Haus of Gloi Summer Release Haul

Oh summer, the time of year when bath and body companies release their delicious lines of products for the world to enjoy. Haus of Gloi was one release I was eagerly looking forward to, and so once it came online I tried to snatch up as much as I could (and needed, I suppose). I have never purchased any of their summer scents before, so I picked a few that sounded good and went from there. Overall, I was definitely as pleased as I always am with their quick shipping and amazing products. They truly rarely disappoint.

First off, Haus of Gloi makes some of my favourite lip balms, so when I saw the scents they were offering in their Summer line I immediately snatched up three. I picked Pineapple and Fennel, Peach Milk, and Mango Cream. All three are the lovely formula I have grown to love and all three met my expectations. Their scents weren't as prominent initially but as I've used them I can smell the pineapple, peach, and mango a lot more. Still it's not as heavy as some other brands, and for that I'm grateful. It's just enough that it doesn't over power any other scents on me. I don't really seem to catch the fennel, milk, or cream as much as the fruit scents, so if any of those sounded off putting I wouldn't worry.

I also grabbed one of the Whipped Soaps since I'd heard so much about them, and the fact that they wouldn't be available until after Summer was enough to sway me. I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how luxurious it feels! It's on the firmer side, but still fluffy, and would make an excellent shaving cream. I've used it a few times as a body wash and it lathers up nicely and smells absolutely divine. Definitely another win for me.

As for the scents, I purchased three samples and then received Cozy Sweater as my free sample. My thoughts on the perfumes are below:

Zazz: Tart cranberry, pink grapefruit, sparkling champagne all shook up with crushed ginger root.

Smells exactly like Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale. I don't really get a grapefruit note but I can definitely smell the 'bubbles' of the champagne. Love it. I'm so glad I got this as a Whipped Soap because it's definitely my type of fruity, bubbly scent.

Wear time seemed to be around four hours before I started to lose it. My skin seems to do this with any scent that doesn't have a heavy base like musk/amber.

The Briar Path: Sun drenched trail leading to a day dream of ripe berries and woods rose, rich forest loam, ozone, dark amber and cream.

I'm not sure what note it is but I immediately get 'antique store musk' off the bat. It slowly dries to a sort of old lady potpourri smell and I don't enjoy it. I tried to let this one sit longer but I had to wash it off. Not my style.

Komodo: Mangosteen, Tahitian vanilla bean, dragons blood resin and faded tropical blooms.

I wasn't sure what to think with my first cold sniff of this one, since I got some sort of strong green scent immediately. My nose isn't well-tuned so I'm guessing it may have been the mangosteen. After applying and letting it dry however the vanilla and tropical blooms seem to come out and I get this wonderful sort of sweet scent. It honestly reminds me of some sort of sour candy I remember eating when I was younger that I can't exactly place. Love it.

Wear time seems to be six or so hours. The greeny scent lingers the longest but isn't as strong as it was on the cold sniff.

Cozy Sweater: Pale skin musk, faded perfume, Egyptian amber, softly burning nag champa incense and a fine aged vanilla.

I had heard wonderful things about Cozy Sweater so I was excited to see it as my free sample. Musky vanilla is my absolute favourite thing ever and so even though my husband wasn't a huge fan I definitely am. I'm not really sure what nag champa incense smells like but it's definitely not the patchouli sort of scent I dislike. This is definitely a nice, soft sort of perfume.

Wear time seems to be quite good, around six or seven hours. I think it's either the musk or incense that seems to hang around the most on my skin especially.

So some winners and some not so much, but at least now I'm prepared for restocks and future years. I would definitely recommend Haus of Gloi to anyone looking for high quality indie body products, and you can find them here.

Haus of Gloi Haul

Another day, another bath and body product haul! This post is actually a combination of two separate orders from Haus of Gloi, but I figured once I got the second one I might as well include them all together in one post. Seeing how I'm rather new to the company I decided to grab some mini jars and some samples and go from there. After all, they do have a bunch of different scents to try and each one sounds more delightful than the next.

Initially I grabbed a mini jar of Elevenses and Twice is Nice in Pumpkin Butter, Peach Mama and Satyr in Body Emulsion, and Mango Sticky Rice in Sugar Exfoliant. The sugar scrub is fantastic, exfoliating without being painful, so I have no complaints there. As for the lotions I grabbed both types just in case I preferred one to the other, and I definitely think pumpkin butters came out on top.

Emulsion on the left, Pumpkin Butter on the right

The body emulsions dried a bit faster than I'd like without leaving much behind, while the pumpkin butters were smooth and moisturizing without being too oily. Both were enjoyable and nicely scented, but I definitely enjoyed the butters just a bit more since they actually seemed to help my skin stay soft.

As for the scents, I was a bit mixed. Elevenses and Peach Mama were in my first order, and due to me not liking them as much as I thought I would I purchased Satyr and Twice is Nice to replace them. My more detailed thoughts on each scent are as follows:

• Elevenses: The description mentions orange cakes, almond and black tea but I can only seem to get the tea smell. It overwhelms me and having the lotion on my hands for too long gives me a headache. Perhaps if I was more of a fan of black tea I'd enjoy it more, but for now I'll pass.
• Peach Mama: I can maybe detect a bit of the peach nectar mention in the description, but otherwise I seem to get mostly patchouli and the frankincense. Not bad, but not really my preferred scent when it comes to body products.
• Mango Sticky Rice: Delicious! I catch the mango and rice notes perfectly, with just a touch of sesame. It smells so good I could almost eat it. I'd definitely buy this one again, especially as a lotion.
• Satyr: I saw someone else describe this as 'sexy creamsicle' and they weren't wrong. The blood orange and blackened vanilla mix well together for a sweet yet sensual experience. Another win for me.
• Twice is Nice: It was out of stock for a long time and I can see why. Buttery and sugary this is a perfect combination of sweet and salty. My husband mentioned it almost smells like kettle corn and I can see where he might get that. Definitely a winner and a return buy, as long as it doesn't keep selling out.

What order from Haus of Gloi wouldn't be complete with perfume oils? I purchased Depravity, Moon Dog and Absinthe samples initially and then went back and bought a full sized Depravity because it was just perfect. Honeybelle and Milkmaid were both free samples with my two orders.

• Moon Dog: Coconut, vanilla, sandalwood, nutmeg and clove. All of my favourite things! It's sweet and flirty with a touch of warmth. The coconut and vanilla blend well together and the sandalwood seems to ground everything.
• Depravity: Having bought a sample of this in my first order I had to buy a full sized. Very similar to Moon Dog it contains all the same notes plus amber and wine. I think it was the amber/wine combination that won me over since it seems a bit more musky and more to my liking.
• Absinthe: I found this scent overwhelming, so much so I can't really pick the notes out. It's probably the wormwood and anise that bother my nose but I can't be sure. Definitely not a winner for me.
• Honeybelle: Though the description sounded like something I'd like I again felt like the scents overwhelmed me. The citrus notes are almost too much and mixed with the amber I find it all a bit too strong. I'm glad this was a free sample since I definitely won't be wearing it.
• Milkmaid: Curdled milk, perfume and baby powder, that's all I smell. Not my style at all and instead reminded me of something my grandmother would wear. I almost bought this in a pumpkin butter without smelling it first but I'm glad I changed my mind.

I definitely lean more towards vanilla-based scents so both Depravity and Moon Dog were winners for me. I'm glad I was able to find at least a few things I liked though, and I can always come up with an excuse to order more samples.

Over all Haus of Gloi impressed me. Though some of their scents may not be my style there's plenty that are and I may just need to read over their descriptions a bit better before purchasing. Their product quality is excellent though, so I'd definitely recommend them to anyone that's curious. Plus, you can't say no to cute little sample vials. It's pretty much impossible.

You can find Haus of Gloi here!

Fortune Cookie Soap Mini Haul

Someone posted a link to a sale that Fortune Cookie Soap was having, and of course as soon as I took a look at their products I knew I had to have something. I'm usually pretty picky when it comes to bath and body products, but seeing that they had a sample pack of their Whipped Creams I had to try them. After sifting through their vast amount of scents I picked four, ordered, and about a week later received them on my doorstep.

I also received a free sample of their bath bombs in Trendsetter, which I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet but will hopefully put to good use soon enough.

Each container is 1 ounce, one-fifth the full size 5 ounce jars, but more than enough to get a good feel for the product as well as the scent. The four scents I chose were (from top left): A Nod to the Hippies, Native Nectar, In the Loop, and Capitol Diamond. (Yes I've clearly already tried Native Nectar and Capitol Diamond before the picture was taken, I couldn't resist!)

The consistency was creamy and luscious, but absorbed nicely into the skin without too much greasiness or stickiness. I also noticed the scent lingered far longer than regular body butters and I caught myself continuing to smell it a good couple hours after application.

As for the scents I have to say I enjoyed every one of my choices. They were a lot sweeter smelling than I've come to expect from commercially made body butters, but were so delicious I can't complain. Here are my individual thoughts on all the scents I purchased.

• A Nod to the Hippies: The description on the website mentions patchouli, amber and vanilla and I think I can catch a bit of everything. The patchouli, something I'm usually apprehensive about, is subdued by the amber and vanilla making for a nice, light scent. Some companies I've purchased before are a little heavy-handed with the patchouli but Fortune Cookie Soaps seem to have the right balance. 
• Native Nectar: Freshly cracked coconut is the perfect description of this. It reminds me more of soft coconut milk than the typical coconut suntan lotion smell. It's also quite light and not overpowering, and I can see it becoming a summer favourite.
• In the Loop: Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but it definitely delivered. It smells exactly like a freshly opened box of Froot Loops and I find I continue to go back and smell it just to confirm. It's slightly dusty and salty but still light and fruity, and I swear there's a hint of cardboard box in there. I don't know how they did it, but they definitely did.
• Capitol Diamond: The site says it's a blend of crisp vanilla, citrus, coconut, cloves and some strawberry notes but I definitely seem to get a strong strawberry vibe. I think it reminds me of those strawberry marshmallow candies, so it's another delicious smelling one. Like all the others though it's still nice and light, and though I catch whiffs of it as the day goes on it's definitely pleasant. Another hit for sure.

All in all I'm impressed so far with Fortune Cookie Soaps. I'm not a huge bar soap person but their range of products intrigues me and I can't wait to try some different things.

You can find Fortune Cookie Soap here!