Red Dragon Apothocary - February's SoapScription and 2 orders Review

Red Dragon Apothocary has become my latest Favourite E-tailer!  I cannot get enough of their products.  Their beaded items are gorgeous and made with such care.  The soaps are divine and the owner, Eva is such a doll.

I got my lovely package from Red dragon Apothocary for February's SoapScription and 2 orders that I made with them.  1 through their Etsy store before they opened their new Store and another through TopHatter for an auction lot.

What I got in each "order":

• Soap of the Month: 2 bars of Just Peachy Goats Milk Soap
• Red Dragon Apothocary Etsy  order:  Proud as a Peacock Car Dangle, Spa Soap Whipped Soap With Dead sea Salt in Mardi Gras (4oz) and Eye of the Peacock Beaded Keychain
• TopHatter Auction: Gilded Tarot deck and companion book

SOAPScription Order:
The 2 bars of Just Peachy soap smell just like fresh, ripe peaches.  This is a scent I love for the Spring and Summer.  It is fresh and juicy and yummy.  Both bars came wrapped in pretty wrapping with a nice label on the front and the ingredients listed on the back.  The soaps are in boxes so that they don't get crushed or crumble.  The soaps as you can see in the picture are rectangular and have a raised dragon design on the front of them.  So whether you display them wrapped in their boxes or in their shrink wrap they look pretty.  You can smell them before you unwrap them.  They nicely scent your room. I would repurchase this scent in other products Red Dragon sells.

Etsy Order:
The Proud as a Peacock Car Dangle is hand beaded and oh so pretty.  I have it in my car dangling from my rear view mirror.  It makes me smile when I look at it.  The blue gem at the end of it is very pretty as well.  It has a true peacock feather that bring the dangle to life.  I love the colours.  The dangle is made with a gold wire.  The hand beading is very intricate and will not come apart.  The ring at the top to hang from is the perfect size.  It is big enough to fit over your mirror but small enough to not make it hang too low.  


The Eye of the Peacock Beaded Keychain is so delicate and gorgeous.  My favourite colour is blue!  This hand beaded keychain is all in various shades of blue.  The blue and aqua medallion is a good size.  It is the focal point of this beaded work of art.  The wire it is beaded with is of good quality.  There is ribbons to add flash and 2 beaded tails.  The ribbons add depth to the beaded work.  They are in blue, black, silver and aqua.  It is about 2 inches wide and 9 inches long.  It's a pretty good size.  I have a 4 hook key holder by my bedroom door and it looks great hanging from it.  Not that I don't want to use it as a keychain but I think it is perfect for a decoration to my room.  

I also received a Spa Soap - Whipped Soap with Dead Sea Salt in Mardi Gras Scent (4 oz).  It was freezing today so it is frozen as you can see in the picture but it smells really good.  It makes me think of what Mardi Gras would smell like in theory.

The site's description is:  Mardi Gras: A festive and fun fragrance that begins with fresh citrus top notes of grapefruit, orange zests, and tangerine; middle notes of strawberries, apples, pears, rose petals and jasmine; with sexy bottom notes of vetiver, white musk, and ylang ylang.  I can smell each of the fruity notes with a hint of smokiness.  It is not a powerful smoky/musk scent as I don't care for that sort of scent but it brings the fruity notes down a notch from being overly sweet.   It is a fun scent.  I look forward to using this whipped soap once it thaws =).  The scent comes alive once thawed.  It is still fruity with a very citrus smell to it.  The smoky/musk scent remains subtle and as a way to calm the fruity notes.  It is very lovely.  Nothing like a gourmand scent.  A nice change of pace.  Would be lovely in a perfume.

The whipped soap has a lovely texture.  It is light and fluffy but has the dead sea salt in it to purify your skin.  It makes the skin smooth and soft.  I am in love this soap.  It is made of goat's milk which is great for people with sensitive skin or have skin irritations.  Many nutrients are in this whipped soap due to the goat's milk and dead sea salt

I would definitely repurchase their whipped soaps.  I see that they have made a whipped soap with sugar in it.  I am going to give that a try during my next order.

TopHatter Auction:

I decided to get another tarot deck and companion book.  I am still going slowing through my Mystic Dreamer Deck but thought this one was pretty cool looking.  It is the Gilded Tarot Deck.

Item Description: 

"Most Tarot decks with really spectacular designs are really just art collections. The Gilded Tarot transcends this limitation by having some of the most strikingly beautiful art on any Tarot deck, yet follows the Rider-Waite-Smith model. The result is a unique deck that any person with some Tarot experience will find instantly familiar and usable. This deck can be used with any Tarot system or book. The colors are deep and intense, almost metallic. They draw you in and will have you staring at the images repeatedly. But this is more than a deck to look at, it's a deck to use! The Gilded Tarot Companion, a full book by Tarot expert Barbara Moore, is included with this deck. It's a complete introduction so that even a beginner can use this deck right away."

The companion book is also by Barbara Moore who did the other deck I have.  Being so new to Tarot I figured it would be good to be consistent with authors.  The deck is very colourful and "flashy".

Over All Review:
I LOVE everything I got!  Customer Service is fantastic.  Shipping is very fast.

Red Dragon Apothocary SoapScription Review for my January Box

Once a month for January, February and March I will be receiving 2 bars of soap for the 3 month SOAPScription I won at a Top Hatter auction held on the first Sunday of January's 8pm auction.  The lot  was sold by Red Dragon Apothocary.  I have been wanting to win a soapscrption of their's for months now but the auctions are usually at 10pm on Sunday and I am unable to attend at that time. 

The 3 month SOAPScirption includes 2 bars of 4-5oz goat milk's soap for the 3 months and a surprise gift during your birthday month.  The bars of soap are hand wrapped in decorative sparkly paper with pretty labels.  The scents are relevant to the month they are sent out in.

I received my January box today and boy was I surprised with the package I received.  The shipping box was wrapped in red paper.  Inside the box was 2 wrapped boxes of soap, two cards including a coupon code to use for my next etsy purchase from their store and a $ 20 gift certificate to use in conjunction with the coupon code.  I almost didn't see the gift certificate in the box and threw it out into the recycling bin but I noticed that the paper wasn't the same colour as the box and pulled it out and so pleased I checked the box again.  That would of been sad to of thrown out.  I have already placed an order at her etsy store and used my GC.  

The scent for this month is Eucalyptus Mint.  Scent Description:  A bright, refreshing blend of mint, citrus and ginger with clear notes of fresh eucalyptus and jasmine. Fresh cut mint leaves add a little extra to this invigorating blend.  It is the perfect scent for the weather that the GTA gets: cold, crisp and windy.  The soap is very therapeutic if you have a cold.  Eucalyptus is wonderful if you are congested and have a runny nose.  The mint isn't so strong that it is overpowering of the eucalyptus.  When you use this soap it doesn't make you smell like a pharmacy.  The scent perks up your senses and makes you smile.  It clears your head and makes it easier to think.  This is not a scent I would normally pick for myself but am so glad it was sent to me.  I see myself using this soap in my rotation during not only the cold months but also warmer months.  It is perfect for year-round.

The soap is make of goat's milk so it is very moisturizing and creamy.  Red Dragon Apothocary's soaps do not contain coconut oil.  Their soap's descriptions state:  Goat Milk soap is great for people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Goat milk contains alpha hydroxy acids which help make skin smoother and younger looking. Goat milk is very moisturizing and won't dry out your skin. The milk contains natural emollients, vitamins and triglycerides that are beneficial to all skin types. A mild soap with creamy lather! 

The soap has a raised dragon design on the top of it.  It is rectangular shaped and came in a hand wrapped box.  It would be perfect to give away as a gift.  Due to the dragon design and the non feminine scent this bar of soap would even be appropriate to give away to that special man in your life.

The soap lathers nicely and makes your shower smell like a beautiful day at the spa.  I have some dry areas; elbows, knees and tops of my hands.  After 1 use of this soap those areas are smoother and less itchy and dry.  I can't wait for my February box to get here!

Tips on keeping your bar soaps lasting longer:  Keep them in a well drained soap dish and allow them to dry between uses.  I have bought soap savers that are hand croched bags made of cotton.  I hang them at the back of my shower on the top of my conditioner bottle so the wet soap can dry out.  When soap bars are left in standing water they turn mushy and waste away.  Pus no one wants to use a mushy, slimy bar of soap.

If you are looking for Tarot Readings by Red Dragon Apothocary on Etsy please click on the link.

What I'm waiting for in the Mail

I decided to do some shopping to help with my "Addiction" and get some things that I need and some other things I want.  I need to stop buying but I have so many ideas of things I want to make and only half of what I need to make them.  

I get headaches from people, well working and dealing with people in the pharmacy and have heard great things about this oil and decided to give it a try.  I got it from Top Hatter and the seller posts them alot for auction.  This stuff says it's also good for nausea, hangovers and anxiety.  It must be all the good essential oils in it.  I have turned to aromatherapy to help with most common ailments due to medications making me worse.

"Item Description:  1/3 oz. unique & popular roll-on bottle. 

Migraine and relaxation/sleep blends are: Lavender Oil (headache/Migraine), Clary Sage Oil (anxiety/panic), Chamomile Oil (sleep), Peppermint Oil (headache/Migraine) Peppermint is also very helpful for nausea. Carry oil is Sweet Almond Oil."

I also have been wanting to try Red Dragon Apothecary's SoapScription of goat's milk soaps but never have been able to bid during the Top Hatter auctions when they are posted.  I got lucky at the start of the year when they changed their weekly Sunday evening auction to an earlier time.  I finally won a 3 month SoapScription and with it you get 2 bars of the same scent for 3 months plus a gift in your birthday month.  I should be getting it anytime.

"Item Description: This listing is for our soap of the month club for a 3 month duration. You will get TWO 4-5oz bar per month for 3 months, plus if you tell us when your birthday is we will send you a special birthday gift!  Your bar will come hand wrapped in decorative paper with a label on the front.

We are still finalizing the scent list (and it may be subject to change if we find an awesome scent that we think would make a great addition) but there will be scents EXCLUSIVE to this collection that you cannot get anywhere else in our store! Scents will be relevant to the month sent out Your SOAPscription will start the month purchased UNLESS you ask for it to start at a later date. Each month your soap will be shipped out by the 7th.

Unlike other soaps out there this soap DOES NOT contain any coconut oil! Goat Milk soap is great for people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as excema and psoriasis. Goat milk contains alpha hydroxy acids which help make skin smoother and younger looking. Goat milk is very moisturizing and won't dry out your skin. The milk contains natural emollients, vitamins and triglycerides that are beneficial to all skin types. A mild soap with creamy lather!" 


I decided to find out what ll the fuss was about with Deco tape.  So I bought this auction lot as well.

"Item Description: This lot is for 10 assorted rolls of deco tape. These tapes are awesome for scrapbooking, cardmaking, identifying personal items, wrapping gifts, decorating packages, etc. Each roll is approx 300 cm long and approx 1.5 cm wide. Tape rolls are randomly selected."


I have now got over 400 euro beads and you can only interchange them so many times.  I give them to my mom and friends as well.  I bought these bangles so I can design some bracelets and try and sell them on Top Hatter.  

"Item Description: These silver bangles are perfect for your euro bead creations.  Quantity:  4"





I bought this tarot deck and book for fun.

"Item Description:  Imagine strolling through a dark wood, the silver moonlight bathing your path in an ethereal glow. Now is the time to call upon your intuition and explore hidden realms of imagination and creativity. What secret messages do your dreams hold? 

Acclaimed tarot author Barbara Moore presents an essential introduction to card-reading, insightful interpretations of each card's significance, and introspective questions to guide your journey. 

Perfect for both traditional and intuitive readings, the Mystic Dreamer Tarot invites you to enter a mystical world of personal exploration. Contains deck and book."


These two book I got for fun reading like the tarot deck and companion book.  I'm hoping that the Herbal Almanac has planting info in it.  I read online after I purchased the book that it doesn't have planting dates in it, which would be rather disappointing.

"Today’s busy Witches can stay on top of it all— the magical and the mundane—with Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook. Add a little magic to each day and keep pace with the ever-turning Wheel of the Year with this indispensable, on-the-go tool.

New for this year is Elizabeth Barrette’s insightful introduction to thirteen magical stones that includes spells and rituals. You’ll also find fun, fresh ways to celebrate the sacred seasons and enhance your practice—inspiring Sabbat musings (Ellen Dugan), tasty Sabbat recipes (Susan Pesznecker), and Moon rituals (Ember Grant). For spellwork, there’s astrological information and daily colors. Also included are in-depth articles on good energy (Tess Whitehurst), cauldron magic (James Kambos), rainy day magic (Melanie Marquis), and many more."

"Spice up your favorite dishes with French tarragon. Chase away stress with delicious soup. There are hundreds of ways to benefit from nature’s most versatile plants inside Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac.

This treasury of innovative herbal ideas spans five categories: gardening, cooking, crafts, health/ beauty, and myth/lore. Learn about endangered herbs, hyssop, and the apple in Nordic ritual. Discover how to whip up antioxidant-rich purple passion parfait, use herbs in energetic healing, relieve dry skin with a borage face pack, treat your feet to a wormwood bath, turn your garden into a wildlife paradise with minimal effort and cost, and much more.

From moon gardens to plant numerology to the perfect “cuppa” hot chocolate, this practical almanac is your gateway to the herbal kingdom."

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.

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.

What are you waiting for in the mail? Christmas Orders

I have started to order Christmas gifts online.  Usually I order in October due to shipping delays closer to the end of November and early December  The internet has better deals than Canadian stores do.  I am currently waiting on various different orders.  Mostly for my my mom and friends and even a few for items for me.  We are all beauty junkies and its fun to get different things for them that aren't available in Canada.

On Tophatter I won:

Beautiful 6 in 1 Steampunk Glass Pendants Necklace.  My mom will just love these.

Gorgeous Vintage Style Cameo Cuff Bracelet:  

100 European Style Beads.  I have various Euro bracelets I have been making to give away as giftst.

Mystery Hoodoo Grab Bags Lot.  The auction was for 2 out of the 3 in the picture. 

BMGM Oshun Spirit Mystery Box.  My previous mystery box from this seller had the gorgeous salts in it along with bangles, red salt and delicious teas.

I have an order I put in from Sumer ScentSations on Etsy that includes gorgeous bars of lavender soap, solid perfumes and lotions.  These are for the ladies at work.  I know that box of goodies will smell wonderful.

I also have an order from Moonalisa from September I think that was mailed out last week.  Includes body powders and hair mists and a delicious scrub.  Another order that will smell awesome when it arrives.  

Most of these orders should be here this week.  I hope to wrap alot of gifts this weekend and get them done before we put the tree up Sunday.

What do you have coming in the mail?  

Sweet Pine Soaps Order Review

I finally got around to purchasing Cold Pressed (CP) soap off Etsy.  I ordered from Sweet Pine Soaps.  TAT was very fast.  I was searching Etsy for unscented organic soap and came across this nice store.  I ordered 3 soaps to try homemade soaps before making a bigger order in case I didn't like them.

It's official!  I will no longer buy store bought soaps, other than the Dove Sensitive Skin soap bars for my husband.  The lather and fragrance is amazing!  I got unscented, Triple Lemon and Orange Grapefruit Clove.  These are all cold pressed.  She also included a small slice of Primrose Orange soap.

The Triple Lemon has three different lemon essential oils in it.  I cut the bar into thirds.  I used it in the shower and it has fantastic lather.  It smells fantastic.  I also used part of the bar as hand soap.

First sniff of Orange Grapefruit Clove is very strong of citrus and spice.

I cut the unscented bar into thirds as well and used it also in the shower on my sensitive skin on my upper arms.  It moisturized my skin greatly and has a very organic scent to it.

Unscented soap ingredients: saponified oils of olive, *coconut, *palm, (sustainably harvested) & *castor; filtered water.
*denotes organic ingredient

Note: 'saponified' is a term to indicate sodium hydroxide (lye) has been used to turn the oils into soap, none left in the finished bar. 

For the triple lemon, the base ingredients are the same, organic turmeric to color it and scent it with lemon, lemongrass & litsea cubeba essential oils.

For the pink grapefruit, the base ingredients are the same, rose clay to color it and scent it with orange, pink grapefruit and clove essential oils.

What soap brands do you prefer? What scents do you like? Leave your answers in the comment section below.