Epically Epic Soap Co. Solid Lotions {review}

I love me some Epically Epic. Seriously, one of my favorite shops ever! I have tried every product line from Epically Epic and have loved them all! Trust me, there will be many more reviews of these products on this blog. But for today, I will review the solid lotions.

{the lotion}

Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of solid lotions. I will always try them (and so I continue to buy them!) but they are not one of my favorites. Something about the waiting for it to sink in and the greasiness and just the whole process. But now now, don't get scared here! I am still a huuuge fan of Epically Epic solid lotions!

While it does take awhile for the lotion to sink in - and that should always be expected of any solid lotion - it is not as unbearably long as other solid lotions. Depending on how much you use, it could be a minute or so. A little does go a long way but sometimes I like to slather on and massage in, which is great to do at night while relaxing on the couch. I mostly use on my hands, with a little extra focus on my cuticles, and sometimes other areas that are needing a little more loving.

As for the greasiness, it is almost nonexistent in this lotion. It is there for a second and then it is gone! After it is all settled in, it doesn't make me feel like I can't touch anything without leaving greasy fingerprints everywhere. My hands are good to go and that is fabulous because I absolutely hate having any sort of greasiness lingering on my hands!

Another great thing about this solid lotion is the long lasting wear. It really sinks in and stays put! Sometimes when I put on lotion, it wears off quickly and after any hand washing I feel like I need more. With this lotion, it lasts through at least three hand washings. Which is awesome because reapplying constantly is not something I want to be doing.

And now for the best part - the epic moisturizing abilities! It keeps my hands super soft, especially in this dry wintertime weather. It is also the best cuticle butter, keeping it all tidy and perfect around there. But seriously, I might have the softest hands ever. People are always amazed and shocked. True story.

{the scents}

The scents in Epically Epic solid lotions are always lovely and never overpowering. I have tried these in a few scents, including some custom blends.

Coconut Vanilla - My first EE purchase ever! This is a classic coconut vanilla scent, all warm and sweet and buttery tropical goodness.

Hazelnut Donuts - I received a sample of this custom blend someone else had ordered. And I used up the entire sample tin of it! I love the scent of hazelnut and combined with the sugary donut it was just pure deliciousness. Good combo to whoever came up with this one!

Lavender Marshmallow - Probably my favorite EE scent ever! For now anyway! The fresh, herbal scent of the lavender blends so well with the sweet marshmallow. Completely lovely scent! After awhile the lavender wears off, but the marshmallow lingers sweetly on the hands. Love!

Peanut Butter & Vanilla - Custom blend here! I was really into peanut butter scents at the time so I asked for a peanut butter solid lotion with just a touch of vanilla. This is deliciously nutty and creamy! I kind of want to eat it.

Pumpkin Pie Red Apple - Another custom blend! I got it into my head that pumpkin pie with red apple would smell delicious. And it does! It has the warm, spicy scent of pumpkin pie mellowed with the sweetness of the red apple. One of my friends said "This smells like a candle!" Perfect fall-time scent.

Shamrock Shake - I don't think I've had an actual shamrock shake. Who makes them? I should try. This one is a blend of peppermint and vanilla. Perfect balance of minty freshness and creamy vanilla. 

Vanilla Bean - I custom ordered this scent because I love the Vanilla Bean lip balm! (Also custom ordered this scent in the hair & body mist - fantastic!) It is a lovely vanilla scent without being too sweet. It's a classic!

Yellow Cake - I got a sample size of this one. And you know what? It really does smell like yellow cake! All the sweet, fluffy goodness. It is more delicious than I thought it would be!

{the ingredients}

The ingredients include macadamia nut butter, jojoba seed oil, pistachio butter, candelilla wax, vitamin e, olive squalane, and fragrance/essential oils.

{final thoughts}

I absolutely recommend Epically Epic solid lotions! Even if you're not a fan of solid lotions, give these a shot! They are hands down the best solid lotions I have tried and I love all of the scent options. And they are very long lasting! Actually, I have yet to use up a single tin of lotion. And I am still thinking about which one I want to try next. Ah, the life of an EE addict! But really though, any Epically Epic products are amazing!

Deep Steep Body Butter {review}

Continuing with my lavender kick, I randomly picked up this Lavender Chamomile body butter by Deep Steep.  It is an organic body butter at a fairly decent price ($7 when I bought it). I found this body butter while browsing Abe's Market. Lots of goodies to be found on there!

{the body butter}

I am not overly impressed with this body butter. It is thick and creamy, as body butters should be. And I like that it's in a squeeze tube so it makes it easier to use. It also spreads on easy enough. However, it takes a while to really sink in and I have to really massage it into my skin. There is also a slight sticky residue left on my skin, mostly noticeable on my hands. I always have to wash my hands after applying, which is a bit annoying.

However, the body butter is fairly moisturizing. My skin has been feeling a bit softer lately and someone even commented on how soft my skin is. This might also be because I have been adding daily moisturizing to my routine, which I often neglect to do. There are bound to be notable differences with this change in routine.

{the scent}

The Lavender Chamomile aroma in this body butter is a lovely scent. The lavender is most noticeable in the tube and when first applying and has that fresh, herbal scent lavender has. After applying, the scent mellows into a softly sweet scent that slightly reminds me of baby bathtime, but not quite. The scent is also light and does not last very long. But that is alright with me because I am not always a fan of strong scents in body butters.

{ingredients}

Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Infusion of Organic Herbs; Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate (Vegan), Glycerin (Vegan), Organic Glycine Soja (Soy) Oil, Caprylic Acid (Coconut Fatty Acid), Aroma (Organic and Wildcrafted Essential Oil Blend), Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Natural, Organic Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Protein, Cyamposis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate.

{conclusion}

I will probably not repurchase this body butter from Deep Steep. The formula doesn't quite do it for me. However, I do like the ease of use and the light scent. And it does a good job of keeping my skin soft. I will use up the rest of this product, but after that I am going to look elsewhere for a body butter. Any suggestions?

Honey Bee Holistics {review} part II

And so continues my review of Honey Bee Holistics (read previous review here)! And up next for review are… lotions!

Let me tell you all how I feel about lotions. Putting on lotion - it's not my favorite thing to do. They can smell pretty freakin' delightful and make my skin feel amazing, but I often neglect to use 'em. Call it laziness if you want, but… ah well, yeah let's just stick with that.

But that doesn't stop me from buying lotions. I always purchase with good intentions… mostly for my nose. And product junkie that I am,  I don't even want to tell you how many lotions that I have (like I even know how many). Let's just say there's a good amount from a lot of different places. And most of them don't get opened very often. Umm… oops!

HOWEVER, I use Honey Bee Holistics lotions every single day! They are the lotions of all lotions. They are everything I want in a lotion. Let's start with the best part: THEY SINK RIGHT IN! Oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about. I don't have to rub and rub and rub the lotion in. I don't feel greasy or slimy afterwards. They are light and moisturizing and completely fabulous.

L-R: Lemon Creme, Sugar Cookie, White Chocolate

Oh wait, that's not the only best part. Can all of the parts be the best? But yes, another thing I love about Honey Bee Holistics lotions are their versatility! The lotions are extremely gentle for there's no fragrance oils or preservatives. I use them for everything I would use a cream for - body lotion, hand cream, eye cream, daily moisturizer, and nighttime moisturizer. I use these lotions daily and I have them everywhere! There's some on my nightstand, in my desk at work, in my purse, and in my gym bag!

And now, let's delve into greater detail on the individual lotions…

{Organic Calendula Lotion}

The Calendula Lotion is probably one of the thicker lotions offered at Honey Bee Holistics. It has a nice creamy texture without feeling too heavy. With the calendula, the lotion feels very soothing and I love using after shaving my legs! My mom also really loved the Calendula Lotion! She has eczema on her hands and her hands get very dry, red, and itchy. After one use, she claimed that her hands already felt better and she had to order her own!

Another thing I love about this particular lotion is that it is basically unscented. It is great to use when I want to use a body mist/perfume and don't want to have my lotion competing with the scents.

{Organic Coconut Lotion}

I love the scent of the Coconut Lotion! It is a very sweet, light coconut scent that is completely amazing. To me, the lotion feels a bit more smoothing than the others. Until I ran out, this is all that I would use on my face. Now, I've moved onto other Honey Bee Holistics lotions/creams!

{Organic Lemon Creme Lotion}

The Lemon Creme Lotion smells like lemon cake! It is sooo yummy! The Lemon Creme lotion was my first Honey Bee Holistics love. I would say it is probably the lightest of the lotions, even if minutely so. It has more of that "watery" consistency which I personally enjoy because I know it will sink right in! Don't doubt it's moisturizing abilities though!

I also love that I can use this as a lemon cake scented moisturizer without worrying about fragrance oils irritating my face! :)

{Organic Sugar Cookie Lotion}

In the jar the Sugar Cookie Lotion smells like vanilla ice cream - I like to just sit there and inhale the scent on occasion! The scent changes when I put it on to a light, creamy vanilla with a bit of a chocolate scent, which is a bit odd since there is no cocoa butter used. Still a delightful mild scent!

The lotion has a kind of powdery finish, which I really enjoy. It makes my face feel sooo smooth!

{Organic White Chocolate Body Mousse}

Oh, this is all sorts of chocolatey goodness! It smells so delicious I actually took a little bite of it once! Seriously! And, it didn't taste too bad either…

The White Chocolate Body Mousse is different than the all of the lotions I've been talking about, but I figured I'd include it in this review anyway. It is super thick and is the kind that needs to be warmed up a bit before rubbing it. It's very creamy and decadent.

It doesn't sink in right away, but once it does it's extremely moisturizing. I like to apply to my hands before bed when I need not worry about having lotion all over my hands. It's also great as a nighttime eye cream!

{ingredients}

Ingredients include mountain spring water, local beeswax, vegetable glycerin, organic witch hazel, and may also contain organic olive oil, organic calendula infused olive oil, organic coconut oil, organic coconut extract, tahitian vanilla bean, organic lemon essential oil, organic vanilla essence, organic sweet almond oil, and organic unrefined cocoa butter.

{conclusion}

Honey Bee Holistics lotions are simply amazing. They're light (excluding the body mousse, of course) and moisturizing and always versatile. There's just so many uses! And you know what else? You can get a lot of use out of the small containers at a GREAT price! I have yet to buy a bigger size and I use these lotions daily! Definitely worth a shot, yeah? Get outta here and go check out Honey Bee Holistics!

Stay tuned for the continuation of my Honey Bee Holistics reviews! Yes, there IS more!

Honey Bee Holistics {review} part I

I am so excited to review Honey Bee Holistics, it is going to come in several parts (how many parts still to be determined)! And I've got to be honest, I've been holding out on you for awhile because I use Honey Bee Holistics products daily so these reviews are long overdue!

And on another note, the Marshmallow Honey Face Cream was sent to me by the seller to test. I volunteered when the seller, Melissa Carr, was asking for product testers on her Facebook page. I was asked to provide the seller with my feedback by answering a list of questions. However, posting a review to my own personal blog was NOT a requirement. Please note that I will be reviewing this product because I WANT to, not because I was asked to.

Now that everything has been explained, let's get on to the reviews! The first part will be… face creams!

Oh wait, before we get to the reviews I suppose I should explain my face (what an odd thing to say…). But yes, I fall between the normal and dry skin types. Most of my face tends to be normal with few blemishes, oiliness, or dryness. However, my eyes and along my lower right jaw tend to get quite dry to the point of flakiness. Sexy, no?

AND NOW...

{Organic Wrinkle Away Face Cream}

During the winter months, I was on the hunt for an ultra moisturizing face cream to help with those dry areas on my face. I wanted something with carrot seed oil since it seems to really work with my face. I also wanted something that didn't smell of roses, because I really detest roses, and it's strangely difficult to find carrot oil moisturizes without rosey scents. And so, I was super excited to discover that Honey Bee Holistics carried such a face cream, because by then I was already in love with the shop!

The Wrinkle Away Face Cream is thick and luxurious and quite lovely for slathering on when those dry face days roll around. It is also surprisingly light for being a thick cream. When applied, it sinks into the skin quickly and leaves behind a silky, powdery finish. I found the cream to be best applied before bed with just a little touch up in the morning. It left my skin feeling soft!

And, I completely adore the scent. It's so bright and fresh with a little green in there. But please note, Melissa never uses fragrance oils in any of her products! (LOVE that!)

Ingredients include almond oil, jojoba oil, beeswax containing bee propolis, evening primrose oil, mountain spring water, vegetable glycerin, vitamin e oil, witch hazel extract, and carrot seed essential oil.

{Organic Marshmallow Honey Face Cream}

This is a sample of the cream. When ordered, container will be different.

One of the great things about Honey Bee Holistics is the versatility of the products. For the Marshmallow Honey Face Cream, I discovered that it is an excellent night cream, a daily eye cream, a hand cream, and a moisturizer for those extra dry days. The more I use this cream, the more I love it. I mean, what other face cream can you find so many uses for?!

And here is what makes it so gosh-darn useful: It is ultra moisturizing and super gentle for sensitive skin. And when I say ultra moisturizing, I mean it. I would even go as far to say that this is the most moisturizing face creams I have ever tried. Well, the most moisturizing that doesn't leave my face greasy or sticky or suffocating under a just-won't-sink-in layer of product.

The cream goes on suuuper smooth and a little bit goes a long way. The cream is a bit on the heavy side and takes a little longer to sink in completely. But once it does, my face is soft and smooth and I can just feel the hydration!

I don't use the cream as a daily moisturizer, but I do use it as a daily eye cream. The area around my eyes tends to get very dry and this cream has done wonders. It's also great to use as a moisturizer when my face is generally feeling pretty dry, like after a little soak in the chlorine filled hot-tub that I just can't avoid. And slathering on some before bed results in some amazingly soft cheeks in the morning.

AND, the Marshmallow Honey Face Cream is a pretty outstanding hand cream. My finger tips can sometimes get really dry and this is the product I now turn to. My mom, who gets really bad eczema on her hands, really loved using this cream on her hands also. She was surprised by how moisturizing and soothing the cream was!

Personally, I think everyone needs some of this cream. At some point, we all need some ultra moisturizing lovin' and this cream can bring it. It's moisturizing abilities are deeply penetrating and soothing. It is just so much more than a face cream.

Ingredients include jojoba oil, beeswax containing bee propolis, evening primrose oil, mountain spring water, vegetable glycerin, vitamin e oil, witch hazel extract, marshmallow root infusion, and calendula.

{conclusion}

I am simply in love. Honey Bee Holistics makes some fantastic face creams. And I have found a face cream product that I don't ever want to be without! What else can I say? I use nothing else but Honey Bee Holistics products on my face. But that's not limited to just the face creams…

Stay tuned for part II of the Honey Bee Holistics reviews!

Homesteaders Cache Soap & Lotion {review}

You know, I was born and raised in Southeast Alaska. Tis home and I could never live anywhere else! Currently, I am living in Juneau, Alaska (the state capital). And I bet right now you are wondering why I am bringing this up when I'm supposed to be doing a review, huh? Well, the goodies I am going to be reviewing here were purchased locally!  A few months ago I purchased some soap from Homesteaders Cache at an arts & crafts fair, because I can just never resist a table full of soap. Can you? And then I convinced my mommy to give me one of the solid lotions she bought. :)

{the soap}

As you can see, I bought a sampler pack of soap. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to get and the slivers of soap just looked so pretty together! And once I got home and started playing with my new soaps, I realized something curious about myself. Not knowing which soaps were which, I found myself liking all of the scents. I find this curious because when I was at the table smelling all of the different soaps, there were some I didn't care for. It's like my idea of what things smell like affect how I perceive the soap. But in the absence of labels on these samplers, my nose was free to make its own assessment.

ANYWAY, yes I found that they all smell delightful in their own way. In my sampler bag, I got several pieces of the Alaskan Rainforest bar (did you know I live in a rainforest?!). This is one of the few I can tell which one it is. I am a bit in love with the scent - it's very clean and refreshing. I would say it's a bit of a "manly" scented soap, but heck, I still dig it. The other soaps all have a bit of that clean soapy scent mixed with a bit of nature, if you get my drift.

Lathering up with the soap, I discovered that the lather is quite enjoyable. It gets nice and thick and creamy. I was surprised by how creamy it was. It really foamed up and reminded me of shaving cream. I bet it would be wonderful for shaving your legs - I'll have to try it someday (in a few months when it's warm out… ha!). I'm pretty sure I played with the lather for about 10 minutes before I rinsed it all off, which yes, made me a bit sad! But it rinsed off well and left my skin feeling a lot softer. And the scent lingered lightly and pleasantly for awhile reminding me of all of the delightfulness of the soap.

{the lotion}

My mommy bought a bunch of these solid lotions to give as Christmas gifts and I convinced her to give me one right then and there! I guess I can be a bit impatient…

I picked the Berry Patch scent and it's wonderful. It doesn't quite remind me of a berry patch, for when I'm in a berry patch I am surrounded by all sorts of other green and earthy scents. This lotion smells nothing like that, it's just a sweet berry-ish scent with a hint of something floral. 

 There used to be a pretty design on the bar... kinda got rubbed off with use!

And as far as solid lotions go, this one is simply fantastic! It goes on well and doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy for an hour afterwards. I find that's a problem with a lot of solid lotions - you really have to work them in before all of the greasiness goes away. That's not the case with Homesteaders Cache lotions! I can rub some on my hands and be ready to go in less than a minute! Although, when I have the time, I do enjoy putting extra on so I can rub my fingers together and feel the silkiness of it. But no matter the amount I put on, the lotion always leaves my hands very soft, even in the cold winter weather when my hands are prone to dryness.

{conclusion}

I have truly been enjoying the soaps and solid lotion from Homesteaders Cache. The soaps have some of the best lathering power I have ever experienced and the solid lotion is surprisingly non-greasy and pleasantly silky. I am definitely going to wander over sometime and buy some more Homesteaders Cache products!

And if you're ever in Juneau (and it's a wonderful place to visit!), you should stop by the Homespun Mercantile shop where they carry Homesteaders Cache products. Alternatively, you can go to their online shop and order some goodies. And I believe they offer free shipping! Sounds like a pretty good deal, eh?

What's your favorite local soap shop? :)