Haus of Gloi Spring collection 2014.

Haus of Gloi is one of the companies I never really risk full sizes on because it's so hit and miss for me (when I say that I mean hit and miss in my personal liking or not liking; as far as quality and customer service and whatnot, Haus of Gloi is one of the best indie perfume companies out there). This time around I almost decided to just go full size on a couple of these because I didn't know how much longer they would be around and also because they were selling out quickly, but I'm glad I didn't because in the end, none of them really grabbed me.

I bought a sample each of all the Spring fragrances, with the exception of Lassi, because I hate the smell of mango, and Selkie, because I've tried it before and it's okay but it's not really my thing.

Ploughman

Well worn leather, dirt n' dandelions, carrot, a pinch of tobacco and a light sheen of feral skin musk.

In the vial this is earthy with a few weeds. My stepfather is a sheep farmer and this reminded me a lot of the smell of the paddocks - lots of fresh air, dirt, a tang of a vaguely animal smell. Wet on the skin the dirt note is prominent for a good while. I didn't really get any leather or tobacco. The dry down is almost floral, again a sort of 'farm' smell, but more like the flowers and vines that grow wild around the farmhouse. I did quite like it but I wouldn't wear it as a perfume. I think it would make a better home fragrance.

Ruth

Fresh strawberry, green patchouli, rose geranium and crushed violet leaf.

Ack! Ack! Ack! This is such a cloying, sickly sweet perfume it makes my stomach turn. The strawberry smells very fake and the violet mixed with it just makes the most godawful mess. I almost didn't want to try this on because I was so put off by it just in the vial, but I'm nothing if not a trooper. I regretted it almost immediately. It was super strong, super sickly and of course - as always is the case with perfumes I hate - it lasted for-bloody-ever. 

Milkmaid

Flushed, but demure. Fresh milk, clean linens, pale musk and pink sweet pea blossom.

Milkmaid smells like almond in the vial - that very sharp note that is redolent of marzipan. Once applied to the skin that note fades after a few minutes, and leaves behind a milder version, an milky, creamy almond with a bit of a floral tinge to it. Unfortunately, the milk note is kind of... well... bordering on baby sick. It's not quite a scrubber, but it's not great.

Tonic 4

Yuzu, basil, cilantro, lemongrass and raw sugar cane accord.

Oddly enough, this was the one I was the least interested in but turned out to be the one I liked best, though as with Ploughman, I would prefer it as a home fragrance than a perfume. In the vial it's strongly citrus, and that remains right through to the drydown, but on skin the herbs come out, and it's a lovely fresh, zingy green kitchen smell. I love the smells of basil and coriander, and I imagine in an oil burner this would make your kitchen smell awesome. (Can you use perfume oils in a burner? I have no idea. I feel an experiment coming up.)

Honeybelle

A blooming orange orchard, orange blossom honey, soft white tea and creamy white amber.

The tea note is the most prominent in this perfume - both in the vial and on the skin. It's a sweet, honey-tinged tea. Unfortunately as soon as it started to dry down it went dusty on me, and pretty much stayed that way. I'm not super jazzed with the smell of tea anyway so I wasn't too bothered. Not my thing at all.

Splendiferous

White cake, lemon zest glaze and sugared violets.

The cake is a lie. This is straight up violets and so cloying. I'm sure I've mentioned before this horrible, horrible woman I used to work with many years ago who seemed to bathe in some hideous old lady perfume, and this is exactly what it smelled like. And like Ruth, it lasted for ages - 10 hours later I could still smell it on myself. 

So, not much luck with the Spring seasonals for me, I'm afraid. However, others seemed to fare better. You can check out more favourable reviews by:

• Liber Vix
• Lipstick and Libraries
• Meowlephant
• A Lion In The Corn
• Swimming Monkey

 

Things from foreigners!

Yesterday I came home to an awesome package on the doorstep - some smells from one of my new perfume friends Rachel, whose blog Brighest Star Of All I have been loving of late. She knew that I had never tried One Hand Washes The Other, even though I've had various social media interactions with the owner Becca and she's lovely, and everyone who has tried her stuff raves about it. It was just one of those stores I never got around to trying, but I really wanted to. So along with some random scents she sent a bunch of OHWTO and I've only sniffed them, but even based on that I am HOOKED. As soon as my No Buy is over I'm going cray on this shop's site.

And can I just say how awesome it is to have friends all over the world who share one's interests and are also kind enough to send some of their stash to play with? I'm so chuffed with all of this, and especially pleased to get some solid perfumes as my experience with those is limited. Thanks, Rachel! <3

December Empties and Chuckers

This is my 100th post. I should have thought of a more interesting topic for it. Oh well, just look at these empty bottles and jars and pretend it's art or something.

EMPTIES

Radox Cocoa Butter Shower Cream.
Eh, it's okay. Nothing bad but nothing great either - I just bought it at the supermarket because it was on special. I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Al'chemy Unscented Very Gentle Shampoo
I really like this stuff - it's about my 3rd or 4th bottle. I'm currently experimenting with using this and no conditioner, just a spritz of detangler. So far so good, but I've only been doing it for a week or so, so it's too early to tell whether it's helping anything yet. I might do a post about it when I've been at it a bit longer.

Aveda Invati Exfoliating Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner
I didn't want to say much about this last time I mentioned it in my empties because I was trialling it for a Beauty Heaven review and I hadn't submitted it yet. Well, now I have and I can tell you I hated it. It's supposed to be helpful for thinning hair, but I had a ton of hair fall out while I was using it and I am convinced that it was this that caused it, as I wasn't doing anything else differently. I actually used up two lots of this, thinking maybe I was just imagining it, but I am definitely not. My hair is considerably thinner than it was 3 months ago, and I will never touch this stuff again.

 

Nutri Synergy Natural NS-8 Heel Balm Complex
I have had this around for ages because I kept forgetting it was there. It works pretty well on rough feet when you remember to use it. I'd probably buy it again and then put it somewhere prominent to remind me about it.

Beauty Without Cruelty Balancing Facial Toner
Just a toner, nothing amazing but it feels nice and has a pleasant scent. It's also cheap as chips and doesn't have any nasties in it. I have already got another bottle on the go and both Noodles and I use it so we're ploughing through it.

Bioderma Crealine H2O
Good lord, is this stuff over-rated! I was given this by Jac as she got it in a Bellabox and wasn't interested in it. I was really excited to try it after all the raves I've heard. It stung my eyes (which are not particularly sensitive) and it didn't clean my mascara or foundation off properly. Frankly, I thought it was crap. So glad I didn't give in to the temptation to spring for a bottle of this on eBay.

Ayelet Naturals Under Eye Cream with Zinc and Green Coffee Extract (sample)
This was a good size sample - I got about 2.5 weeks out of it, using it every morning. It's one of my Etsy skin care sample purchases, as I've been picking up small things here and there from Etsy stores to try them out. It's a nice eye cream but nothing amazing. I probably wouldn't buy a full size.

Pure Luxe Luxurious Facial Mask (sample)
It's spelled 'Luxurios' on the little container, which annoys me no end. This is a clay based mask that is quite nice, but I probably wouldn't buy a full size because I have a couple of huge Queen Helene masks that are going to last for ages.

Sigma Travel Size Blending Brush (#224 dupe)
Another Sigma brush bites the dust. I haven't bought any of their brushes for a couple of years now, and given my history with them, I'm not likely to any time soon.

CHUCKERS

Silk Naturals French Lavender Lotion
Yesterday I was looking through my bathroom cupboards to see if I happened to have an unscented body lotion (I don't) I could use to moisturise so my perfume would last longer. I did, however, find a few others that were a bit past it, like this one. It smells weird so it's going. I never liked it all that much anyway, which is why I have had this little tube for well over a year and only used half of it.

Arbonne Ultra Hydrating Hand Cream
Another one with a funky smell, and there's only a tiny bit left so out it goes. I never liked the smell of this - it was strong and herby and hung around forever - so I wouldn't repurchase it.

Haus of Gloi Depravity and Olde Cider Haus
These still smell like they're okay but I hate the scents of both (as does Noodles), so they never get used. I had them hanging around thinking I would find something to do with them, but - eh. They're only minis, they were probably about $4 each, they can go.

LA Color Craze Nail Polish
The formula of this is streaky and horrible and no matter how many coats I apply it looks like crap, so it's going.

NYX Powder Blush in Natural
I dropped this on the bathroom floor the other day and I was a bit devo as it's one of my favourite blushes - certainly one of my most-used. I know I could press it back together, but I can't be bothered. I'll just pick up another one when Cherry Culture or Nonpareil has one of their 20% off sales.

My Indie Perfume Collection

*Warning - this is a super long, pic heavy post. 

In the last few years I have gone a bit bonkers with indie perfumes, pretty much since I became solidly aware of their existence, really. I've always liked perfume oils, but I never realised they were available outside one's local hippie shop (which for me was Back to Basics in Geelong - their vanilla oil was responsible for a lot of my romantic action throughout a great chunk of the 1990s).

Anyway, after having acquired a ton of perfumes, and then spending a year or so destashing the majority of them, I now have a pretty manageable size collection, and with one or two exceptions, I try to only hang on to those ones I truly love, and either give away or sell whatever I'm not totally gaga over. Today I'm going to show you what I have, for no reason other than I just felt like it. If there's anything in particular you'd like a review of, let me know, though I must warn you that despite my long-standing love of fragrance, I am bloody hopeless at describing them. I'm like Melanie Griffith doing the museum tour in that Simpsons episode ("This room's nice, this room's nice too..."), or those You Tubers who sniff a bottle and say, "This smells - *sniff* - just - *sniff* - it's just amazing!"