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.

Shiro Anniversary Haul

Like many other people I was eagerly anticipating Shiro's anniversary sale.  I've loved her eyeshadows since I swatched my very first one, and this sale was just the reason I needed to try some of her other products. Especially since I have a self-imposed eye shadow no-buy until I get my act together and swatch all of my other eyeshadows.

So blushes and lip products it was! She also threw in a free full sized The Fourth Be With You for purchasing more that $15 during the sale, a free eyeshadow sample in Extermination and a free blush sample in Apocalyptic (which I almost ordered anyways!). First, the two shadows.

The Fourth Be With You and Extermination

The Fourth Be With You is definitely bright! I'm not usually one to gravitate to loud colours like this, so I'm still unsure if I'm going to keep it or not. It's super pigmented though, and a gorgeous lime green if that's something you're into. There is a light shimmer but nothing too flashy.

Extermination is from the Fullmetal Collection, a collection I actually haven't considered before. I had quite a few shadows for other companies that looked similar enough so I hadn't bothered ordering samples. Extermination is very pretty, full of sparkles and a nice workable tan brown. Definitely my sort of colour.

Blushes were something I always avoided when it came in indie products since I was concerned about them being loose instead of pressed. I couldn't say no during the sale though, so I purchased full sizes of Shiro's 1 Up and Potion as well as Detrivore's Concubine. Apocalyptic was a free sample, but is also by Detrivore. Application wasn't as tricky as I expected, so I'm pretty indie blushes are going to be my new obsession.

1 Up, Potion, Concubine, Apocalyptic

1 Up is a beautiful coral pink with a light shimmer. It's the perfect summer colour for my pale complexion and will probably work well with a variety of looks.

Potion is a gorgeous light berry with shimmer. It's a little bright compared to the other colours I own, but if I'm light handed with it I think it could work great.

Concubine is a matte purpley beige, a colour I almost didn't get. Purple blushes do seem to be gaining popularity, so I'm interested to see how this one plays out on my face.

Apocalyptic is an excellent matte brick red. I didn't purchase a full size of this since I already own a similar tone in a NARS blush, but now I'm wishing I had. It's super pigmented too, which is always a plus.

The only blush I've actually used so far is 1 Up and I can't believe it's lasting power. I put it on before yoga and errands and it managed to last all day during 80 degree weather. Definitely a plus.

On to the lip products! I heard great things about Shiro's Intertubes, but I of course forgot to purchase them during the sale. Instead I got two of the new tinted balms in A Girl and A Cat and With Eyes Unclouded. I'd also heard fantastic things about her glosses and decided to gamble on a custom colour. I love the idea that you can pick any lip safe eyeshadows or blushes to make into the perfect lip colour, so after humming and hawing for a while I decided on Detrivore's Apocalyptic blush.

Apocalyptic Gloss, With Eyes Unclouded, A Girl and A Cat

Bare lips for comparison

A Girl and A Cat

With Eyes Unclouded

Custom gloss in Apocalyptic

A Girl and A Cat appears a lot darker in the tube, which is what initially put me off of ordering it. After seeing a few swatches of the gorgeous sheer berry it becomes though I caved and went for it. Definitely adds a nice colour to my lips without being too unnatural. The formula is smooth a moisturizing, a definite plus.

With Eyes Unclouded turned out to be the perfect 'my lips but better' colour even though I anticipated it to be a slightly darker red. It adds just enough colour to appear to still be natural, so I think this is a keeper for sure.

The Apocalyptic custom gloss was everything I had hoped for. I'm not a fan of super bright lips or lip products with a large amount of shimmery glitter, so I had a hard time picking out a colour since Shiro has very little matte shades. I asked about using Detrivore pigments instead and Caitlin reassured me she could use those for glosses as well. Apocalyptic is the perfect matte red I've always wanted, and it even leaves a slight stain on my lips. I only did a quick swipe in the above pictures but it could easily be built up, especially since I only got the gloss in moderate opacity.

The custom gloss formula blew me away. I've always hated lip glosses since I always thought the name was synonymous with sticky, gross lips. I tried different recommendations from different people but could never find something that worked for me. Shiro's formula however is exactly what I've always wanted. It's not sticky and actually feels moisturizing on my lips unlike other products that just sit on top and slide around and make a mess. These glosses are definitely going to be my go to, and I can't wait to try out more colours. My only word of caution is that the formula does have a slightly odd scent, so I recommend getting a flavour put in to counteract it. I went with Champagne and it's a perfect light, fruity sort of scent.

Apocalyptic gloss next to Apocalyptic blush

Over all it was an excellent purchase. I was able to try out Shiro and Detrivore's offerings that weren't eye shadow and I was impressed with everything I got. The custom gloss exceeded expectations and the blush seems to withstand whatever I throw at it. Shiro's products are definitely top notch, so I will always recommend it to those just starting out in the indie makeup scene.

You can find Shiro Cosmetics here and Detrivore here.

Mini Fyrinnae Cosmetics Haul

Even though I swore I wouldn't buy any more eyeshadows until I swatched and posted my entire collection, I couldn't resist one last purchase to kick off my 'eyeshadow no-buy'. Fyrinnae was always one company that intrigued me, but after the inconsistent open times and long processing times I resisted. I wasn't sure if I wanted to support a company that had less than ideal customer service, but some of their colours spoke to me and so I eventually gave in. Plus, the mini Pixie Epoxy was adorable and gave me an opportunity to finally test it out. Awesome.

The haul! Four mini shadows , a mini of Pixie Epoxy, and a free sample of highlighter.

Top row: Serendipity, Mauve-o-matic, Rapunzel Has Extensions
Bottom row: Center Stage (highlighter), Tapir

My order included a mini Pixie Epoxy, and the minis of Serendipity, Mauve-o-matic, Rapunzel Has Extensions, and Tapir. The free sample that was included was a highlight called Center Stage, and though I was initially disappointed since I don't use highlighter, I found out the colour is gorgeous and totally works as a beautiful eyeshadow base.

All swatches are done with Pixie Epoxy at the top and UDPP below that. I've never used any sort of glitter base before so the strip with the Epoxy is not as nice as it could be, but in some of the pictures you can see how it brings out the sparkles just a bit more than the primer.

From left: Center Stage, Rapunzel Has Extensions, Mauve-o-matic, Serendipity, Tapir

I have to say, I'm impressed. I had heard how wonderful Fyrinnae shadows were, and though at first I didn't think they could have anything different to offer than other brands, they were quite lovely. They applied well, have great colour payoff, and are quite reasonably priced. 

Look at those duochromes!

And just look at those duochromes! Center Stage didn't have much (which makes sense since it's just a highlighter), but the others were quite distinct. Even over just UDPP you can get the multidimensional shades to pop out, which is great for days I don't feel like fussing with Pixie Epoxy. The shades I picked were also all from the 'matte/shimmer' selection since I'm not a huge fan of glitterbombs or sparklier shades, but I would be interested to see how Pixie Epoxy reacts with those types of shadows.

In direct sunlight the sparkles really show through.

Overall though, I'm impressed. The shadows are lovely and I didn't have any major customer services issues that would prevent me from wanting to order from them again. The TAT on their website was high, but I received my order within a week from placing it. The constant open and close of their website is frustrating, and probably off-putting for a few people, but I think I would purchase from them again whenever I feel the need for duochrome goodness.

You can find Fyrinnae Cosmetics here, though their site does periodically close from time to time.

Notoriously Morbid Assorted Swatches

I'm going to preface this post by saying that I absolutely adore Notoriously Morbid. This isn't the first time I've purchased from them and it certainly won't be the last. Will I ever get my other shadow swatches up here? Maybe. Eventually. Whenever I have a full day with great lighting and nothing else to do. Otherwise, this is my newest order from one of my favourite indie companies. I'd been eyeing their matte Slay Me Collection for some time and when a Free Day Friday came up where I could get two free minis I caved. Not only did I get the three mattes I'd been gazing at, but I found a few others I'd missed in previous orders and snatched them up too. Afterwards I noticed my order was mostly of the red/purple and grey/green family but hey, we all have our favourites.

(From L-R) She's Got Gidget Hair, He's Going Through Changes, Sometimes My Arms Bend Back,
Where the Kids and the Vamps Go, Carly

Some I pressed while others I left in jars or depotted in jars. Captivated and Rain On Cold Glass both had Ferric Ferrocyanide (something that never presses well) so I put them in spare pill cases I had. Since Where the Kids and the Vamps Go and Neno were my free minis I kept them in the jars they came in.

(From L-R) Captivated, Rain On Cold Glass, Lizard On a Window Pane, Teacher in Tweed, Neno

This was also the first time I've ever pressed matte loose shadows and I have to admit I was fairly certain I'd mess them up when I first went to test them. A weird film had formed on the top and I could barely get any sort of colour pay off. After silently mourning them for a few minutes my husband suggested scraping off the weird film and sure enough after that they worked beautifully. I use the Pressing Medium from TheBodyNeeds and 70% Isopropyl Alcohol for reference, and other than the strange initial film no other problems have come up.

Now for the swatches! I'll go into the finer details on the close ups, but otherwise enjoy the sparkly, duochrome goodness that always comes with Notoriously Morbid shadows. All swatches were done over Urban Decay Primer Potion.

(From L-R) Carly, Where the Kids and the Vamps Go, Sometimes My Arms Bend Back, He's Going Through Changes, She's Got Gidget Hair, Neno, Teacher in Tweed, Lizard On a Window Pane, Rain On Cold Glass, Captivated

(From Top) Captivated, Rain On Cold Glass, Lizard On a Window Pane, Teacher in Tweed, Neno

• Captivated: NM's website describes it as a olive green with copper sparkles. In certain lights it can definitely appear more brown because of that but otherwise it's a gorgeous, deep green.
• Rain On Cold Glass: A gorgeous shimmery gold with hints of blue. I think because I pressed it some of the blue sparkles were lost, but I think it's beautiful regardless. A lovely neutral.
• Lizard On a Window Pane: In the first picture you can actually catch the green duochrome, though it appears more brown in the above shot. More of a satin finish, which is good news to those that are wary of glitter.
• Teacher in Tweed: Lovely neutral matte brown. Takes a bit of work to get good payoff but that's probably due to the pressing problem I had. Otherwise it's fantastic.
• Neno: Similar to Rain On Cold Glass but with a lot more glitter. Fallout occurred as to be expected with shades this sparkly but it was easily dealt with. Definitely has the 'wow factor' described on the website.

(From Top) She's Got Gidget Hair, He's Going Through Changes, Sometimes My Arms Bend Back,
Where the Kids and the Vamps Go, Carly

• She's Got Gidget Hair: A nice matte nude. It kind of gets lost on my eyelids since it's so close to skin colour but it makes for a nice base for other shadows.
• He's Going Through Changes: I'd call it a more gingery-nude than Gidget Hair, but also makes for a nice matte base. Could be built up a bit more as well than I did on my arm.
• Sometimes My Arms Bend Back: Rose copper was the best description of this beautiful shade. I can't notice the blue shift mentioned in the description but it's fantastic otherwise. Could be considered quite glittery though, so a glitter glue would work nicely.
• Where the Kids and the Vamps Go: Very similar to Sometimes My Arms Bend Back, but more of a berry copper. In certain lights it's obviously more magenta but in others they look almost identical. Also very glittery.
• Carly: I love this colour! It looks more purple in the pressed pan but comes out a nice shimmery burgundy on the skin. The copper sparkles are subtle and not as messy as the previous two. 

So overall another fantastic haul from Notoriously Morbid. I've never been disappointed with her products and this time is no different. I would definitely recommend their eyeshadows for indie newbies and pros a like, that much is for certain.

You can find Notoriously Morbid 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!