OHWTO ~ Apple of my Eye

Why hello! I hope you're all doing well. I know a couple of you have been dealing with hard things like losing loved ones recently, and I just wanted you to know I've been thinking of you guys and I'm sorry you've been dealing with those burdens. I truly mean it when I say you can email me if you ever need me.

Recently, I places a Haus of Gloi order for some perfume and whipped soaps. It was delayed a few days, so I didn't think it would be here before Valentines Day; so I planned on reviewing this perfume on Valentines Day! However, I got a shipment notification from HoG, and my goodies are scheduled to be here on VD itself, so I'm doing this post early! Today I will be reviewing Apple of my Eye solid perfume by OHWTO.

One Hand Washes The Other only released two perfumes for Valentine's Day this year, and I received one of them as a sample with my O Holy Night perfume that I mentioned here . Here is the official scent description:

Apple of My Eye: Bushels of apples, bouquets of lilies and carnations and sweet peas, green clover, sensual and exotic musks, a splash of champagne and a little candy, to boot.

Apple of my Eye by OHWTO

From the clamshell, Apple of My Eye smells very green- like a beautiful spring day, or freshly cut flowers. I think I smell some of the apple note, but the green notes take the cake. I'm sure it's the green clover I'm smelling.

Upon initial application, I smell quite an interesting blend of apples and carnations! It sounds odd, and I admit it's rather unique, but I don't hate it or anything. It's actually kind of refreshing. The apple isn't very overpowering because there are so many other notes to balance it out. I find that to be true with many OHWTO perfumes. They are well balanced and single notes in each blend are never too overpowering. It's hard to decipher individual notes in these cases, which can be frustrating when writing a review, haha.

The green clover peeks out again once this perfume is dry. As I've mentioned previously, I am horrible at figuring out scent notes when I don't have the description for reference. In the case of Apple of my Eye, if I didn't have the description, I would compare it to a really good Bath and Body Works scent. Not one in particular, but you might know what I mean if you've ever smelled their scents. None of them are terribly unique, but some are very pretty. Apple of my Eye is quite lovely and I will certainly be wearing it when it warms up a bit. It is perfect for spring, in my opinion.

DISCLAIMER: Apple of my Eye was a free sample with my OHWTO purchase. I am not being paid by OHWTO, nor am I affiliated with thee company. My opinions are always my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

My First BPAL and Possets imps!

Can you guys believe I've never tried BPAL or Possets? I'm almost ashamed to admit that! There are just so many indie perfumeries, sometimes it's hard to try a lot a brands (even when they're incredibly popular!). Amanda was kind enough to send me one BPAL imp and two Poppets from Possets! I mentioned these in my post about Amanda's care package to me, and I'm going to use the same picture because it's only 6:15 A.M. where I live and too dark to take any new pictures.

L to R- Theodora, Gypsy Grave, Samhain 2011

Possets ~ Theodora

Beloved of Justinian, she started her life as a prostitute and dancer who attracted the greatest man in the empire. She became the empress of all Byzantium, hated by many and who outsmarted all. It was to her that the proud Justinian turned when others could not give him the guidance. One of the truly great women of the Middle Ages. All the rich and precious resins of the Byzantine empire poured into the blend: musk (both black and red), tears of frankincense, tears of vanilla, sandalwood, vetiver and myrrh, a kiss of 'nard. Kiss of oude.

Theodora was actually the last imp I was able to try, and I'm actually wearing it right now. Oh gosh, this is a beautiful blend. It is THE perfect musky perfume. The musky notes are my favorite thing in this blend! The vanilla is quite strong upon initial application, but it fades pretty quickly. The musky notes take over with perhaps some sandalwood in the background. There is something about this perfume that makes me feel sad. When a perfume has the capacity to evoke emotion, it's a pretty darn good perfume in my opinion!


Possets ~ Gypsy Grave

Every year at Memorial Day in Cincinnati, there is a procession of people who come to the grave of The Gypsy Queen at Spring Grove Cemetery. They come at a very early hour and leave before the public appears, and they offer mounds of expensive flowers, sayings written on little scrolls, prayers and the like at the tomb said to be that of a Gypsy Queen. She was a larger than life sort of person, with extreme passions and tastes. Her perfume reflects that. Masses of gorgeous expensive flowers, combined with a bit of the clove cigarettes she smoked, a deep base of darkest musk which is more oriental and earthy rather than European, a bit of vetiver (but just a tiny bit) and a puff of incense. There is also the small smell of cards in here, their pasteboard pictures being so much a part of her heritage. You would not expect a Queen of the Gypsies to be buried in Cincinnati, but remember that being a gypsy means roaming where your heart pleases. This is a dry and sophisticated blend, strong and slightly unconventional.

This perfume is absolutely beautiful. I've actually already tried it a couple times these past few days, and I kept getting whiffs of it on those days. I realized Gypsy Grave was the reason I was smelling so nice! This is the perfect "graveyard" perfume, with a wonderful balance of earthy and floral notes. The muskiness and clove notes give this perfume depth and make it very beautiful and unique. The incense comes through after a couple minutes and it makes everything come together even better. It is certainly "dry and sophisticated" like the website describes. I love this one enough to purchase a full size, which I will do for my first Possets order! This is actually the best graveyard/Cemetary perfume I've ever sniffed!


BPAL ~ Samhain 2011

Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

So THIS is what all the fuss is about! This is sadly discontinued, but Samhain 2011 is absolutely lovely. I am describing this scent from memory, because I am hoarding every drop I have left. This perfume is a beautiful fall scent and is very well rounded. The damp woods note comes out pretty strongly at first, which I am very happy with. Imagine a dark forest in autumn with soggy wet leaves beneath your feet and a faint hint of fir whispering at your nose- that is what this smells like. The apple note comes out strongly on me, but the other notes keep it rounded and out of the "fruit" realm. This is a very beautiful perfume. Not everyone on the BPAL forum liked this one, but I certainly did!

I apologize if this post seems brief, I have to get ready for work now. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Thank you Amanda for sending me these! I really appreciate it! :)

DISCLAIMER: These perfumes were sent to me for free by Amanda. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own and always honest! Thanks for reading!

Soap Review ~ Irish Handmade Soaps by Amanda

The other day, I wrote a post about the package I received from Amanda. She was generous enough to send me some of her beautiful handmade soaps so I could try them out! I used one different soap every morning in the shower in order to try all of them and have an accurate review of each product.

I will begin with the face soap sample Amanda sent me, because it was the first thing I tried out of everything. Here's a picture:


Face Soap

It is a face soap she made that contains banana, milk, honey, and essential oils. Amanda told me she made this face soap because her local customers were using her regular soaps on their face, and she wanted to offer them a more moisturizing soap that contained natural ingredients and did not have synthetic fragrances.

I absolutely love this face soap, and I really want to buy a full size of it when the second batch is done! First of all, it smells wonderful- like bananas and honey! The first time I used it, I couldn't stop lathering it on my face because it felt so wonderful and moisturizing! It lathers incredibly well, too. Without knowing I used anything different, my boyfriend felt my skin and complimented me on how soft it was. I told him it was from Amanda's wonderful face soap! This face soap also makes my skin look great. I've never seen my skin look so radiant! I have used it every morning and night ever since. I even used it to remove my foundation, and the soap quickly and gently removed all of it. This is an amazing face soap that makes my skin look and feel wonderful, and I'm going to be so sad when I run out!



Honeysuckle Soap

The next soap I used was the bar of honeysuckle soap. Amanda has a blog post about this particular soap here. This is my favorite body soap of all three, and Amanda was so sweet to send me a full size! It is aesthetically pleasing, a very beautiful white and pink layered soap with a lovely design on the top. The scent is heavenly. I would buy a full size perfume that smelled like this soap if Amanda ever made one! It is a honeysuckle scented soap that has an ozone scent to it as well. It was very moisturizing on my skin and, of course, it smelled wonderful. It lathered well, though I only used it on its own. It would probably lather even better if I used it on a washcloth or pouf. It also made the whole shower smell amazing when I was done with my shower. The only drawback was that the scent did not last on my skin. I don't like my soaps lasting outside the shower, especially because I love wearing perfume and I don't want my soap to clash with my perfume. The only reason I'm sad about it not staying on my skin in this case is because the soap smells so wonderful, I want it to last all day!

Next, I tried the sample of the soap called Magic Bubbles! This one has layers of colors such as light brown, purple, and beige. As you can imagine, Magic Bubbles lathered REALLY well. I had a lot of fun with Magic Bubbles with all the lathering it created! It lathered AND made bubbles, so I felt super squeaky clean when I was done with my shower!

I'm not quite sure what the official scent is on Magic Bubbles. To my nose, it smells perhaps a bit like a spice note. It's really nice! I am sorry I cannot describe it better. It has nothing to do with the soap- I've just never been able to distinguish certain scents without knowing what they are beforehand. I took a wine tasting class when I was in university and I only got 10 out of 90 smells right when we were "blind sniffing".

Above from L to R- Magic Bubbles, Kalada

And last, I tried the sample of the soap called Kalada. I absolutely LOVE the inspiration behind this soap. Amanda told me Kalada is a song children in Greece sing on Christmas Eve. They go door to door singing this song in exchange for money or candy. I love learning about different cultures and customs, especially for holidays; so this was really fascinating for me.

Kalada is mainly a green soap with red and white swirls within it. It is very pretty and festive! It also smells festive- just like Christmas. It smells so much better than all the soaps and candles that come out for the holidays, which can smell synthetic and gross to me. Kalada does not smell synthetic one bit. I think I smell a beautiful orange note in this soap, along with pine trees and cinnamon. The strongest note in this soap is the cinnamon. Again, I don't know the official scent description, so please forgive me if that is incorrect. This is a very Christmasy smell (of course) that I would have loved to use for the holidays! Kalada lathered well, about the same amount as the honeysuckle soap, but not as much as the Magic Bubbles soap. It's really neat when it lathers because the foam is green and rinses off green! Again, it's very festive and would be great for the holidays.

Though I have only tried a handful of bar soaps, Amanda's are by far my favorites. I really, really hope she gets an etsy shop soon. I would buy a full size of her face soap, along with another bar of the honeysuckle soap. Those two were my favorites of the bunch! Amanda, I sincerely hope you keep making these beautiful soaps and start charging people for all your hard work. I would be your number one customer. You seriously have a talent with soap making, and you should be proud of your creations! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sending me your beautiful soaps to try!

DISCLAIMER- All products mentioned were sent to me for free by Amanda of Irish Handmade Soaps. I am not paid by anyone to mention these products, nor am I affiliated with her future company. My opinions are completely my own and honest. Though I received these items for free, it would not benefit anyone if I lied about these products. Everyone deserves honest feedback, including Amanda; so please know that this review was completely sincere; as are all my reviews. 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!

Incredibly Thankful

Yesterday, I was so excited to open my mailbox and find a package from the ever so sweet and lovely Amanda! As some of you may already know, Amanda makes soaps and posts about them sometimes in her blog (please click here if you'd like to see her most recent post about her awesome soaps!)
Amanda doesn't have an etsy store as of right now, but I do hope she gets one soon! :D She was kind enough to send me some of her soaps, along with a few extra goodies; and I am so very thankful. Amanda, you were so sweet to do this for me. Thank you so much, it means a lot to me and really made my day! I am so grateful that I've met Amanda and all you other wonderful ladies through Blogger. It's so nice to be able to talk about perfume and other beauty products with people that are also passionate about such things! All of you always put a smile on my face with your sweet comments, and I've really been enjoying reading your blogs as well. You are some really outstanding ladies, and I'm lucky to know each one of you!


The awesome package. I absolutely adore bats, so I was delighted with these adorable sparkly stickers! I also love the stamps, they're so cool!

The contents of the package. Amanda's beautiful soap and soap samples, perfume imps (including bpal and Possets- two companies I've been wanting to try!), and a Greek candy!

Another picture of the goodies :)

The perfume imps!

I have some better pictures of the individual product photos, but I'm saving those for an upcoming review (I still need to try these products and get Amanda's permission to review her product on my blog). I've already tried a couple things, and they've been no less than absolutely stunning.

Thank you again, Amanda. I really appreciate you sending me these things! You can expect some goodies in the mail in the near future :)

DISCLAIMER: All items mentioned were received for free from Amanda of Irish Handmade Soaps. I am not being paid to mention any of these items, nor am I an affiliate of her future company. All of my opinions are always my own and 100% honest!

Solstice Scents ~ Attic

Hey there! I don't have another Valentine scent today (You're welcome, miss Nadja! LOL!) I have something from the Solstice Scents autumn collection (specifically the Manor collection) that was released in fall 2012. I ordered Attic with Library in full sizes because I thought I'd like them the best out of the Manor collection. However, I enjoyed Library so much that Attic got overlooked by me, which is incredibly unfortunate because it is a beautiful scent! As always, let's take a peek at the official scent description from Solstice Scents. c:

ATTIC
Vanilla Accord, Western Red Cedar Heartwood EO, Osmanthus Attar, Sandalwood EO

NOT TO BE USED BY WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT OR NURSING.
Shake gently before each use. An aged cedar chest filled with fine fabrics, exquisite lace-overlay dresses, heirloom linens and crocheted tops, forgotten in the attic of the manor house. The scent of this cedar chest and the soft mustiness of stored linens with the beautiful, yet faded, perfume of the owner still detectable upon the fabric is captured in the Attic Perfume. A fine vanilla accord is paired with the most gorgeous red cedar heartwood EO, aged sandalwood EO and osmanthus attar. Attic starts out strong, with a burst of the cedar EO and vanilla accord but mellows into a sweet, woody, slightly musty and dusty fragrance that is exquisitely atmospheric. It shares some character with the Manor perfume and fans of Manor may enjoy Attic, especially if they like really gorgeous and true cedar essential oil. This cedar smells just like an aged piece of dried cedarwood and pairs wonderfully with the other notes on the dry down.



                

Solstice Scents - Attic


             
Solstice Scents - Attic
Photo Credit: Solstice Scents


Cedarwood fans, you're in for a treat with this one! Upon initial application, the Cedarwood takes the center stage and sings. It's absolutely gorgeous! There's also a strong mustiness in the background, just as if you unearthed a beautiful chest in the attic that has been long forgotten. What I love about Solstice Scents perfumes (and I'm sure I've mentioned this before) is that they really have a story to tell, and they certainly tell it well. I smell a hint of the vanilla, but just ever so slightly. This perfume whispers about forgotten treasures in an abandoned attic, and smiles as the trinkets are finally unearthed by a curious soul. The scent dies down once it's dry, but it still smells like a dusty cedar chest in the attic. I wore this perfume to work not too long ago, and I enjoyed it throughout the day. I had to reapply it in the afternoon, but that's not a big deal to me because I will cater to a perfume that smells so nice! :D I'm really sad I overlooked this perfume for so long, because it's stunning, unique, and it deserves a huge amount of love!

~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. All opinions are my own and always honest!

Black Baccara ~ Bloody Valentine

So, I've been kind of stressed out lately and in need of a breath of fresh air outside the city. It's amazing how good it feels for your soul to just go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature (on a scale of 1-10, that tipped the hippy-meter, haha). My boyfriend and I went on a hike because there's a beautiful area 20 minutes from our house for such activities. It's neat how very close we are to a "mini holiday," so to speak. I'll add pictures of that below, but you wonderful ladies are here for the perfume, so let's talk perfume!

When I got home, I had a lovely package from Black Baccara waiting for me! As you know from the title, this is yet another Valentine themed perfume! I ordered a 5ml rollerball of Bloody Valentine, and I am happy to report and I am happy with the scent (as I bought this unsniffed!)


Bloody Valentine by Black Baccara. I love how the perfume oil itself is pink, even though it was probably unintentional!

Official Scent Description:
❀BLOODY VALENTINE- Here is a story of aged papers and Victorian flowers enhanced by a tinge of the metallic and earthy. It is a strong, floral blend best suited for those who love the smell of "vintage" flowers and Victorian inspired perfumes. The scent here is from another time and place and beautifully scented letters. Violets are followed by rose, sandalwood, a hint of red wine, a trace of soil, and clove pennyroyal, among others.


When I sniffed Bloody Valentine from the bottle, I smelled a strong floral and a hint of earthyness. When I rolled it on my wrists, however, the earth note completely disappears and it's BAM, IN YOUR FACE FLOWERS! For the first 60 seconds, there's a weird hint to the floral smell... I don't know, like an artificial smell that I don't like at all. But luckily, it only lasts for that first minute, and this perfume smells very beautiful for the rest of its life. The violets and rose are strong and quite a gorgeous team, and there's also a hint of earth in the background. I'm really pleased with that soil note in the background, as it gives this perfume a more sinister vibe. It speaks of a love story gone horribly wrong, of shattered glass with roses that once put a smile on someone's face- with blood spilled across the petals and all over the floor. There actually is a metallic smell (not in a weird way) to this perfume, quite like blood. Oh my gosh, I love this perfume more than I can tell you guys. It's so classy and elegant, but it has enough edge to it to really give it a soul. Though the Victorian era was undeniably beautiful, it was also plagued with terrible things. For one, Jack the Ripper committed those treacherous crimes in the Victorian era. On a larger scale, Ireland lost 50% of its population due to emigration and starvation. There was also a large amount of war and mutiny, not to mention 2,000 people dying each WEEK from the Cholera epidemic. So this perfume is the perfect paradigm for the Victorian era- beautiful, yet absolutely haunting. This will definitely be the perfume I wear on Valentine's Day (and let's be real, a whole lotta other days- this is my new favorite!)

As stated earlier, here's some pictures from our mini holiday!



The scenery



Moar Scenery



The Sunset

I must admit, even though it's a Monday; I'm a happy camper! I had a great mini holiday, and I'm smelling pretty thanks to Bloody Valentine!

As always, thanks so much for reading! Have a very wonderful week!

~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 honest!