Sunday, May 27, 2012

Platypus Dreams!




There are few things I love as much as scented wax, but soap is one of them! When I found out about Platypus Dreams, I couldn't wait to place an order. They have everything I love, natural goats milk soaps, scrubs, moisturisers, and bath bombs. And since they are located here in Australia, shipping was fairly quick and inexpensive. (My tarts still come from my favorite vendors in America, so by comparison this was a dream!)

For my first order, I thought I would try just a few basic items, two bars of soap and a bath bomb. The bars of goat's milk soap were in Masquerade, and Sandalwood Rose. The bath bomb in one of my favorite scents, Cotton Candy.

Masquerade
The bath bomb was a little smaller than expected (although this was just laziness on my part, the dimensions are given on the website) but the bars of soap were perfect. I also recieved two free samples (YAY Samples!) of soap. Aphrodisiac and Frosted Lime Cake.

Since I have no patience, I used the bath bomb right away. It was strong, sweet, and made the water so soft. This little guy was very impressive considering it's small size in comparison to my oversized tub. It was just as good as other bombs and this one was at least half the price! (They are $2.50 each) Only drawback was the pink ring around the tub. I couldn't get it to rinse off, but a quick wipe down solved the issue.

             Sandalwood Rose
Scent descriptions for the soaps.
Masquerade - Citrus with Vetiver and floral notes of rose geranium, jasmine, lily of the valley and sweet earthy bottom notes of ambergris, vanilla, and musk. 

Sandalwood Rose- This bar is scented with a unique blend of Asian Sandalwood, Sweet Roses and Wild Jasmine on a soothing background of exotic Musk. 

These soaps are amazing. Excellent amounts of scent and lather, not to mention how beautiful they look. These are just as good, if not better than other stores such as Bath and Body Works or LUSH.
I will be stocking up soon. :)

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Apologies for my extended absence!

                              Hi everyone!
I realize it's been a long time since my last post. Everything is well! Tyler and I have just had a lot going on, and I've had a bit of trouble dedicating time to my blog.   :(  So here are a few things that have been going on lately....

As most of you already know, I've been living in Australia for the past few months. I have also recently gotten a job here. Similar to what I did at home, but not quite. It's been so stressful, things are so much more different that I had expected! No regrets of course, but that doesn't really make it any easier.

Day to day life consists of a morning Skype to either of my folks (morning here is yesterday evening in the United States) then a walk to the grocery. (Without a car you only buy as much as you can carry!) Once I get home, time to change and catch the train to work. Hours later, back on the train to get home home in time to start dinner.

We've still managed to do some fun things. We went to the Taronga Zoo, saw the Opera house and took our photos on the ferry in front of the Harbour Bridge. I've been meaning to do a blog post about it, lots of pics of Kangaroos, and Koalas!

Tyler and I had our 3rd wedding anniversary last weekend. We saw our very first roller derby and stayed at the Taj Blue in Woolloomooloo (yes, that's the name of a real place. With correct spelling!)

I still melt candles and tarts every day, but I make a few large orders instead of a lot of small orders like I used to. Australia seems to have a lot of awesome soap companies (Which I've also been meaning to write about. ERK!), but as far as wax goes, nothing compares to the vendors from home. Sometimes shipping costs more than the order. And to make it even worse, I only buy what I think I will melt while we're here. I've learned that when moving internationally, that weight limit can be reached VERY quickly. I don't want to have to choose between shipping home my wax or my dishes! So while my orders have gone down significantly, I still do a daily post about what I'm melting on my Facebook page. So swing by, check it out, and say hello!

So all in all, we're having the time of our lives and making memories that will last a lifetime. I will admit however, that I am terribly homesick. I miss my friends, family and country. Being here has given me a new found respect for people who live in foreign countries. The cultural differences are much more significant that I would have thought.  Here, we are the ones that talk funny. We don't know the holidays, the slang, or all the other random odds and ends that people don't think about.
Australia is a GREAT country, but I'm an American girl through and through!