ohwto beach bum

Salt air, tuberose blooms, coconut, sweetgrass, tanning lotion, sand, sea, and sun.

The lighting was so weird when I took pictures of this sample (and Dandelion Wine). Ugh. ANYWAY. Beach Bum is part of One Hand Washes The Other's Spring/Summer 2013 release. I received it as a sample with my Valentine's order.

In the pod, Beach Bum smells coconutty and slightly floral. On skin I smell fruity coconut and something a little citrusy, I think it's the sweetgrass. The tuberose is there, and while it's slightly more prominent than my floral-hating self would prefer, it's not an overpowering element and it fits well with the tropical vibe going on here. The scent as a whole is slightly sweet and sunny, perfect for summer.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. I do like it, but I'm not in the market for summer scents just yet. (It's still about 30 degrees here. I weep.) Plus it is a bit more floral than I'd like. So I'll see how I feel when I place my Spring/Summer order. I'm not 100% for sure getting it, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it ended up in my cart.

Available from: OHWTO

ohwto dandelion wine

Sweet green grass, Dandelions, Tobacco, a hint of Smoke, Atlas Cedarwood, Heliotrope, and a wee touch of Patchouli to ground it.

Dandelion Wine is one of One Hand Washes The Other's new Spring/Summer 2013 scents. Which are available NOW UGH WHY I CAN'T BUY MORE STUFF STOP IT. I received this one as a sample when I picked up Apple of My Eye after Valentine's Day.

Dandelion Wine smells exactly like lying on fresh, vibrant green grass on a warm spring day. Sweet grass and dandelions, with a hint of damp soil. It's really lovely and perfect for the warmer weather that I cannot WAIT for.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I'll probably be picking up a full-size tube of this when I place my Spring/Summer order with OHWTO.

Available From: OHWTO

ohwto corinne

Pink lady apples, creamy white chocolate, fresh flowers, a whiff of musky worn leather and a hint of dried hay. She's a tomboyish scent, for sure, but most definitely still a lady.

You know I love me an apple scent, and hay too, so I was happy to get a sample of this with an OHWTO order way back when. Sadly neither of those notes is very prominent on me. It's not apple-y at all, which is surprising since apples are the first note listed. It smells slightly fruity but mostly flowery and then I get a little sharpness from the leather. The white chocolate is creamy and mellow but it's a very minor note.

Ultimately this one smells mostly like flowers and leather. It's not bad, but it's not something I would wear, either - and as ever, I want more apple. Come on, apple. Don't be like that.

Would I buy it again? Nope. Leathery florals are not for me.

Available from: OHWTO (I think this was discontinued, though.)

ohwto apple of my eye

Bushels of apples, bouquets of lilies and carnations and sweet peas, green clover, sensual and exotic musks, a splash of champagne and a little candy, to boot.

Apple of My Eye was part of One Hand Washes the Other's 2013 Valentine's Day release. I ordered it because I am forever and endlessly drawn to any scent with apple in the notes. And clover. Let's not forget about the clover. I think my perfect Spring scent would be one that smells like crisp, fresh apples, clover flowers, rose, peach, and honey. (Note to self: see if Haus of Gloi offers these notes for their custom perfumes.)

In the tube Apple of My Eye smells fresh and green and slightly floral. The apple isn't super prominent. On skin it actually becomes less fruity and I smell mostly sweet pea and clover. There's a slight tickle from the champagne, but I can't identify any candy or musk, and compared to sniffing it in the tube, the apple is very, very mild, bordering on unnoticeable.

It's a perfectly nice scent - it's fresh and reminds me sitting in the park in early spring. But I was promised apple! And I'm not getting apple. So that's disappointing. I usually find OHWTO scents fairly true to their descriptions, so this is most likely a skin chemistry issue.

Misc. Notes: "It's more flowery than what you usually wear, but I actually really like it." -Mike

Would I buy it again? I don't think so. I'm not upset that I bought it, and I'll wear it, but if I knew it was going to be so lacking in apple, I wouldn't have bought it.

Available from: OHWTO

ohwto cascadia

A scent for a country that never was. At least, not yet. Dense evergreen forests, endless waterfalls, pine boughs, woodland paths littered with dried leaves, ambergris washed ashore the rocky coastline, driftwood, midday showers, oakmoss, sandalwood and ylang ylang.

In the pod Cascadia smells very clean - it reminds me of all those "clean laundry" scents for some reason. The woodsiness is also there, but it's mild. But then! On skin the evergreen and pine comes out like WHOA at first, to the point where I can't smell anything else. Thankfully it softens pretty quickly and I start to get a bit of the other notes, most notably the sandalwood and a tiny hint of sweetness from the oakmoss. It's quite pretty once you get past the initial blast of HEY CHRISTMAS TREE. I am a big fan of any kind of "this smells like being in the middle of woods" scents, and this falls into that category - it's something I'd want to wear while hiking or exploring outside.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. I like it but it reminds me a bit of OHWTO's Lumberjack, which by contrast I love, so I'll have to compare the two before I decide whether or not to put it on my "to buy" list.

Available from: OHWTO

ohwto o holy night

A gorgeous blend reminiscent of a Christmas Eve church service - Roses, Beeswax candles, Moroccan Cedarwood, Lavender, Labdanum, Vetiver, and Honey.

O Holy Night was part of One Hand Washes the Other's 2012 Winter release.

O Holy night smells, appropriately, like church. I smell incense, but really lovely, deep incense, and roses and beeswax. It's not a scent I'd pick out (hence why I only have a sample), but it's quite pretty in a Christmas Eve Mass sort of way. I am not a church-going person, but it's the smell that matches up with the image of a grand old church in my mind - all dark wood and candles and stained-glass windows under an impossibly high, domed ceiling with glinting gold accents.

Would I buy it again? No. I like the idea of it quite a lot but it's not a scent I would wear with any regularity.

Available from: OHWTO (still up for purchase as of this posting)

ohwto orenjipai

Orange cake! Tangerine, Slivered Almonds, Buttercream Icing, and Cake.

Orenjipai was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2012 Winter release.

In the tube it smells like a creamsicle. Exactly like a creamsicle! It is delicious and makes me want a creamsicle. Someone make a vegan creamsicle and sell it to me, okay? On skin I get the almond in a big way, it's like buttery almond cake with orange zest. The almond fades pretty quickly after application and it becomes more of an orange cake with heavily zest-studded buttercream frosting. There's not as much creamy sweetness at this point, so it doesn't smell much like a creamsicle once it's on. It's very tangy, if I may co-opt a flavor word. It's not complicated but it's really, really yummy.

It smells so much like a creamsicle in the tube though. I kind of wish it stayed like that. Or maybe that I just had a different, for real creamsicle-scented perfume in addition to this.

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's awesome. But it will make you want a creamsicle, so you know, be aware.

Available from: OHWTO (still available for purchase as of this posting)

ohwto not your grandma's fruitcake

It's not, it's really not! Unless your grandma's from the tropics and throws holiday convention to the wind, anyway. A scent made to whisk you from the frozen tundra straight to the Caribbean- Jackfruit, Acai, Sliced Fruit, Pluots, Passionfruit, Banana, Sugar, Coconut Milk, and Nectarines.

Not Your Grandma's Fruitcake was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2012 Winter release.

In the tube it's very fruity, with the passionfruit and coconut milk being strongest. On skin I get banana immediately, then passionfruit, coconut milk, and a whole overflowing bowl of unidentifiable "tropical fruit" smells. After the initial burst of banana, the passionfruit remains the strongest element on me. It's really nice, and not at all your typical winter/cold-weather scent - it smells like something from a summer collection. The banana doesn't smell fake and the coconut doesn't smell like suntan oil, so if you normally aren't into tropical scents for those reasons, you might want to give this a go.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I love banana, coconut, and fruity scents in general so I was destined to like this. I like that it bucks the convention of warm, spicy winter scents, but because I am boring and conventional, I do think this one will have to wait until the weather heats up to get a lot of wear.

Available from: OHWTO (still available for purchase as of this posting)

ohwto queen bea

Juicy Apricots drizzled with fresh-from-the-comb Honey, Plum wine, Peonies, Freesia, a whiff of Violet, warm Cardamom, and White Patchouli.

Queen Bea was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2012 summer collection. It was the only one I reeeeally wanted to try and I thought I missed out on it forever (or at least for the year), so when it showed up in the clearance section of the OHWTO website recently I snapped it up immediately.

In the bottle I smell honey and apricots. On skin it's mostly the same, perhaps a bit less sweet. I smell a bit of the plum wine but none of the flowers, the cardamom, or the patchouli make much of an appearance. (I'm super happy about that last one.) Overall it's very warm and rich and fruity - I can see how it would be perfect for summer.

My only complaint about this - and it is not a complaint about this oil in particular, but every oil I have with the little euro dropper/reducer insert thing - is that I cannot get any damn oil out of the bottle. I always end up prying them out and throwing them away because they're completely useless. But maybe I just keep getting faulty ones or I'm really dumb and don't understand how to work them? Who knows, but GRRR.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I really like this one and I'm glad I got a chance to pick it up after all.

Available from: OHWTO (Not currently up for sale, unfortunately.)

ohwto samovar

A warm cup of tea always at the ready. Three teas, Thyme, Honey, Pennyroyal, & Saffron.

Samovar was part of One Hand Washes The Other's Winter release in 2012. I love notes of tea, honey, and thyme in scents, so I had to pick this one up.

In the tube it smells herbal with a bit of sweetness, sort of like those honey-herb cough drops. There is a touch of bitterness from the tea. On skin it's thyme and tea. The honey is there but it's not strongly sweet. I don't really know what pennyroyal and saffron smell like so I can't say if those notes are asserting themselves or not. Honestly the longer I sniff it the more I get those honey-herb cough drops. It's not a bad scent, or even a bad thing to be reminded of, it's just very specific. It makes me think of being sick in bed and loading up on hot tea and honey-herb cough drops. I even get an almost chilly rush when I sniff it that reminds me of popping a mentholated cough drop in my mouth. It's a little strange but I like it.

Would I buy it again? Hmm. I think so? It's a very specific scent-memory for me and because of that I don't think I'll wear it too often, but I do like it. And I can't stop sniffing it when it's on my wrist, which is an indicator that it's interesting if nothing else.

Available from: OHWTO

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)

ohwto it's just fruit

One Hand Washes The Other It's Just Fruit solid perfume

Bosc and Bartlett Pears layered in a Buttery Crust, topped with a Ginger-Nutmeg crumble with a hint of Maple Sugar.

It's Just Fruit was part of One Hand Washes The Other's winter release in 2012.

This is one of those rare instances where I think the description of a scent is 100% accurate. In the tube It's Just Fruit smells like an autumn fruit crisp. On skin it's pretty much the same, all buttery pears and sweet, spicy, maple sugary goodness. I can smell the ginger and the nutmeg, but it's not super spicy, just more like something spicy baking in the oven and wafting out all warm and enticing. There's a lovely juiciness that comes out after a while, like very ripe pears.

It's a pretty linear scent (most solids are), but considering how good it smells I'm cool with it not morphing into something different. It's got pretty great throw and lasting power, too. Winner!

Would I buy it again? Yep. I love smelling edible.

Available from: OHWTO - the winter collection is still up!

ohwto holiday cheer

One Hand Washes The Other Holiday Cheer solid perfume

Amaretto, Glazed spiced Walnuts, & Vanillaed Egg Nog.

Holiday Cheer was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2012 winter release.

In the tube Holiday Cheer smells sweet and a little spicy. I definitely get the amaretto. On skin it's amaretto and spicy eggnog. I do get a bit of the nuttiness as well. It reminds me a bit of OHWTO's Pasticerria, which is an almond pastry scent (and which I adore)... I guess it's the nuts combined with the amaretto. But Holiday Cheer is spicier. After a while I get more creamy vanilla and a little less spice, and the amaretto mellows out a bit. It's really yummy the whole way through.

The lasting power is good on this one, too. Bonus.

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's delicious, and a great winter/cold weather scent.

Available from: OHWTO (right now!)

ohwto winter vacation

One Hand Washes The Other Winter Vacation solid perfume

Snow-covered hills, a pine forest, dried fruits, warm cocoa, and the glowing amber light of home, always kept within your sight.

Winter Vacation was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2012 winter release.

In the tube I smell cocoa and mint. It's also a bit fruity and distinctly "cold." Once it's on the skin I get a lot more of the pine forest element. The cocoa is still there, but the fruitiness has moved to the background a bit. The amber isn't strong and it's working for me, which is rare. I think it just adds a bit of warmth. However it is still quite cold on the skin, which I think is mint, but it doesn't exactly smell minty anymore, if that makes sense. It just feels minty. I guess that's the "snow-covered hills" aspect. It's interesting.

I really like this one, and I think the description is perfect. It's chilly and woodsy but still a bit sweet, with a distant sort of warmth humming away underneath. The only bummer is that the lasting power is below average in my opinion - I need to reapply it every couple of hours.

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's a really nice winter fragrance and I don't think I have anything quite like it.

Available from: OHWTO

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.

ohwto the cake is a lie

One Hand Washes The Other This Cake Is A Lie solid perfume

But it smells so REAL! Lemon-filled butter cake with thick, fluffy frosting. Lemon, Sugar, Cake batter & Frosting. Reformulated and added to the full-time list of Private Stock fragrances, TCIAL was originally a limited edition for Winter of 2011.

Let's get right to the point: The Cake Is A Lie smells SO GOOD. It smells like cake. Obviously. Buttery lemon cake with lemon zest-studded frosting. I want to eat it. I literally want to put the stick of solid scent goo in my mouth and chew it up.

I won't though! Because I'm an adult. Also it's perfume and not a tube of cake, though you'd be forgiven for making that mistake. In the (cake) tube, The Cake Is A Lie smells just like the description. On my skin the lemon gets a little brighter and tarter, like the zest by itself. But the cakey goodness is still there. It's light for a sweet foodie scent, thanks to the citrus, and while it does smell like cake it's not what I'd call overly sugary or cloyingly sweet.

I passed on this one when it first came out because I figured I had enough sweet lemon scents, but then I got a sample of it in a different order and loooooved it so much that I had to throw a tube into my cart when I ordered from the winter scent release. I'm really glad this one got added to the general catalog, because it is YUM. The lemon smells a bit similar to OHWTO's Carnivale, but that's more lemon and fizzy orange soda while this is definitely zesty, buttery lemon cake.

Misc. Notes: When I made Mike smell this he said, "See, this is the problem with these things, I just want to eat them."

Would I buy it again? Absolutely. It's delicious.

Available from: OHWTO

ohwto sticky fingers

One Hand Washes The Other Sticky Fingers solid perfume

A light, white scent comprised entirely of foody notes. Keep away from children and pets and anyone who doesn't know better than to eat perfume. No, really. Creamy white chocolate, gooey marshmallow, a plump dollop of cream cheese frosting, tonka bean absolute, and warmed coconut milk.

Sticky Fingers was part of One Hand Washes The Other's Halloween 2012 release. I picked it up because white chocolate, marshmallow, frosting, coconut, get in my basket.

In the tube I get white chocolate and sugary sweet coconut, like the frosting on a coconut cupcake. On skin it's very slightly less sweet and the white chocolate is a bit stronger, but mostly the same. It's coconut frosting. Ergo, yum.

This is pretty much what I wanted Haus of Gloi's Coconut Bon Bon to smell like, now that I'm thinking about it. It has pretty good lasting power too, which is always a bonus.

 Would I buy it again? Yep. It's not a complicated scent, but it's sweet and yummy and I'm a sucker for foodie perfumes.

Available from: OHWTO, but I don't think it's actually available anymore. Maybe next Halloween!

ohwto pumpkin bread pudding

One Hand Washes The Other Pumpkin Bread Pudding solid perfume

Bruleed pumpkin puree, buttermilk, cream, bourbon, bread, vanilla, honey, & pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding was part of One Hand Washes The Other's Halloween 2012 release.

In the tube I smell smells sweet pumpkin cream, vanilla, honey, and a hint of bourbon. On skin it gets a little spicier (my skin tends to do that though), though it's still creamier and less spicy than OHWTO's Pumpkin Bread scent. The spiciness settles a bit after a few minutes and the bourbon and honey get a bit stronger. It's not as aggressively sweet as you'd expect from the description.

This has good lasting power - I could still smell it at the end of a full work day.

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's similar to Pumpkin Bread, and given how much of that I have (two solids and a perfume oil, somehow - I only bought the one solid, I swear) I probably definitely don't NEED this, but the fact that it's a pumpkin spice-type scent that doesn't go cinnamon crazy on me is reason enough to justify the purchase.

Available from: OHWTO, but I don't think it's actually available anymore. Maybe next Halloween!

 

ohwto hungry ghost

 

One Hand Washes The Other Hungry Ghost solid perfume

Steaming-hot Green Tea, Lively Lemongrass, and Cardamom, with Peppermint providing a wisp of otherworldly chill.

Hungry Ghost was part of One Hand Washes The Other's 2011 Halloween release. I believe it has now been slightly tweaked and added to the general catalog as Cicada Song.

In the tube Hungry Ghost smells mostly of lemongrass. I love the smell of lemongrass so this pleases me. There is also a slight wisp of peppermint. It's very refreshing. On skin it's largely the same, but the green tea and cardamom notes also show up. The cardamom especially. As it wears the green tea note becomes more prominent. It's light, fresh, and energizing - I love this one when I'm feeling sluggish. It's like a cup of hot, zingy lemon ginger tea. It's also a nice change of pace from the usual deep, spicy-sweet scents that populate most fall/Halloween perfume collections. I love those scents, but they don't get much play once temperatures start rising - this one is just as wearable, if not more so, in hot weather as it is in cold.

The throw is surprisingly good for a solid perfume, especially one with such light notes.

Would I buy it again? In a heartbeat. It's lovely and a bit different and I like it a lot.

ohwto equinox

One Hand Washes The Other Equinox solid scent tube

A veritable cornucopia of harvest time goodness! Fresh apple butter, spiced breads and iced pastries, just-pressed cider warmed with ginger and mulling spice, roasted figs, berries, pomegranates, bonfire smoke, amber, and patchouli.

Equinox was part of One Hand Washes The Other's (henceforth known as OHWTO) Halloween release in 2012. I picked up 5 of the new scents from that release as well as several of the returning Halloween scents from 2011 and about eleventy billion other solid scents, all of which I'll be reviewing in due time.

In the tube Equinox smells fruity and spicy and lightly sweet. The mulling spices and apple cider are the main notes I get. On skin it's a bit less spicy, surprisingly, and I can smell the apple butter, the berries, the ginger, and just a hint of sweet smokiness. A few minutes later I smell something a bit orangey, or perhaps that's the pomegranate? It sort of smells like a mug of hot cider with an orange slice floating in it. The amber and patchouli don't make much of an appearance to my nose, or maybe they're just blended well enough that they support the other notes without screaming out themselves. Either way I'm happy about it, as those are two of my least favorite notes in perfume. This does border on scented candle occasionally, but I think that's a personal thing - almost all of these spiced apple cidery- kind of scents bring that to mind for me. But I keep buying them, so clearly it's not a deterrent.

This doesn't have a lot of throw, but I think that's the norm with solid perfumes so I don't hold it against OHWTO. I have a few of their scents that excel in that category, but by and large they're more "personal" scents, and that's fine. This is, and OHWTO's solid scents are as a whole, a bit longer-lasting than most other solids I've tried. I do take the tube with me during the day so I can reapply, but I only do so once or twice a day as opposed to every two hours with some other solid scents.

Would I buy it again? Yes, with some reservations (see below). I like the scent a lot and I love her products - they're a good size for a reasonable price, I love the twist-up tube format, they're easy to carry around in your purse or a pocket, and they're reasonably long-lasting for a solid scent.

The reservations: I've been ordering from OHWTO for years and have always been really happy to do so. But recently (the last year or so) the turn-around time has gotten ridiculous and it really puts me off from placing orders. Current TAT is stated as 18-20 days on the website, but my most recent order for scents from her winter release was placed on December 5th and I've yet to get a shipping notification (ed. note: I got a shipping notification on 1/18), so TAT can run longer than that.

Does this prevent me from ordering from OHWTO? No, but the super-long TAT does limit how often I order. When I first started ordering from this shop I wouldn't hesitate to buy just one or two solid scents any time they caught my eye, but now I pretty much only order when she releases new collections, so two or three times a year. And it annoys me every time I do, because I know I'll be waiting at least a month to get my products. It's not great. It's not a total dealbreaker, but it is something to consider.