Haus of Gloi Haul - Part one

 

So after hearing many good things about Haus of Gloi from a plethora of bloggers, I thought it was about time I gave therm a whirl. As a 100% vegan independent producer of bath and body products, I was interested to give these products a go.  Hailing from Oregon in the good old US of A, I decided that I'd try out a few scents in their 2oz 'sample' size. This is a great idea if you are not sure if you will like a particular scent.  Delivery time was a reasonable 10 days.

So what did I pick?  I decided that the Bubbling Scrubs were the way to go. I needed a new body scrub, so I actually got 4 to try - don't judge me!

• Vice
• Honey Tree
• Snow Wolf
• Parkin

The box was both carefully and beautifully packaged.  It included a handwritten thank you card from Britton and Matt (the founders of HoG) and a sample of the new Litchi Milk Tea perfume oil. On first reaction with my skin, this smelled like some kind of air freshener from Glade. Honestly, it was vile on me.  But after a little while it had mellowed into something entirely more pleasant.  I can't say I'd be in a rush to buy some other products from this particular fragrance line.  It is a little too floral for my liking.

Vice - Steam billows rolling off a vessel of fresh made Turkish coffee, marshmallow goo tainted by graham cracker crumbs, toasted hazelnuts and blanketed in black chocolate. 

This is quite an intense smell, and whilst I thought that I couldn't smell chocolate, the more I return to sniff this, the more I realise that it reminds me of the slight bitterness you get with a really good quality chocolate.  It is a bit of an odd mix, but it certainly works.  Foodie, but not overly so.  I think this would be quite a unisex scent..

 

Honey Tree - Quite rich! Right from the bee hive - honey amplified by seductive essence of resinous vanilla, darkened by a passing waft of mild rare wood smoke.

This is another perfect scent for me.  It's gorgeous and if you like Lush Honey I washed the Kids then I think you'll like this. Smells exactly as the description suggests. Well, I'm not sure I can smell the wood smoke.  But who am I to argue. 

Snow Wolf - Bristling and prowling, lonesome and haunting. Three howling firs, whitened frankincense, vanilla bean husk, tainted by droplets of blood cedar.

I have to say when I had a sniff of this one, I was a little disappointed.  This is not the kind of scent that I usually go for. It's more herbal than foodie and initially that put me off.  However, I've gone back to sniff this a few times and its really beginning to grow on me.  It's quite a masculine scent, which is no bad thing. Who doesn't love a nice smelling man?  It also has a sort of medical freshness that I quite like.  I'm a bit of a fan of Wintergreen Life Savers, which people have told me reminds them of TCP. I don't know. I just like that kind of smell. Yes, its a bit weird, but give me a break!  Perhaps The Boy and I will be arguing over this one after all.  

 Parkin - Glorious ginger cakes celebrating Guy Fawkes Day! Brown sugar, black treacle, oats, a peculiar blend of white spices tossed with chopped roasted chestnuts and coated with the lightest of icings

This is most certainly a foodie scent and therefore right up my street. initially it reminded me of a cross between Philosophy Cinnamon Buns and a cup of Starbucks Gingerbread Latte.  It has such a warm, comforting smell.  I'm certainly attracted to the spicy yet sweet heady scent of Parkin.  It's a shame this was a limited edition from the Yule collection. I'd have certainly bought a full size of this one!

  I used this last night and can report that I had a blissful bath-time experience.  I was left with beautifully soft, clean skin. Although the scent didn't last on my skin for as long as I would have hoped.  As I don't have any of the Pumpkin Butter's (yet!) I slathered myself in L'Occitane Shea Butter body lotion, which has got to be my all time favourite body moisturiser.  I'm impressed.

The day after I'd placed my initial order, they reduced the price of a number of items from their Yule time collection. So I might have accidentally bought a few more bits and pieces.  I honestly cannot remember what I ordered, so it will be a pleasant surprise when it arrives.

Haus of Gloi are launching their Valentine inspired products today. Why not check them out? I know I will be!