#MashupMonday April Showers

I know I've been away for awhile, my master's degree coursework is taking up quite a bit more of my time than I thought it would, very different from undergrad.  But I am still appreciating the awesomeness of the bath and body world.  

So, I thought I'd share with you a small post I put on Facebook, which happened to be a bit of a #mashupmonday.  So enjoy, for those who did not see it on Facebook.  I've got a little something else for you today as well...  See the Facebook post here

This Saturday, April 9th was a dreary, rainy, cold day. IT'S APRIL, I need some sun or at least weather above 60 degrees ~ sheesh! So as I prepared to go out and be slapped in the face by mother nature's not at all funny joke of an April weekend, I decided to change up my shower game. Instead of something sweet or earthy, I decided to pull out this box of beautiful rustic soaps by Sunlit Soap. Jan really does make awesome works of art over there. Her soap is so beautiful, it is hard to use. But when you use it, it is hard not to want more!

So I pull out the Mint Tea Mud and commence to latherization (I don't care what that red underline says, it is a word!). First, let me say that these soaps are bigger in person and the shape fits comfortably in your hand as you use the flat bottom to lather. The lather is amazing and the minty goodness was just the tingle I needed to face the nasty day. (Beware, this minty tingle is not advised for your sensitive area).

 

I then paired it with the lavender citrus infused oil gelee** that I made myself. The thick oil, smoothed on easily and helped to lock moisture in all day and the light citrus lavender minty essence was an amazing combination!

So I guess I just wrote up a quick ‪#‎MashupMonday‬ post, lol. What can I say, I do it ‪#‎4theloveofbubbles‬

Visit Sunlit Soap on Etsy

Visit Sunlit Soap on Facebook

Visit Sunlit Soap on Instagram

*all images appear courtesy of Sunlit Soap  

**What is this oil gelee that I speak of?  It is a thickened body oil I made to use and a hair and body moisture sealant.  As requested by some in a group on Facebook, I made some available for purchase.  To learn more, look for the sale post in the Handmade Soap & Beauty Lovers Shop & Swap Facebook group (you must be a member to see the post).

Until next time, Lovebuds

Peace, Love & Loads of awesome bubbles!

Loads of Samples: GIVEAWAY!

Hi Love Buds!

By now, you all know that I am a handmade soap addict.  I purchase tons and receive even more as gifts from loved ones who know I love it, as well as companies who want my opinion.  This year, I have received a crazy amount of sample items.  Look, here is my sample drawer and these are all from just this year!

Samples really pull me in, specific scents prompt me to go back and make additional purchases all the time, but usually, there is no need for me to use the sample.  I most likely received the sample along with other soaps, so I know pretty much how the soap will perform, I just want the new fragrance. 

So I'm going to give, yes I said GIVE, my WHOLE, ENTIRE sample drawer away to one lucky winner!  Samples included come from Petals Bath Boutique, Wyldewood Soaps, Willow & Honey, Handmade in Florida, Antoinette's Bath House, Sunlit Soap, The Soap District and MANY other product makers.  Also included in this prize will be a few FULL SIZED ITEMS.  But wait, not only are there soap samples in this drawer, but fragrance samples, bath bomb samples, body butters and other body treats!

Now here's the kicker, what hoops do you have to jump through to enter this drawing?  Just one (or two if you so choose).  All you have to do is subscribe to this very blog - yes, the one you are reading right now!  You can do that in one of two ways:

1. Through Google Friend Connect:

 

Just look on the left hand side of this page (It may be elsewhere if you're reading this on a mobile device) and under the "Followers" Tab, click the "Join this Site" button. Follow the steps to the end and Voilà! You should have a pic in my followers feed, you'll get first hand updates from my blog and most importantly, you'll be entered into the giveaway!

2. Through Bloglovin

Under my picture on the left hand side of this page (it may be elsewhere if you're reading this on a mobile device) In the "Bloglovin" tab, click the "follow me on bloglovin" button.  This will prompt you to set up a bloglovin account (if you don't already have one - if you do, it will be much easier to just add my blog) and Voilà! You'll get first hand updates from my blog and most importantly, you'll be entered into the giveaway!

Doing both doubles your chances of winning and if you'd like to quadruple that, please post a comment on any of my individual blog posts for 2 additional chances to win.

The winner will be randomly chosen on  September 9th, so don't delay!  Good Luck!!!

Peace, Love & Loads of Lather!

A.

#MashupMonday: By the Grace of Mermaids

This Monday, I finally had the heart to use one of my gorgeous soaps from Sunlit Soap.  Jan, the owner, is a true artisan when it comes to the soap treasures she creates.  Not too far from me in Warrenton, Virginia, she has refused a video interview with me for my blog, but I'm not done trying....

This soap, called "Sunlit Beach", is described as smelling similar to Coppertone sun tan lotion.  I did not grow up using suntan lotion and I have to tell you I missed out on a lot!  I LOVE (did I say LOVE? because I LOVE) this fragrance!  Demure notes of greenery intermingle with delicate floral essences of jasmine, rose, lavender, and lilac describe this exquisite scent.  The soap itself looks deceptively small in the pictures.  It is a full 5 ounces and though I thought the square shape would be odd to hold, it fit comfortably in my hand throughout my shower and the lather was dreamy, bubbly and creamy.  

Prior to using the soap, I exfoliated with Willow & Honey's Mermaid Hugs whipped soap sugar scrub.  I previously reviewed their Mermaid Hugs soap and I absolutely love this marine scent. The consistency of this whipped sugar soap scrub is best equated with that of sand that is perfectly mixed with the right balance of water to build a sand castle.  When you scoop up a bit, you can actually mold it with your hands.  The scent is slightly different than that of the bar soap, which is contributed to it being a different product.  Not as salty a marine scent, but still nice.  This scrub provides light exfoliation and rinses clean.  This product has a high content of propylene glycol and I found my skin to be a little itchy after use, due to my sensitivity to this ingredient.  But following it with the Sunlit Beach soap and a cream moisturizer alleviated the itch for me.

Philosophy's line of skin care products has always intrigued me, but I have never used their products.  My mother, however loves their Pure Grace fragrance and today, I decided to give it a try.  By itself, Pure Grace is not a favorite fragrance of mine. Their ode to a pure soap and water clean scent to me, has a light musky undertone that I don't really like.  The whipped body creme has an amazing dense creamy texture that is rich and deeply moisturizing.

When I finished up my shower routine with the Pure Grace cream, my skin felt soft and moisturized and the scent layering of all the products left a fragrance that was fresh and water like at its essence with a light almost powder like finish.  The Mashup was a hit!

What products are you mashing up this week?

For more #MashupMonday posts click here

Catch you next time, Love Buds ~

Peace, Love & Lots of Bubbles!

A.