Hello!

I am not “back”. I have thought about reviving this blog, but I think this little blog is best left where it is. A little memoir of my early soapy days. I cringe re-reading things I wrote years and years ago. But I don’t have the heart to delete anything! I’ll leave this blog to a dusty little corner.

But I do have a yearning to write. The past couple years I have taken to writing poetry, even. I just miss having a space to write “out loud”. I did attempt that new review blog I spoke of years ago, but it faltered. I want to try again, but this time give myself the freedom of just letting it be a space to write. Maybe reviews, maybe even poetry. It could be a fun thing!

Anyway, just wanted to say that somewhere. :)

Maybe I'm back?

Thinking about restarting this blog! I kind of miss it! And maybe I need an excuse to buy more bath & body products ;)

I realized the other day I haven't tried a new lip balm in aaaages, one of my loves! And I wanted the excitement again of looking for new lip balms to try. I am also at a point in my life where I have a lot of free time on my hands. So what do you all think? Anyone still out there?

And mini life update... I am getting married on Friday the 13th! In Vegas with a graveyard themed ceremony! I am going to have a Lily Munster inspired cloak in grey satin that I custom ordered from a seller on Etsy. I am pretty excited! :D

What to do with this blog?

Hey all you lovely peoples!

It's been awhile since I've posted. And it's been even longer since I've had regular reviews. This isn't how I wanted this to go, but unfortunately it can't be helped.

My life has become incredibly busy. I have been traveling a lot (again) these past few months. And I recently moved (again) to a different city in Alaska. I started working full-time and I am still trying to finish my degree. I also applied for a second part-time job. And in addition to my graduate-level classes, I have also decided to take an anthropology class at the local university this fall just for the fun of it. And, I am still working on starting up on online jewelry business with my boyfriend. As you can see, life is going to busy to the max over here.

And I don't know what will become of this blog. I still take product photos of new things I try. I still take notes on perfumes. But I have had trouble keeping up with this blog in the past. I don't know if it will even be an option for me now. I would like to though - I love my little blog. I will still keep it in mind and I will try to make an effort to post when I can. But when I get free time, I might just spend it relaxing with my boyfriend and watching Doctor Who...

But maybe I'll see you all soonish anyway. <3

Wild Rose Herbs Lip Balms {review}

Remember when I was having crazy blackberry cravings? Oh, and just bringing that up reminds me of my summer in Oregon and all those deliciously addictive blackberries, mmmmm...

Ahem. Anyway. During that time, I stumbled upon Wild Rose Herbs and their Oregon Blackberry lip balm. I was intrigued by their use of natural flavorings for all of their lip balms. To me, that makes me feel like a shop is doing all they can to provide products of the highest quality. And knowing me, when I want something and find something that sounds so good, I simply cannot resist!

I ordered several lip balms and lip tints from Wild Rose Herbs. (The lip tints shall be reviewed at a later date). The shop also offers other skincare items and beard creams and conditioners that seem to be wildly popular. I have only tried the lip products, but I do keep going back for more!

{the balm}

The texture of this lip balm is fantastic. It is so very smooth and creamy. It glides on easily and has that kind of wet and glossy feel but with enough substance to not feel greasy. The texture reminds me of Ella Dean's lip conditioners, but with a slightly thicker consistency. I admit that I do put a lot of it on because it just feels so good I can't help but layer and smack my lips. However, if you're not crazy like me, just a few swipes should be fine. It offers nice coverage without feeling too heavy.

The wear is about average. It lasts for about two hours and leaves your lips feeling soft and moisturized. However, I will say they are not intensely moisturizing as they are fairly light balms. But as the warmer months are coming around, these balms are perfect.

There is one small complaint I have about these balms. During packaging, the tops of the balms form sharp-ish ridges from how it settles around the cap in the tube. I'm sure there is a better way for me to say that, but I hope that makes sense. But upon first application, the ridges crumble off and are a bit annoying and slightly messy. Now I usually just use my finger and take off those parts and try to smooth the edges before applying.

But anyway, that does not deter me from these balms. They are truly wonderful and are quickly becoming some of my favorite balms!

{the flavors}

I can't get enough of these! Ordered these flavors over 3 separate orders. And more to come!

Oregon Blackberry - This has a lightly sweet berry flavor with a bit of tartness. I'm not instantly thinking of juicy blackberries but it is still quite pleasant. It does have a bit of juiciness of its own.

Hot Cocoa - This is the best chocolate lip balm I have ever found! It is so very chocolatey, it does remind me of a cup of hot cocoa. An extra chocolatey cup of hot cocoa! A very true to name scent. I accidentally sent this one through the wash (forgot in my secret pocket!), but I loved it so much I had to repurchase! If you're a fan of chocolate balms, this is THE ONE!

Jasmine Tea - I wasn't sure about jasmine in a lip balm but I thought I'd give this a chance. And I am so glad I did! This is probably my favorite balm flavor from this shop, and pretty high up there on my list of favorite flavors of any balms. It is so soft and feminine and oh so very relaxing. It makes me want cuddles. I use this every night before bed.

Pear Blossom - This is a combination of pear and violet. It is mostly floral smelling to me though. A light floral with a hint of sweetness. It is another feminine scent that has more of a clean scent to it. It's very pretty!

Strawberry - This one is a sweet strawberry scent. It doesn't smell exactly like strawberries to me. It has a bit of powderiness ot it. Kind of like powdered strawberry candy. It's also kind of tangy. It's not my favorite, but I do really like it.

One more note on the flavors. I've never been a fan of anything too floral. Especially in lip balms. But I have been branching out and trying new things. And I have surprisingly fallen in love with the floral balms from this shop! I am kind of wishing there were more! But if you're hesitant like me about florals, I would say it is definitely worth the risk!

{the ingredients}

Ingredients include coconut oil, beeswax, mango seed butter, rosehip seed oil, gotu kola, paprika, vitamin e, and natural extracts. Some flavors may also include green tea.

{final thoughts}

I would most definitely recommend trying out Wild Rose Herbs. The balms are amazing with wonderful, natural flavors. They are truly high quality lip balms! And even better, there is a sale going on right now! Use MAYDAY2014 for 20% off through May 4th. You should take advantage! I am tempted to order a few more flavors myself! Ah, so much love!

Crafty Things!

Hello all!

This isn't bath/body product related, but I just thought I would share a little snippet of my life because I have been super hyped up about this! But little background info about me... I am a bit of an artist at heart and I studied Northwest Coast art for my undergraduate degree. I love weaving and have tried my hand at a bit of carving. And I love to create things in general. There are so many things I want to learn how to do! I want to learn how to knit/crochet. I want to learn how to work with various types of metal. I want to learn how to bead. And a bunch of other things that are less reasonable with all of my other interests!

But one thing I do make time to do every week is to make earrings. I don't do anything too fancy - just make combinations that I think would work. But it still allows me to be creative and make beautiful pieces of jewelry. And creating things is so rewarding and has been good for my soul. I also love looking for new beads and materials that I often find in old pieces of jewelry at yard sales or thrift stores that I deconstruct for crafting. It makes everything an adventure and often my pieces are one of a kind.

Here's a few pairs that I made yesterday. Sorry that they're not the most professional looking photos - I took these on my iPhone and posted to my Facebook account.

The thing is, I think my skills are getting better in this process. And this is where the excitement comes in. I want to move on to the next level and start using more technique. I have reached a point where I am starting to feel limited on what I can do because I have all of these ideas, but do not have the skills or tools to bring my ideas to life. And so, I have decided to take the time and money and invest in what I want to do next: wire work!

I am really excited about this next stage. I have already bought a book on weaving and wrapping coil and look forward to actually testing it out. I need to wait a bit before I can buy the other tools and wire I would need. But in the meantime, my mind is racing with a bunch of different ideas and I am super excited! I absolutely love when I am feeling inspired!

And more exciting stuff... I don't just make earrings. I sell the earrings I make. So far it has all been locally and I have made enough money to cover the cost of supplies with a little bit of profit. My problem is that I keep on wanting to buy more and more beads even if I already have quite a bit! It's really just to feed my crafting addiction!

Anyway, I have been posting photos of my creations on Facebook and quite a few people have been interested in my work. I am thrilled that people are liking what I have been creating. I already sold the two pairs above within hours of posting photos! And I have a lot of people asking if I have an online shop, so that is also going to be my next step. I am going to work towards opening on online shop to sell my earrings.

And I am super hyped up about these next steps! Getting into wire work and improving my skills AND opening a shop to sell my work. I got less than 5 hours of sleep last night because I kept having dreams about earrings and waking up with great ideas. And I just had to share with you all because I can't stop thinking about it. I tend to gush about things when I'm excited! :)

I have also been wanting a drill that I can use for drilling glass. I have access to a ton of beach glass and that would be super cool to incorporate that into my pieces. But I have to do things one at a time here! But soon, I will have that drill in my hands! :D

I hope you all have been enjoying the weekend! I need to stop thinking about crafting and focus some of my energy on homework! But I will keep you posted on when I have that shop open!

<3 Alyssa

Darling Clandestine's Morderteile Kelah Perfume {review}

It's finally review time and guess what! It's another Darling Clandestine perfume review! Really, how could I not? Evonne's masterfully beautiful creations are my new obsession and I would be content using no other perfumes for the rest of my life. They are really that good! They are also quite complex so forgive me if I have difficulty in trying to interpret all the goodness!

But anyway, let's move onto the review part!

{the perfume: Morderteile Kelah}

"This is a fragrance I've created in honor of a magnificent lady with magnificent knockers. Amber, hyacinth, milk and strawberry jam are just a few of the elements that capture Kelah. As if anyone ever could capture her completely. You need a butterfly net, I bet. It's sweet and sultry and spicy and summery, and I'm so very happy with it."

I will be honest here and say I do not like this perfume when first applied. It opens with a warm and slightly salty green fragrance and the sweet strawberry. It kind of reminds me of... weed. Ahem. 

But after dry down, it loses that salty/savory herbaceous warmth. It becomes a lightly fruity sweet that is warmed by a bit of spiciness. The strawberry is very well done in this fragrance. It's not too sickly sweet or childish. It offers just the right amount of sweetness to be feminine, but not girly. The other elements lend a more mature hand to the fragrance, with a floral bite and some spice. 

I think Evonne's description is spot-on. It very much is sweet and sultry and spicy and summery. When I wear this, I feel a warm summer evening that might be getting a little sweaty. It is such a warm and inviting scent, it makes me think of soft, sweet kisses. And while I wouldn't describe this as a cuddly scent, it does make me want to cuddle up with my special someone and have a few of those sweet kisses. It is a romantic scent. In a casual sort of way.

As for wear, it lasts a few hours on my skin. The sillage is low - it sticks nice and close, right where I want it to be for a scent that makes me want cuddles and kisses. It really does add to the feelings of sweetness.

And I am loving this perfume. It is soft and sweet and makes me feel all kinds of good. I see myself wearing this often. It already is one that I reach for a lot. It is very easy to wear. And love!

{ingredients}

Ingredients include pure sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, rice brain oil, and grapeseed oil. 

{final thoughts}

And once again, I am left swooning by an original scent from Darling Clandestine! Try any and all of Darling Clandestine perfumes and I promise that you will not be disappointed! Really, that's all I can say. Tis perfection and all must try.

Another Update

Hey all!

I just wanted to check in for a minute here and let you all know that I haven't forgotten about my blog! I have been sick a lot lately since my last post. In fact, I have been sick every week since then. I'll start feeling better for a few days, then I'll start feeling sick again. I even had the flu for awhile there and that was the sickest I have been in a very long time! And for the past few days I've had some sort of stomach bug. I am so tired of being sick all the time! And with me being sick all the time, on the days I have been feeling well, I have been using the time to get caught up on homework. Just a few more weeks in this semester!

But I am hoping, crossing my fingers, and really really hoping that I am getting to the end of all of this and can get back to doing the fun stuff, like writing more reviews! I have been thinking about the posts I want to write next and might work in a little giveaway. I am hoping I can have a new review up within the next few days. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing my best to try to get back to working on this blog. I *will* return!

Hope you all are enjoying this lovely spring! And have been enjoying good health! :)

<3 Alyssa