first sniff impressions: haus of gloi spring

Somehow I've managed to almost completely miss Haus of Gloi's spring releases for the past few years - I've literally never smelled a single one of these scents. So since I couldn't just pick up products in a few scents that I knew I liked, I decided to get samples of the whole line, as well as a few minis (2 pumpkin butters and a bubbling scrub), a whipped soap, and two butterbombs.

After sniffing the whole line, the only ones I plan to buy full bottles of are Komodo and Selkie. I also really like Ploughman, but I'm on the fence about getting a bottle - it's kind of like the spring twin of Samhain, which I love, but don't actually wear that often. We shall see.

An odd little note is that this is the first order I've ever made from Haus of Gloi that didn't include an extra perfume sample. I was a little bummed! I mean, obviously free samples are just a bonus, but it made me wonder if I just somehow got skipped over this time or if they're going to stop including them altogether. While I hope it's not the latter, it won't really affect my purchasing habits either way.

Anyway! Onto the mini-reviews.

Komodo: Sweet, tangy, and tropical. (Reviewed!)

Ruth: Strawberry and green awfulness. It kind of smells like horseradish. (Reviewed!)

Milkmaid: Creamy, powdery pink floral. (Reviewed!)

Ploughman: Damp spring soil. This is very fresh for a dirt scent. (Reviewed!)

Lassi: Gummy bears. The pumpkin butter is less tart than the perfume oil. (Reviewed!)

Selkie: Smells like the ocean, in the best way. (Reviewed!)

Orange Blossom Bee Hive: Orange cream candy.

Strawberries & Cream: Just as described, except less creamy than I expected. Orange Blossom Bee Hive actually smells creamier to me than this one does.

As always, all of this is available from Haus of Gloi.

first sniff impressions: arcana overload

Yeah, so. SO. It's time. I've finally emptied the sample bowl I keep on my desk, and though it is only the first of many, I'm going to take a break between bowls to talk about some stuff I've gotten recently (ish). Because if I don't I won't get around to reviewing any of it until 2014.

The huge Arcana order I talked about in my last (and thus far only) State of the Blog post arrived a while ago - and it was even huger than I expected! Julia asked me if there were any scents I wanted to sample along with my bottles, so I sent her a list of suggestions, expecting that she'd pick one or two - never did I expect to get samples of almost ALL of them, and more! Holy crap. In total I received 7 5 ml bottles and 12 samples. So there will be a lot of Arcana reviews coming down the pipe, obviously. If there's anything in particular you'd like to see first, definitely let me know!

But for now, first sniff impressions! The bottles:

Venus Callipyge: Musky apricot. This one has my illustration on the label! <3

Venus Libertina: Flowery and very strong. Also has my illo on the label! <3 <3

CakeLust: Oh my god I want to eat it. It smells like butterscotch cake.

Amorini: Cherry lollipops. (Reviewed!)

Star Light: Soft vanilla and something fruity. Smells a little like oatmeal cookies.

Murder Ballad Blues: Slightly sour berries.

Quim: Boozy banana creamsicle. Already reviewed!

And the samples:

Keel: Fresh pineapple.

Drool: Sweet and tropical.

Queen Crossbones: Resin-y honey. (Reviewed!)

Eros: Chocolate and patchouli, maybe. (Reviewed!)

BloodLust: Black licorice. Very sharp and medicinal. (Reviewed!)

The Huntress: Very herbal and minty.

Soft Hearted: The softest grapefruit I've ever smelled. (Reviewed!)

Breakfast in Hollywood: Also grapefruit, but a more usual kind of grapefruit plus a bit of fruity sweetness.

Namaka: Sweet coconut milk and something a bit fruity. (Reviewed!)

Death in the Afternoon: A much sweeter anise with a bit of citrus.

Freyja: More grapefruit. Very very grapefruit with no sugary sweetness to it.

Bonfires at Dusk: Smoke and lavender. (Reviewed!)

first sniff impressions: ohwto

Last week I noticed that One Hand Washes The Other's TAT had gone down dramatically - from 18-20 days to 5-7 days. I was also poking around in the clearance section and found some goodies I wanted - Summer and Halloween scents that I regretted not getting but thought were long gone. Sold! Of course I placed an order. I placed it on January 29th and it arrived yesterday on February 8th, which is awesome and will definitely encourage me to place more small, "just a few things" orders in the future. In fact I'm eyeing up the new Valentine's Day scent right now...

BUT ANYWAY. On to the impressions!

Harvest Moon: Tart and fresh and fruity. I have a solid in this scent so I already know it's lychee and berries and yum.

Gracie: Sweet and rich, but not completely foodie. I wasn't too interested in this one, but then I received a sample of it when I placed my Halloween order and immediately regretted not getting it, so I'm glad I got the chance to snag it on clearance. I loved the sample so much I picked up both the oil and the solid, because I am a crazy person.

Queen Bea: Juicy apricots and honey. I missed the Summer release completely, and this is the one that I wanted most from it. Score! (Full review)

Be True 2013: Chocolatey floral. A little fruit. I have the 2012 version to do a comparison later. I think this one is stronger.

Cascadia: This smells kind of clean, like those fresh linen/laundry scents? Also a little floral. (Full review)

first sniff impressions: haus of gloi

Haus of Gloi Valentine's goodies!

My (first) order from Haus of Gloi's Valentine's release arrived on Friday, less than a week after I placed it! One of the things I love about HoG is that they have a crazy fast TAT, even with newly released and very popular collections. Their new Butterbombs were out of stock when I ordered (they sold out SUPER fast), but I snagged a few of them when they came back into stock a couple days later, and I'll review those when I receive them.

Anyway, let's get to it! Full reviews of everything I haven't already talked about are forthcoming.

Come Hither: My preciousss. This new, reformulated version smell slightly more rosy in the bottle than the original, I think, and maybe a bit more buttery sweet, but it's still amazing and I love it. I hope the pumpkin butter gets restocked because I reeeally want a backup. Because I am a crazy person. But this is literally one of the only scents I've ever thought, "hmm. if I were a signature scent person, this could be it" about. I don't want to run out ever. I would fill a hidden wall safe with it if I had a hidden wall safe. For the record the pumpkin butter smells more like the original Come Hither. (Full review)

Who Needs Love: This has also been reformulated, but since I never smelled the original that means nothing to me. Nothing! It smells like raspberry truffles. (Full review)

Spring Tonic 1: Lemon-limey and very very fresh. Might snag this in a whipped soap.

Something Hopeful: This was my free sample. As before I smell the mandarin and plum in the vial and it's nice, but I know it'll go all jasmine and horror on my skin. (Full review)

Vice: Like eating a gooey s'more inside of a Starbucks. Yum. I had a mini scrub in this scent from forever ago and I always meant to order the perfume, but just got around to it.

first sniff impressions: ohwto

Neat little tubes of smelly goodness all in a row

My Winter goodies from OHWTO arrived a few days ago! Huzzah. I have to admit I was a little worried, my order didn't ship until a good while after the stated TAT, but now I've got my grubby mitts on it just the same so in the end I'm satisfied. Plus there was an extra full-sized bottle of perfume oil included in my order, I guess just because Becca is amazing and super generous? It's happened before, actually - I've gotten extra goodies in my orders a few times, and while I would never expect it it's certainly a wonderful surprise. This time I got a full bottle of a scent called "Stuffed Stockings," which I can't find a description of to save my life - it's not in the winter listings on the OHWTO website or anywhere. So I don't know anything about it, except that it smells AMAZING. Like it might be my favorite thing in the whole order and I didn't even order it. Ridiculous.

Here's what I got, and initial "first sniff" impressions. Full reviews to come!

It's Just Fruit: Buttery fruit. This one is so yummy. (Full review)

Samovar: Tea and something herbal and a little sweet. (Full review)

Holiday Cheer: Sweet and spicy. (Full review)

Not Your Grandma's Fruitcake: Light and fruity. Very fresh for a winter scent. I smell banana. (Full review)

Orenjipai: Creamsicle. (Full review)

The Cake is a Lie: Delicious lemon cake. (Full review)

Winter Vacation: Spicy cocoa and something minty. This one is kind of chilly. (Full review)

Stuffed Stockings: Rich and sweet and almost a little fizzy? I definitely get orange, and maybe chocolate. It smells incredible.

O Holy Night: Church.

White Lily: Inoffensive floral.

first sniff impressions: sarawen perfume art

Three pretty little 5 ml perfume oils from Sarawen Perfume Art

I've been wanting to try out Sarawen's perfume oils for a while now, but just recently got around to it. I picked up full-sized 5 ml roller balls of Girl on Fire, The Baker's Boy, and Beer n' Butter. I loooved The Hunger Games in case you couldn't guess. Also Harry Potter. Also strawberries, cake, and butterscotch. I am weak. And a huge dork. Who likes cake.

ANYWAY. They arrived yesterday, so it's time for another round of...

First sniff impressions! Full reviews to come.

Girl on Fire: I'm getting mostly herbs with a bit of sweetness and tang from the strawberry.

The Baker's Boy: This doesn't smell like cake. Okay, there's a little cake, but it's not very sweet at all. I'm getting lots of amber. Amber, why must you ruin things for me? Hopefully this is different on.

Beer n' Butter: Smoky butterscotch. (Full review)

first sniff impressions: arcana

The way I've been doing these reviews so far is to talk about whatever perfume I'm wearing that particular day. It encourages me to branch out into my collection instead of wearing the same thing over and over. But today I woke up late and in my rush to get out the door, things like perfume and makeup and opening my eyes all the way kind of got left behind. So instead I'm going to do something a little different.

I placed an order from The Soap Box Company shortly after the new year, because I wanted some Arcanas and they were waiving shipping charges over a certain amount. What can I say? Free shipping draws me in like a moth to a flickering porch light. It's a sickness. It arrived yesterday (3 business days after I placed my order - love that!) and I thought I'd share my immediate thoughts about what I got.

"First sniff" impressions! All straight from the bottle. Full reviews to come.

Puppy Kisses: Yummy minty coconut with some kind of melty undertone. Heavier on the mint.

The Darling Buds: Floral, but not a bad floral. Very fresh. I get the cucumber up front and a whiff of strawberry. (Reviewed!)

Angel Clare: Sort of powdery and a little sweet? I don't get much apple unless I really smell for it.

Quim: I can't decide if I'm smelling bubblegum or a Terry's dark chocolate orange. (Full review)

Leaves Falling Like Rain: Sort of bready, maybe a little bit of orange? I don't think those notes are in the description at all. This smells exactly like something but I can't put my finger on it. (Full review)