Ebb & Flow: September

The highs and lows of the month.

Skincare:

Can I rave enough about Innisfree Green Tea? After months of using it my cystic acne is under control and my face feels so good.

Makeup:

On my third bottle of NARS Tinted Moisturizer. Tried switching up my foundation a few times. Keep coming back to this hunk of lovely. 

Hair:

I use hairspray. I only use Rave 4. I must be one my 289th can. 

Perfume:

Still lusting over my Tauervilles. Bought Rose Flash.

Soap:

Boodygoodies Cavendish, so scrubby and delectably scented.

Wax:

 Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Pie candle.

Eating:

Liberte yogurts in all the flavors, especially Lemon.

Reading:

The Dresden Files. On book 4. Harry is a funny lovable guy.

Awaiting:

Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt with the girls in Bartow. 

Dreading:

The moment I get spoilers from Game of Thrones if the series runs ahead of the books.

Enjoying:

Baking. 

Craving:

Lush Lord of Misrule goodies, brisk breezy days, and more time with my loved ones.

Hit:

Browned Butter Pumpkin Cookies

Miss:

Hoarfrost Tonic wax tart from The Bathing Garden.

Low:

Letting my emotions get the best of me this past week.

High:

Seeing my in-laws, my mom, my sisters and brother-in-law and a Pumpkin Pie milkshake at Parksdale's Market.

What were some of your highs and lows? Hits or misses? Or any of the above?

Lasting Scent Candles: Fall Order

Gaze upon the bounty. The hauntingly festive autumnal hues and illustrations. The cornucopia that is my fall Lasting Scent Candles order. 

Banana Chai Muffins- Ripe mashed bananas, brown sugar, nutmeg, clove, pumpkin chai and honey glazed walnuts.

Banana cupcakes with a sweet spicy warmth and richness from the pumpkin. Superb.

Lemon Ginger Snaps- Crispy gingersnap cookies, sugared lemon creme frosting and candy sugar sprinkles.

LSC lemon is decadent, add a touch of gingersnap and it is overboard. I bet this one really blooms when melted.

Pumpkin Tea Bread- Pumpkin bread, black tea, holiday spices and brown sugar.

The tea is very sweet and sugary. I am hoping the spices and pumpkin emerge more when warmed. A unique blend I am highly anticipating using.

Butter Run Pumpkin Brittle- Butter rum, butterscotch, pumpkin puree, and vanilla buttercream sauce.

No punches pulled on this guy. Strong butterscotch that gets stuck in the teeth and tastes like bliss. The pumpkin offers a touch of golden deepness.

Sweet Decadence- Cakes and frostings.

The best creamy thick vanilla ever. Yum.

Holiday Bakery- Cookies, buttery gingerbread, cupcakes and pumpkin.

The buttery gingerbread pops the most right now. Not my favorite of the bunch but still a nice scent.

Dunkin' Punkin's- Dunkin' sticks, pumpkin glaze, caramel syrup.

Pumpkin donuts and caramel. Simple goodness.

Pumpkin Mallow Grahams- Graham crackers, pumpkin filling, sticky marshmallow.

The graham crackers smell so comforting in this. Add marshmallow pumpkins and it elevates it to delicious.

Pumpkin Kiss- Sweet Decadence with pumpkin filling.

Pumpkin Kiss is a touch more spiced and rich than the regular Sweet Decadence, but nothing in it hollers pumpkin. 

Fall Fest- Apples, pumpkins, autumn spices.

One of my top favorites in the order. A simply fantastic sweet, rich blending of everything fall. The apples manage to emit cider and fresh picked all at once. The pumpkins are bouncy and orange. 

Spooky Apparitions- Yummy pumpkin, two sugars, sticky marshmallows.

I smell caramel and butter brickle. With added marshmallow. A pleasant scent but not very pumpkin-y.

Cobweb Cookies- Sweet creamy cookies.

Candy corn studded sugar cookies! Most spooktacular!

Apple Snap- Apples, cranberries and warm spices.

The cranberries push the apples into tart juicy territory. The spices are neither too much nor too little. A stand out blend.

Autumn Apple Moonshine- Oak aged mulled cider, apples, mandarin oranges, cinnamon and clove.

Another top favorite. The oak pulls through, transforming an ordinary cider into an event. Not just a cup, but a cup in the woods by a campfire, wearing mittens and stirring with a cinnamon stick. 

Blood Moon- Blood oranges, mandarins, ginger, clove and cinnamon.

How apropos for this past week. Wow does this kick! The ginger snaps the nose hairs to attention. A stellar spiced pomander type of fragrance. Adore.

Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast- Sweet creamy pumpkin, French toast, maple butter syrup and cinnamon.

Creamy, rich, butter brickle bite pumpkin bread. Super cozy and bakery.

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts- Fried cake donut with cinnamon sugar.

The best cinnamon donut scent on the planet. This smells better than actual cinnamon donuts. The spice and dough are multi dimensional and realistic. 

Scotchie Coffee- Butterscotch, coffee, sweet cream, butterscotch caramel sauce.

I don't like coffee scents or cream scents in general, but I love this one. All the extra caramel and butterscotch make all the difference. 

Black Pumpkin- Patchouli and pumpkin.

Another top favorite in the order. Smooth and wicked like an ex-boyfriend. The patchouli is silky and dark while the pumpkin makes it feel like a midnight autumn dance.

Sweet Embers- Marshmallow, warm fire, amber, woods and magic.

My #1 FAVORITE! The best Marshmallow Fireside dupe on the market in my humble opinion. If there wasn't a limit of two I would buy as many as I could click into my cart. Consider y'all's selves lucky. 

Spooky Brew- Chai tea, pumpkin cream, marshmallow froth.

MMMM!! The pumpkin chai reminds me of something I would order at Starbucks. It smells just like the Tazo goodness. 

Perfect Autumn Day- A cool perfect sunny autumn day.

Hay, leaves, earth, green grass and fresh air. 

Autumn Dreamin'- Lavender and vanilla bean pumpkin.

Lavender and pumpkin make good bedfellows when it is LSC lavender. Creamy, sweet and never herbal. Almost vanilla-esque. Wonderful scent.

Cabin Fever- Crisp fall leaves, autumn spices, cedar, mahogany and woods.

Primitive forests, aging cabin, cold ash in the hearth and herbs hanging from faded twine in the kitchen. 

Wow. I am knocked out guys. This order had me gushing over it again and again. Lasting Scent Candles will be opening again for a Christmas release pretty soon here I think. Like their Facebook page and watch for opening announcements. Tarts run $1.75 each and smell amazing. Which of these would you want to sniff? Did you get an order in? What are your thoughts?

Candle: Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Pie

Divine. Another hit for Bath & Body Works. Jacqui recommended this candle to me a little while back and she was absolutely dead on. The throw is medium-strong to strong and the flames burn bright and stout. The aroma of sweet mellow spices and deep ochre pumpkin wafted about my whole living area. The crustiness of bakery was low key but hinted at around the edges of the scent. 

Repurchase for sure. I bought this one and the Pumpkin Coconut during a recent 2 for $24 sale plus 20% off. So basically 2 for $20 like the good old days. 

What Bath & Body Works candles are you burning? Are you looking forward to any winter releases?

ScentSationals: Baked with Love

Another hit. This ScentSationals Baked With Love is a dual scent clamshell that features Pumkin Sugar Cookies and Cinnamon Pumpkin. I split the bars in half and mixed the two scents among two warmers. The throw was strong and lasted several hours. We could even smell them outside the house when we returned from dinner later last night. These two bars weigh 1.25 ounces each. I believe this was $2? The bakery was not too overpowering but then again I did make pumpkin cookies that day too. I got more of a nice sweet and spiced pumpkin from this. Defintely, definitely a repurchase. 

Have you started melting any pumpkin tarts? Which ones are your favorite? My Lasting Scent Candles order arrived and I can't wait to dig in.

Mainstays: Mulled Cider

This teeny 1.25 ounce bar of wax threw like a champ! A festive strong blend of apple cider, sweet mellow spices and a golden nectar vibe. I split this between two warmers and it did great. The longevity was a tad short at about 3-4 hours, but for $0.93 it just could not be beat. I will definitely buy Mainstays Mulled Cider again. I preferred the cold throw of this over the Better Homes & Gardens version. 

Melting Basket 47

The last basket had a ton of repurchases! I must have made a doozy! Tarts I would absolutely buy again include: RG Pink Spearmint, CFTKR Baked Apple, Cedar Sage & Blackberry, and Ultimate Serendipity, TDC Vintage Vanilla a beautiful musky vanilla that throws insanely and lasts all day long, LCP Cinnamon Broom, The Candle Lab Mahogany/Dad's Den/Coconut and Pine Needles/Cinnamon/Vanilla Bean I am hoping to bring you all more about The Candle Lab soon. 

Bodygoodies- Cavendish

The Bathing Garden- Hoarfrost Tonic

Rosegirls- Garden of Eden scoopable

Rosegirls- Cedar and Saffron scoopable

Rosegirls- Lavender Mallow Smoothie

Rosegirls- O Captain! My Captain! I cannot believe I am actually melting this... hoard mode forever.

Sugar & Spice- Marshmallow Fireside Marshmallow Noel

Lasting Scent Candles- Smoking Mirrors

Streetman- Fig Berry Vanilla Bean

Warm Ups- Mahogany

CFTKR- Blackberry & Bay (Jo Malone Type)

Rustik Country Krafts- Nag Champa

Rustik Country Krafts- Patchouli

A hippy, earthy, smokey, and herbal basket. This category of tarts was starting to pile up in my wax drawer (I store my wax like Jacqui- by scent genres). So I decided what better time to melt some earthy than fall? If there are any you would like reviewed in depth please comment and it would make me happy to do so!

I started lamenting that fact that I really did not have much to explore around my home nature-wise... then I remembered... duh. You have woods in your backyard. Is it like if you see something long enough you forget it is there? Or maybe I just never really thought there could be beauty in a tiny and somewhat urban stretch of trees. 

I was wrong. Thankfully.

So I gained dozens of mosquito bites, a few scratches, and several burrs but I also drank in nature. I tried to ignore the random trash and thorns, but isn't that what we do in life? Choose to ignore the ugly and negative sometimes and focus on the beauty and positive. I need to, at least a little. Or getting through a day is sometimes difficult. 

This weekend brings my in-laws up for a visit, maybe some fall pumpkin something or other baking, and hopefully some reading. My book pile has grown lately. How is your week going? Looking forward to anything? 

Surrender to Chance: Perfume Samples and Decants

There are quite a few great places online to buy perfume samples. One place I tend to frequent most is Surrender to Chance. Signing up for their newsletter holds the key to getting coupon codes each month, uncovering the Weekly Chance Specials and even news of temporarily discounted lines. Once such recent newsletter heralded a Labor Day special of 40% off select perfume houses. 

I ended up sampling a few musk scents from Ramon Monegal, two perfumes from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and one from Providence Perfume Company, an all natural perfumer. I will review these scents once I get to spend some quality time with them.

Some other great places to get samples and decants include: The Perfumed Court, LuckyScent, and The Posh Peasant. Do you buy perfume samples and decants? Who is your supplier?

Warmed Wax: The Candle Lab, Rosegirls, and CFTKR

Autumn Morn from CFTKR- This was a pleasant fall scent of brittle leaves, soft spices and cold earth. The throw was a bit too tame for me at about a light to medium-light. I will probably put two leaves in each warmer as the leaves are a bit small. Probably not a repurchase.

Pine Needles/Cinnamon/Vanilla Bean from The Candle Lab- What a cheerful aroma! It reminded me of a sugared spruce but with extra vanilla and a touch of spice. It almost came across as a gourmand evergreen scent. The throw was a solid medium. I would buy this blend in a heart beat. And I will when I eventually get up to Strongsville, Ohio again.

Mahogany/Dad's Den/Coconut from The Candle Lab- I swear I get a touch of tobacco in this scent and mixed with the creamy coconut and woods, it really made my day peaceful as I was melting this. I would walk into my bedroom just to smell it. The tobacco (if there was any) did not have a cherry note but a more hay tone. The throw was a medium-strong and yes, I would buy this in a New York minute.

Pink Spearmint by Scoopable Wax (Rosegirls)- Kathy continues to crank out the amazing blends. This threw nice and strong in my bedroom for several hours. The Wrigley's Spearmint gum fragrance was tempered by a shot of Pink Sugar. Repurchase for sure.

I made it to Walmart this weekend and picked up a few ScentSationals, a BHG and Mainstay that caught my eye. Also Bath & Body Works kept calling me with that dang Pumpkin Coconut candle that has been everywhere in social media. Went the the store and there were only two left. I nabbed one of those bad boys and one in Pumpkin Pie. Candles have been hitting the spot lately. Have you been burning the wick lately? Whatcha got smelling up your home?

Long Cane Primitives: Custom Order

Long Cane Primitives in the house again! Cindy opened up for custom orders a few weeks ago and I hopped on the list. There are/were only about 7 or 8 people on the list so it went really fast (and may still be open for sign up, join her FB group if interested). I joined because I have been gifted her Cinnamon Broom scent and I fell hard for it. I needed some more. I went conservative and only ordered 6 scents. She gave me the option for bubble mailer or a slightly more expensive Regional A. I chose the box so they would arrive photo op ready.

Pink Watermelon Serendipity in Grubby shapes for $6.00. Not a very fallish scent but sometimes I crave a good serendipity. This blend does not disappoint. The watermelon and tropical tones of the serendipity jive well and the Pink Sugar gives it a musk aura that keeps it from being too sweet.

Double Mint Noel in Primitive Cakes for $5.75. Cindy's customers were posting raves about this scent right about sign up time. It is a buttermint blend that is strong and creamy. Cindy recently blended this with lavender and I am dying to try it. 

Twisted Peppermint in Primitive Pies for $6.00, these pies weigh about 1.4 ounces each. This is a scent I love in Bath and Body Works candles but when I burn it, the smoke from the flame messes with the purity of the peppermint. I was excited to see this scent in wax tarts, where flame is not an issue but on cold I am not sold on these. They seem light and a little crayon-like.

Pink Peppermint in Iced Cookies for $6.00, these weigh about 1.4 ounces each. These smell amazing. I blissful combination of mint and Pink Sugar with an added creaminess. Maybe extra vanilla is in her peppermint blend? Either way it is yummy and unique from other vendors.

Fall Leaves & Warm Cider in Pumpkins and Leaves shapes for $6.00, these tarts are about 1.5 ounces each. Here I blended Bath and Body Works Leaves with LCP's Mulled Cider. So. Insanely. Good. The extra punch of cinnamon to the caramel apples just makes it a perfect autumnal harbinger for my home.  

Cinnamon Broom in Pumpkin Patch shapes for $4.50, these lil guys are about half an ounce each. I am not sure why I got my favorite scent in such a small quantity. Call it an oversight. Red Hot cinnamon with a slight woody tone from the cinnamon bark. Just a wonderful wonderful cinnamon scent in it's strength and simplicity. 

Free Samples:

Orange Caramel Crumble- Orange danish meets Kraft caramel cubes. It is a nice scent but I think I need some spice in it for me to love. OH! I can mix some cinnamon broom with it!

Grandma's Pumpkin Waffles- This one is very bakery with maybe some of that zucchini bread thrown into the waffle batter. Not catching a ton of pumpkin and no spice. But I think the pumpkin adds a richness to this. 

Watermelon Candy- Watermelon bubble gum is what I pick up. Not really a bubble gum fan. But my girls will pounce on this.

Frosty Blue Ribbon Cookies- A nice rich sugar cookie. 

Long Cane Primitives has a great quality product and very reasonable prices. I weighed all the shapes and compared prices. The most affordable shape was the Pumpkins and Leaves at $0.98 per ounce. The most pricey shape was a tie between the Primitives Cakes and the Iced Cookies at $1.15 per ounce. However, in a wax community where the going rate has been bumped to about $2 per ounce, these are a steal. The throw tends to be healthy and the store is always stoked with RTS wax and now with some random customs that have a stellar TAT (one week for mine) you really cannot go wrong. Have you tried LCP lately? What are your favorite scents from Cindy? What shapes do you like out of these?

Neela Vermeire Creations: Discovery Coffret

Neela Vermeire's perfumes have been lauded in the perfume community for quite some time. She collaborates with the talented perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour to produce scents that hinge on certain periods or locations in India. Recently, she posted a promotion on Facebook that any purchase in her e-boutique would come with a free 8 ml perfume of her choice. That was my cue.

Her store offers a Discovery Coffret of four scents in 8 ml bottles (Trayee, Mohur, Bombay Bling, and Ashoka) for 125 Euros or $140 US. A full 60 ml bottle of any of these scents will cost 205 Euros or $232 US. I chose the Discovery Coffret so I could experience most of her scents (only her newest creation, Pichola, is not included). 

It arrived fairly quickly for having to travel from France and go through customs. I received my order after only about a week or two from ordering. My free extra 8 ml was Ashoka. Neela included a hand written note on a postcard, which is a lovely touch. I always appreciate when an artist adds the personal gift of their time and handwriting to their creation.

A sturdy informational card accompanied the beautiful purple box, it listed each perfume, the ingredients on one side and the notes on the other. This was quite handy to have. 

Unfortunately, as soon as I opened the plush parcel from France, copious amounts of rose came out of the bag to greet me. This did not bode well. Something had escaped its glass enclosure and was prowling about my royal box of expensive perfumes. If you look at the card, you see Bombay Bling's column has some juice smeared on it.

The culprit was Mohur. When I took it out of the box the entire bottle was slick with noir rose essence. The label was compromised and about a third of it was gone from me never to be worn on my skin. The bottle still leaks and I cannot get it to stop. Somehow the spray mechanism is not functioning as it should and keeps releasing my perfume at a slow leak around the neck. I was pretty bummed. I wished my free 8 ml had been in Mohur. 

I contacted Neela Vermeire through Facebook message where we had been conversing previously about the promotion (I wanted to double check that I had read right before I placed such a financially large order). I showed her a photo of the bottle and the saturated box. She said "the leak must have happened with air travel" and to "email us in the future as we are not always on FB." Hm. My excitement, and enthusiasm for this purchase took a big hit right then. Yes, of course it probably happened in transit. But the bottle sprayer is obviously faulty. I am sorry I went through the wrong channels. I can understand a business owners' frustration with being contacted through a dozen various platforms in this social media society. Social media must be a blessing and a curse for a business owner. Eventually, we did reconnect and she made the situation a pleasant one in the end. I precious Mohur was restored to me.

Trayee "Vedic Era"- Notes Include: Madagascar blue ginger, elemi oil, cinnamon bark, ganja effects, blackcurrant absolute, basil, jasmine sambac absolute, Egyptian jasmin absolute, cardamom absolute, clove, saffron, sandalwood, Javanese vetiver, Haitian vetiver, incense, sandalwood oil, patchouli, myrrh, vanilla, cedar, amber notes, Oudh oil, oak moss. 

Incredible scent list. The ginger, veitver and spices come through the most on my skin. These sharp and grassy notes are coated in the smoothness of the sandalwood and amber. It is a calming and serene fragrance.

Mohur "Moghul-East India Era"- Notes Include: Cardamom absolute, coriander seed oil, ambrette seed, carrot, black pepper, elemi oil, Turkish rose oil, Moroccan rose absolute, rose accords, jasmine accord, iris, hawthorn flower, almond milk notes, violet flower and iris effects, leather, sandalwood, amber, white woods, patchouli, Oudh oil, benzoin Siam, vanilla, tonka bean. 

Leather and roses, rose and amber, rose and velvet and candle illuminated nights. Elegant, dark, and solid. This is no ephemeral wisp. 

Bombay Bling "Contemporary India"- Notes Include: Mango, lychee, blackcurrant, cardamom, cumin, cistus, rose accord, Turkish rose, jasmine sambac absolute, Madagascar ylang-ylang, tuberose, frangipani, gardenia, patchouli, tobacco, white woods, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla.

This could also be Coconut Grove in Miami, or South Beach at night. Ripe fruits heavy in the trees, sultry humid evenings, clothes clinging to bodies in the tropical atmosphere. Night flowers sending out erotic messages to one another, swirling their refrains in the wake of passerby. Cuban cigars. Meregue. Laughter and crowds.

Ashoka "Imperial Buddhist"- Notes Include: Lotus, rose, water hyacinth, fig leaf, parsley leaf, osmanthus absolute, cassie absolute, iris, incense essence, jasmine sambac, fig milk, geranium, ylang-ylang, fir balsam absolute, myrrh, cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla accord, abmbre gris, birch, Haitian vetiver, leather, styrax, heliotrope. 

Figs, green and woody, not milky or overripe, smokey woods and incense. Green, fertile, peaceful. A verdant garden oasis tucked away in the mountains.  

These are all insanely gorgeous and highly sensual fragrances that do transport the body and mind to exotic locales. Which of these elegant beauties do you think you would gravitate towards? 

UPDATE: Neela Vermeire Creations has since contacted me and made the leaky and lost Mohur perfume right. My faith in their customer service has been renewed. There is nothing sweeter than a second chance. I am a satisfied perfume consumer. Thank you, Neela Vermeire.

EON Design Jewelry

My friend Jean started up a Buy, Sell, Trade Facebook group that is centered around handmade artisan jewelry with a bohemian flair. So much gorgeous artfully crafted pieces get put up that I finally pounced on one before it flew out of my virtual grasp. This lovely EON Design feather and turquoise necklace was a steal and I have been wearing it with joy the past week. I love when the clasp comes to the front so I can stare at the deer.

I keep eyeing this gorgeous fluorite necklace in her shop now...

Photo from EON Etsy site.

If you are interested in joining the group, just send me a message. Do you like jewelry? Who are your favorite metal-smiths? What do you gravitate towards?

Rustik Country Krafts: Wax Tarts

Rustik Country Krafts, or Rustik Sand Candles, operates out of Etsy and was pointed in my direction by Lynda for having an outstanding nag champa. And boy, they do! Not only does it throw really well but it smells so smooth and relaxing. I just adore my hippy scents. 

They usually sell their tarts 24 to a lot for $8.00. These tarts weigh in about 1/2 an ounce each and one is enough to do the job. At least for the nag champa scent. Shipping was a reasonable $6 since it came in a small flat rate, full to the brim. Included was a very sweet hand written note and a sample of a tart in Patchouli (YUM!). I did re-bag my tarts but that is no sweat off my nose.  

Rustik's huge scent selection, fast TAT, affordable prices, and wonderful customer service from Shellie will have me back in there browsing in no time... in fact, her Hippie Mix (patchouli, sandalwood, nag champa and oakmoss!) is next on my Wish List. She also offers clamshells for $3 and single one ounce scallops for $1.15. The fall and Christmas scent stock is extensive. 

Off to melt some groovy nag champa. Peace out.

Melting Basket 46

Wax tarts I would happily buy again from the last basket include: CFTKR Autumn Lodge sooo yum!, Rosegirls Macintosh Madness Swizzle Sticks, Streetman 30 Below this scent lasted forever, Dessa's Harvest Moon and Autumn Campfire.

Rosegirls- Sweet Lavender scoopable

Rosegirls- Pink Spearmint scoopable

Rosegirls- Marshmallow Spearmint scoopable

CFTKR- Baked Apple

CFTKR-Autumn Morn

CFTKR- Cedar Sage and Blackberry

CFTKR- Ultimate Serendipity

CFTKR- Tayberry & Teakwood <3 gift

Tiffany Candles- Cotton Candy Frosting <3 gift

Ten Digit Creations- Vintage Vanilla

Dessa's Homespun Scents- Gingerbread House

Yankee Candle- Patchouli <3 gift

Long Cane Primitives- Cinnamon Broom <3 gift

The Candle Lab- Mahogany/Dad's Den/Coconut <3 gift So excited about this one!

The Candle Lab- Pine Needles/Cinnamon/Vanilla Bean <3 gift

Stephanie's Homemade Wax- Fresh Picked Apple Creme Brulee

If there are any in my current basket you would like me to review in depth, please comment below and I would be delighted to!

How is your September going? I did great about cutting out the prepackaged junk food so far and being outside enjoying nature more but the rest is lagging a bit. Trying to just keep moving forward the best I can. 

I have a few things coming up that I am looking forward to: another 5 Sisters Crafternoon (I am going to make and bring those super cute rose shaped apple tartlettes Amanda posted on the giveaway), a movie date with Tricia to see Scorch Trials and I finally broke down and decided to try the Bookish Box for a month.

What does September hold for you? Have any crafts going? Books? Movies? Events? Orders?

The Bathing Garden

I am so happy Shannon has been keeping her website, The Bathing Garden, open for ordering. I am sad to say it has been far too long since I have placed a decent Bathing Garden order. Shannon currently has three collections out for you to choose from and all have many scent gems within them: Spring Collection, Wonderland, and Scare. I chose a bit from each in this motley order. The above photo are the items I actually bought (there are three tubs of goodies missing but that is because they are gifts). 

Lavender Vanilla Custard came to me in the scrub, whipped soap and hand and body lotion. The aroma embodies a soothing herbal lavender vanilla similar to Bath & Body Works Lavender Vanilla but with added richness from marshmallow and caramel.

Shannon's scrubs ($9.00 each) are perfect for my liking. The particulate has a nice medium coarseness that scrubs effectively without being too rough or wimpy. They are highly fragrant and contain nourishing butters.

The whipped soap ($8.00) is rather dense and a little goes a long way. I tried washing my hair with it but no dice. Too thick in texture (the soap, not my hair, alas). But it does work beautifully with a puff, lathering mounds of soft fragrant bubbles. 

The hand and body lotion ($8.50 for 4 ounces) has a nice watery feel that absorbs quickly into the skin leaving a trace of scent behind and a feeling of satiation. 

This is not my first tango with Magic Green Soup. This sugar scrubs bursts with mango butter and a soft soothing aroma that reminds me of Olive Branch in a way but I believe it is a Lush dupe for Jungle. Musk and herbs and sweet mild fruits. Delightful! And look at those dried flowers sprinkling the top. Le sigh.

Hoarfrost brings together notes of lime, cypress, pine and cool air. The zing of lime contrasts nicely with the pine resin, while the woody cypress grounds them with earth tones. It almost reminds me of my beloved Tombstone from FuturePrimitive. It has that same cool lime and crumbing stones vibe.

How unique Nothing Whatever is! Mint, ivy and vanilla meld and swirl in this delightful scrub. All three components can be detected equally. I think I will especially like this one during Christmas.

Wax tarts come in clamshells for $3.75 each. 

Hoarfrost- The same pine, cypress, lime and cool air concoction that was in the scrub. In the scrub the lime dominated, while in the tart, more of the woods and ozone emerge.

Ever Night- A Lush Twilight dupe that is one of my favorite scents in general. A lavender that is doused in sugar, vanilla and tonka bean. Pure lavender candy bliss.

Lavender Vanilla Custard- The same lavender, vanilla custard, caramel and marshmallow blend as the scrub. Very mellow and smooth.

Poisoned Apothecary- A festive blend of cider and woods that brings images of Ichabod and Katrina sharing a cup of warm spiced cider on a ragged quilt in the creepy forest surrounding Sleepy Hollow. 

Sea of Tears- Even though the notes list things like fresh air, sea salt, ocean mists, and aquatic florals, this does not smell like the usual "beachy fresh" scent. There is a musk and a heady honeysuckle that elevate this fragrance above others in this vein. It is gorgeous. One of my all time favorite scents from Shannon. I want to bathe in it (and I have) but only the tart is offered at the moment. It will do. It will do nicely. 

Alice Dressed in Gold- A Lush dupe of Sultana, it smells stunning. Honey, black currants, jasmine, lily, rose, musk and bergamot all equate to an opulent Moorish palace courtyard brimming with heady tropical flora. Saturated gem tones. Ivory and cobalt tiles edged in gold. A fountain throwing diamonds of water to diffuse the aromatic perfumes all the more.

The freebies. Next to Carol, Shannon is quiet possibly the most generous vendor out there. I mean, look at this! A huge tub of scrub, a full size hair and body mist, two whipped soap samples, a sample scrub, and a sample of a scrub and soap parfait. Plus seven tarts. I am awestruck by her kindness.

Faded Opulence Whipped Soap- A nose tickling scent of ginger, clove, blood orange and bubbling cola. It smells like artisan ginger ale. Love.

A Snow Globe World Body & Hair Mist- It smells like vanilla candy canes to me. There is a deepness too almost like caramel? I love it! It has a nice cooling effect when sprayed too. Gosh do I need that right now.

Hoarfrost Tonic Whipped Soap- Nice to have the soap to go with the scrub! Sweet!

Wicked Dough Sugar Scrub- Thick, fluffy pumpkin cookies piled high on a plate. Very little to no spice. VERY bakery. A touch of earth? Not my cuppa but I bet I can find it a good home. 

Frozen Cookies Sugar Scrub- Mint chocolate chip cookies. Again, not really a fan of the bakery thing for personal scents but it is well done and will be enjoyed by someone. 

Colossal Pumpkin Lantern Scrub and Soap Parfait- Chocolate frosted brownies paired with vanilla cream pumpkin brulee. It smells insanely delicious. I want to eat it with my finger. I do not like chocolate or bakery but this might actually go well with my Black Forest perfume from Solstice Scents so I am going to give it a go. Gotta color outside the lines once in a while, eh?

Plum Ballet- Blackberry sugar plum. Juicy, blackened purple berries macerated into a jam. So so insanely good.

Winter Mint Cake- Chocolate mint cake. The chocolate is so rich as to almost have a tobacco lean. Not sure if I will melt it though. 

Winter Palace- Lavender mint and wild berries. I get the dreaded minty berry cough medicine vibe I shudder at. 

Mr. Cratchit's Cider- Mmmmm... yes! A thousand times yes! Sweet apples and mulled spices. It smells fresh. Not old and musty. I just love it.

Belladonna Tincture- First. These brains. Oh my gravy. They are so insanely cool. Second. This scent. It reminds me of Lord of Misrule. But I could be wrong. There is that deep sweetness that Ever Night/Twilight has but with a soft blonde woods edge. Shannon JUST sent out a newsletter that has this offered in clamshells now. I am totally getting it.

Belle Morte- A lush dupe of The Comforter, soft berries and vanilla. Digging this color.

Vampire Blood- And this color! Gotta have a hot pink brain! A fruity melange of strawberry, persimmon, raspberry jam, pomegranate, cranberry, and fig, topped with vanilla bean and brown sugar. Very well done. I was worried it would be Bite Me, but it is not. 

WHEW! What an insane haul (for me anyway-most of mine come in Regional A boxes but to get a large flat rate means I went a little buck wild). I did get some Christmas presents for someone in this order. So it wasn't all bad. I am eyeing the Magic Green Soup wax tart and Mummy Mademoiselle scrubs. I can't get enough Rose Jam in my life. The new Fall and Winter release is hitting soon, if not already. She is taking down the Spring collection but leaving Wonderland and Scare available. Have you ordered from The Bathing Garden lately? Anything stand out? How awesome is the always open website?!