Indecisive.

I admit it, I'm incredibly indecisive. In a way, it can be semi-good, in the sense that it forces me to really think things through. Alternately, it can be a major pain in the butt, as you can imagine!

I'm not ALWAYS stalling on decisions. I can make quick ones, especially when I know it's an important decision that needs to be made in a timely manner. I'm more indecisive when it comes to the smaller things, like what eyeshadow to wear, and what perfume to wear. I've been in a huge makeup rut lately, which is why I don't even post about makeup anymore. I feel so inadequate with my makeup skills, especially compared to all the talented people on makeup blogs and certain YouTube channels. Lately, I've just been wearing winged liner with mascara (or false lashes if I'm feelin' fancy)- if I wear it at all. So that completely solves the "what eyeshadow color should I wear?" question, haha! But when it comes to perfume, I can really have a hard time choosing a scent in the morning! I see my perfume display, and I silently scream for my brain to work- because I just can't even come close to deciding.


Some days are definitely better than others. I'm not trying to make this sound debilitating, because it's not. It just gets annoying when I choose a scent I am just not feeling for the day and end up scrubbing it off. Or worse, when I can't decide at all. Do you guys have a rhyme or rhythm to choosing a perfume to wear every day? Do you choose based on the weather, your mood, or does it even matter? I'm very curious, as I get very annoyed at myself for not being able to just decide and go!

I hope you're all enjoying the rest of your weekend!

~Rachel

Black Baccara ~ Orpheus

Hey there and happy Saturday to everyone! Today I will be reviewing Orpheus by Black Baccara. I received it as a free sample with my Bloody Valentine perfume but haven't gotten a chance to try it until recently.

Official scent description from Black Baccara:
ORPHEUS- A beautiful unisex perfume. It begins with a fruity wave of oranges, pomegranates, apples and lemons and then moves into a primordial phase of burning cedarwood, fire, cloves, and earthy oakmoss. This perfume brings to mind offerings of spices, herbs, and fruits being consumed by a brilliant cedarwood fire.


Orpheus by Black Baccara
Image Source- Black Baccara Perfumery

From the imp, Orpheus smells like oranges with a bit of oakmoss. Interesting!

Wet on skin, it smells exactly like candy with perhaps a bit of something earthier to makes it less "foody" smelling. The scents intended for the second phase almost immediately push their way through. It's very interesting at this point as all the notes battle it out and try to make their own special appearance. I can definitely make out the oakmoss, as I recognize that note from my other Black Baccara perfumes.

On the drydown, the smokiness comes into full throttle. It is a very realistic smoke scent and almost "catches" in my throat, if that makes any sense. The oranges also stay strong, as they have been pretty consistently the rest of the time.

This perfume fades into an interesting blend of oakmoss, smoke, and a hint of cedar and lemon. It's very pretty and I like how it morphs. It's not my favorite perfume and I wouldn't purchase a full size, but it is a well made scent that I'm glad I was able to sample. Fun fact- Initially, I thought this perfume was called "orphans" because I misread it on the etsy site. I wondered why orphans would smell of oranges and smoke, but now it all makes sense! ;) Another fun fact via Wikipedia-
Orpheus (Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς) was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music, his attempt to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the underworld, and his death at the hands of those who could not hear his divine music.

By the way, you can click the Wikipedia link to learn more about Orpheus! I only referenced the first paragraph.

Complete change of subject! Since today is also known at Caturday in the kittah lover interwebz, I wanted to add a picture I recently took of V. You can see my boyfriend's arm in the corner cause they are official cuddle buddies. :)


I love the strange look on V's face.

V decided to wake us up at 3:30 A.M. this morning. He usually doesn't eat wet food, so we only had dry food out for him. He had a tummy ache, so we dragged our butts out of bed to get ourselves coffee and wet food for my little prince. He feels better now :)

Have a wonderful Saturday, Caturday, and weekend!

~Rachel

Disclaimer: Orpheus was a free sample provided with my Black Baccara purchase. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are always my own and always honest. Thanks for reading!

Valentine's Day Aftermath

Now that Valentine's Day is finally over and we can all forget it ever existed until next year, I thought it would be fun to rehash the events from my day!

First, Aaron and I got up really early and got our morning coffee. There is a gas station right by our house where we get our coffee. We drove around our neighborhood drinking our coffee and attempting to wake up. That's actually our morning routine- coffee and a drive around the neighborhood.

After I tinkered in the garage for a few hours making Aaron's gift, we had breakfast and then went to the thrift store. He wanted to get some pants that he could modify into shorts. He found my present while we were there- a really insanely bright patterned sweater. It's been really cold lately, so I really enjoy my new sweater! It fits me well and I love how bright and cheery it is. I definitely prefer a gift like that over flowers that will just die in a week. Not that getting flowers is unpleasant, I've just never been into flowers for gifts. Also, my cat will just knock them over, so flowers are not practical in my household, haha!

Next, because we are senior citizens at heart, we went home to take a nap. Upon awakening, we tinkered in the garage. I put on my makeup while Aaron tried to modify a scooter he found down the street. While we were minding our own business, two younger guys came up our driveway complimenting Aaron's vehicle. They were being super friendly and just talking to us about the stuff we had (like Aaron's dirt bike). Here's the catch- they were doing one of those scam programs where they "win a trip" to some beautiful location to get hammered for 10 days, and all they have to do is sell magazines. Now, I'm not a gullible asshole, and I've been approached at least five times before with a similar story. The seller always make some bullshit story about a "personality contest," or saying the money goes to charity, and they're in second place and need me to help them win. I was pretty annoyed because they had the audacity to tell us they thought we could help them because we had nice things. I found that pretty rude. Additionally, why would I give my information out to a stranger when I don't know if they're going to try to steal my identity or get into my bank account? Identity theft is a huge deal these days, and I'm not about to go through that agonizing shit for a magazine I don't even want. Sorry for the rant, I just really dislike people that take advantage of others.

I needed to cheer up at that point in the day, so I decided to give my boyfriend his gift. I made him a book made entirely out of a deck of cards. It was called "52 Reasons I Love You." I'm not that creative, I actually got the idea from a YouTube video by GentleWhispering. There's also websites dedicated to the DIY card gift. I gave Aaron his Valentine card first. In his card, I wrote that I'm so lucky to have him in my life and that I'd never be able to list all the reasons I loved him in that card. Of course, that was a hint to what the gift was. I kept teasing him that it was going to be a scavenger hunt or love coupon book. He opened the gift, and he really liked it! I'm really happy he enjoyed it, as I enjoyed making it for him.

The card!


52 Reasons I Love You gift!


We were hungry again by that time, so we went to Applebee's and got the 2 for $20 dinner. He got the three cheese chicken pasta, and I got the southwest shrimp pasta. Both our dinners were insanely good! We don't go out to eat much, so it was a nice little treat.

After dinner, we went to one of the casinos close to us and put in a couple dollars in the machines. Neither of us are gamblers, but we just thought it would be an interesting waste of time. We actually got free show tickets to some percussion show, but neither of us really wanted to go. Our neighbor got free tickets that she didn't want, so she gave them to us; so we actually were at the casino so we didn't hurt her feelings for not going. So basically we lost five dollars and went home, haha.

Then we spent time with our pets, and the day was over. I hope you all had a fabulous day, no matter what you did! I hope this post wasn't too boring for you guys. I'll have another perfume review up soon!

Thanks for reading, and have an outstanding weekend!

~Rachel

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!

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!