LOVE IT LOTS-
Fear Of Cemeteries (Coimetrophobia) - Cool damp graveyard dirt with a single white carnation placed cautiously against an old granite headstone, covered by dying crimson and yellow autumn leaves with a soft whisper of wood smoke carried in a crisp breeze.

*The Morbid the Merrier*

 

 

Above from L to R: Horseman, Morton, and Paramour.

This collection also makes me look like grumpy cat because of all the dramz that went down with TMTM. I won't get into it because there's plenty of places that explain the situation. It just made me sad to see a greatly loved indie company crumble before my eyes. The scent I've worn most is Paramour, because it has notes of blood, red wine,  roses, and gunsmoke (how awesome!) and is very uniquely beautiful. Horseman is my second favorite, though I don't recall the notes. I remember there was something leathery about it that my boyfriend absolutely loved. Morton wasn't bad at all, I was just on the fence about it. I need to whip it out soon to see if age has done it well!

 

*Smell Bent and VApothecary*

 

 

Above from L to R: Ice Station Zebra by Smell Bent, Cemetary Snow by VApothecary

And finally, I have two miscellaneous scents from two different companies. I have already done a post for each of them.  The Ice Station Zebra review can be found right here, while the Cemetary Snow review is over here.

If you are still here, thank you so very much for tagging along with me! I hope this post will be sufficient for the next few days (or until next week) because I have a full week ahead. I'm working nonstop, am attending my boyfriend's nephew's 5th birthday this Thursday, and am going to my boyfriend's family reunion-ish type thing on Saturday! My next couple posts will be on the new Solstice Scents Smoky Mountain Mallow perfume and my Bath and Body Works SAS haul. I'm not sure what day I'll get those up, but let me know what you guys would like to read about first! :)

DISCLAIMER - Every single thang I mentioned in this post was purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are always my own and always honest!

December Favorites 2012

Even though we are only halfway through December, I thought it would be fun to share some of the products I can't put down for the most wonderful time (or, shall we say, 'month') of the year!

It's certainly no secret how I adore indie products, and I'm like a broken record swooning over seasonal indie collections. So it's no surprise that the majority of my favorites are from winter collections from indie e-tailors! So let's get the ball rolling, because I have a lot of stuff to say, haha!

Bath & Body Favorites

Winter can really take its toll on our skin, making it dry and lifeless. (Wait, why does that sound like a commercial? LOL, I promise it's not!) I have been loving Haus of Gloi's soft bubbling scrub to rejuvenate my dull, dry skin. I've been using one of the Halloween scents (Spider Silk), but I just ordered and received Hearth bubbling scrub from the Yule collection. I have been using Hearth in place of Spider Silk ever since because it's so close to Christmas, and I wanted to use a festive scent :D I absolutely adore HoG's bubbling scrubs- they are scrubby enough to combat dry skin patches, but they don't leave your skin feeling weird or greasy. It leaves my skin so soft, and of course, smelling nice! I love how the water from my shower really brings this product to life.

I also like to use HoG's whipped soap as a body wash and shaving cream. I'm currently using the Hearth scent, but I have a backup of Three Treasures for when I run out since I go through whipped soap like there's no freaking tomorrow.

Above: Hearth Bubbling Scrub on top of Hearth Whipped Soap.

Perfume Favorite

There are a lot of beautiful scents with winter collections this year, so this was a hard choice. However, I cannot deny that I have been reaching for Smell Bent's Ice Station Zebra the most. I did a review on it here: http://brighteststarofall.blogspot.com/2012/12/smell-bent-ice-station-zebra.html . It really just smells like Christmas to me and makes me happy!

 Above: Smell Bent Ice Station Zebra

Above: Smell Bent Ice Station Zebra. I've used a lot so far!!

Eyeshadow Favorite

I never knew about the wonders of Aromaleigh before they went under new management. Therefore, I was never able to purchase a color I've been drooling over for over a year- Twinkling Lights. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time sighing over swatches and stalking eBay and Amazon to no avail. I didn't think any colors from the past would reappear on the Aromaleigh 2.0 website, but I almost had a heart attack when I saw Twinkling Lights back on there for this season. It was sold out last year, so I nabbed 2 full size jars immediately! And I am so glad I did! I've been wearing Twinkling Lights almost every day since I got it in the mail. It's such a perfect Christmasy green color with pink sheen and absolutely packed with pink sparkles. I adore it!

Above: Aromaleigh Twinkling Lights swatched on clean skin over DGC Glitter Glue

Nail Polish Favorites

There are usually pretty good options for holiday nail polish collections. However, I have absolutely never seen anything like China Glaze's Party Hearty. I did a post on it where you can see it on my nails right here: http://brighteststarofall.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-elusive-china-glaze-party-hearty.html . It is so beautiful, really Christmasy, and sparkly! I love how there are a lot of different festive colored sparkles in different sizes. Now that indie polish is gaining a following, I bet there are some other good options for awesome colors like this- which is totally awesome!

I also like China Glaze's Twinkling Lights. It is also very beautiful and festive. Twinkling Lights only has small sparkles in it as opposed to different sizes like in Party Hearty. It really is pretty though. I am wearing it now over China Glaze's Mistletoe Kisses. Party Hearty is from the 2010 Christmas collection, and Twinkling Lights is from the 2011 Christmas collection.

Above from L to R: China Glaze Twinkling Lights, China Glaze Party Hearty.

If you've made it through this entire post, you deserve a gold medal! Thanks for stopping by, and have a very wonderful day!

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 my own and 100% honest!

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.