Astrid Perfume: Bath Treats

Astrid Perfume, formerly Blooddrop Perfume, makes on of my favorite bath time ritual products... Froth. When Astrid of Astrid Perfume announced a pre-order for some bath time goodies I was trying to pinch some pennies so I only picked up one Froth and one Bath Salt. During the pre-order process she mentioned that sales were low and she might not produce the bath products again. Insert sad face here. So I will use what I have and be happy that I got what I did.

Undo Bath Salt Soak is a relaxing blend of lavender, chamomile, peppermint and black pepper with a few other herbs thrown in. These salts made for a truly soothing bath with a skin softening and muscle relaxing effect. I will be running through this bottle in about a week I think. Especially with trying to sell the house and having to keep it clean for a showing just about every other day. Kicking myself for not buying more of these.

This particular Froth is scented in Lavender and Vanilla. I am a sucker for milk baths ever since I was gifted a Haunt milk bath product long ago. Astrid's milk bath is amazing. It froths up on the surface of the bath water and makes for a hazy and nourishing bath experience. It is like bathing in silk. The lavender and vanilla fragrance is mellow and creamy. A dream to slip away into before bedtime.

Astrid was very generous and included this Lotus Serum face oil as a freebie in the bath product orders. I am blown away by her kindness. I had made a bone head move and picked the wrong shipping but she was polite and provided good customer service through the kerfuffle. Anyway, I am almost 2/3 of the way through my current face serum but I look forward to trying this one out. It is loaded with skin pampering ingredients like rice bran and kukui oils, squalene, lotus extract, green tea and ginseng to name a few. I will report back once I add it to my rotation. 

Are you loving anything in particular in your bath lately? How about skin care? 

We had an offer on the home and another showing for this Saturday so things are picking up. The girls both got into the public Montessori school we applied to so that was a huge blessing. Thank you for your kind words and well wishes. Pieces of our next adventure are beginning to fall into place one part at a time. <3

The Mellow Mermaid Soap Co.

These products were sent free from The Mellow Mermaid for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Gayne from The Mellow Mermaid Soap Co contacted me through Instagram and asked if I would be interested in trying out some of her handmade products. Her company is based out of Florida and prides itself in being vegan friendly, cruelty free, palm free and made with organic and fair trade ingredients.

Bar soaps run about 4.5 ounces and cost $8 each. Most are made with avocado oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter and castor oil. A couple of the soaps does have shea butter in it as well. I am going to give away three of these soaps at the end of the post so I am only going to use and review Beach Hippie, the others I will only mention the scent. 

Paradise Found- A refreshing blend of citrus, floral and ozone. 

A mildly sweet clean aroma of Valencia oranges mingling with freshly laundered sheets. 

Turbulent Seas- An energizing blend of eucalyptus and spearmint. 

Evocative of a spa day with cooling gels and herbal aromatherapy massages. The spearmint isn't too chilly and the eucalyptus possesses a smoothness. This is one of my favorites in the bunch.

Beach Dream- A dreamy blend of lavender, florals and vanilla.

This one is Scarlette's favorite. It has that freshly laundered softness of dryer sheets. A clean linen scent with the vanilla softening the edges. 

Beach Hippie- An earthy blend of orange and patchouli essential oils.

What? Me try the earthy one? Who woulda guessed. Beach Hippie is a great scent for my preference profile. It actually wasn't extremely earthy or musky. It has more of a wooden lean with the patchouli and the orange aroma veers into the dry orange rinds and aged orange wood territory. It lathered up beautifully with abundant bubbles and it felt nice on the skin. The lather rinsed clean and left no residue. Overall, a nice sudsing experience.

The Mellow Mermaid also sells scoopable wax, which couple be fun.  

If you would like to have the other three soaps please be the first to leave a comment claiming the soaps and I will mail them off to you. 

MoonaLisa: Winter Bath & Body

Many moons have passed since my last MoonaLisa order. Two things aligned to spark this haul: I was out of bath goodies and the Sihaya and Company box with the 4 in 1 from MoonaLisa rekindled my appreciation. For a second I had thought MoonaLisa was going to close up shop but it turned out she shifted the business model to where she makes the perfumes and Paul makes the bath and body. Once the Winter collection was released I headed on over to restock my bath cupboard. 

Of course the 4 in 1 Fine Bubble Wash had to come home to me. In a few scents. 

Winter Solstice- Winter 2018 version. Tune into quiet winter mysteries with a blend of different sacred resins, such as frankincense and myrrh, nutmeg and labdanum absolute. $11.95 for 8 ounces.

These 4 in 1 washes really shine as a bubble bath for me. I have washed my body with them with success but I prefer bar soaps to liquid soaps, so bubble baths they remain. They can also be used for shampoo and fabric wash. Winter Solstice smells amazing. The resins really shine and offer refined comfort. 

Sugared Forest- Sugared spruce, frosted berries and fir trees.

Sugared Forest smells deliciously like chewy almond marzipan and sugar crystal coated fir needles. The fruits don't really emerge for me but I quite like it just how it is. It makes for a beautiful winter scent and not exclusively a Christmas scent. 

Cinnamon Forest- Piping hot mulled cinnamon drink with vanilla beans and cedarwood. 

Candied Red Hots made dusky with tonka and dark woods. I really love how the sweet spice is tempered with the velvety vanilla shadows and cedarwood. It is a divine scent I will use up quickly. 

Kris Kringle Winter Salt Soak- Blend of various woodland accords, Yuletide spices, vetiver and Douglas fir essential oil. $10.95 for 12 ounces.

This Winter Salt Soak lent a calming experience to my bathing ritual. The salt soak wafted up with a billowy fragrance and the citric acid offered a gentle foam and imparted a milky water.  It left my skin soft and silken. The scent evokes Christmas trees and gingerbread snaps and a touch of earthiness from the mud coated boots from friends and family hastily left by the front door. 

Shire- Rich soil, earthy bark, dried grasses, stones and pinecones. $10.95

I adore not only the scent of these salts but the label art too (and of course the subject matter). This must be what Bilbo's garden was redolent of that fateful morning he smoked his pipe when Gandalf came upon him asking about an adventure. A base of sweet soil and dewy plantlings, cool minerals and a breath of pine all swirl around a Shire breeze that lifts those smoke rings high up in the clouds. Brilliant.

This wee Krampus guy in a small foil pouch must be something good but I am so enamored of the wrapping I am hesitant to open it. I am guessing it is either a chunk of soap or a bar lotion. I guess I will find out eventually. 

I am thrilled with these bath goodies. They will get used fairly quickly as I take a bubble bath about 4.5 times a week. 

Did you order from the latest Moona update? What are you using in your bath tub or shower?

Paintbox Soap Works

I woke the witch. And boy does she smell incredible. Paintbox Soap Works has come my way here and there over the years. It all started with The Soap Box Company several years ago and then my friend Jean. I would get a soap sample here, a scrub sample there and always enjoyed it. But ultimately it took a craftily written review for Waking The Witch on their Facebook page that got shared in a group I am a member of and then next thing I knew I had a cart full of this scent and was happily clicking "submit." And I submitted totally. No regrets. Do yourself a favor and click here, scroll down to the reviews and read it. This lady describes the scent way more masterfully that I can, but I will still have a go at it.

Waking the Witch luxury glycerin soap ($6) is full of nourishing oils and soybean oil to condition. Here is the description for Waking the Witch on the website:

"Smoldering, sticky resins, wrinkled apples drying over the fire, tea leaves & bitter berries packed in oil, & sacred jasmine & frangipani blossoms to scatter in the flames.

Waking the Witch is a blend for the night of the soul, shapeshifting from dark sticky incense to jammy fruit & dry tea, through a cloud of heady florals & back to warm coals & woodsmoke. It's the smell of gathering revelations, of plans revealed, of lines crossed & power embraced. It's deep & wild & not here to please anyone but the stars as they whirl overhead.

We have been quiet & patient & good for a very long time. Enough of that. This blend is for all of us as we dig deep & find our voices & howl into the darkness & scrape at the sky. "

This generous six ounce bar is a deep smoky hue with a smattering of silvery and icy blue glitter. I carved a slice off and it is the most incredible fall scent that has graced my shower. Petite hand-carved wooden bowls swell with wild cranberries and black raspberries in their bellies. They await the many tincture jars that line the scarred butcher's block, along with their soon-to-be-companions of herb and spice, clove and anise and nutmeg, peppercorns and patchouli sprigs. A well loved patchwork apron hangs in on a peg, decades of sage, resin and incense burning cling delicately to the fragile threads and a handpicked wildflower bouquet is tucked inside the lone pocket. The daughter inhales the scents of homecoming.

This soap not only smells amazing but it feels great too. The base is a deep smoky brown with bronze and sable mica running through it. It lathers effortlessly and rinses cleanly. The sliver in my shower is almost gone because I have been using it so much. I have one at my tub side and two more tucked away in my cabinet.

Waking the Witch Sorbetto is a thick rich sugar scrub ($12) that contains avocado and grapeseed oils, rice bran and mango butter. The texture is thick and sticky and makes for easy scooping and scrubbing. It is along the lines of The Bathing Garden but less dry and more solid. I very much like the texture. It makes fun shapes. Helpfully, it also makes for a fabulous exfoliant. I mean, that is what we are here for right? Scrubbing, not playing? Eh. I like playing. 

Everything came professionally sealed and it is encouraged to use the product up within 3 months for optimal freshness. The scent in the scrub is just like the soap.

A little goes a long way with the bath streusel ($12). I poured about 1/8 of the jar into warm running water and it fizzed and foamed and turned the water murky with its strong blackened flower scent. Nourishing golden globes of oils floated up from the warm water to the surface, to cling to legs and arms and skin. It acted as a built in lotion so that when I emerged from the bath and toweled off, there was no need to apply any. Waking the Witch is much  more moody in this version. Much more smoky and earthen.

I also threw in a wax tart clamshell into my cart. 

Kattegat- Notes: Birch, frost, cold sea water, dragon's blood. $4

Deb, if you are reading this... you knew I had to get it. VIKINGS! This smells divine. Subtly sweet spruce and birch woods stand along the water rimmed cliffs of the fjords. Resinous dragon's blood and hearth fires in the long houses keep the scent from being overly aquatic and balance it out perfectly. Two cubes threw medium-strong in the living area and kitchen. This is a scent that I will be buying more of in the future. 

I had two generous free samples in my order, both 2.5 ounce Sorbetto sugar scrubs. 

Mandinka- Notes: Spiced honey, carnation, incense and saffron.

This is gorgeous. Not sure if it is named after Sinead O'Connor or the African people but either way it smells lovely. Supremely light smoke trailing from an incense stick joins the wild honey and Balinese spices at the temple altar. Handwoven baskets of flowers, incense and spice are left as offerings and when chanced upon them, lend their sweet fragrance to the breeze. I want to bathe in this. So I will look and see if it is offered in bath products.

Gardensong- Notes: Sun warmed herbs, tomato leaf, pimento and yuzu.

The sweet grapefruit tang of yuzu features prominently then is backed up by the subtle greenery of the herblings. A summery scent that I am going to use up in the bath right now. 

I am head over heels for my Paintbox Soap Works order. I would kick myself for not ordering sooner but now I know I have time to catch up. Can't change the past. 

Do you enjoy Paintbox Soap Works? Favorite scents? What are you favorite products?

Witch Baby Soap: Holy Smokes Bath Potion

I ran through all my bath salts and found myself missing the glorious bath potions from Witch Baby. Got lucky perusing the website and there was one sitting jar of bath potion sitting pretty so into the cart it went and home it came. 

Holy Smokes- Notes: Palo santo, sage, frankincense, myrrh. $20 for 16 ounces

Smoky incense billows out from the jar with arid sage and the specters of the trees within which the incense was born. There is a touch of vanilla powdered milk from the coconut milk powder, milk powder and tapioca that gives it the rich milk bath silkiness, but that part doesn't really affect the overall aroma once it hits the water.

Opening the metal lid to the glass jar reveals a generous stick of palo santo buried within the heart of the potion. I was not expecting that and it was a pleasant surprise. I drew myself a nice hot bath that night and the potion resulted in the most magnificent milk bath. Silken, bubbling with incense smoke and herbal sage, tender flower petals and tiny leaves curl about the surface of the water. 

Holy Smokes is currently sold out, but that doesn't mean it won't come back. I have some Witch Baby bath bombs coming up in a post here soon. 

What Witch Baby product is your favorite? Do you like milk baths?

Happy Friday the 13th!

Twilight Alchemy Lab: Bath Oil and Perfume

Twilight Alchemy Lab is an off shoot of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that crafts oils for body, bath and more. I picked up a bath oil and two other oils to use. 

Moonset- To be used to clear your mind of noisome thoughts, relax your conscious inhibitions and increase receptiveness. This bath formula includes mugwort, clary sage, bay laurel, organic lavender oil, lavender absolute and yarrow oil extracted from plants grown in the TAL garden. (4 oz $30)

This bath oil smells amazing. It has a minty coolness that reminds me of eucalyptus or menthol or camphor. The invigorating steam that rises from the hot bath water when this is dripped in lifts the spirits. The herbs and lavender and sage all mix to calm and delight. I am extremely content with the bathing ritual born of this oil. 

Fire of Passion: 2001 Private Stock- Notes: Cubeb and 17-year aged patchouli. (5ml $40)

This is quite possibly the best patchouli centric oil I have encountered. I dab some behind my ears and fly off into the ether. It smells of fecund earth and aged herbs, slivers of smoldering kindling and a silvery edge of metallic iron. It is a patchouli lover's dream. When I wear it I sniff myself constantly. This is geared towards being a aphrodisiac and it does ignite some fires but I just love it for the scent itself. The cubeb is a plant related to pepper and does have a peppery and camphorous tone to it. I will use this one sparingly. 

These are both sold out at the moment but the bath oils do get restocked from time and time and various oils are released in the Etsy store as well. Do you like bath oils? A new one from Nocturne Alchemy arrived at my house and I cannot wait to wallow in it. 

Blooddrop: Spring Collection Bath and Body

Opening up a box that looks like this is pretty much just like Christmas. The beautifully feminine florals and hues are well coordinated and striking in their display. I need to remember Blooddrop for my next bout of gifting. A box like this would make a lovely birthday gift. 

As I previously mentioned a few days ago, I partook of Blooddrop's spring collection restock. Astrid, the owner and perfumer behind the brand, teased a new bath product. And as I am always on the hunt for new bathing goodies to add to my nighttime ritual, I made sure to attend this restock. This particular restock also featured Astrid's wildly popular Whinnies line of perfumes which merge marshmallows and ponies... how cute is that?! I didn't pick up any Whinnies but I am sure I will come to regret that. I did pick up plenty, however, so let's check out what was in this beautifully packaged box.

Mousse de Bain  in Marshmallow with Smoky Copal and Vanilla Caramel $12.50 for 8 ounces

This is a creamy whipped soap that can be used as a shaving cream as well. It is delightfully light yet custard like in its texture. When I scoop some out with my fingers it is stiff and keeps its peaks like a well beaten meringue but is the creamy texture of gelato when being worked into a billowy lather. The scent of caramel and wooden cork-like copal resin lifts up from the scent. It really is perfect for shaving. I love the way it left my legs silky smooth.

 Astrid is currently stocked with marshmallow varieties in this product. 

Ahhhhhh... here she is. The new bath concoction I simply could not pass up. This potioin is called "Froth" and it is a bubbling milk bath soak, 6.5 ounces is $18.50 and comes in three scents with a common marshmallow thread.

Marshmallow, honey, smoky vanilla, ginger, oakmoss and sandalwood is the first one that caught my eye. I dumped about a tablespoon into hot running water and it immediately bubbled and frothed and birthed a mound of lacy bubbles that I happily sank down into, armed with a good book and a few candles. The scent of creamy honey sweetened woods wafted up from the steaming pool of water and the milky warmth caressed the skin. After reading about a chapter or so the bubbles dissipated and the steaming milky waters were left. I truly love a milk bath. This reminded me of the delicious Haunt milk bath I was gifted years and years ago, but even better with the bubbling and frothing added.

I also fell in love with the marshamallow, blackberry jam, crushed violets and thyme Froth. I used this in a bath too (guys, this stuff is really, really good) and the blackberries smelled so lovely against the powdery sweet violets. It was a dreamy bathing ritual to be sure.

A generous perk of purchasing $50 or more from Blooddrop is the inclusion of a Merci perfume. I received Merci No. 140. The notes of the Merci fragrances are unknown, which is fun! I am going to interpret what I smell, which may very well be different what you would smell. In fact, case in point, I asked my husband what he sniffed and my daughter too and we all three had vastly different answers. 

In the bottle, my nose picks up a brown sugar and tobacco vibe with a hint of earthy vetiver lurking about. Adam smells chocolate and coffee. Savanna smells creamy campfire smoke. On the skin I get a sweetly smoky tobacco and grassy vetiver still. I love it. There are tones of vanilla and the husk of coconut, a murkiness and woods. The drydown reveals a decantly chewy vanilla pipe tobacco aroma. This is soooo sexy and warm and perfect for my tastes. I will wear this one with utter abandon for sure. 

A little while back I did pick up this bath truffle ($5) in Soft with notes of violet, vanilla, heliotrope, birch and rice flower. These are melty, fizzying, bubbling bath treats that weigh about one ounce. The scent is primarily a sweet candied violet that is feminine and serene.

It felt amazing in the bath tub. It is definitely a quality bath melt, but I wouldn't say it was terribly fizzy or bubbly but it did froth a bit. It left the skin silky smooth and moisturized. I didn't have to use any lotion before bed, which I usually do. There was a slight purple oil on the rim of the tub but it was very easy to rub it away with my hand as the water ran out and did not stain. What I liked best was that after I got out of the tub and put on my jammies, Adam snuggled up to me and told me how good I smelled. So Astrid, if you ever want to make a perfume from this scent I would happily scoop it up. <3

Astrid kindly included this bar soap in my order. 

Eggnog & Spiced Rum is $6.50 and weighs about 5 ounces. These are glycerin based bars and heavy with emollient oils and proteins. This bar smells of sweet and creamy and gently spiced eggnog with a glug of rum for holiday cheer. It lathers beautifully, a bounty of bubbles with very little coaxing. It feels like firm putty on the skin, sleek and bouncy. It rinses clean and is a joy to bathe with. I will certainly be back for another bar in the future. 

I am as happy as a June bug in the tall summer grass with this Blooddrop order. 

Have you discovered any new bath potions lately? 

Witch Baby Soap: Bath Bombs and Potions

Witch Baby Soap bath bombs have been on my "to buy" list for quite some time now but the recent release of some new Bath Potions based on Earth, Wind, Fire and Water nudged me in the pants and the timing also coincided with my lack of bath bombs. Restock time! After all these vigorous workouts I need some sweet bathing rituals to lull my aching muscles and spirit me off to dreamland at the end of the day.

Oracle Bath Bomb- Carnations and lilies. $10.00

This baby is one hulking bath bomb at over 10 ounces. It smells lovely. The carnations offer up their milky pepper bouquet while the lilies gift a purple aquatic musk. This is not a sharp or artificial floral blend but an encounter with a mourning token of carnations and lilies tied with twine and left at a country cross-roads. This bath bomb let loose a torrent of color, fizz and a nice layer of bubbles to sink down into. The waters were a soothing rose shade and smelled incredible.

Love Bath Bomb- Apple and rose scent. $4.00

Fulvous Honeycrisp apples nesting on a bed of dried rose petals as an offering to your true love. This is a fresh scent, not overly sweet and beautifully melodious.

Psychic Bath Bomb- Lavender and amber, topped with an amethyst. $7.50

Dense and rich French lavender oils honed to a golden edge with a touch of amber. This is one intoxicating blend and I already know I will be buying more. 

Look at that lovely stone embedded in there. Savanna, my crystal and stone collector will be whisking this off before too long. Plus it is her birthstone so she has an affinity for amethyst. 

Rune Stone Bath Bomb- Citrus, lily, rose, geranium, patchouli, vetiver, tonka and embedded with a rune stone. $5.00

So happy I picked up two of these. Wildflowers, grassy smoky vetiver and a pinch of the dark herbal patchouli swirls together to conjure the image of a cottage garden. It is softly sweetened by the tonka to brew a lovely perfume. The bath bomb turned the water a calming shade of aqua and bubbled and fizzed for quite a few minutes and revealed a rune stone symbol for "joy." This Rune Stone bath bomb gifted me an aromatic bath and soft skin and a lightened mind. Quite relaxing.

The Graveyard bath bomb arrived in it's own special box.

Graveyard- Carefully arranged funeral flowers and freshly dug graves. $8.00

Soil, bulb flowers and a pinch of carnation petals. This takes "earthy" to a precise level. A brilliantly fun scent that will make for an atmospheric bath while reading some dark novel that is currently languishing on my bookshelf, perhaps The Dead of Summer by Camilla Way or Fevre Dream by George RR Martin? Saving this one.

The Elements Bath Potion Set for $46, includes four 9 ounce glass jars to be used on their own or blended together at the users discretion. 

Water Bath Potion (empathy, intuition and love)- An aquatic moody jungle floral, hand blended with sea clay, mineral rich kelp, soothing aloe, jasmine flowers, rose petals and chamomile. Pour 3-4 capfuls under warm running bath water and become one with your inner mermaid. 

Inner mermaid? Yes, please. In the jar the mushroom hued powder smells of chamomile and seaweed, poured into the tub it blooms into a an ocean side jasmine bush. Ethereal jasmine buds, yellow chamomile puffs and single rose petals drift past in the current of the water while mounds of bubbles froth forth. This smells amazing. Don't the dankess in the jar fool you. Pour that magic potion in unabashedly. 

Air Bath Potion (intellect, freedom and communication)- A cool woodsy blend of anise, redwood, pine, patchouli and vanilla, using a blend of tree bark powders, soothing lavender, vanilla and dandelion root.

This one is said to turn your bathtub into a spellbinding forest. In the jar it smells of root vegetables, churned into warm bath water it cultivates a rainforest of trees with soft vanilla underlying it all. Triangles and arrowheads of bark float in the valleys between mountains of bubbles. Dreamy. Want to know what is even dreamier? Combing the Air and Water potions. Be still my naiad loving heart.  

Earth Bath Potion (stability, growth and prosperity)- A sweet blend that smells like a dew covered valley of wildflowers. This magical potion is hand blended with mineral rich French green clay, colloidal oatmeal, crushed honeysuckle, blue vervain and cornflower petals.

It truly does smell like a valley of wildflowers. The honeysuckle stars in this drama from the jar to the tub. The oatmeal does add a bit of creamy comfort to both the scent and the bath water. Tiny blue winking stars swirl about the tub and adorn the skin in the form of flower petals. 

Fire Bath Potion (passion, motivation and creativity)- This warm blend of tobacco, amber and dragon's blood embodies the warmth of the fire element. Hand blended with frankincense, angelica root, raw dragon's blood and calendula flowers.

In the jar it smells like sweet potatoes and dragon's blood, but once poured into the tub, creamy tobacco rises up from the steamy vapor. I love the large flower heads and stems that come out of this potion. I combined Fire with Earth and it imparted a dreamy bath ritual that made me feel like I was bathing in a wild west boarding house above a saloon in a clawfoot tub. Sun is setting and the whole town glows golden and orange. Sweet tobacco and men's laughter drift up through the clapboard floors and the simple wildflowers in a vase set before the open window send their fragrance along with the sheer lace curtains billowing towards me while I lie bonelessly in the warm water. Dreamy.

These bath potions all bubble up wonderfully and feel amazing on the skin. The aroma lingers as long and the bubbles as well. I take 20-30 minute baths sometimes and these held up beautifully.

I am already plotting another order to pick up a few more bath bombs and possibly a second potion set. Witch Baby Soap also offers lotions, scrubs, perfumes and of course, soap. I think I may need to branch out and sample a few of the other wares. Have you tried Witch Baby? What are some of your favorite offerings?