Indie/Etsy Bath Product Reviews

So I had the genius idea to look for bath products on Etsy one day and decided to order from 2 different shops on there. Much to my chagrin, it was not the pleasant experience that I was expecting.

First, let's start with the decent products.

These are bath bombs from a shop called Omgsmellthis and I ordered the 12 pack of Happiness as well as 3 additional bath bombs. The box arrived in a timely manner though I did not get any contact directly from the shop.

Six of the bath bombs are the BeInspired scent which is black currants & sandalwood and the other six are BeQueen which are almond cake & icing. The three additional are BeBeached which are coconut oil & jasmine. The seller also included a bath truffle that I am excited to use.

When they arrived they were in this cute little plastic crate and the three loose bombs were in a nice little bag. You could smell these things inside the packaging and they smelled wonderful!

I tried the BeInspired bombs first. I am glad I bought so many as I needed 2 for my large soaking tub. Once dropped in the water they lasted about a minute each so there is not much showmanship for these but they really smelled nice and made the water a nice color. You could see the oils in the tub which I really liked and it was a very pleasant and luxurious scent to relax in. I did end up smelling more like sandalwood after the bath but I am happy there was some sort of lingering fragrance. 

Here is a link a video of the first bomb I dropped.

Here is the link to the second bomb I dropped and you can see the light pink color the water was after the first one.

(The bombs were the same color but the lighting changed in my bathroom.)

These were good bombs and I might purchase different scents in the future as this seller has a long list and they sound very intriguing.

*I will update with a review on BeQueen & BeBeached when I have tried them!*

**UPDATE: I tried the BeQueen bombs which had this sweet almond scent that I really enjoyed. I had to use 3 bombs to achieve the level of scent that I wanted but the bombs did leave a very light scent on my skin after the bath which was nice. In the picture on the right, you can see the oils that these bombs have in them and that they leave in the water. I did video the bombs, but it didn't look any different than the BeInspired bombs so I did not post it.

Now on to the crappy products.

This order was from Badgerfacebeauty and what intrigued me was their scent combinations as well as the hilarious descriptions of the products.

Here is part of the description for the Ginger Coconut Lotion Bar:

"Raise your hand if you hate dry skin. Like, seriously rough and scaly fucking skin make you feel like part reptile or some shit. Yeah. We're with you. Solidarity against those dry fucking winter winds that suck the joy out of your life and chap your ass.
Let this lotion bar nourish the fuck out of your skin with all-natural coconut oil and shea butter. Shea butter is like some crazy voo doo black magic for your skin. It'll solve that shit. Wrinkles, scars, rashes, burns, insect bites... you got nasty shit going on, shea butter will shut it down.

And ginger and coconut extract is always nice, because who doesn't love smelling like a Tahitian whore?"

Well my friends, do not get overly excited like I did. The packaging was nice, the order was filled and shipped quickly but that's where my positive experience ended. I tried the F-bombs in the Ginger Coconut scent the day they arrived and I was very disappointed.

The bombs themselves had almost no scent in their little bag, but I figured once in the warm water it might bring the scent out. Nope. My bath water smelled like bath water but looked gross. Check out the video here of me dropping the first bomb. The stuff coming out of the bomb was described in an indie bath group I am a part of as looking like "bugs escaping" and it made a mess of my bath tub. There were these black/grey dots that were left on my tub (which I have never experienced with any other bath bomb) and when I tried to wipe them off to go down the drain they smudged and  wouldn't come off. I am calling the photo below "Badgerface Afterbath" as it was a pain to scrub all of this off my tub with a towel right after what should have been a relaxing bath.

Disappointed and not smelling like anything I reached for the lotion bar where I was disappointed a second time. This bar did not easily melt with body heat and the smell was "green" and offensive. Oh man, I was really looking forward to smelling like a Tahitian whore too!

 I messaged the shop owner before going on and leaving a review and asked for a refund on just the 2 products (I was going to just take the loss on the other 2 and hope they were better). She wanted me to mail the lotion bar back to her for which she explained was to " safeguard that I am protected against a customer who might want to keep a product and get their money back, too". I explained that that is unhygienic to send back something that has touched my body in addition to costing me more money and that I was only asking for a refund on half the order, but she was not understanding or sympathetic. I ended up packaging up all of the products (used and unused...ew) as well as the empty bag for the used bath bombs and putting them back in the original box and writing "RTS" or the label and sticking it in the mail box. I am crossing my fingers that the postal service will take it back without requiring me to invest more money into this botched deal and that she will refund my entire purchase amount as she promised. 

So we have a hit and a miss from Etsy shops. There are a few other shops on there that had products I was interested in, but I might hold off on purchasing any of those for awhile. I was thinking that if I need to use several bombs to try to achieve the experience that I have with a LUSH bomb, then I might need to just stick with what I know.
I do, however, have an order of bath bombs and massage bars coming from Bomb Diggy Bath & Beauty that I am very excited about as it came on a recommendation from someone who knows I like LUSH products. I will post a review when it gets here!

Jenn

I'll Admit It... I'm A LUSHIE!

I will admit it. I am a LUSHie. It all started when I wanted to get myself something nice for Valentine's day . What could be more romantic for a single than bath stuff?!?!?! I ordered the "Yes" gift box which came with:

Yes Yes Yes massage bar

Prince Charming body wash

The Kiss lip scrub

Silky Underwear dusting powder

African Paradise body conditioner

Since I was curious about other products I went a little crazy and ordered:

Lonely Heart bubble bar

Sex Bomb bath bomb

Dragon's Egg bath bomb

The Kiss lip gloss

No Drought dry shampoo

BIG sea salt shampoo

Many of these products I have been eyeing for months and when I saw the V-day stuff I kind of went all out. I am really glad that I did! 

YES YES YES Massage Bar- I didn't think I would even like this thing and WAM! I fell in some serious product love! The "Lust" scent with jasmine is so sexy that I ended up ordering the spray in a later order. The coconut oil and almond oil made my skin feel amazing and it literally melted on my skin when I was just out of the shower. I literally slathered this thing all over my body until it was gone-zo. 

Prince Charming body wash- Ok, so this wasn't a hit for me but I really wanted to love it. The pomegranate juice, marshmallow and vanilla pod sounded so intriguing but the actual scent wasn't for me. The lather of the soap is great and I will continue to use it until it is all gone but won't be a reorder for me.

The Kiss lip scrub-.......Nailed it!!! Oh. My. Word. I love this stuff so much that I want to eat it out of the tub! The sweet mandarin flavor is delicious and the cute little hearts are just adorable. I can't get enough of this lip scrub and I really wish I had ordered two. Crossing my fingers it comes back next year.

Silky Underwear dusting powder- This powder is awesome! Not only does it have that jasmine scent that I now love, but it feels wonderful on my skin. I have been putting it on before I toss on my scrubs and I feel fresher and smell better though the day. 

African Paradise body conditioner- The product itself is awesome to combat my dry skin from winter and from tanning. The smell to this one is not for me though. I don't think I am big on the ylang-ylang. I tried this body conditioner 2 ways. First time I put it on when I was out of the shower and let it sit for a few minutes and jumped in and rinsed it off and WOW! The moisturizing effect on my skin was intense! The second way I tried it was in a bath and I stuck my legs out and treated them first, then sat up and did my arms. I didn't let it sit as long but I still felt very moisturized. This will be something I get again but maybe in another scent!

As for my other little goodies:

Lonely Heart bubble bar- This was the last of my bath bomb/bubble products that I used but it was not to go unnoticed! I could have broken this in half and gotten 2 baths out of it and I am sad I didn't because I enjoyed it so much. this smelled so sensual and sexy. It really had some awesome bubble power to it too! When I got in the bubble were a mountain over the edge of the tub and when I moved them aside I could see this gorgeous red water with golden shimmer in it. Hard to capture with a camera but I did try thought the picture I got doesn't do it justice. This is another one I will be hoping for a reappearance next year.

Sex Bomb bath bomb- This was the first bath bomb from LUSH that I tried and I was not disappointed!! This bomb fizzed for quite a long time and that little rose in the middle was very cute to see unfurled at the end. The water ended up being this gorgeous pink color and it smelled so amazing that I did not want to get out of the bath. Such a relaxing and fun experience on V-day! Click here to see my video of Sex Bomb bath bomb!

Dragon's Egg bath bomb-  This was a little bomb of sorbet heaven! It seemed to fizz for forever and I liked seeing the little crackles going off in the water. I won't ruin the surprise once you get to the middle but I will say it has SHIMMER! My skin smelled edible after this bath bomb and was very soft. I will definitely be reordering this one soon!  Click here for my video of Dragon's Egg bath bomb!

The Kiss lip gloss-  This stuff is heaven sent!!! If we can just talk about the whipped consistency for a moment... It just feels so nice on your finger and so fluffy on your lips when you apply it! Then the texture hits your lips and they feel so hydrated and soft and smooth. The flavor is not quite as tangy as the lip scrub, but delicious in a more smooth and creamy way. I was putting this on and one of the ladies in the room with me kept asking why I smelled like dessert!

No Drought dry shampoo- So I have had my eye on this for quite awhile and finally ordered it. I am so glad that I did! I have been using canned dry shampoos and I will not be going back when they are used up. This dry shampoo has this fresh and clean citrus scent that is amazing. It's a lot easier than I thought it would be to apply this stuff right at the root and it gives my hair a ton of volume and body. It also doesn't leave a white residue on my brush like the canned stuff was. I have coffee colored hair and this did not make it look like I had grey hair or like there was any powder in it. I am in LOVE!

BIG sea salt shampoo- This was kind of an expensive impulse buy for me as its a tiny container for over $25 not to mention sea salt in a shampoo?!?!? Kind of weird right? Not to mention I didn't know what to expect with my color treated hair. I did not have to use much of this to get a lather going and the sea salt did not get stuck in my hair like I thought it might. This shampoo gave some huge suds, really cleaned my locks, and when I dried my hair it was soft and very fluffy. 

Phew! So that was a long winded review of my first LUSH order and since then I have made 2 more. I will be putting the review up for the second order soon which will be more on the massage bars!!

Jenn

Vinted! Why I Love Using This App

Since I am transitioning into wearing scrubs every day and I have lost a fair amount of weight and have clothing, shoes, jewelry and other accessories that I would love to part with I decided to try the Vinted app on my phone. 

If you haven't yet heard of it, it is an app where you can sell your belongings and they are like the middle man. It is incredibly easy!

So you create your profile by signing up here and you can put your little picture up like I did and it tells your location. 

You can then use the little icons at the bottom. To sell an item, you go in under "sell" and up load pictures, a short description, the specs on the item such as brand, size, condition, retail price, asking price and the shipping options.

After you post the items they appear in the "shop" area where people can browse through. They can contact you via comments on the item, by sending you a message, by making an offer on the item which you can accept, counter, or decline, or they can just outright by the item. (Vinted both emails you and sends you a notification in the app when there is any action regarding your account.)

When your item is sold, Vinted creates a shipping label in the app that you send to your email and then can print out. You then have a few days to drop that package in the mail and the include a tracking number so it will give you and the buyer notifications when it has been shipped and when it is delivered. 

This is an item that was purchased yesterday and that I put in the mail today. As you can see the app documents everything so if you were a buyer (I have not yet purchased anything) you can see what is happening on the sellers end. I tend to update my buyers on what is going on with a personal message but you do not have to.

Once the item is received, it takes a few days for the money to show up in your "available balance". You can set up the money to be deposited into whatever account you would like. If the item has yet to be delivered, you can see your pending money in the "pending in un-closed sales" right after the item is sold.

In this picture you can see my most recent payouts. I usually wait until there is a good amount of money before having the money sent over to my account. 

And here is the rest of the screenshot so you can just see how much money I have made selling my items.

I have had no negative experiences so far!! The app is easy to use, quick, and the shipping process with the shipping label being emailed over is stress free. I even reuse my sub boxes and envelopes to ship out my items so my packaging doesn't cost me a dime!

Here are 2 screenshots of some things I have posted to sell just to give you an idea of how easy it is to post things. I literally just lay them out on the floor and the Vinted has even updated recently to tell you what kinds of pictures to post as you are taking them.

Some minor draw backs:

 1) Vinted does take a percentage of your sale so make sure you can live with the amount you will get after they are paid. It will display the amount you will get right under the price that you enter for the item when posting it. 

2) Shipping prices on more than one item. I have had several people want to buy several items from me. I have ended up posting a "bundle" with the agreed upon price and just a picture of each of the items to solve this problem. I wish they had a way to bundle more than one item for shipping pricing.

3) The "swap" option. You can choose if you are open to swapping or if you are only selling and you will STILL get people who message you asking you to swap. It's annoying and to give good customer service I always reply but I know that the app does warn people before they inquire about swapping. I wish they would just field those inquiries.

If you are looking to clear out some items from your closet and wouldn't mind making back a small percentage of what you paid, I highly recommend Vinted as a fun, easy, and convenient way to sell your items. If you click on any of the links in this blog you will get $7 just for joining!

Happy Vinting everyone!

Jenn

Bark Box- February 2015

 It came!! I think it was just me, but it felt like it took forever this month. It might be that I was just really excited to see what the Mardi Gras theme was going to look like!

 Here is an action shot of Bentley rooting around in his box. I got some adorable short video clips of him nosing around in the box. He was so excited to see what was in there.

 And here are all the goodies! The toy was this cute ball with a jester hat. The ball squeaks and the hat has a crunchy texture and Bentley went for that immediately. The Gulpy water bottle is going to come in handy when it warms up again! I have trained Bentley to drink from a Deer Park bottle with the sport cap like his is a baby and it's a bottle, but he might prefer this. There is also a salmon chew that has the skin on it! Looks kind of like a snake. I am going to give him the chicken pot pie tomorrow with breakfast and the catfish po' boy maybe the day after. Very cute selection of special items this month!

And here is Bentley trying to give me his toy to play with. I hope next month has an awesome St. Paddy's theme like last year!

Jenn

Montagne Jeunesse Black Seaweed Peel Off Mask #MJPeelOffs

#MJPeelOffs

Ok, so this is one of the products I received in my Refresh Vox Box and I really had a great time using it!

The  Montagne Jeunesse line is actually something I used to use when I was younger and I am not really sure why I got away from reaching for their products but this has definitely revamped my interest in the products! 

This Black Seaweed peel off mask was not only fun to apply but fun to wander around the house and startle my parents with. I wore it for the recommended 25 minutes and right around that time it started to come up around my mouth so that's where I started pulling it from and it came off almost in once piece! Very easy to peel off (unlike some other peel off masks that I have and never want to use) and my skin felt amazing afterwards! It was very soft and bright and my pores looked smaller. I was definitely impressed. I will be looking for these the next time I go to Ulta! I am actually thinking of doing a wine and beauty night with the girls and these would be awesome and fun to use!

Check out the products on their website: www.montagnejeunesse.com
Follow onFacebook: www.facebook.com/montagnejeunesseusa
Follow on Twitter:  twitter.com/MontagneJeuness
Or Follow on Pinterest for some awesome Spa Inspiration: www.pinterest.com/montagnejeuness

And this is the face that I chased my family around with for almost half an hour! Happy peeling beauties <3

Jenn

WOD Box- February 2015

Time again for another WOD Box! Very quick review below:

This month included this "I am Beast Mode" shirt which was cute (sadly a little small so I will be sleeping in it) and some energy gummies, some sport drink mixes, some protein pretzels, some Bio Freeze (which I love) and some new hand fix stuff. 

I would love to see more protein samples, headbands, shirts, tape, wrist wraps, etc. and less of the supplement stuff in the remainder of my 6 month trial. Crossing my fingers because this box seems to be indicative of them moving in that direction!

Jenn

Ipsy Glam Bag- February 2015

 I can barely handle all the pink adorable-ness this month! Ipsy's cute little cosmetic bag was perfect. Pink for the holiday but the geometric design can be appreciated all year long!

And here are all the products! I had a lot of fun playing around with these!

 I love a good volumizing spray and this Up all Night Volumizing Spray  from Eva-NYC did not disappoint! I followed the directions and misted it in my hair and when I blew dry my hair it was fluffy and gorgeous!  This will have to be replenished when I run out of this little bottle. It was amazing!

Mitchell and Peach  Fine Radiance Face Oil was such a great product to include this month as it has been very dry and cold and my skin has been paying for it. Instead of putting this oil directly on my skin, I actually take 1-2 drops of it and mix it in with my BB cream or foundation and apply it with my beautyblender. This way my face stays moisturized all day even when the air is trying to suck all the moisture out of it!

 ModelCo  Blush Cheek powder in Cosmopolitan kind of just looked like another boring pink blush, but I actually ended up really liking the color! It is very versatile and can go with any look and might just become my daily go-to blush!

This City Color Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini was good in theory but fell short for me. The color was actually flattering and ended up being very bright on my tanned skin. It was a bit hard to apply and get a nice line with the applicator tip but cleaned up easily with some tissue. It did not "stain" my lips at all but it did have a nice matte finish which I liked. The big down fall for me with this is that my lips ended up VERY dry and flaky after wearing this for only 2 hours. I applied it before I went grocery shopping and when I got home I had to slather on lip moisturizer because they were cracking. I will have to try this over top of a moisturizing product to see if it improves its wear-ability. 

This photo doesn't have any filters and is taken in sunlight. As you can see the color of the lip stain is very nice. I paired it with a brown smokey eye but I bet it would be very nice with a darker eye make up!

I always appreciate new tools and this Professional Eyelash Curler  from Emite Make up is great! I now have a collection of 4 regular lash curlers and 2 travel sized (and 1 more that I packed away with the Christmas ornaments lol). I actually think I like this one the best though. More than the pink one I bought from Sephora and have been using as my daily one. This one has a great curve to it and is very wide so it gets all of my lashes from corner to corner.

Yet another awesome Ipsy Glam Bag! For $10 a month you really can't beat it. Click here to sign up before next month!

Jenn