My Black Friday Summer ScentSations Haul

During Summer ScentSations' Black Friday sale I placed an order.  I had purchased some soaps from her on TopHatter and love how long her scents linger on the skin after you rinse them off.  Plus I wasn't allergic to her glycerin soaps.

My order:
Soaps in French Lavender (3) and Coconut Citrus Sorbet

Lip Balm in Orange Sorbet

Lip Sugar Scrub and Polish in a Tube in Vanilla Icing (2)

Lip Scrub and Balm Set in Black Cherry

Mineral Eye Shadows in Sea Pearl, Smoke, Turquoise, Aquamarine,

Shamrock, Mermaid Sheen and Iris

Solid Perfumes in Oh So Juicy, Simply Delicious and Be Number One

Now on to the reviews!


Coconut Citrus Sorbet Soap - This bright fragrance cleanses your senses with the refreshing notes of soothing lemon, zesty lime, creamy coconut milk and sweet vanilla bean. It's the perfect combination of sweet and citrus that that will make you dream of summer days!
My Review:  Smells like coconut and lemon with a hint of vanilla and twist of lime.  It is the perfect summer soap but at the same time soft enough to use during the cooler months.  Its a pretty soap - white with yellow in it with pretty yellow curls on the top.  I love a great amount of lather as it scents the air.  This soap does just that and makes the shower smell tropical.  In the dead of winter it makes you forget that it's -20c outside.  It has all the scents to brighten your spirit and senses.  A great wake me up soap to use in the morning or throughout the day to lift your spirits.

French Lavender Soap
My Review:  Smells like a beautiful lavender garden.  I have grown to love lavender over the last year and this soap is the precise reason why.  The soap is a pretty white and lavender colour swirl cold press bar of soap with lavender on the top.  It is very pretty and a nice soap to display in your bathroom.  This soap lathers nicely and makes the shower smell like a beautiful spa.  Very relaxing, great before bed.

Orange Sorbet Lip Balm - A juicy burst of orange with a slightly sweet background that will cleanse the palate and refresh the senses.
My Review:  Smells like heaven. Its a great summer scent.

Lip Sugar Scrub and Polish in a Tube in Vanilla Icing
My Review:  I got two of these as my lips get chapped pretty bad in our Canadian winters and love lip scrubs.  The scrubby part is sugar.  Smalls just like vanilla icing.  Very sweet but warm due to the vanilla.  It comes in a tube so it doesn't get messy like some pot scrubs do plus its easier to carry in your purse and apply.  Works good.  I used it last night and did a gentle rub and have very soft lips this morning.

Black Cherry Lip Balm and Lip Scrub - Mmmm, the aroma of ripe black cherries to carry around with you all day. Delicious, smells good enough to eat - but don't, lips only!

My Review:  This is a gift for my mom as she loves black cherries.  The lip scrub came in a container.  The organza bag matches the lip balm and scrub.  Smells good!  The scrub works great and gets rid of chapped lips in 1 or 2 uses.  Gentle enough to use daily if they are rather chapped and it takes more than 1 or 2 uses to get them soft again.

The mineral eye shadows look just as they are pictured.  I love this because then you know what you are getting.  My favs are Shamrock and Mermaid Sheen.  I love bold blues and greens and I wear a lot of silvers and purples so they all are great additions to my loose shadow collection.  The lasting power when applied dry without primer is average, no different than my other loose shadows.  When applied wet or on top of primer you get awesome results.  The colours are so true and last all day.  You get quite a bit in the small clear jar.  The price was great and I would definitely reorder mineral eye shadows from Summer ScentSations.

The solid perfumes are stocking stuffers so I won't be able to opened to smell or test them.  They are the perfect purse size and will get some for myself in my next order.

I am very pleased with my order and look forward to my next one!  I really want to try her solid lotions, shave bars and body scrubs.  She is very good with customer service and will work with you if a product isn't available to ship to your country.  She is located in the Cayman Islands.  Shipping to Canada is about 2 weeks.  She ships the same day.  I would expect shipping to the US to be 1-2 weeks as they receive mail quicker than us Canadians.

Moonalisa December 2012 Order Details - Winter Sale

I made two orders from Moonalisa over two days.  The top 3 items the morning of December 3rd, 2012 before I received my very first Moona order in the afternoon from the September sale.  I then ordered the bottom 3 items the next day as I wanted the 4-in-1 Gel to match the body powder I had gotten in my previous order and couldn't resist the conditioner and mister.  As an international now double I probably won't receive my items til March 2013.  My previous order took 3 months to reach me and that was when I was just an international single.  It is still cold and appropriate to wear winter scents for a couple more months.  Once it gets warm here then wearing some heavy bakery scents is out of place.  Plus I might be low on what I got in my previous order and in need of some new items.

Qty Item Options Price 1 4 in 1 Gel - 8 oz Item # 26231157 Option: Winter Porridge with Apple Strudel $10.95 USD 1 Spray-In Detangler - 4 oz Item # 26231802 Option: Winter Porridge with Apple Strudel $7.95 USD 1 Hair Conditioner (NOT WHEAT FREE) - 4 oz Item # 25832583 Option: Candied Violets $7.95 USD

Qty Item Options Price 1 4 in 1 Gel - 8 oz Item # 25819305 Option: Marzipan Corn Cake $10.95 USD 1 End of the World Mayan Collection ~ Holy Ka'kau' ! Item # 26230344 Option: Holy Ka'kau' - Hydrating Mister $14.95 USD 1 Hair Conditioner (NOT WHEAT FREE) - 4 oz Item # 26078019 Option: Marzipan Corn Cake $7.95 US

End of the World Mayan Collection - Holy Ka'kau !

4-in-1 Gel

Hydrating Misters

End of the World Mayan Collection ~ Holy Ka'kau' !  Foaming rich dark chocolate , brewed with sweet sugar and corn meal , with a touch of heavenly aromatic spices.

Marzipan Corn Cake : sweet creamy corn sugar which is a really rich and sweet creamy scent, and blends beautifully with these oils. Don't let the word corn scare you:)

Winter Porridge with Apple Strudel

Candied Violets:  Sugared violets adorning a Chamborde raspberry liqueur soaked butter sponge cake

I will do a review of the order when I receive it.  I can't wait!

Moonalisa September 2012 Sale - Sleepy Hallow & Gypsy Cirkus Collection

I decided to see what all the hype is about and tried out Moonalisa with her Sleepy Hallow & Gypsy Cirkus Collection Sale in September 2012.  I made a single order and was an international.  I placed my order on September 17th.  It was shipped on November 9th and received December 3rd.  It was a long time to wait for goodies to come but opening the package and smelling all the items was well worth it!  Here is my order:

Qty Item Options Price 1 Mini Puff Powders! ~ Sleepy Hallow & Gypsy Cirkus Collection 2012 Item # 23010209 Option: S'mores and Hot Cocoa $5.95 USD 1 Mini Puff Powders! ~ Sleepy Hallow & Gypsy Cirkus Collection 2012 Item # 23010207 Option: Marzipan Corn Cake $5.95 USD 1 Sleepy Hallow Collection Scrub / Bath Cream Parfaits - 9.5 oz Item # 22974775 Option: Pumpkin Batter * Old classic~ $12.95 USD 1 Spray-In Detangler - 4 oz Item # 23010837 Option: Pumpkin Batter $7.95 USD 1 Mini Puff Powders! ~ Sleepy Hallow & Gypsy Cirkus Collection 2012 Item # 23010213 Option: Pumpkin Batter $5.95 USD

I also got extras of Blood Orange Cotton Candy bath brew and Winter Porridge with Apple Strudel cream.  Along with a ball with confetti in it and a Fortune Telling Fish and the usual Moona cards.  The package was filled with tissue paper with stamps on all the items.  It was like a creative birthday gift that smelled like heaven.

Scent Reviews - Extras:

Blood Orange Cotton Candy:
My Take: Smells like an orange creme sickle!! 

Winter Porridge with Apple Strudel 
My Take: Smells like Apple Oatmeal, you can smell an apple juice note to it, sweet and apley but can also detect the oatmeal.  I ordered this in various items in my December order before I smelled this extra.

My Scent Reviews:

Marzipan Corn Cake: sweet creamy corn sugar which is a really rich and sweet creamy scent, and blends beautifully with these oils. Don't let the word corn scare you:)

My Take: It smells like a lightly spiced cream cake, definitely no corn scent to it. Very sweet and creamy! It is great in the body power and reacts well with the heat of my body during the day.  I smell sweet and creamy with a hint of spice.

S'mores & Hot Cocoa Cream: Scrumptious classic crust & ooey, gooey treat , accompanied with a piping hot side of Hot cocoa, sure to satisfy!

My Take:  Just like a night in front of the camp fire with s'mores and hot chocolate.  It is definitely a sweet chocolate scent.  There is a hint of marshmallow but I mostly smell ooey gooey chocolate.  It smells heavenly.

Pumpkin Batter
My Take:  Smells exactly like my Spiced Pumpkin Pie with a hint of batter.  The detangler makes my hair smells so good.  It is the perfect Christmas scent!  Who wouldn't want to smell like pumpkin pie.

Product Reviews:

The scented hair detangler lasts all day unless you put anther product on top of it.  I usually use it to start and then spritz it again when my hair is all done.  It definitely helps with tangles and keeps the fly always to a minimum.  I love it so much that I ordered another one during the December sale.  You don't need much even with long wavy hair.  I use it everyday and not much is missing from the bottle.  The oil is the perfect amount to not make my hair greasy with use.  Most oil products make my scalp oily and dirty looking.  This product even holds style as many don't on my hair after being applied.

The body powders are great.  I have been using them after I shower in the evening and put it on my decolletage area.  All 3 smell so good.  The powder is finely milled and easy to apply.  They help if I sweat any during the night.  Plus they make my bed smell delicious if I roll over any on my pillow.  I used to included puffs for a few days but found that a nice fluffy brush works better.  The powder doesn't stick to the brush as it does the puff.  As I have 3 of these I don't know if I would order more anytime soon but they are cute.  I might repurchase them during her Autumn sale next year if she has them.

I am definitely in love with Moona products.  Many of her scents have elements to them that I can't wear such as Musk and Amber but she always has foody scents that I love to try.  I can't wait to get my next order!

Black Friday Musings - Sales and Such

Black Friday has come and gone.  In Canada, Black Friday turns into a 4 day sale in stores and turns into a 5 day cyber sale on Monday. Canadian Retailers a couple of years back decided to have their own Black Friday sales to keep Canadians north of the border.  It has been a big hit plus in Canada the doors and sales can start Thursday night at 8pm or earlier for Black Friday sales.

Some websites for handmade items start their BF sales the week before BF, so on Monday, November 19th.  That way they can get the orders in and then send them out the last week of November.  I love handmade soaps, body scrubs and fragrances.  They don't have preservatives or sulfates in them.  Due to my severe sensitive skin these days any sulfates causes me to break out in a rash.  I snagged a Black Friday sale from ScentSations out of the Cayman Islands.  The owner of the Etsy store was having a sale already but added free shipping with orders over $25.  I was able to get twice as much since shipping to Canada is about half the cost through her site.

I also made a purchase from Yves Rocher with a $20 off $60 purchase and free shipping.  I needed a couple more stocking stuffers and some face wash.  I received my order within 3 days as they have expedited shipping.

It seems that all stores and websites were having sales that were really good.  It is hard to pick which ones to buy from.  I always pick the ones with the best prices, products, good CS and quick shipping.  If I know that 1 website will ship out within 1-2 days and has the same price as another website that ships in 4 -5 days I will purchase from the first one.  Canada Post at this time of year is slower than usual and you want to be sure that you get your stuff in the mail in time to wrap it.

One thing I don't understand is spending half the night out in the cold, standing in line so you can rush into let's say Walmart and snag some toy for 70% off.  If you watch on youtube or the news there was so nasty fights over toys.  Isn't your time worth more than $20 or even $ 100?  I would rather spend that time and aggravation in the comfort of my own home and purchase items on those companies' websites.  I wanted to purchase a new HDTV for my parents so instead of going to The Brick for 6am I purchased the same tv online at 8:40pm for the same price.  I still would of had to wait to pick it up BUT I didn't have to get up early and deal with grouchy sales people and customers.

I don't find getting in line all night and rushing in with mobs of people worth it any amount of money.  Black Friday sales aren't the only ones of the season.  People get trampled on, others get violent and get arrested if the stores have the proper security, many get pick pocketed.

Did you participate in Black Friday?  Tell us your experiences.