OHWTO Haul :)

The weekend has finally arrived, and so has my One Hand Washes The Other order! Woohoo! I haven't been able to shell out much extra money lately, but that's okay. It just makes me much more appreciative when I'm able to make even a small order like this one.

I ordered two full size perfumes- Cascadia (solid scent) and Ideas Are Bulletproof (perfume oil).

Please Note: Italicized scent descriptions are from OHWTO.

Cascadia

Cascadia:
 A scent for a country that never was. At least, not yet. Dense evergreen forests, endless waterfalls, pine boughs, woodland paths littered with dried leaves, ambergris washed ashore the rocky coastline, driftwood, midday showers, oakmoss, sandalwood and ylang ylang.



I absolutely had to order Cascadia after reading the scent description. I thought it was such a neat idea, somewhat similar to Dudleyville (not in the notes, but the concept). I wanted to get it in a perfume oil, but it wasn't available at the time I made my purchase; so I got it in a solid scent! I'm not complaining, as I love the affordability and convenience of OHWTO solid scents. Also, since the weather is warming up a bit, I feel like solid scents are the perfect medium for perfume because they really hug your skin and give you just the right amount of silage.

Cold Sniff: An incredible combination of summer and fall- like a beautiful beach that's surrounded by an enchanted forest with a whisper of falling leaves.

Wet on Skin: Aquatic and earthy, which I assume to be the waterfall, evergreen, and oakmoss notes. Absolutely beautiful.

Drydown: An incredibly magical blend of an aquatic, almost beachy, fragrance amped up with sandalwood and earthy notes (such as evergreen and oakmoss).

Final Thoughts: Cascadia is an utterly genius perfume. It really is like a magical wonderland just waiting to be discovered. I love how it's a strong aquatic scent that's taken to an earthy, woodland realm. None of my words could ever do it justice. I'm so happy with this scent!


Ideas Are Bulletproof

Ideas Are Bulletproof:
Larkhill facility, in flames. Scarlett carson roses. The wood-lined walls of secret hideaways, furnished with a myriad of beautiful-but-illegal artifacts. Leather-wrapped dagger handles. Bergamot-laced tea and incense from a ChurchThe energy of an uprising against an unthinkable injustice, and an ever-present plastic face mask- beneath that mask, there is more than flesh. Ideas do not breathe, Ideas do not feel pain. You cannot kill an Idea, you cannot touch it or hold it. Ideas are bulletproof.
Notes include: Frankincense*, sandalwood, carnation, red rose, atlas cedar, bergamot, leather, ambergris, civet, and oak.




Ideas Are Bulletproof was created as an anniversary perfume for the shop. It was inspired by the film V for Vendetta, which is an outstanding movie (and is also the reason I named my cat V!). I initially named my cat Vendetta, but I have always called him V for short.



Cold Sniff: Bergamot, bergamot, bergamot!

Wet on Skin: It initially begins with the citrusy aroma of bergamot, but immediately morphs into an array of other notes such as rose, cedar, and leather.

Drydown: Ideas Are Bulletproof is strongly floral at this stage. It's a whirlwind of carnation and rose with a heavy breath of oak to even things out. It's a very romantic scent.

Final Thoughts: I didn't think I'd enjoy this perfume right off the bat, but it dried down to a very elegant, pretty, and romantic perfume. For some reason, it reminds me of a tea party!



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

OHWTO ~ O Holy Night

Hello there! Since One Hand Washes The Other finally reopened, I ordered some black magic soap and one of their winter perfume oils. Since I went crazy on buying so many of their Halloween scents for 2012, I figured I'd just choose one winter fragrance this year. I chose O Holy Night!

Scent description from OHWTO:
O Holy Night: A gorgeous blend reminiscent of a Christmas Eve church service- Roses, Beeswax candles, Moroccan Cedarwood, Lavender, Labdanum, Vetiver, and Honey


OHWTO - O Holy Night


From the bottle, I smell the lavender and beeswax candles. Perhaps a bit of the roses. I like what I'm sniffing!

Upon initial application, I smell something definitely good, but I am perplexed on what it is I'm smelling. I don't know specifically what labdanum or vetiver smell like, so I'm guessing it might be one of those. Sorry, I feel so inept right now!

When the perfume has a minute to adjust to my skin, I definitely smell the Cedarwood. It is very pretty! I think the beeswax candles have come through again, too. I'm surprised I don't smell the rose or lavender notes yet! It doesn't sadden me, as this is certainly still a well made and pretty blend. I don't own anything like it. This stage of the perfume actually does remind me of a beautiful church service with Cedarwood seating and beeswax candles glowing throughout the room.

On the drydown, the honey makes its presence known! I mean, it's popping out of nowhere, screaming, "I am honey, hear me roar!" I also finally smell the rose and lavender (more lavender, though) with the Cedarwood and beeswax still holding everything together. It might sound like a bit too much from an outside perspective, but everything actually blends together so beautifully that it's difficult to distinguish the individual notes. At different points in time, different notes from this perfume are stronger and the others are softer. Everything takes its turn. I can't even keep track of how often this happens. O Holy night is definitely a very well made perfume, and I intend to enjoy for the rest of this beautiful Saturday! My boyfriend, on the other hand, thinks it's too early to be smelling like a Christmas Eve church service, so he's bitchfacing right now. Hehe! I can see validity in claim though, as I think this would be best suited for a later in the day perfume, or even a bedtime perfume. But I'm not going to scrub this one because I'm an evil girlfriend! Muahahahhahahha!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Thanks so much for reading!

~Rachel

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 always 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! :)

One Hand Washes The Other: Smelling nice for Summer!

Above: From Left to Right: Black Magic Soap Breakaway Bar, Stolen Bouquet Solid Scent, Exhume Solid Scent, I Smell Like a Witch Perfume Oil

Hello and Happy Monday!

I'm here because I received my One Hand Washes The Other package this week and have been wanting to share its contents.  OHWTO (http://www.ohwto.com/)is a vegan bath & body indie company that I wholeheartedly adore and recommend to everyone. Becca (the owner) released their summer scents last month, so I picked up one of the solid summer scents along with a few other goodies.

Above from L to R: Black Magic Soap Breakaway Bar, Stolen Bouquet Solid Scent, Exhume Solid Scent, I Smell Like a Witch Perfume Oil

Product Descriptions

Please note: Italicized text is from http://www.ohwto.com/, regular text is just me!

+ Black Magic Breakaway Bar: Approximately 3oz of Black Magic soap in a reclosable clamshell container with 6 "cubes" molded into the form. Perfect for travel or for sharing your new favorite soap with your friends!! Price: $4.25

My thoughts: Black Magic Soap has been my holy grail skincare product for 6 months now. If I'd known about it sooner, I would have saved myself a lot of time, money, and disappointment on products that never worked for my shitty skin. In fact, I'm planning on doing a whole post dedicated to my skincare trials and tribulations and how Black Magic has turned my skincare nightmare into a skincare fairytale. There's plenty of people that swear by this stuff, and for a good reason: It's affordable, it works great (and by great, I mean it's literally magic), it's not another false hope, and your hard-earned money goes to a small business!

I like to buy the breakaway version of Black Magic when it's in stock. When it's not in stock, I purchase the regular or big Black Magic bars and cut them up myself so I don't waste product! :)

Please do yourself a favor if you're suffering from acne (and suffering is an understatement, I know how it depletes the very soul of the sufferer) and order this soap in the sample size. It is $1.25, but its benefits are absolutely priceless. I know everyone's skin is different and that what works for one person sometimes won't work for another, but I know that it is at least worth the sample size. I personally saw results immediately from the soothing and moisturizing effects of the soap. But I'll save my story for another day. Here's the link if you're curious (which also contains the product description and information about all the wonderful ingredients the soap has in it): http://www.ohwto.com/category_20/Bars.htm



+ Stolen Bouquet Solid Scent: Purple blooms sneakily gathered from the gardens of others while nobody was looking- lilacs and violets, accented with orchids, with a dash of powdery vanilla added to ground the scent. Price: $4.00

My Thoughts: If you're new to OHWTO, the solid scents are my second recommendation of the list of vital things to try. There's a lot of different scents to choose from, and they come in a twist-tube that's the absolute perfect size for throwing in your purse. The ingredients feel so soft and wonderful when I dab the scent on my wrist and neck. I just all around enjoy the quality and ease of the solid scents, and I haven't purchased any that I haven't liked!

Stolen Bouquet really is a nice scent for summer. It's really feminine and floral without being artificial-smelling or overpowering. I've worn it a few times so far, and I'm really happy with it. My only complaint is that the staying power isn't as long as I'd hope for it to be, but that is likely a result of the unbearable summer heat and not based on the product itself! 

+ Exhume Solid Scent: The last olfactory impression one might experience before committing fully to the sweet release provided by Death; sealed inside a casket, buried in the Earth's embrace. Church incense, White spices, nutmeg, cardamom... Peru Balsam, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sugar... and a lone white rose laid across your hands to carry you into eternity. Price: $4.00


My Thoughts: I purchased Exhume to tide me over during this long and barrren wait for Halloween collections to be released. And I am so happy I did! This scent is complex and sexy, but not a "safe, everyday department store" kind of sexy. The notes are absolutely stunning together. I find this to be a fun scent to wear, and I can only imagine how amazing it's going to be when the most wonderful time of year (Halloween season! Or, in layman's terms: Fall) finally gets here. I sound so hopelessly desperate. I should be on My Strange Addiction: Wanting Halloween no matter what month it is.



+ I Smell Like a Witch Perfume Oil: A special request for Luna of http://toxid-lotus.net/, I smell like a Witch came about when a little boy told her that the combination of scents she was wearing made her smell "like a witch". Heh. Red & White Roses, Cotton Candy, Bubble Gum, Smoke, Sandalwood, Patchouli & Vanilla Bean. Price: $9.00

I've admired Luna's blog for quite some time now, so of course I was intrigued when this initially came out back in December with the Winter scent list. I bought the solid scent at the time, and I've gone through quite a bit of it because I wear it so much. I was re-reminded of my adoration for this scent when Luna posted about it in April. Since I've gone through so much of the solid scent, and I know I'll miss it when I run out, I decided I definitely wanted the perfume oil version.

This perfume has another significance to me. When I was two, I learned a Halloween song about a particularly vile witch. Apparantly I wanted to mention the song on a whim, because I turned to my lovely mother and said, "Mommy, you're a mean old witch." Of course, my mother is very far from being a mean old witch. In fact, she is the exact opposite. It's become an inside joke between the two of us since she told me that story. My mom even ordered herself the solid version of I Smell Like a Witch because she liked the scent on me and because of the little joke between us. :)

I was initially intrigued by not only the inspiration behind this perfume, but the notes it consisted of. As individuals, the notes are recognized and adored by many. But this is where the beauty about it resides... As a team, these notes don't necessarily seem like they'd win the scent superbowl, but they absolutely work together! I'm really glad I gave it a whirl because it is immensely intoxicating. The main notes I pick up are the roses, smoke, and bubblegum. The rose is the strongest note of the notes I can decipher, which I'm happy about. It's nice to have a rose perfume with unexpected extras! I Smell Like a Witch is so endearing, unique, and really beautiful, and I'm glad it didn't disappear right after winter.

Above from L to R: X's For Eyes, Dirty, Toxid Lotus, and Snayke Oil.

I also very generously received four samples with my purchases. I received three solid scent samples and one sample of unscented Snayke Oil. The following italicized product descriptions are from  http://ohwto.com/ :

+ X's For Eyes: A decidedly masculine scent, this one's reminiscent of summer nights spent crossing out the eyes of every person in every photograph in every catalog or magazine in the house. Aggressive! Cologne samples, Sunscreen, Citrus drink, Night air, Juniper bushes and the ever-present aroma of mom's herb garden.

+ Dirty: Musky, feral, earthy DIRT. Notes of dirt, topsoil, a trio of sandalwoods, sensual musk, all set off with subtle spices and a breath of carnation.

+ Toxid Lotus: Everyone has a darker side. Another scent created for Manda of http://toxid-lotus.net/, this one is like I Smell Like A Witch's older sister, you know, the one always in trouble for doing something devious. Blackened dark Musk, Red Wine, Damask Rose Absolute, Frankincense, Baby Roses, Myrrh, and a hint of White Amber.

+ Snayke Oyl: Formulated as an after-shower (or bath) oil spray, this oil helps to seal in moisture when applied to still-damp skin, and using it in this manner it will help your bottle go a lot further than using it straight. However, it's also wonderful when applied to dry skin, where it acts sort of like a light lotion. Another excellent use for this product is as a detangling, frizz smoothing spray, but go lightly, lest you make your just-cleaned hair look all greasy again! Snake Oil is a multi-purpose workhorse that you're sure to find plenty of uses for, so don't be afraid to experiment!






My Thoughts: Holy shit, these solid scents samples are inebriating! X's For Eyes is what summer would smell like if you could bottle it up! It's really quite the perfect scent for summer with the ideal amount of edge. I've worn it more than once this week, and I'm digging it! I thought I liked it was my favorite scent from this order, but then I smelled my other samples again and realized how amazing they all really are. I'm wearing Dirty this very moment, and I really think I need the full size in my life. It's sexy as hell, and perfect for this whole Fifty Shades of Grey craze. I know it's peculiar to associate a scent with a book, but that is how my brain works I suppose. Gah, I just can't stop smelling my Dirty-slathered wrist! XD  Toxid Lotus is also quite a treat, and it's a treat that I'm very thankful to have because I was seriously considering adding it to my cart when I placed this order. It's close enough to I Smell Like a Witch to know it was inspired by the latter, though not so close that the two aren't distinguishable. I like it a lot, and I'm planning on trying it layered with I Smell Like a Witch to see how these sisters get along! I've yet to try the Snayke Oyl, but I am very grateful for the sample and plan on using it in the very near future. It sounds like a wonderful product!

Above: The contents of my entire OHWTO order. :)

I'm going to wrap things up immediately, as this post has taken me days longer than I've hoped. I do hope that it was enjoyable and helpful!

If you'd also like to smell nice this summer, One Hand Washes The Other can be found here: http://www.ohwto.com/

Thanks for reading!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Finnegan's Folly Scent of the Day!

Above: Finnegan's Folly perfume oil

Photo Credit: One Hand Washes The Other, via their Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/listing/51090646/finnegans-folly-5ml-perfume-oil)

I wanted to showcase a perfume oil I've been wearing quite frequently during these dreadful days of hell, more commonly referred to as "summer". It's such a beautiful, fresh scent that isn't too suttle or overpowering- the perfect balance for these heat-plagued days. The perfume I'm referring to is called Finnegan's Folly by OHWTO (One Hand Washes The Other). I ordered it from Becca's etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/OHWTO .

Before gazing at my product photos, please note that this little guy has made a few trips to work with me via my purse; therefore, his label has seen better days. I just wanted to clarify that fact because OHWTO's perfume labels are really lovely, I just didn't show mine the love and care it deserved!

Above: My abused bottle of Finnegan's Folly perfume oil.

Above: My abused bottle of Finnegan's Folly perfume oil again.

Scent Description:
 Source of the following scent description: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51090646/finnegans-folly-5ml-perfume-oil

 Back for a limited time, and only in a limited amount, here's your chance to get Finnegan's Folly from the 2011 St Patrick's day release!

                                 Here's to the land of the shamrock so green,


                                Here's to each lad and his darlin colleen,


                                Here's to the ones we love dearest and most.


                                May God bless old Ireland, that's this Irishman's toast!


                                Slainte!


Finnegan's Folly smells of dapper Irish lads and rolling hills of endless green; A clean, masculine scent, with notes of hyacinth, carnation, olive blossoms, violets, rosebuds, musk, and herbs.

My Thoughts: Quick side note, about a year before I graduated, I took a wine tasting class to fulfill one of my elective requirements. It was a lot of fun, though much harder than I initially thought. The class was intended for those majoring in Culinary Arts, which I knew nothing about. Anyway, my professor had these unlabeled sample vials of different scents that we were supposed to figure out with our sense of smell. I was absolutely awful at figuring out what each scent was. A lot of the time, something would smell familiar, but I couldn't grasp what it was exactly. I got like, literally 10 scents out of 90 correct. I suck at distinguishing different aromas. So, that being said, I cannot pick apart a perfume oil by saying which of its components it does/does not smell like. But for Finnegan's Folly, I can certainly attest to the fact that it works. Everything blends together beautifully, and it reminds me of what a stunning green field would smell like- with a dash of absolutely subtle muskiness to liven things up a bit. I love this perfume with a passion, and my boyfriend even enjoys it (which is the ultimate test when I'm trying out a new product for the first time!), so I can't complain one bit. Another win for OHWTO!

I definitely recommend picking up a bottle if you'd also like to smell like a lovely Irish field this summer. It's only $9.00 for 5mL, and can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51090646/finnegans-folly-5ml-perfume-oil

Becca has also released her Spring/Summer lineup at her permanent address, http://www.ohwto.com/. If you don't own Black Magic soap yet, PLEASE get yourself a sample. You'll be very happy you did.

Thanks for stopping by, dear readers! Let me know what scents you tend to use during the summer in the comments section below.

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% honest and my own.