Lush Haul #2!

I am now completely hooked on LUSH! After I used up the items from my last haul I knew I had to go back. I couldn't wait to share with you all the fun items I found. So lets get right into it!

A couple items are missing here; couldn't wait to try them

There are a couple things I have already tried. The first one I couldn't wait for was the Twilight Bathbomb.  I loved this one! It started out bright pink, then turned blue. It make the water soft and silky feeling with a beautiful purple color. The fragrance was wonderful and soothing. There is a little sparkle in this one, but not too much.

The second one I have already tried was the Honey Bee Bathbomb. It has a honey scent with bits of "Moroccan rhassoul mud" I enjoyed the scent quite a bit, but I wasn't as much of a fan of the gritty feeling it left. Many of the LUSH bathbombs leave behind a bit of residue in the tub, but this one left a thin layer of sand. It rinses away easily though so don't let it deter you if you are interested in giving this one a try.

Rock Star soap caught my eye because of the soft creamy pink color. It smells super sweet and candy like. From what the sales associate told me it lathers well and has vanilla absolute in it. I looked around online and saw that some people find this drying, but I will hold my own judgement until I try it for myself.




Next up is Space Girl Bathbomb. It's so cute how it looks a little bit like a space ship. It's coated in glitter and is infused with grapefruit oil. It is supposed to turn the water purple, although my bomb looks blue. The website says there are "popping candy" inside that is supposed to fizz. It sounds fun, so I'm looking forward to giving this one a try. Grapefruit oil seems like something that would be energizing and uplifting, so maybe I'll be saving this one for the weekend.

Honey I washed the Kids is a soap with (gasp!) honey. It also has beeswax on the top. I'm not sure what function the besswax serves, but it is visually interesting. I love the smell of this soap, plus honey is supposed to be very moisturizing and softening. The description mentions toffee in it as well, so it will be interesting to see how the two ingredients mix and compliment each other.




I chose Sandstone soap because of its amazing scent. It smells citrusy and really pops. There is a layer of sand on the bottom. I always need some exfoliant, but I hope it doesn't leave a film of dirt on the bottom of my tub. This soap has Litsea cubeba oil in it. I have no idea what that is, but Lush's website says that it is what contributes to the lemony fresh scent.

Pop in the Bath has a cute flower design on the top. (mine broke off a bit). Instead of a bathbomb this is a bubble bar. They come in a bunch of different colors. I chose blue because its my favorite :) This bubble bar has Mandarin oil and Orange blossom absolute so I expect this one to be uplifting and vibrant. LUSH's bubble bars are so potent I usually can cut it and use pieces at a time. So I'm hoping to get a lot of bubbles and baths out of this one.


I love floral scents and Sakura bathbomb is infused with Mimosa absolute. I don't think this one is as exciting as the others. It has a bit of color on the bomb, but it doesn't change the color of the water (or so I'm told), nor does it have sparkles/glitter, or any surprises on the inside. But since I'm a such a floral fan I couldn't let Sakura pass me by.

Seanik Solid Shampoo

When I heard LUSH has solid shampoo I was intrigued. The idea of losing all the plastic bottles was a big plus for me. Seanik was the first product I had to try when I got home. The smell is great, and it lathers a lot better than I thought it would. I probably used too much. I rubbed it all over my hair and got super sudsy super quickly. My hair looks great and has lots of volume. The solid shampoo is filled with seaweed which is supposed to be softening. As long as it doesn't get stuck in my hair it doesn't bother me. I should have bought a solid conditioner as well. Lots of people have said that this shampoo dries out hair, but since I always follow it up with a conditioner (the bottled kind I already have) I haven't noticed the drying effect yet. I also learned the hard way you can't put it back in the tin if its wet, because it gets stuck and is really hard to get back out again. :(

The Creamy Candy Bubble Bar is cute and a little similar looking to the Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar.  This one is super pink and smells sweet.  It is filled with vanilla absolute and cocoa butter so hopefully it makes the water creamy and moisturizing too! The little flower on the top is super cute!


The Sunnyside Bubble Bar is the only repeat purchase in this haul. The outside is covered with gold glittery sparkles, and the inside sparkles with golden lustre and tangerine oil. The golden lustre is amazing. Its not heavy or icky feeling, but it makes the water look as if you are bathing in liquid gold.

So that's my haul! Hopefully this one will last for a while. LUSH is making a small fortune off of me :) Everything that I have tried from them has been amazing. They certainly made a long time customer of me.

Tonight in my warmer; Spring & Renewal Frebreze!

I love Sundays. It's the day to relax and get ready for the work week ahead. Which of course means laundry! And nothing says laundry like Febreze. I've always been a fan of Febreze. I've used it to spruce up my home before I have guests, and to freshen up the room after I clean up my kitties "accessories".
Today I have chosen Spring & Renewal Febreze. Its bright green tart with multicolored sprinkles on the top, from Wahm's. I live in the LA area, so the tart got a little warm in my mail man's truck. That's why it looked a little smooshed.
This scents is bright, fresh, a little floral, and has that detergenty type tone to it. If there were a prairie full of flowers that was soaped up and squeaky clean, it would end up smelling like this tart.
  Spring & Renewal Febreze is probably one of the stronger scents I have tried. Fresh types tend to be stronger than others to begin with, but this one is even more so. I would recommend it for a larger room. I started it at my desk and ended up moving it to my dining room table. The throw is enormous.


I highly recommend this scent as a good accompanyment for spring cleaning, or if you want your home to feel fresh without having to go through all the pesky scrubbing, dusting, and vacuuming. :)

 I know I talk about the color of the wax pool a lot. But I love green wax. Combined with the pretty sprinkles on the bottom, its as much fun to look at as it is to smell. 

Tonight in my warmer; Sugar Cookie Brulee!

I enjoyed Pink Sugared Cookies so much I've been looking forward to trying another cookie scent. I found Sugar Cookie Brulee from K's Kreations as a sampler shot. It's a 0.75 ounce tart, and fits beautifully in my mini tart burner.
 K's website describes Sugar Cookie Brulee as "Hands down, the BEST cookie fragrance ever. Reminds us of the wonderful aroma that fills your home while baking cookies. A definite MUST TRY!!"
I have to admit, this is an amazing cookie scent.

Sugar Cookie Brulee is wonderful and authentic smelling. It's actually as if I'm baking a batch of sugar cookies in my kitchen.
Who doesn't like the smell of warm cookies? No one that's who! And if you're anything like me, these types of scents bring back wonderful memories. Especially thoughts of baking with Mom, and making Christmas cookies each year.
Sugar Cookie Brulee is a tart I will be buying quite often.  It has everything that makes a tart special. It smells wonderful, has an impressive throw, and brings feelings of happiness and comfort.

Tonight in my warmer; Glitter!

Tonight I'm melting an amazing scent from Zen Blossom.. Glitter! I love trying scents with ambiguous names. While this tart doesn't actually have glitter in it, its a beautiful tart with an amazing scent.
Glitter is described as "A feminine, yet confident and alluring aroma combining sheer floral notes of iris, jasmine, water lily, orchid, and white rose, with clean, fresh top notes of neroli and pink grapefruit blossoms and sexy bottom notes of sandalwood, soft musk, and tonka bean."

Glitter is pretty complex, but boy does it sparkle! (get it...sparkle?) On first sniff, it reminds me of Lilac Linens I tried last Sunday. It's clean with very light floral top notes, although you aren't able to tell which florals. Generally I can spot rose or jasmine, but perhaps because it's so light, and mixed with other notes its hard to tell.  After the fresh and floral scents, there is something else. The base notes of sandalwood and musk really give this scent a lot of depth.
Once it's melted, the florals fade quite a bit and the freshness really shines through. It smells like sandalwood that's been scrubbed until sparkly clean. Glitter is uplifting, bright, and a great alternative for a fresh linen type.

Bath and Body Works Preview; Paris Amour!

After being a little disappointed with Bath and Body Works' latest signature release, Into The Wild, I was really looking forward to trying Paris Amour. I first heard about this scent from the video Camille McDonald (Fragrance Creator) did live in April. She said that this scent was inspired by a couple walking on a cobble-stoned street with the Eiffel tower in the back ground. The big red bow on the front is supposed to make it seem like Paris is a gift.

I had expected something chic and sophisticated, instead it seems kind of childish and corny. The couple that Camille was so excited about is tiny, and stashed into a corner. Sure the cobblestones are there, but they are stained green and pink which makes no sense at all.
I don't doubt that a group of hard working people designed the packaging, but I am not a fan.

In the interview with Camille she mentioned that they wanted Paris Amour to have an oriental type floral scent like Japanese Cherry Blossom. JCB has been their best selling fragrance for 5 years, so I understand why they want to create a similar experience. But why include an oriental type fragrance in a scent inspired by a European city? I have been confused about that for the past few months, and now that I can smell it for myself it looks like they must have abandoned that idea. (There is no evidence in the descrpition or in the listed notes either)

The Bath and Body Works website describes Paris Amour as " A dreamy blend of French tulips, apple blossoms and sparkling pink champagne, inspired by a romantic stroll through the streets of Paris."
So the top notes are obviously the tulips and apple blossom. (Apple Blossom Citrus anyone?) The notes directly underneath are soft and sweet, which I am assuming is the  pink champagne. I think it smells more like a light powdery musk.
It is similar to B&BW's Into the Wild except Paris Amour is more floral and Into the Wild is more fruity.
It's nice enough to wear on a date, but soft enough for for the younger age groups.
I'm going to wait and try the shower gel first before I make a final decision, for the time being I think Paris Amour is okay, but I don't love it like I did with Carried Away and Country Chic.

Tonight in my warmer; Dark Kiss!

Calling all Bath and Body Works Fans! Tonight I'm melting Dark Kiss from Kim's Tarts. Sadly, I missed the original Dark Kiss candles. I wasn't a B&BW customer until after they were discontinued, and didn't hear about them until it was too late.
I have been wearing Dark Kiss as a personal fragrance for about 6 months and is one of my favorites. Imagine my delight when I saw the listing for a Dark Kiss tart!

Kim describes  this tart as "Voluptuous berries, tempting blooms, sensual incense and cashmere musk blend together in this forbidden, seductive fragrance."

B&BW describes Dark Kiss as "A seductive blend of voluptuous berries tempting blooms and night musk to unleash your most primal passions."

I've tried a lot of different dupes, but this is probably the closest to the real thing that I've encountered. The berries are spot on, as well as the sweetness. The slight difference would have to be the musk. The dupe has cashmere musk and the original has night musk, but the distinction is so slight it is barely noticeable at all.

Purple is the perfect color for this scent, its dark, and a little heavy, but is sweet, creamy, and fruity all at the same time. This scent is great because it is so perfectly balanced.

Dark Kiss is surprisingly versatile. Most scents aren't as interchangeable between personal and home fragrance. (Other than Twilight Woods and vanilla scents in my opinion).

I would consider more of a fall and winter type since it's heavier than most spring or summer scents. Luckily, it is also sweet enough to stave off the "bleh" factor that many heavy scents have.

Dark Kiss is one of my favorite scents as a lotion and perfume, but when I feel like wearing something else, I can pop this tart in my warmer instead!

Tonight in my warmer; Lilac Linens!

Happy Sunday! As a tribute to laundry day, I chose a soft purple colored tart in Lilac Linens from Can-Do-Candles. Lilac Linens is a great choice for someone who loves laundry type scents, but wants to do something a little different.
The description on Can-Do's website is written as "Lilac Linens- Fresh washed Linen rinsed with Lilac water. Beautiful!"
I love it when a description matches a scent as perfectly as this one does. This is exactly like fresh linen with just a hint of lilac. Don't like florals? Don't fret! The linen notes are far and away the dominant scent, the lilac only softens and slightly sweetens it. I'm a little surprised that lilac was the flower chosen to combine with the linen. In my experience lilac was always one of the stronger florals that was most likely to be overpowering. Most common laundry type floral would be lavender or possibly a sweet pea.

Either there is only a tiny bit of floral, or the linen is strong enough to keep the lilac down. My assumption is on the former, since Lilac Linens isn't as strong of a scent as Fresh Linen was. It has a good throw, but isn't particularly overwhelming. As much as I liked Fresh Linen, it was overly strong for the first half hour or so, which isn't the case with this tart. It has been pleasant all the way through.
As a side note, I really enjoy the many colors of wax, especially this one. Bright colors are great, but sometimes more subdued color can have a strong impact as well. A gentle color really goes well with a soft scent. This tart is such a light purple it almost has a pink hue.

I really enjoy Lilac Linens, and I think people who don't like florals much may want to give this one a try.
But if you are a fan of florals or laundry types, this scent is the best of both worlds.

Tonight in my warmer; I'm Sparkly B***h!

Cranky Cup

The name of tonight's scent is I'm Sparkly B***h! With a name like that, it has to be Grumpy Girl! You can visit Grumpy Girl's website here For those who have sensitive ears (or eyes) I will just refer to this scent as "I'm Sparkly!". Its a rich blue tart with...you guessed it! Sparkles right on the top.
So when I bought this tart, I just skimmed the notes and thought they would be something I would like. When it arrived and I was able to smell it, I got a very pleasant surprise. It smells very close to one of my favorite scents Twilight Woods!

Tart is cut in half. Covered in sparkles.

Bath and Body Works Twilight Woods; "Apricot nectar, mimosa petals, and Tuscan cypress to create this hypnotic fragrance, inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods."
versus
I'm Sparkly! - "This fragrance combines the cent of ripe forest berries and soft sensual musk, with middle notes of sweet mimosa flowers and apricots, along with subtle hints of oak and juniper."

It's not spot on, but its very close. Quite similar to Twilight from Can-Do-Candles (Can-Do's website).  For reference of my prior comparisons, see the previous blog post here
While Twilight was more floral, I'm Sparkly! is more fruity. It has a bit of the creaminess of the original Twilight Woods that Twilight lacked, plus it has sparkles!

I find it funny that I've been looking for a Twilight Woods dupe and I got I'm Sparkly! without realizing how similar it was. It's woodsy, fruity, and creamy. It has a great throw, and looks beautiful in my warmer.
I may still be on the hunt for the perfect dupe, but I'm Sparkly! is amazing!
For other Twilight Woods lovers looking for a good dupe;
I'm Sparkly!; Very similar, creamy with a bit more fruit.
Twilight; Close, but not creamy, with quite a bit of florals

I have Twilight In The Woods from K's Kreations I will be trying soon, so stay tuned!

Tonight in my warmer; Papaya Passion!

Papaya Passion is an orange sprinkled tart from Wahm's Scented Wax. Wahm's is owned by Julie and you can visit her website here. She's still working on it, but it's almost finished.

Tropical type scents are perfectly suited for summertime. Papaya Passion is sweet and fruity. It is true to it's name and is exactly what you expect it to be. I don't eat a lot of papayas so it may just be me, but this scent also reminds me of mangos. Which makes me thing off all kinds of tasty things. Fruit salads, tropical punch, smoothies, and in a way, almost like fruity bubblegum that I used to chew as a kid. I love the candy-like sweetness, and would almost consider this a fruity dessert scent.

The moment you open the mini plastic baggy you can smell all the fruity goodness. Even cold, it has quite a strong fragrance, and when it melts the fragrance intensifies.  I can smell this tart even in the next room. It doesn't change or alter from cold to warm like many fragrances do.

Papaya Passion is a great scent for someone wanting to imagine a tropical getaway. Or perhaps a mid-December tart for someone wanting get rid of the winter blues.

Tonight in my warmer; Stargazing Lily!

Tonight, I'm melting a soft green tart in Stargazing Lily from Shayz Scentz. I will admit part of the the appeal of this fragrance when I was looking online was the name. I know what a lily smells like, but with the addition of "stargazing" it was quite intriguing.
The description for Stargazing Lily is written as "Reminiscent of a spring garden in full bloom, fragrance combines soft spring floral with woods and light fruit notes."

I'm going to say right off the bat, I like this fragrance, but it is definitely not  for those who dislike florals. It's a stronger floral, and is quite similar to the Hyacinth fragrance I tried some time back. Stargazing Lily has the addition of the woods and fruit notes, although they are secondary to the flower scent. They provide a nice sweeter base that make the florals less severe than the straight Hyacinth scent. It is very similar to Garden Hideaway from Yankee Candle. 
Garden Hideaway is lighter and sweeter, while Stargazing Lily has a stronger throw with more authentic florals.


There doesn't seem to be a lot of other floral lovers like myself, but if you're there Stargazing Lily is a great one to try. 

Tonight in my warmer; Vanilla Insanity!

 I really like vanilla.  A lot. I suppose you could say I'm crazy for it, or perhaps.....insane?
Tonight I'm melting a sampler "shot" in the Vanilla Insanity scent.
K's Kreations describe Vanilla Insanity as "If you are a vanilla fan, you will love this one! Begins with top notes of French vanilla and whipped cream butter; followed by middle notes of cotton candy, chestnuts, and maple sugar; all sitting on a dry down of vanilla beans."
When the tart is cold, you mostly get the creamy french vanilla notes. Once it melts, some of the warmer type notes come out. I think the maple sugar is the most prominent, with the chestnuts and cotton candy following in softly behind.
Vanilla Insanity is everything you expect a vanilla to be. Its a comforting, warm, sweet, and creamy all at once. It fills my whole room with delicious fragrance.

I love bright, exotic and unusual scents, but there is something about vanilla that makes my apartment feel like home. And no matter what new scent catches my eye (or nose), I always come back to my long time favorite.
If you are a vanilla connoisseur your collection will not be complete until
you have tried Vanilla Insanity, because a collection without this scent would be, well......insanity!