End of October Hauls

Last week my Sephora haul arrived just in time for the Halloween party. I didn't have a chance to post but since I got my most recent soap haul and my China Glaze nail polishes, I figured that now is the time to show it all off. 

Up first is what I got from Sephora during their Friends & Family sale. I got the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer Set in NSFW because who could pass up a matching set of true red! Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon and SEPHORA+PANTONE UNIVERSE Spectral Lacquer in Purple Wine. 

I've already gotten the chance to try out the OCC set and they are amazing but the lip tar does take a bit of practice. I noticed that it bled a bit which led me to believe that I may have been a bit heavy handed during the application. A little does goes a long way and I'd suggest just using a bit, and reapplying if necessary much later on. The nail polish is beautiful and as a side note, it looked great with my Captain Hook costume. 

Geeky Little Things (Wonder Witch) is a soap shop that I figured I'd give a shot. Now maybe it was because they Harry Potter themed soaps or maybe it was because the main moisturizers are either olive oil, shea butter, and/or oatmeal but something about this store seemed whimsical and cute. So in honour of Halloween, I decided to grab a couple of soaps and their Butterbeer balm. The packaging is lovely and I was more than surprised when I got everything.

I've already opened the Butterbeer balm and it's scent is a butterscotch base, with french vanilla, burnt sugar, and marshmallows. It's quite moisturizing and I'm so glad I opened it immediately to use. As for the soaps, here's what was in my order:

• Madam Puddifoot's Green Tea Soap (Green Tea, Cucumber, and Oatmeal Soap)
• Professor Trelawney’s Divination Bar (Oatmeal, Milk, Honey, and Poppy Seed Soap)
• Hogwarts Express Pumpkin Pasties Soap (Pumpkin Almond Shea Butter Soap)
• Honeydukes Salty and Sweet Soap (Salted Caramel Goat’s Milk Soap)
• Dumbledore Sherbet lemon Bar (Lemon Oatmeal Soap)

Finally, I got my China Glaze nail polishes! These are all from the Monsters Ball lineup. Almost every year I have the hardest time finding these in stores but this year Groupon had them as an offer. As a result, I had to indulge! 

From left to right is: Bat My Eyes, Fang-Tastic, Howl You Doin', Boo-Gie Down, Ghoulish Glow, and Bump in the Night. 

Soap Haul from Puddle Duck Soapworks

As it's getting colder (is that even possible for this area of the Bay?!), I've been trying to find soaps that had a higher content of moisturizing elements. This time I decided to narrow my search for soaps with a high content of goat milk. That inevitably led me to Puddle Duck Soapworks and after using the Farmhouse Cider bar (which is inconspicuously missing due to my having used it already), I just had to rave about this shop.

Presenting my haul!

• Pumpkin Latte
• Farmhouse Cider
• Cinnamon and Clove
• Oatmeal Milk and Honey
• Almond Vanilla
• Pushin' Up Daisies
• Lilac 
• Lavendar Luxury

The owner of the shop tossed in two samples of Sandalwood & Moonlight Lullaby which is pictured in the small bags.

Soap Haul from Hawaii

I have a tendency to stick with my favourites and not really deviate too often from that. But I figured it was time to try another vendor a shot. I haven't tried them out as these are fresh out of the package but here's my soap haul from Passion Moon Potions on Etsy!

PMP is currenty on vacation till July 17th but pictured above (in no true order but somewhat left to right) is: Banana Brulee, Cucumber Lemon Basil, Oatmeal Cookie, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Sugar Goddess,  Peppermint Oatmeal, Haupia, Chocolate Haupia, Pineapple, and Vanilla Mango. I can't wait to try them all!

Soapy Suds Review

Soaps are some of my favourite things to indulge and while I try to refrain from blogging about it, I have a variety stacked that I just need to review. Now I know that people tend to overlook soaps, but that's where skincare starts for me. For those of you that doubt me, I should have taken a picture of my skin when we were in Florida. The soap that was provided by the hotel left my skin a wonderful ashen colour which is why we ran out to get a bottle of Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Body Lotion Sensitive Skin. Sure, hotel soaps for me are notorious for drying out my skin which is why I'm a strong believer of proper skincare, but that's also why I feel as though it starts in the shower.

Well, that and when I was younger my skin used to be so dry that I used to have to use either a cocoa butter based soap, olive oil soap, or African Black Soap. This is why I'm pretty specific when it comes to soap -- I'm willing to experiment but not willing to change (sometimes, it takes a lot for me to make that switch or add something into the rotation permanently). Now that you've made it past the spiel, let's move on to the actual soaps!

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Wholly Hemp Soothing Soap in Geranium Rose

This was my first time trying out a hemp based soap and it was provided to me by Wholly Hemp. Hemp soap, or at least this particular one was slightly different than anything I had used before. It was clearly filled with several different types of essential oils which made it kind of... creamy. I'm not sure how to really describe it but it wasn't oily, just very enriching. It didn't work up too much of a lather but still gave off a lot of moisture. The ingredients are as follows: "Saponified hemp-coconut-palm-sunflower oil, lavender oil, rosemary extract."

Overall, I liked the feel that this one gave my skin and when paired with the Wholly Hemp moisturizer, it was magnificent. (Also, speaking about the moisturizer, if you have problematic skin, it turns out to be really good for your skin. My boyfriend has been giving it a shot and he's had glowing reviews about it especially for dry spots). I think the soaps are great as in they work and they don't dry out my skin but they also don't leave me feeling like there was too much oils (as in a residue).

Price: $5
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: As with the other products I've tried from Wholly Hemp, I love the soaps. They are filled with oils which actually comes out to be a bit creamy. It provides just the right amount of moisture back to your skin without drying it out (which is fantastic for dry skin).


Sappo Hill Soap in Oatmeal (Fragrance Free)

This one has caught my eye at Whole Foods before but during my last trip to my local health food store, I finally decided to give it a shot. Unlike other soaps, this one was sold without any extra packaging (no wrapper) and therefore not very many labels. (Just as a note, you can get them packaged in cellophane which is a bit extra). I grabbed an oatmeal soap and weirdly enough, while I noted that there was no scent to it when I showered, did not realize that that was because there is a fragrance free version and a fragrant one (that smells like oatmeal cookies).

The soaps are free of: parabens, phthalate, SLS, detergent, sulfates, harsh chemicals, and gluten. They are also vegan, and cruelty-free. They are made of saponified palm and coconut oils, glycerin, and organic oats. Basically these soaps are all vegetable oils and simplistic in nature. However it kind of left me wanting more. See, while I generally feel that oatmeal is great for my skin, I don't think this particular soap is good for me as it's not as moisturizing. It was kind of like I just got a random glycerin soap that did very little.

This is definitely not to say that all of the other soaps are inherently bad. It's just that this one wasn't good for me. I do look forward to trying other soaps in the lineup but I have my suspicions that I will have to follow up with a heavy moisturizer thereafter since it seems to lack a moisturizing agent (such as cocoa butter or shea butter).

Price: $3.99 (or $1.90 online)
Stars: ★★☆☆☆
Takeaway: While it's a great simple soap, it's not that great for the dry skin as it lacks a moisturizing element.


Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Rose Bar Soap & Baby Mild Bar Soap

I will absolutely admit that there was nothing that ever trully called to me before to ever try this out, even though I saw it everywhere that I shopped (that is, the Dr. Bronner's line). After trying out Wholly Hemp though, it opened my eyes to the mystical powers of Hemp Oil so I figured that I should at least give another brand a shot. So what better item to try then a soap with hemp and rose and a mild bar.

Unlike Wholly Hemp, neither of them are packed with all those moisturizing oils. It's not too drying but it's not as moisturizing either. Nonetheless both soaps offer up quite a lather. As for the scents, the rose soap is very light and barely noticeable which made me slightly sad since I was hoping to get a bit more of that scent coming through. I already knew that I wouldn't be getting any scents from the baby mild since that was is fragrance free. Overall, as I mentioned, they are both good, but they seemed more of the bareboned type of soap rather than a luxurious one.

Price: $4.49
Stars: ★★☆☆☆
Takeaway: These are great simple soaps (actually, they remind me of the types that I use to hand wash bras), but they aren't "luxurious," which means that I like having fun with my bars of soap -- these are your average types without much scent or moisturizers. So while they are great to have around, if you're a scent driven person (and you need heavy moisturizers), these might not be for you.


Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Bar Soap

As I might have mentioned before, Olive Soap (along with African Black Soap) is something I grew up with seeing as my skin was really dry. So when I saw this one on the shelf, I figured that it's been awhile since I've had a normal soap and there's no way that I could be upset with a good bar of olive soap.

I really enjoyed the soap as it had a light scent and worked up a great lather. It also makes me feel good knowing that it is made without unnecessary stuff such as parabens, phthalate, SLS, and artificial fragrances. The problem though was that it was just not very moisturizing. It had a certain element of moisture in it (much more than Dr. Bronner's but still not enough to keep my skin from turning ashen.

While that might be my own skin's fault, it does mean that this can't be in the rotation (and mostly that I can't deviate too far from shea butter or cocoa butter based soaps).

Price: $3.99 (8 oz.)
Stars: ★★★☆☆
Takeaway: Another good simplistic soap that is a bit more moisturizing than others I've come across but not enough for dry skin. 

Some Samples from Kara's Way

Items were received by Kara's Way complimentary.

Kara's Way was kind enough to provide a few samples for my consideration and these happen to be some of my favourite types. It should come as no surprise that I love soaps and hair care is something that I am quite discerning about. As these were provided complimentary, I know that some of them appeared in previous boxes that have already gone out.

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Aubrey Organics
Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Shampoo & Blue Camomile Hydrating Conditioner

First up is the Honeysuckle Rose shampoo which is free of sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens or petrochemicals. Which basically means that there is minimal lather. The scent took me by surprise (I'm not sure what I was expecting) but it was wonderfully light and refreshing. It was easy to work with in terms of being able to wash it out quickly.

I followed up immediately with the Blue Chamomile conditioner and that also had a very surprising scent which was also quite lovely. The conditioner was creamy and while a bit on the liquid like side, it just made it easier to work with. The two combined smelled fantastic.

After my hair dried I noticed that quite few curls came in which is slightly unusual but very welcomed. My hair seemed to be enthralled by this new combination. Grant it those curls slowly dropped to wurls throughout the day but the fact that my hair even started on a happier note was wonderfully unexpected. Now all I have to do is find it at my local stores.

Price: $10.48 each for 11 oz.
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: Great unexpected results for a first go. My hair was softer and bouncier which was great plus it has a great light scent that almost feels like it sticks with you throughout the day.


Fundamental Earth
Fundamental Shampoo (For All Hair Types) and Fundamental Conditioner (Normal to Dry)

I will completely admit that this one somewhat took me by surprise. I hadn't heard about this company before so while I did have a little bit of skepticism, I overlooked it. What I mean is that I frequent a lot of hair forums and weirdly enough this one never came up. On the day that I tested it for the first time, Nicole (at Spialelo) asked me if I had any recommendations for a shampoo and conditioner that was free of sulfates, silicones, and protein. Admittedly protein had never been anything that I was cognizant about so the first thing I did was check the products I had been using lately.

Of the many I have been using and/or recently tested the only ones to pass that test was Disney Baby Daily Renewal Naturals Baby Shampoo (check out the review here) and Fundamental Earth. Incidentally 100% Pure and Terressentials Organic hair care also seems to fit the bill (but I haven't tested these out). In general though, it seems that finding a protein free haircare item that is also free of sulfates and silicones is pretty tough.

Moving back to Fundamental Earth, the ingredient list is paired down which makes for a simplistic blend that hopefully couldn't go wrong. And it didn't. The shampoo had a lot of different scents such as ginger extract, honey, lavender oil, lemongrass oil, rosemary oil, etc. The one scent that really came out though was the rosemary. It worked much like any other shampoo and had a great lather. As one could imagine, it was therefore really easy to wash out.

The conditioner is somewhat similar when it comes to the ingredient list (by what black magic does this happen?!) which means it's also quite simplistic. This one has hops extract, balm mint extract, honey, Moroccan argan oil, chamomile extract, lemongrass oil, etc. It looks and feels exactly like any other conditioner that I've used but the added bonus is that with the argan oil already in there, I don't have to follow up later with a leave in. Okay, maybe that's not really a good perk to focus on, but honestly, the chamomile scent was refreshing when I used it the first time. My hair was soft and bouncy and overall seems quite happy with this one.

Price: $16 for the shampoo (12 oz) and $17 for the conditioner (12 oz).
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: Definitely a great shampoo and conditioner combination; I'm even more impressed by this one since it fit all of Nicole's criteria (being free of sulfates, silicones, and protein). My hair loved this a lot and this will definitely enter the standard rotation of hair care.


Coastal Scents African Black Soap

As I already mentioned, African black soap was something I grew up with -- specifically Nubian Heritage African Black Soap. I haven't really been able to find it in local stores since I moved out to the West Coast which is why my usage of it dwindled. I received two samples of this soap from Kara's Way so I feel as though was ample to work with in order to provide a review of the long missed black soap. So wait, a step back for anyone who isn't familiar with black soap... what is it?

Black soap, or rather this particular blend of black soap is made with coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa pod ash, and palm kernel oil. The soap itself is great for trouble skin (such as eczema), reducing blemishes and the appearance of fine lines, and evening out dark spots. It also offers light exfoliation so at the end of the day what really works for me is that it provides moisture back to my skin (via the shea butter) and provides light exfoliation which is great for my dry skin without overdoing it.

A note from Coastal Scents is that they do say that you shouldn't use this directly on your skin and you should use a wash cloth or sponge. I didn't know that at the time so I used it directly on my skin and didn't have any issues. With that being said, if I did order a full sized bar (16 oz) then I'd likely follow their directions.

Price: 79¢ for a sample and $12.95 for a full bar.
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: Another win for dry skin but this one is a bit different given the slight exfoliation present in this bar. Black soap is a long time favourite of mine and I'd definitely recommend their blend especially given the cocoa butter element.

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This product was featured in the December Kara's Way box and was given to me complimentary for my evaluation.

Soapy Hauls

I generally reserve hauls for my tumblr but I just got my haul from FizzButter not too long ago, I wanted to share since I think that the bath bombs are amazing. Since I've mentioned Bubbles Up Soap Boutique  before, I figured I'd share my previous hauls from that etsy store.

FizzButter Bath Bombs

Back in December, Kara's Way (the monthly subscription box) gave me a bath bomb from FizzButter to try out (you can read the review here). Bathtimes are generally a bit too drying on my skin but these bath bombs are amazing since they are so moisturizing since they are packed filled with shea butter and cocoa butter. After sadly having to go on vacation to Disney World without these bath bombs, I decided that I needed to stock up. So today's haul from FizzButter includes 8 bath bombs: Lullaby, Tranquil Lilac, White Chocolate Truffle, Mango Coconut, Sandalwood Vanilla, Lush Jasmine, Vanilla Butter & Pineapple, and French Lavender.

Previous hauls from Bubbles Up! (I'm actually going to be ordering pretty soon from her again so you can be on the lookout for that in the future) are as follows:

On November 11th, 2012 I received my second order from Bubbles Up! which included:

• Gingersnap Cookie
• Warm Vanilla Sugar
• Eggnog
• Witches’ Cauldron
• Candy Apple
• Candy Corn
• Chocolate Fudge Marble
• Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

I've never actually written a review about these soaps on my blog but I love them. I joke around about how I'm perpetually on a diet and as a result, I indulge in savoury and sweet scents in the shower. My skin has never been dried out by these soaps and honestly, I love treating myself during the seasons with her special limited edition soaps.

Back in May of 2012 for my first order, I got the following below. I have finished the all and I thought they were all amazing. I couldn't say that I had a favourite (have you read the name of some of these?! They are delicious [scented]!)

• Almond Biscotti Cookie Soap with Almonds and Coffee Beans 
• Blackberries and Sage Honeycomb Soap with Real Honey
• Caribbean Coconut Soap with Real Coconut
• Chocolate and Raspberry Gourmet Coffee Soap
• Chocolate Milkshake Soap with Real Dark Chocolate
• Cinnamon Coffee Cake Soap with Coffee
• Molasses and Brown Sugar
• Cup of Joe Soap with Coffee
• Going Bananas Yogurt Soap with Real Coconut
• Hot Cross Buns Soap with Crunchy Pecans
• Oatmeal - All Natural Unscented Hot Process Soap
• Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap
• The Great Pumpkin Sugar Scrub Soap with Pumpkin Puree and Brown Sugar

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Product: FizzButter Bath Bombs
Price: $3.69 each
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: I would absolutely recommend this. After trying out one (thanks to Kara's Way!), this has become something that I need for any bath. It's great for those with drier skin since it has shea butter and cocoa butter and the scents are great. (Do be careful getting out of the tub though!)

Product: Bubbles Up! by Bethie B
Price: $5 - $6
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: I will be placing my third order with them soon so that should be pretty telling! I love these soaps as they have great scents and don't dry out my skin. 

Review: Indochine Natural Star Anise & Coffee Soap

I don't post about soaps normally, those of you that are eagerly awaiting for Kara's Way makeup samples boxes to come out would be happy to know that this particular one is in the lineup for the near future. (I have no idea which box they are intending to release it with).

Indochine Natural, which is part of the Dew Puff line, is a natural handmade soap. This particular scent is interesting (and that's not a bad thing). It's listed as a soap that would be liked by people who enjoy strong licorice scent which is pretty spot on. The star anise is pretty potent and if you're new to the scent in general, it might take some time to grow on you.

For me, when I was younger, my family and I used to enjoy star anise biscotti with our evening coffee. So immediately when Maria handed me this soap to try, I thought about those moments as a teenager.

You get the scent of the star anise almost immediately and it only becomes stronger as you open it. Taking it into the shower though lessens the impact of the star anise and brings out a bit of the coffee (but, the star anise still dominates). If you're not a fan of this scent right away, I caution you that it may just end up growing on you.

Ingredients (as per the label): Sodium Palmate (Palm Oil), Sodium Cocoate (Coconut Oil), Pure Water (Aqua), Star Anise Essential Oil (Illicium verum), and Coffee Arabica.

If (or when) you get this soap, you'll notice that that there's a sticker on the back over the original label. The company was originally only located in Malaysia and since then, it seems as though they've changed the formula. They are currently in a slow rebranding phase in order to become more aligned with Dew Puff. The soaps, from what we've heard, is still made in Malaysia, but can be found for retail on Dew Puff for $7 a bar. Sorry for the technical stuff, but in case you start looking into it, you can rest assured that there is actual exfoliation in there through the coffee and that you don't have to order the soap all the way from Malaysia.

The scent of the star anise in the shower kind of rises and falls, mixing a bit with the coffee. The coffee in itself offers fantastic exfoliation. Overall, I loved how this soap performed because as I mentioned before, I have very dry skin. I normally go for very moisturizing soaps but this one isn't really like that. I will admit that it was a bit drying for my skin but that's probably due to the exfoliation. While one who has even drier skin might find issue with this, for me it meant that the heavy lotions I use could finally penetrate my skin. My skin in general feels a lot better afterward.

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Product: Indochine Natural Star Anise & Coffee Soap
Price: $7
Would Recommend? Yes.
Takeaway: The scent might take some time to grow on you, but if you like star anise, this will be enjoyable. It offers a good amount of exfoliation which may leave your skin a bit dry (that is, if you have dry skin) but it is great if you pair it with a heavy lotion.

Kara's Way: May Box (Continued)

The last two products in the May Box is the Native Touch products and the sunscreen from Beyond Coastal. The reasons why I didn't get to them as quickly as I normally would was because the Native Touch set is for a full pedicure and as for the sunscreen... well, I don't get much sun. For the other products that were in this box, you can check out my original post.

Native Touch Medicine Man Soap

Product Pricing: Regular size is $7.

Thoughts: As part of the pedicure, I think it's great -- it has a strong sage and cedar wood scent and overall feels great on the skin. I don't do pedicures that often anymore so let's switch gears. I'm a soap fanatic so I would never turn away a sample of soap. It is a little bit on the drying side so I do recommend having a nice moisturizer to go with it. 

Native Touch  Blue Corn Scrub

Product Pricing: Regular size is $20.

Thoughts: If you're doing the pedicure (or even a manicure) then this is the next step in the process and it is amazing. So the soap can be a little bit drying but the oils in this scrub add them all back in and make your skin feel amazing. I kind of didn't even want to move on to the third step (using the moisturizer) because it was so fantastic. 

Native Touch Rooting Bear Rub

Product Pricing: Regular size is $14.

Thoughts: Awesome... a fantastic salve or moisturizer. Whatever it is, it smells great and works extremely well. If you use it as the final step of a pedicure, then I highly recommend putting on socks to keep all that moisture in -- if you're doing a manicure, then grab some gloves. Given the shea butter, you can use this on your cuticles or even in your hair. This is a great multi-purpose three step system and I'm very happy that I got to try them out.

If you're feeling brave, the soap works really well on the face. The scrub on the other hand, which is great on the hands and feet is really not good on the face. I totally tried it and the sugar hurts -- so learn from my experiment (I knew it was going to hurt but I figured that I might as well try it). Remember to use the Thayers toner (or any other toner) as a follow-up and moisturize!

Beyond Coastal Daily Active Sunscreen
Product Pricing: 1 Oz (which is what you receive) is $6.
Thoughts: Let's be realistic, if you were looking up reviews for this sunscreen then you know that is SPF 15 and this is a huge criticism because most people will only put on higher SPF's because they expect to be in the sun and want something higher. So to be honest, I wasn't sure how or when I'd use this because if I were going to the beach of camping -- if I knew I was going to be in the sun then I'd grab my bottle of Ocean Potion SPF 50. A result of this meant that I needed to try something else -- I needed to try it for everyday use because that's basically what it's best for. The problem is that I live in San Francisco and the sun... well, the sun is mischievous. We did get a few days of sun so where I'd normally NOT wear SPF, I slathered this on. Overall, I think it's a good product for everyday use -- it is very moisturizing and feels good. Mine didn't have much of a scent so I can't comment on that. I will mention that Beyond Costal does have an Active Sunscreen SPF 30+. So if you liked the feel but wanted something higher, you have a choice.