Sweet Creek Facial Butter Bar {review}

Sweet Creek HerbalCare just happens to be one of my favorite shops on Etsy. I have found many delights in the many different products offered in the shop, and still have much to explore! Up for review here today is the Facial Butter Bar!

{ingredients}

Let's start off with the ingredients, since it is what lead me to my purchase!

Ingredients include prime pressed cocoa butter, emu oil, castor oil.

{the product}

"This is a face wash without soap. Facial butter bars can be used conveniently to wash your face without soap or detergents in the shower, at the sink, even on the go with a few tissues about. Oils and butters are a great cleanser but are not water soluble. In the shower or at the sink, just rinse off the excess with warm water. It leaves your facial skin so soft and gently cleansed. Or, on the go, wipe off the excess with a couple of tissues. Your skin will glow and make you look and feel refreshed no matter how tired you are."

After finding this butter bar cleanser, I was very curious. I thought that it might be similar to the Oil Cleansing Method, which has been something I've been wondering about. But not wanting to buy a bunch of oils and doing my own mixings, I was glad that one of my favorite shops had a way I could get a bit of a sample of this cleansing method.

But to be honest, I haven't experimented with it as my sole method of cleansing my face. I will still use one of my lovely bars of soaps and then use the butter bar, as more of a moisturizer I suppose. After washing my face, I will rub the bar all over my hands and then massage the butter and oils onto my face. I then go about my other shower business and go back to it a bit later and massage some more and gently wipe the excess off with a warm washcloth.

When I get out of the shower, my face feels amazingly soft! The first time I used it, I was completely shocked by how completely moisturized my face was and everything was just so smooth and happy. Since I started using this bar, I've not had to use as much moisturizer. Some days I don't even have to use any!

I do not use this everyday. I use the butter bar around 2-3 times a week. And the bar has been lasting quite awhile now - I've had it for 4 months and have only used half of it so far!

{conclusion}

The Facial Butter Bar from Sweet Creek HerbalCare is fabulous all around. It offers unbeatable moisturization in an extremely long lasting bar. My face is happy and never feels greasy. For me, this is one of those Holy Grail items. Obviously, I would recommend that you try it!

More Epically Epic Lip Balms!

(I know, I said I was going to post a review by now... but I have the BEST reason for my further delay! It was sunny and HOT here for 3 days straight! I live in a temperate rainforest, so it's pretty much rainy here all the time. But it has been especially rainy here these past few months - something like 60 days of rain out of the past 65 days. So, when the clouds went away and the sun showed its pretty face, I took full advantage! Swimming, boat rides, kiddie pools, and smoothies. Ah, summah time!)

But yes, now that I'm back to the world of rain and mist, I can get back to my goal of keeping up with my blogging duties! And today, I am going to be talking about Epically Epic lip balm flavors. I'm not going to review the balms, as I've already done so here. However, I do feel that I need to update the list of balm flavors I have because the balms are just so amazing they need some more recognition on this blog! :)

Here are the flavors I've added to my collection (I have tried more, but will only be discussing flavors that are still being sold by Epically Epic Soap Co.):

Chocolate Malt: This is a deliciously creamy, mild chocolate-y scent. To be honest, I have no idea what a malt smells/tastes like, but I can tell that this is not just a plain ol' chocolate scent. It has a sweetness to it. It's kind of like a dessert for your lips!

Mango Lassi: The scent is a mixture of mango and cardamom. I find it to be fruity and surprisingly refreshing. It kind of reminds me of a cough drop. It's not my favorite, but still pleasant enough.

Mango Lychee: This one is a boldly fruity scent that is heavy on the mango. I like to wear it on rainy days when I need some cheering up from the dreary weather.

Peanut Butter & Jelly: Peanut butter is oddly enough one of my favorite scents and I was thrilled when this lip balm came out! It smells almost just like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. I say almost because the jelly is blueberry-acai jelly - not my regular jelly! But I greatly enjoy the extra fruity twist it gives the balm. Definitely a successful peanut butter balm.

P.O.G (Passionfruit Orange Guava): I was a little hesitant about this one - feedback said it was floral. And I don't like floral. And it does smell a bit floral, but only in the tube. Once it's on my lips, it turns into a true tropical scent, being delightfully fruity without being over the top. It's perfect for summer!

Sleepy Time: This balm is meant to help you relax with the scents of spearmint and chamomile. I can't speak to the effects of that since I have a hard time falling asleep no matter what! But I love to use it after brushing my teeth - it's fitting with the flavor of my toothpaste. It's mildly minty, in a soft and sweet sort of way. Totally not overpowering at all, which I can appreciate in a minty balm.

Vanilla Bean: I've spoken of this one before, but should mention again! This happens to be one of my favorite EE balm flavors! It's a fantastic vanilla scent, which you may know can be hard to find. It's a straight-up vanilla that is perfectly creamy and sweet. And delicious!

Vanilla Coke: This balm is another one of my favorites! It smells just like a sweet cola. I love to use it when I have the flavor of food in my mouth and using some fruity balm just doesn't seem fitting. Is that odd?

I am hoping to add more flavors to my collection. I am patiently awaiting the day when new summer balm flavors are released! What flavors have you tried? Or want to try?

it's been awhile...

Hello all!

I'm sorry I've not been posting lately. Things have been hectic around here for the past few weeks. I finished up my first year in grad school, took on more hours at work, and just got back from a long trip for a conference and mini (very mini) vacation.

So now, it's time for me to settle into a new routine. And then, hopefully I'll be able to start working on this blog again! Be on the look out for at least one review by the end of the week!

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying warm weather activities! I'm still waiting for a warm sunny day here in Southeast Alaska. The rain just loves us up here... 

Cellar Door Soap Co. Soaps {review}

I discovered the Cellar Door Soap Co. after reading about it on Soap Obsessions. And I just couldn't resist all the wonderful minty soap options they offered. Because if you don't know this already, I love me some minty soap. And the soaps from Cellar Door Soap Co. have been known to take me to far off heavenly minty places...

{the soap}

But let's start off with talking about the soapy bits first. I love the description on the Cellar Door Soap Co. gives about their soap:

We make soap. Damn good soap.

And let me tell you, they definitely make some pretty damn good soap. The bar lathers up beautifully in the shower with  soft and gentle lather. It has that sort of creamy goodness that makes you want to lather up forever. I feel rather comfortable in the shower with Cellar Door Soap Co. bars. I love it when soap does that.

And with all that lovely, creamy lather, the soaps leave my skin feeling soft and moisturized. I also use these soaps a lot to wash my face and I feel little need to use any moisturizer afterwards. I've also used a few times to wash my hair and it was better than a lot of shampoo bars I've tried!

The soap is just pretty damn amazing.

{scents + ingredients}

I just had to order these bars of minty goodness...

Eucalyptus Spearmint - I'm reminded of spearmint gum at first, but once the water hits the bar the eucalyptus emerges and it's almost a bit medicinal, but soothing.

Peppermint & Tea Tree - I can smell the tree. I'm reminded of the dampness of the forest and I feel like I'm standing with my nose right up to a tree after the rain. This one is particularly fantastic on the face as well - it leaves my face super smooth!

Rosemary Mint - It is the mints of all mints. It is minty goodness at its best. It comes alive in the shower with an explosion of minty aromas that is so blissfully refreshing.

Ingredients include olive oil, coconut oil, distilled water, sustainable palm oil, sodium hydroxide, castor oil, shea butter, essential oil, sugar, titanium dioxide, bamboo charcoal (Peppermint & Tea Tree) and spearmint leaves (Rosemary Mint).

{conclusion}

I will tell you how much I love these Cellar Door Soap Co. soaps. When they are gone, I am going to repurchase them. All of them. I have never repurchased any specific bar of soap from anywhere. But I can't imagine being without these soaps. That is love. And I think you should go find yourself some Cellar Door Soap Co. love.

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!

Winner Winner Winner!

Who's going to win the most Epically Epic lip balm?! Let's do a drawing, shall we?

And the winner is...

Yay for Deb over at It's Always Something...! Thank you to all who participated - I loved reading the comments about your favorite lip balms! I'm always on the hunt for new lip balms to try... ;)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Oh silly me!

Just a little fun post... a blurb really!

I got this product lately that is a dupe of Lush's Honey I Washed the Kids. I have no idea what the real thing smells like. Living in Alaska, I've never come across any Lush shop so I really can't compare.

BUT, I used this product for the first time tonight and kept thinking that I smelled like I had just taken a bath with baby soap and shampoo.

And then I had to laugh at myself, because well...

DUH! It's a dupe of HONEY I WASHED THE KIDS!

So yes, I actually do smell like a newly washed and squeakly clean kid. I kinda like it. And feeling kind of dumb for paying no attention to the name and failing to make the connection until it was laughingly obvious.

And really... how silly of me! What was I expecting?! HAHA! :)