Indie Spotlight: Bonnie Brae Soaps

Hello my beautiful readers! It is Sunday I hope you guys had a good 4th of July. Boy have I been busy! I apologize for my super long delay in reviews/ articles it has been crazy busy these past few weeks. However, I finally got a chance to sit down and write. What better day than on a Sunday? Sundays if I am not busy is the day I take the opportunity to pamper myself and after these past couple days I have been needing it. I met a wonderful person who owns a nice shop and after the owner and I got to talking I was sent a mystery box in the size "Supersize Me". Because of this I had the perfect reason to pamper myself today.

This is what I got:
- 2 oz Skip to the Loo Spray
- 2 oz Unscented Body Butter
- 1 oz Mango Madness Sugar Scrub
- 1 oz Mud Mask
- 1 oz Winter's Remedy Hand and Lip Salve
- 4 oz Energized Bar Soap
- 2 oz Dirty Hippy Bath Bomb

When I first saw this I had a good chuckle, because when you get a beauty box you don't expect a toilet spray. Especially one that works. If you are not familiar with this type of product the store bought brand has graphs and pictures for your educational purchase. Click here This product is no different although I never tried the other product. I am a little embarrassed to talk about this product but before you go to the bathroom you spray it and then once you are done there shouldn't be any evidence. Well to my surprise there wasn't any smell expect the lemongrass and trust me when I say that is an accomplishment!

Would I buy this myself? Yep, oh yeah no one wants to have a stinky bathroom after you use the restroom. I can image myself having this out in the guest bath because you never know when duty calls or even if I go to a friend's house save yourself a bit of embarrassment.

        

The next thing I want to talk about is the body butter, this is probably the most interesting body butter I have ever used in the best possible way. Now you are probably asking what on Earth is this person talking about?! Well, if you look at the picture above it beautifully piped body butter and at a glace you would think it is soft and pliable, but it is not. It take a nice push to get a bit of product off and then the most interesting thing happens once your skin touches it, it slowly melts and becomes easily spreadable.

Another thing that makes this unique is that it starts a bit greasy and dries ridiculously quickly into a baby powder like feel. I swear to you it is like body butter magic. My skin feels wonderfully nourished and soft, now this was a mystery box and I did get it in unscented so I cannot vouch for the fragrance oil's longevity or intensity which was probably the biggest bummer in the whole box as I am not a huge fan of the pure cocoa butter scent. To my luck I did have a vial of perfume oil left over so I poured a drop in it and mixed it in and worked reasonably well with it.

Would I purchase this myself? Yup, I so would, obviously I would pick a nice scent because the formula is worthy of keeping 2 or 3 full size body butters in my stash. To be honest with you I have more full size sugar scrubs than I do Body Butters.

        

Speaking of sugar scrubs what is an indie spotlight without a sugar scrub to test? Let's start out with the lovely scent Mango Madness. For starters it smells delicious, it smells fruity and to be honest with you it smells exactly like those tiny fruit bits you get from those fruit on the bottom yogurts. To me it is an exact scent of mango and a hint of peach, I swear I have the scent fresh in my mind from those yogurts.

The texture of the sugar scrub is like if you took pudding and added a boat load of sugar making it creamy but grainy this would be the texture of this sugar scrub, it honestly feels nice to the touch. Now when I rub it all over my body it has a medium to course exfoliation and at the same time it feels creamy and it dissolves into a extremely thin oil lotion layer. Once you rinse off you are left with a light fragrance on your skin accompanied by thin oil layer on your skin. Once you let it absorb into your skin and pat dry the layer disappears but you are still left with moisturized skin and a hint of fragrance. Definitely a top favorite of mine.

Would I purchase this myself? That is a no brainer of course, I love sugar scrubs they are all unique. I would own this scent and others full size.

        

Now I have a small confession to make I haven't used a face mask in I swear at least 2-3 years I can't remember exactly when I stopped be regardless it has been a while. Receiving this product sample made me a little giddy inside as I always in the back of my mind wanted to form a weekly regimen of treating my face to something good for it.

As you can see in the picture above I applied a thin layer all over my face and let it sat there for 15 mins. Most of the time when a product gives a time frame I always go for the middle time, am I the only one who does this? This dead sea mud mask felt very nice and dried within 5 mins in my face, I luckily had no allergic reaction to it (I had a nasty allergic reaction to the cult classic mint julep) and rinsed off with warm water once I reached the 15 minute mark.

Once I took it off the first thing my roommate noticed was the fact my face looked a couple shades lighter, which meant the mask took a lot of dead skin off my face and revealed a fresh new face. My face felt soft and smooth I applied my current night cream over my face after another 10 mins of allowing my face to rest after the mask. The next day I had two tiny pimples on my face which means the masked pulled out all the impurities deep in my skin.

Would I purchase this myself? Considering the fact I have no facial mask currently heck yes. There are so many skin benefits to using a dead sea mud mask that I could list them all and be here a while. Overall I am very impressed with this face mask and would not hesitate to get a bigger size.

        

Even though I have been in the bath and body hobby for quite sometime there are some things that I still haven't tried or haven't invested in; salves are one of them. This cute little tin can pack some moisture. I use the balm as a cuticle balm and it seems to be working wonders. Prior to this I haven't had anything to make my super dry cuticles a little less dry but now I do and boy has it worked!

My fingers look healthy, and nourished. I used it as a lip balm it worked well, using the balm as lip balm gives thin layer of balm. Not sticky or slick or even waxy just right. For my personal preference since it is a pot I prefer tube products so I won't continue using it as a lip balm but this balm has so many good ingredients there isn't anything you can't use this for.

Would I purchase this myself? This little pot lasts a while so not right now but I will once I run out but I am no rush. This is perfect for any place in your body that needs a little TLC.

Next up on the list of things I got is the Energy soap bar, I love this citrus scent it truly does invoke energy in me when I smell it. I said this once but I will say it again indie bar soaps are my favorite bath products ever this bar is no exception. The lather is light and bubbly and it leaves an ever so slight scent lingering in your skin. There is not much to say about this bar of soap except pick one up in any scent you like with your purchase and you wont be disappointed.

Would I buy this again? Yup, probably would eventually test her whole line of scents. Pick one (or two) up in your order and you will be happy you did.

Lastly the Dirty Hippie Bath bomb, sadly I wasn't able to try this as we are in the process of cleaning and fixing our bath (my long hair clogged it badly). But when I do I will update this review (I'll let you guys know) and talk to you about it. It smells good!

Well there you have it that is my review of Bonnie Brae Soaps, overall I am highly impressed with this brand and it's products. The mask, the sugar scrub and the body butter are definitely my top 3 in the box. I need to buy a scent version of the body butter so the texture is so amazing, and of course you know me and my sugar scrub addiction I need to have them all in every scent.

I have good news the owner has kindly given me a discount code for you guys to use through labor day! The code is SIMPLYIVY15 and you get 15% off of $20+ you can buy it here. I would highly recommend taking advantage of this there are some gem of items here. Until tomorrow beauties.

Disclaimer: I was sent these products exchange of an honest unbiased review. All opinions on my own. There is no incentive for myself if you use the code or link provided.For the full list of disclosure please click here.

Edited by myself if you notice any spelling or grammatical errors let me know.

Handmade with Love: Jewelry Edition ft. Alice's Treasure Box

Hello my beautiful readers! I hope you are having a fantastic day! I am always on Facebook, and with that I am always on the lookout for the next thing to fawn over. While helping a friend get a bit of recognition I stumbled upon a handmade promoting group, in here I found a lot of things handmade from clothes to bath products to jewelry and everything in between. When I say that there are so many talented people creating beautiful things with their bare hands I truly mean it.

So upon scrolling through various vendors I found one lady named Alice who was having a small sale on her owl bracelets. Her company name is Alice's Treasure Box. I went to her Facebook page to see her selection and boy there was so many to choose from to the point where she only had 2-3 styles left she was selling out fast with this mini sale. So out of the three styles I saw I choose this beautiful lilac, gold and white combo and boy the pictures barely did it justice!


Photo(left) courtesy of Alice's Treasure Box
So I paid $9(Reg. $12) plus $3 shipping which I felt was very reasonable and was excited to received my purchase. And once I did I ripped my package apart in excitement. The bracelet is just as beautiful as it is in the pictures. It has an elastic band so it fit my big wrists yay! It is not uncomfortable and it is very stylish! I highly recommend this cutie.

Would I purchase from her again? Yes, I am already planning on buying the same bracelet for a friend just different colors and additionally I've been looking into her lovely looking sets.

I spoke to the owner who is so kind to offer me a deal for my readers if you mention this blog you get 20% off your order! You can check her out here. Just mention this blog or my name (Ivy) and she will discount you off your first order!

Do you know anyone who makes handmade Jewelry? Comment below to let me know!

Also don't forget about my giveaway (click here) going until April 2nd.

Disclaimer: I purchase these products on my own. All opinions on my own. There is no incentive for myself if you use the discount code provided. For the full list of disclosure please click here. This post was edited by me.

Latest Obsession? Sugar Scrubs ft. Empty Nest Naturals

Hello beautiful people! If you are anything like me then you know the cycle of obsessions. At first it was buy all the makeup, then buy all the nail polish, now it has evolved to buy all the indie bath products I can get my hands on. Well, within that obsession I have formed a mini (heh) addiction to sugar scrubs. I currently own 5+ full size scrubs and I am always open to adding more.

A few weeks back someone in the Facebook group “What's Indie Bath” posted about another Facebook group sale, so me being excited to try any and all indie products, said what the heck let me see what's available. The group was called “Empty Nest Naturals Group” and boy, did it go fast! A lot of things were selling out quickly I did not know it was a popular brand despite me just finding out about it.

So being a person on a budget I was able to grab up a 4-5 oz. sugar scrub in the scent Love Spell (A Victoria Secret dupe) for $8 including shipping. It was a good deal. I was so happy and I patiently waited to receive it. It arrived super quick… 3 days tops. I take afternoon showers and I’m lucky that my mail lady comes in the afternoon so I ran into the shower to test it out soon after it arrived at my front door.



What I LOVE about this scrub is that it is very sticky and put together you can literally grab a chunk of it without it falling apart. It holds itself together really well. It is an abrasive scrub so I would not recommend using it every day. It polishes your skin really well so it is best to use once or twice a week. The sugar takes a very long time to fully dissolve and in some parts it never fully dissolved. This is perfect in my eyes because it gave me more than enough time to fully scrub my entire body and wash it off.

Once you wash off there is a slightly oily residue if you read my last post you know I love that! But what makes this so great it is that it is 75% less oil residue than my previous review. What does this mean? It means the people who don’t like that will be able to use this. By the time you get out of the shower and pat dry your body has absorbed 90% of it! My skin feels really soft after using this scrub and the scent lasts for a very long time. I am very happy with this purchase!

Would I buy this again? Heck yes! In fact I would buy a couple in at least 2-3 in different scents. Which her scent list is pretty big. I contacted the owner to see if she had any specials going on and to my luck she does! If you enter the code Blog15% you will get 15% off your order. Isn't that awesome? You can purchase her scrub and any other products right here.

What are some of YOUR favorite scrubs? Comment below to tell me I might purchase it to try it out.

Also don't forget about my giveaway (click here) going until April 2nd.

Disclaimer: I purchase these products on my own in a group sale. All opinions on my own. There is no incentive for myself if you use the discount code provided. For the full list of disclosure please click here. This post was edited by my friend Daniela.

Indie Spotlight: Peaceful House Wife + Giveaway(Ended)

Hello everyone! I'm back and I am hoping you are having a good day. I have been testing out my order from Peaceful House Wife for a couple weeks now. I had the pleasure of meeting and dealing with a very kind and thoughtful owner. She was having a 30% off sale at the time and I was able to snag up a scrub that I've wanted to try. A couple of days after I placed my order, the owner Jenny messaged me saying that someone had stolen the package from her front porch, she quickly wanted to compensate me for the delay and this is what I ended up with. (Brush not included lol)


        

So this is what I got from the top(left picture):
1 - Full size soap in Peppermint Vanilla(It is cut in half in the picture)
1 - Lip Balm in Citrus Burst (which I am wearing as I type)
1 - Full size 2oz lotion bar in Coconut Lime
1 - Full size 4oz (Mislabeled) Vanilla Honey Chai Tea Sugar Scrub.

The picture on the right is a previous order I made with a tester discount code.
1 - Full size soap in Vanilla Honey Chai Tea
1 - Sample size Vanilla Honey Chai Sugar Scrub
1 - Sample size Peppermint Mocha Body Butter

So, if you put two and two together, you would have figured out the sample scrub I got in my first order led me to the second. So, let's break everything down into what I think of each item.

        
Photos courtesy of Peaceful Housewife
First, let's start with my first order the Vanilla Honey Chai Tea soap. Let me just say - when I first got this soap I immediately wished I could drink it! It smelled so good! So good in fact, that when I closed my eyes to smell it I thought it was iced tea. It makes me think of lazy summer days drinking iced tea in the back yard.

What I love is the REAL chai tea in this including chai tea bits. Isn't that awesome?! Because of this the soap itself is very slick and soft and the chai tea imbedded inside made the soap turn more into an exfoliation bar rather than an everyday soap. If you use a loofa or a washcloth then this would be no problem but if you are like me and use it straight up it would be too harsh for everyday use.

This is perfect for days when you want to wash and exfoliate at the same time. I would not recommend using this alongside a scrub, it may be too harsh for some people. Having said that, it is a mild to medium exfoliation depending on the pressure you use.

Would I buy this again? Yes I would but I am not in a rush because I personally would rather just use the scrub as it is my favorite.

        

Photo(left) courtesy of Peaceful Housewife
The next thing I am going to review is... you've guessed it the Vanilla Honey Chai Tea scrub! Out of everything I have received I am head over heels in love with this product. If I could only buy one thing from Peaceful Housewife over and over and over again this would be it. I first tried it in the sample size I received in my first order. It had melted in the box due to the hot Florida sun but I tried it anyway. It felt so good in my hands I just HAD to get the full size to experience the real thing.

Fast forward a couple weeks later, when I finally took the plunge, I was so giddy with glee when the package came with my scrub and all the extra goodies. Personally, I was not expecting the extras she had sent and thought that was very professional. I immediately went to take my shower. The scrub arrived in a pool of oil with the sugar and chai tea leaves on the bottom. I honestly did not care and took a small scoop of the sugar scrub and rubbed!

The oil blend was so lovely and the loose scrubs made for the gentlest exfoliation I ever had. I secretly like the look of having chai tea leaves all over your body. I know! I sound so weird but something about it felt right. After I rinsed off I was greeted with a delightful oil film all over my body that not only did I smell SO GOOD, but additionally my skin felt so moisturized. I skipped any type of lotion for the whole night.

After a day the scrub hardened and I picked it up 2 days after my first use. I got a plastic knife to mix in the hardened oils with the scrub portion and it finally got back to its original consistency. I used it again - obviously the scrub was a lot harder and firmer it allowed me to get a deeper exfoliation. The sugar dissolved after 45 seconds but again I was left rubbing around the tea leaves. The leaves are much milder after a couple seconds of use leaving once again with a body full of leaves and a delectable oily film.

Now, to clarify, after I rinsed off and patted dry a lot of the oil film is lost, but what remains is a more mild oil residue which I personally love my scrubs to leave. Most people don’t like this oily residue but I think it’s so important for hydrating your skin. It only takes about 5 minutes to absorb and 20 minutes to fully absorb. My skin is silky and scented with a delicious aroma for hours to come.

Would I buy this again? HELL YES. As soon as I am done an order will be placed. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is in the market for a new scrub to obsess over.

Photo courtesy of Peaceful Housewife
If you guys are anything like me, then you probably have tried almost all the of lip balms under the sun. My childhood days of Lip Smackers and Bonnie Bell, to the more popular brands like Chapstick, EOS, and everything in between. You name it and I have tried it. Well we all know mainstream products may not be the best thing for you. So I like turning to indie brands. Who wouldn't want a truly natural lip balm that is actually good for you? Well I do, and it is right on my lips as we speak.

The lip balm I received in my package is phenomenal. Now a small random fact about me: I tend to out of habit press my lips together a lot and move them all around, because of this some lip balms wear out quickly. I prefer semi-waxy feeling lip balms which this one is. Having said that, out of all the lip balms I have tried from indie brands (I have one store bought brand of lip balm I love to death and I have no plans on breaking up with them anytime soon) this one is the one I am reaching for the most.

The scent I got is Citrus Burst and, boy, it could not have been a better pick as it is one I would have picked myself. After two swipes I am left with a semi-wax thickness that lingers surprisingly for hours. I don't have to re-apply that many times. It absorbed into my lips after about 2 minutes and what is left is light grip of product and I could not be any more pleased. It is made with real beeswax, Shea butter, and a couple more lovely ingredients. I could not praise this product highly enough. For someone who lip balms magically disappear from her lips after 20 minutes this is just happiness in a tube.

Would I buy this again? Absolutely, In fact when I make my next order it will included this lip balm and the scrub. I recommend full-heartedly. It truly does give you silky smooth kissable lips.

One of the samples I got in my original order was a body butter, however because I missed the truck and it was left in my mail box for my landlord to get the next day, it melted into a pool of oil (that's what Miami's heat would do to ya) that never got back to its original form. Because of this I will not be reviewing it; I cannot review a product if it is not in its original form. Otherwise I would be giving you the wrong impression.

        
Photo(left) courtesy of Peaceful Housewife
Next, I would like to discuss with you the 2 oz. lotion bar in coconut lime. Now tiny disclaimer: this is something I do not have much experience with. I had a one from Lush a long time ago and it was so long that I forgot how to use one. Anyways, the scent was ok I am not in love with coconut lime. Coconut yes, lime not so much. At first I tried to use it dry, warming it up in my hands for a bit and tried spreading across my body. I am afraid to say it was a bit hard working with it. I couldn’t get it to spread evenly all over my body it was a bit of a chore.

Now, I can say this when I finally managed to get it all over my body it made my skin feel nice, and heck, my ashy elbows were not ashy anymore so the product works well. I can say this, going in a hot shower and applying it right before I got out the shower did help spread it a bit but not by much. For those who live in a warmer climate this is GREAT for shipping. Some lotion bars arrive melted or soft. I believe this one will not. If it were up to me I would make the bar a little softer but I understand why it should remain as is. If it was softer it would melt during transit but that is nothing 20 minutes in the fridge can’t fix.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. Not in a rush a little goes a long way and this baby will last. I am more of a body butter type girl but for those who love lotion bars I can totally see someone snagging this up. If I do snag it up in the future it will definitely be another scent.

Photo courtesy of Peaceful Housewife
Lastly, I would like to review the Vanilla Peppermint soap. Out of everything I buy from indies soap will always be my go to. I would most likely buy a soap from a company before I buy anything else. I love the simple nature of this soap. It smells like peppermint with a hint of sweetness. When I take my shower the whole bathroom smells like peppermint. It is refreshing.

The soap like the chai tea is a slick and slippery feel to it, which I like. It has a good amount of bubbles and a light thin lather. There is not much to say about it other than it feels nice to wash with and with this soap I personally like to wash my face in the shower with it (I currently don't have a skin care routine yet). I put it on my face let it sit for a couple minutes as I wash my body and it starts to tingle which I really like. My face feels nice afterwards soft and smooth.

Would I buy it again? Yes. This particular soap? Most likely not, as I don't buy the same soap twice unless I REALLY love it. It seems her soaps are consistent - meaning they are close to the same formula with minor changes meaning if she offers a different scent or style I'd snag it up.

Well, there you have it! This is my full review of my experience with Peaceful House Wife. Overall, I like the company as a whole, from great customer service, good packaging and great products I am overall a happy customer. I HIGHLY recommend this brand and I encourage you to purchase from her. You guys obviously know if I could only buy one product I'd have to give it to the Vanilla Honey Chai Tea scrub. Seriously go buy that stuff you won't regret it.

To purchase her products go here and Jenney has given me permission to use the code SIMPLY10 for 20% off your whole order! Isn't that awesome?!

For those of you who made it through my whole entire review. Jenny has also given me permission to host a mini giveaway for $10 gift certificate. yay!!! Since this is my first blog post I will make it suuuuper simple. Comment below what you would purchase with a $10 gift certificate and/or what other indie bath company I should try. All comments will be entered in a random generator. That's it! Open to US residents currently.

Disclaimer: I purchase these products on my own expect the throw in as compensation for someone stealing my original box. All opinions on my own. There is no incentive for myself if you use the discount code provided. For the full list of disclosure please click here. Edited for typos it by my friend Beth and Daniela.