This was one for the ages. When Shannon released her new
Bathing Garden collections for fall about a month and a half ago, I stuck my arm out and raced down the aisles pell mell, shoveling what I wanted in my cart that doth protested and checked out ala SuperMarket Sweep. Even with this veritable bounty I still spy out a few odds and ends I would not mind trying. Particularly the Belladonna Tincture salt scrub (
look at the hunks of salt on that thing!!!). The photo above contains my actual purchases.
Scrub-a-dub. Magic Green Soup and Ever Night are perennial favorites of mine and I buy them every time they pop up. I have reviewed them 2 or 3 times in the past so we'll be by passing them this time.
Faded Opulence- Clove, ginger, blood orange, and bubbling soda.
Faded Opulence was like sushi or boba tea for me. The first time I tried it I hated it, then the second time I sorta liked it then I found myself randomly craving it. Very bubbly and bright with the saturated blood orange and the dynamism of cola and spice. Like a grown up soda. All regular scrubs come in an 8 ounce container and run $9.00.
I got a sample of this Colossal Pumpkin Lantern parfait a couple years ago and the girls and I drooled over it every time it got used in the shower. And guys. It is kinda a big deal. Because it smells like pumpkin marbled brownies. And I am not into chocolate usually. But this is wonderful. The creamy softness of the whipped soap feels marvelous with the scrubby sugar of the other half. $12.50 and totally worth it.
This one is a specialty scrub that Shannon has released quite a few years now in a row. Toxic Earth brews a cauldron of coffee butter, organic mocha beer, rhassoul clay, scented with whiskey, caramel, cake, coffee and beer. Oh lawd. Coffee, sweet with cream and sugar and a pump of caramel, starts it out with that whiskey and beer combo sneaking around the edges. This is my virgin tub of it and I cannot wait to dig in with a four finger scoop on a brisk fall day to perk up my senses. $12.50 for an 8 ounce container due to higher cost ingredients.
Ever Night scrub and lotion in my favorite Lush scent: Twilight.
Wax tarts are $3.75 a clamshell.
Skeleton & Moss- Fennel, star anise, licorice and green herbal notes.
Spooky! Damp chilled mausoleums walled with haunted love and stone hearts, mortared with moss and lichen and whispers. It softly moans with that green licorice fennel seed then I get a crack of spice on the tail end. Cinnamon? Clove? Genius scent. This is the bewitching trait of Shannon. She ensnares with amazing scents.
Death Becomes Her- Spun sugar, vanilla white buttercream, pink sugar peppermint cookies, and rock candy chips.
I get icy cotton candy with suggestions of berries. No cookies or buttercream on cold but that may change. Unfortunately, I don't do mint and fruits well when they are combined. And that is what I get.
Tombstone Dust- Green apple cinnamon cupcakes, with marshmallow brown sugar and caramel glaze.
Excellent. That green apple. Much better than the mac apple overload I get sometimes. Tart, crisp, juicy and folded into cupcake batter, subtle caramel and spice.
Haunted Hayride- Tart Granny Smith apples, caramel, cinnamon, pumpkin and hay.
Love. That touch of hay completely transforms what would normally be a bakery scent into an evocative gourmand that features what else? But a chilly fall hayride with a cider steaming warm in one hand and a pumpkin pasty nestled in the other, baked dough folded over like a pocket of pumpkin pie. Add in a hand knitting scarf in maroon and I am there with windy curls in my eyes and cheeks plumped and pink.
Pumpkin Masquerade- Spiced pumpkin, pralines, butter and cream.
Yep. Dem pralines and cream, specifically pralines and cream ice cream with a little swirl of spiced caramel. I am not sure if I smell pumpkin or not yet. I will need to melt to further that thought.
Poisoned Apothecary- Hot mulled apples cider and woody undertones.
A love. Mulled cider with dusty cinnamon bark curls perfumed with cedar. If you love woods then you might like this.
Do you see that weeny skull?!? I want to quote some old Billy Shakes with him perched on my pinky.
The bony arm and hand of the dearly departed. Look at that mica sheen. Art.
Hades & Persephone- Citrus, cognac, musk, patchouli and ozone.
Like I mentioned last Bathing Garden post, I still get that nod to Lush's Karma with a veil of patchouli and dried orange peels and aged in a Grand Marnier bottle. Love it. If you like patchouli and orange, or Karma, get this bad boy. Plus the name? Yes? Loved Greek mythology in college.
Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Waffles- Pumpkin waffled swirled with butterscotch chips.
Pretty explanatory. Pumpkin Pecan Waffles dupe enriched with legit butterscotch morsels. Like Nestle Tollhouse sells in the baking aisle to grace cookies with or make those incredibly addictive 7 layer magic bars that mash chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, sweetened condensed milk and plop it on a butter and graham cracker crust and causes you to lose all reason and sense and caloric calculating. Or that could be just me. Probably is.
Wolfsbane Bites- Rich holiday cookies, butter, Moroccan mint.
Mostly the Moroccan mint I know and love and lather with in many a soap bar, particularly Handmade in Florida, but with a little added creamy sweetness from the holiday cookies. Not an overly bakery scent.
Faded Opulence- Same as the scrub.
Beads of fizzing blood orange artisan soda rise to the nose on an infusion of ginger root with wooden stars on clove resting on the bottom of the bottle.
Faerie Bonfire- Leaves, vanilla, sandalwood and brown sugar.
A true fireside scent that uses caramelized brown sugar crust to rub against the slightly acrid tang of embers. I enjoy this one on occasion and like blending with it too. Particularly, blending vanilla, marshmallow or spiced fall scents.
These three I have blogged about so much I am just going to leave them here as a reminder of how often I repurchase them: Magic Green Soup (a Lush Jungle dupe), Belladonna Tincture (a Lush Lord of Misrule dupe), and Ever Night (the best Lush Twilight dupe for wax out there). All solid throwers for me and all staples.
Cemetery Keys- Tonka bean, lime citrus and a sugary white floral.
You know I had to get this. And it does not disappoint. Vanilla doused wooden tonka beans serve as the main dish, garnished with a tang of lime and a very light touch of musk. I would not say this smells like a white floral at all, but it does have the element of perfume to it.
Deadly Gardens- Tonka bean, sparkling rose and jasmine, citrus and vetiver.
Another gorgeous scent. A scent to make your beautiful home feel even more beautiful. Or a sophisticated bedroom scent. The rose is sweet without being candied, and the vetiver adds some woods and sweetgrass. I bet this is a dupe for something, just not sure what.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Rich and spicy but also a touch of white pepper from the cardamom. Not your average Pumpkin Spice. This was 1.3 ounces for $1.50.
Netherworld Zombie- Dirt, espresso, lime, whiskey and chocolate.
You will get about 3.5 ounces of tiny pumpkins (five in mine) for $4.50 that are bagged with love. A tiny pumpkin button adorns orange organza ribbon. The scent. My goodness. Soil and dark chocolate like fresh turned earth around a witch's cottage. A bite of acidic lime from the cold tombstone gargoyle looming near the front door. Coffee splashed with a wicked brew from the XXX clay jug on the shelf inside, steams at the table. The witch enjoys her fortifying nightcap that will fuel her for the starry flight ahead. I am melting this on Halloween night. Such a crazy, crafty brew.
The freebies.
Free scrubs in:
A Snow Globe World- Creamed vanilla buttermint delight.
Charm & Ruin- Sweet oranges and tangy fruit, festive.
Illusions of the Labyrinth- Citrus and musk, lovely.
Colossal Pumpkin Lantern, happy to have this to try in wax form since I love it in the parfait.
Cardamom Potion brain!!!! I LOVE cardamom!! This one is a head scratcher. I get more a sugar and cardamom than anything else. Not a sharp, piquant or peppery cardamom, just really mellow and a little coconut and vanilla to it. I would love more of this.
A witch tart in Belladonna Tincture. How beautiful is this? I wanted it, but was going to content myself with just the clamshell. I am so happy to have this. Sorry the last few photos are blurred. I took these pics in a rush and it shows. I am sorry guys. Normally I try to do my best but I was feeling the backlog of orders and wanted to get this up in time for people to still order from these collections if they want.
Pink Candy Queen, Lush Snow Fairy dupe.
Mr. Cratchit's Cider, love this one. More spice than cider and a little something refined.
Guys. That was intense. Thank you for slogging through that with me. I told y'all I went buck wild. Now my wax storage is full again and ready for me to start melting. I do still have a little batch of orders I have not posted that I will sprinkle in here and there between the Fall Fun Series and such.
Did you order from The Bathing Garden? Are any of these favorites?