Fortune Cookie Soap Old Hollywood Fall 2015 Soap Box

It is August and I have received my first Fortune Cookie Soap fall soap box! Unfortunately this box is probably my least favorite for a few reasons. First, the theme just isn't my thing.  I love Alice in Wonderland, I love Peter Pan, but Old Hollywood?  Unfortunately most of the names are lost on me.  Also I just did not appreciate the scents as much.  There are a few I adore but definitely not as many as previous boxes....and its Fall....with no pumpkin spice?! I was a little disappointed.

So the theme is Old Hollywood with some of the names being long, hard to remember, and not making any sense as far as the scents go.

Here is the picture of the whole box!  Overall the presentation is great.  I love the star shaped wax tart and the custom perfume bottle.  The little extra this time was two pearls.  Perhaps I'll turn them into earrings! 

Let's get to reviewing!

Dressed To Kill Fortune Cookie Soap

Initial Sniff: Unfortunately the soapy smell overpowers the scent so it is hard for me to really say if I like this one or not....I smell spiced soap.

In Action: It works as all the others have and also makes my sink area smell like spiced soap, which is kinda nice I suppose.

Verdict: The description of this sounded awesome....wine, vanilla, apples.......but I'm really not a fan.

Famous Wax Tart

Initial Sniff: Very lovely. Fruity, spicy, relaxing, fun.  That is what I think of when I smell this. Even though its floral based and not fruity, haha oh well.

In Action:  Watching this melt was really sad because the tart was just so cute and pretty! 

Going....going...gone!

 But while it disappeared it made my apartment smell nice.  The scent on this one isn't super overpowering and noticeable but it is still nice. 

Verdict: I wouldn't get this a wax tart but I'll definitely pick up some things in this scent! One of my favorites!

Glitz & Glamour Hand Sanitizer

Initial Sniff: This is a very light scent so from the bottle all that can be smelled is alcohol

In Action: Once rubbed on to the hands and allowed to dry it smells like.....um...fall spices....I'm not sure.  It is hard for me to pick out notes and the description is moss, wood, and vanilla..... right.

Verdict: Not a fan.

Hollywood Dreams Shampoo Bar

Initial Sniff: Holy crap. This little bar packs so much scent it is ridiculous.  It makes my entire shower smell like sugary sweet graham crackers. I actually can't stand smelling this for too long, it makes me a bit nauseous.

In Action: I LOVE the shampoo bars, they suds up sooo nicely.  I do not think the smell lingers (which in this case, yay!) but my hair is also short so I can't really take a strand of it and sniff.....

Verdict: Nope, once again not for me.  Too eye wateringly sweet and strong.

Pearls & Girls Perfume Oil

Initial Sniff: Oh. So. Lovely. Yes. Sweet fruity delicious pears and comforting vanilla. Amazing.  My absolute favorite scent.

In Action: I don't like the spray bottle....I feel like half hits my wrist and the other half is lost to the air.  The bottle design is adorable though (even if I got it in my least favorite color) would have liked it better as a roller ball. As for the perfume though it smells so lovely and is just so me.  It lasts for at least 4 hours.

Verdict: This is amazing I need this.

American Royalty

Initial Sniff: This smells gross to me.  I can't even describe it, its like sour and weird and just no.

In Action: I don't really feel like this does anything....maybe I'm using it wrong?  I prefer matte hair products as well so I'm not sure I like the shine this adds.  Also I hate the smell so I don't really like using it in the first place.

Verdict: Gross.

Scandal Bath Powder

Initial Sniff: This scent as the weirdest description....how can something smell like creaking woods and windy leaves? To me it smells like a spicy mens cologne.  Personally I'm not a fan.

In Action: I dumped it all in my bath and honestly was a bit underwhelmed.  From how strong this smelled out of the bag I expected it to bring my bath to life but the scent was very weak. 

Verdict: Not a fan of the scent and unfortunately not the bath powder either. I wish I'd have tried this before purchasing a full sized bath powder.....but maybe I'll have better luck next time. 

Tommy Guns & Baseball Bats Whipped Cream

Initial Sniff: Mmmmmm so warm and comforting, this smells like my grandmothers house during the holidays. Yummy toasted marshmallows is what I smell the most and I love it.

In Action: Makes me smell like sweet deliciousness...oh and moisturizes too!

Verdict: I wouldn't really want to walk around smelling like this in public but as a wax tart it would be AMAZING.

Overall this is definitely my least favorite soap box of the three I've gotten so far.  The scents were just not very me.  Hopefully I'll have better luck with the winter box, however I'm nervous as I absolutely despise peppermint.....

I ended up ordering the following: 

Groovy Beech Soap Dish, for my shampoo/conditioner bar

TOMMY GUNS & BASEBALL BATS Talkin' Smack Lip Scrub, because the wax tart was sold out

PEARLS & GIRLS Sugar Scrub, love the scent and haven't tried their sugar scrub

PEARLS & GIRLS Bath Powder, same as above

FAMOUS Foaming Hand Soap, loved the scent, needed more hand soap

FAMOUS Bar Soap, just because!

Fortune Cookie Soap Straight On Till Morning Summer Haul

The long awaited moment (at least for me) has finally arrived! I have received all of my Fortune Cookie Soap summer products and have tried them all out for your reading pleasure! For organizations sake I will be sorting these by scent, let's go!

I had listed in my Soap Box review what all I had ordered and boy am I pleased! I have no regrets and will be enjoying each and every one of these products! Also orders now come with stickers!! So cute!

Let's start with my favorite scent from the summer soap box, The Captain.  It is described as "Dewy magnolias and wild berries drenched with fresh cream". 

The Captain Perfume Oil

 

As soon as I experienced this scent I knew I needed it in a perfume.  While the smell is still lovely the wear time is very very short.  Probably less than two hours unfortunately.  I'm also not a fan of these new spray bottles.  I preferred the old normal jar method and would have liked to see a roller bar option.  I feel like I accidentally waste so much product when I spray it on and miss some of my skin. :(

The Captain Aloe Me

This is something that I'm trying for the first time. I already have a Mist Me and really like it for my hair.  This aloe version uses the same formula except with added aloe for summer! I bought this to ease sunburn pain as I'm super pale and burn in the shade.....sigh.  Anyway I can't say how well it alleviates sun burns but when spraying it on my skin it provides a very soothing cool feeling resulting in soft moisturized skin. The scent unfortunately does not linger for very long.

This label got a bit messed up because of leakage from the deodorant.  Also I'm not sure why this is blue as the shampoo and steamers both are red.

The Captain Veggie Protein Deodorant

Next is the deodorant!  I definitely wanted to get one of these and since I wasn't a fan of the Wendy Bird scent I was so glad they also made it in The Captain.  I have mixed feelings about this product so I'm going to review it in a pro and con type fashion.

Pros: This smells amazing as I already knew it would.  It also goes on and the smell lingers for a LONG time.  At least 5 hours later I was still smelling it.  even though it isn't advertised as an antiperspirant I definitely sweat less when wearing this.  Also the ingredients are very natural and make me feel good about what I'm putting onto my skin. 

"This aluminum-free formula contains grapefruit seed extract, which provides natural, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. With summer just around the corner, now's the perfect time to put our new veggie protein deodorant to the test! "Veggie protein deodorant?" Heck yeah!  Featuring a natural protein base that neutralizes odor causing enzymes to simple salt. How cool is that?! 

While it's not an anti-perspirant, and it may need to be applied more than once per day, it's an awesome alternative to commercial options. "

Cons: When I received this it was absolutely a mess. It had melted all over my package, destroying its own label and messing with the ink on my Aloe Me.  I was a bit bummed about this as it was a summer release so you'd think the formula would be able to withstand high temperatures.  It hasn't even gone over 85 degrees recently.  The top layer is now a slight slush as you can see in the picture.  I held it in front of my air conditioner and it seemed to start to harden back up a bit. I currently have it in my fridge, hoping it was completely re-solidify and I can apply it from the tube and not with my fingers. Also it is just a boring off white color.  Since the Wendy Bird sample in teh soap box was blue I expected this to be colored as well.

Next up I'll do The Kiss which is the scent that reminds me of Pez candy!

"Exotic watermelon, juicy pineapple and coconut water, bursting with fresh citrus juices"

The Kiss Shampoo and Conditioner Bar

Out of all the products I was getting I was most excited for this one! I have never tried a shampoo or conditioner in bar form and I feel it would work so well with my short hair.  In order to try both at once I opted for the shampoo and conditioner bar mix!

In one word I would describe this as...LOVE.  I rub the shampoo part in my hair and I get a lovely sudsy experience.  After rinsing I rub the conditioning half on my hair and let it sit while I finish my shower, then rinse.  Afterwards my hair is so silky soft and tangle free.  I will definitely be ordering shampoo and conditioning bars in the future! :D

The Kiss Wax Tart

This is also my first time trying out their wax tarts.  I was a bit bummed to see that this one was not colored like all the others...I'm not sure why it isn't.  The Kiss lip balm in the soap box was a pale pink so I expected this to be as well. So far the smell itself doesn't seem to fill the room quite liked I'd hoped but I can still smell it when sitting  near to my candle warmer. I cut off a bit of the corner to place in my warmer and i've gotten quite a few hours of burn out of it already so I'm sure these wax tarts will last me quite a while.

Next up is Lost Boys, my second favorite scent from the summer soap box!

"Golden apricot muddled with fresh, white peaches"

Lost Boys Hydrate Me

I was so excited to try the Hydrate Me.  It works by applying it while still in the shower under running water, massaging it in the skin, and then letting yourself air dry.  I have very dry skin and after a bath or a shower I can sometimes be so dry it hurts.  Well this product has solved my problems forever!! I just roll it on my arms and legs at the end of my shower, rub it in, then get out and let my limbs air dry.  I feel so incredible soft and filled with moisture after.  Its like being covered in smooth silky butter.  Normally I have to apply moisturizer to my hands 1-2 times a day but I went over 2 days without having to reapply moisturizer after using this!  This is a definite absolute staple in my shower now!

Lost Boys Perfume Oil

I also grabbed Lost Boys in a perfume because the peach and apricot combo is just lovely.  This lasts a bit longer than The Captain at about 3 hours.  Still not amazing but for whatever reason Fortune Cookie Soap perfumes generally don't last very long. 

The final scent I bought products in was Second Star To The Right.  I between this and Lost Boys as my second perfume and I kind of wish I would have just splurged and gotten three perfumes because this is scent is also so heavenly. 

"Crushed berries and mint leaves with a splash of sparkling pomelo, served over iced sugarcane"

Second Star To The Right Wax Tart

I got this scent as a wax tart as well because I can definitely see burning this at night and just relaxing.  The smell is so calming.

This also doesn't have a crazy scent distance but I burn it next to my couch and that's good enough for me.  Once again a tiny little corner is lasting me hours.  These are definitely worth the $2!

Second Star To The Right Linen Spray

And after I'm done burning the tart I can spray my pillow with the Linen Spray and drift off to an aromatic sleep!

Using this makes me regret even more no getting this scent as a perfume.  It is so heavenly.  I spray this on my pillow and it creates an aromatic nighttime experience.  I fell asleep and woke up a few hours later, I'm not 100% on the time that passed because I was dead tired but I could still faintly smell it.  I will definitely be getting more of these.

I am very happy with this order and already can't wait until Fall!

Also they are doing a create your own perfume event soon as well as releasing a Naked collection, which are their same products except scentless so that you can mix your own scent creations from the custom perfumes.  I'm already trying to come up with a few.  So far I have Green Tea, Blueberry, and Honey as well as Rose, Lavender, and Vanilla. I'm so excited! I also have a special one in mind for my boyfriend but I can't share it here as he reads by blog ;)

I'm hoping my mixtures come out smelling as amazing as some of the scents Fortune Cookie Soap produces.

Fortune Cookie Soap Spring Wonderland Collection Haul

So based on my monthly soap box goodies I decided to snag a few things during the second launch of their spring products

I picked up a perfume oil, a body wash, a hand soap, a room spray, and some shower steamers! 

It's Only A Dream Hand Soap

Scent:

"Calming verbena, lemongrass, calla lily, and citrus blended with leafy greens, ylang-ylang, rosewood, and ozone; with hints of soft musk and roses."

Description:

"Our hand soap delivers a rich creamy lather that contains extra skin softening properties from nourishing Aloe and Vitamin E. Leaves hands feeling soft, smooth and lightly scented."

It's Only A Dream was the scent of the moisturizer that came with the Wonderland box.  I decided to get the foaming hand soap version because I just absolutely love how this smells, but it isn't a scent I would like to smell like constantly. To me this scent is very floral and rosey and I just love it.  The soap itself also foams up nicely and provides a nice clean hand washing experience. The scent also sticks around for an hour after the wash. I would definitely buy their foaming hand soaps again!

Price: $6.99

Off With Their Heads Body Wash

Scent:

"Groves of Meyer lemons and succulent oranges mingle with a perfectly manicured garden of wild roses, violets, and star jasmine perfumed with romantic tones of bergamot and Egyptian musk."

  This was the scent of the bath bomb in the box and the citrus and orange really came out strong and smelled very invigorating but yet relaxing at the same time.  However a lot of that is lost in this body wash when sniffing right from teh bottle. The smell isn't nearly as strong and the floral notes very much overpower the citrus.  It still smells nice but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping. However upon taking it into the shower everything changed! It lathers up nicely just as a body wash should and the citrus notes really shined through and it smelled just as the bath bomb that I remember! :)

Price: $10.99

Futterwacken Steam Me Up Scotty

Scent:

"Sun warmed lilies brightened with a splash of grapefruit and a breath of fresh air."

Description:

"Directions: For maximum results take a hot, steamy shower. Simply unwrap & toss the shower fizzy on the floor to the back of your shower, out of the stream of water. You want it to slowly fizz during your shower, rather than quickly run down your drain. It's like your personal little aromatherapy room, the steamier the better! "

Right from the cube this smells just as the body wash version that came in my box, a very refreshing grapefruit! I was pretty excited to use these shower steamers as I had never previously heard of such a thing.

After trying it out I am not sure if I'm doing it right....I'm a bit afraid to put it on my shower floor because I'm afraid it will fizz and dissolve too quickly and I won't smell anything. Also I don't take super hot showers so I'm worried I won't produce enough steam to make it work.  I placed it on a shelf near my head and did smell it a bit but not much.  I think I'll see if my boyfriend gets a better experience since he takes incredibly hot showers.

Price: $5.99 for 3

Who Are You Perfume Oil

Scent:

"A mysterious mixture of crisp, ripe, pear twisted with tart limes, vanilla orchid, and dash of raw cane sugar."

This was the same scent as the incense cones and one of my absolute favorites.  I had placed the cones in my bathroom cabinet and lusted after this perfume every time I opened it up.  Well now it is finally mine and it smells EXACTLY like I had hoped! The fresh scent of lime and pear goes beautifully with the sweet vanilla. Its just great and I'm so glad I got the larger size.  The wear time on this is very variable,  I've had it go away in as quickly as two hours and last as long 6.

Price: $8.99

Who Are You Personal Space

Description:

"Freshen up your space, wherever that might be! Perfect for dorm rooms, shared bathrooms or that annoying stinky family member! Concentrated room spray. Freshens and deodorizes linens, towels and clothing with a unique conditioning agent."

Since this was my favorite scent from the box I got this in a room spray too! It is so nice to spray in a room or on my clothes or fabrics.  This is my new Febreeze! I do wish the scent lingered a bit longer....however it is hard to tell considering the nose adapts very quickly to smell, I'll have to leave a room for an extended period of time and come back in again to see if the smell is still there. The bottles pictured on the website are tall and skinny while the one I received was short and stout, but I'd imagine they still contain the same amount of product.

Price: $9.99

I am very pleased with my order and am even more excited for my summer box which I've heard may be mermaid themed.  I also think I'm going to pick up one of their shampoo bars next time.  The idea intrigues me and I'd imagine they would be easy to use with my short hair.

Possets Perfume Haul 2

Since there were quite a few scents from my last haul that I needed forever I went ahead and placed another order. Because of my budget I could only get 2 out of the 4 that I wanted, so I will probably have to place another order in a few months.

I picked up full sizes of Dance With Me and The Temptress which were my top two favorite scents.

The full review can be read here.

Basically Dance With Me is a gorgeous vanilla creamy mysterious grapefruit.  Its so lovely I can't even.

The Temptress is a gorgeous dark feminine musk. It's hard to explain, but I love it so much. 

I still have Arcturus and Lavender Corset on my wishlist!

Today I wanted to review the four free samples I got, some were winners and some were well....not.

Chocolate Incense

"No Valentine's Day would be complete without a foolish amount of chocolate! But this is the kind you can wear, a drug for your nose and an indulgence for your psyche. Sandalwood, amber, frankincense bring out the smokey tease in chocolate which you probably had no idea was there. Downright narcotic, it's so sensuous."

Initial Sniff: CHOCOLATE.  This smells exactly like chocolate from the bottle.  Wow, its really delicious. I was actually pretty excited because sometimes you just want to smell like some chocolate.

On the Skin: This transforms entirely and very quickly.  It goes from pure chocolate to losing all chocolate notes.  Instead it leaves behind a very smokey woody musk smell. Unfortunately it is much too masculine for me to be able to pull off.  I feel awkward wearing it even though I enjoy the smell.  So I put some on my boyfriend to see if he could use it.  Even though it once again smelled musky and delicious on him he said it was too feminine.  Haha.....welp. 

Camping

Invoked Image:  This makes me think of sitting around a campfire at night while cuddled up to my love.

Wear Time: 7-8 hours

Verdict: This perfume is too masculine for me and too feminine for my boyfriend.  Such an interesting and unexpected conundrum.  I have a friend that likes androgynous perfumes so I'm going to let her give it a try and she can take it if she likes it.  It smells nice but just isn't for me. I wish the chocolate smell lasted throughout the wear.

Cygnus The Swan

This was the only sample I specifically requested, all others were picked for my by Possets.

"Cygnus (the Swan) is a very very very very sexy blend of the scent of real vanilla, rose, golden musk, sugar concentrate (do not eat this), an accord which smells a lot like fondant, and a pink musk which I have not used before. Very strong and very long lasting. Very. It is gorgeous, and I would say an instant classic."

Initial Sniff: Right from the bottle this is downright unpleasant.  All I smell is sweet with an undertone of even more sickening sweetness.  I was afraid this would be another unwearable one like Gelato: Vaniglia

On the Skin: Oh was I wrong! This smells sooo much better on the skin.  The sweetness is cut by the musk and florals, leaving behind a very very feminine but very nice scent. Call me crazy but when I smell this I think of pink lemonade....which honestly makes no sense as there is no fruit or citrus in this. It might be because this perfume has so many layers that I have trouble picking them apart and my nose is confused. 

Lemon Flowers

Invoked Image: Sipping refreshing lemonade on a warm summer day surrounded by beautiful fragrant flowers.

Wear Time: 3-4 Hours

Verdict: I am actually considering buying a full size of this.  It is a very nice scent for when I am feeling super happy and bubbly and girly.  It is very bright and sweet but also interesting and unique.

The Pleiades

"Hauntingly romantic silver musk is at the base, osmanthus (sweet olive), pink baby rose, hawthorne, and a small amount of vanilla. A very floaty, dreamy fragrance perfect for mooning over your lover or trying to catch the attention of someone for whom you have set your cap. Difficult to pin down, and wraps you in a cloud of charmingly vague but definitely beautiful fragrance. Very very feminine."

Initial Sniff: This scent is very light and lovely from the bottle.  It really is dreamy and very hard to explain.  The sweet olive, florals, and vanilla all combine to make a beautifully innocent and soft scent...

On the Skin: ....Until you put it on.  This is so so so so unfortunate.  Once this hits my skin all those beautiful light scents are lost and it smells 100% like baby powder. I'm so sad. This is my favorite out of the bottle scent but my least favorite on my skin.  How is this even possible :(

Baby Powder

Invoked Image: I literally can't smell anything but baby powder and I don't really like the smell to begin with.  Ugh :(

Wear Time: 5-6 hours

Verdict: Such a shame.  I'm so sad about this scent transformation.  If you want to smell like baby powder this is the scent for you.  I'm thinking about using this in another way, like as a bath oil, maybe then the original out of the bottle smell will stick around and it won't transform into baby powder.

Seraphim

"Five vanillas (most of them fat and buttery vanillas cut with lean and sharp vanillas) and are blended with six different ambers which give the hypnotic part to the whole"

Initial Sniff: From the bottle it smells just as the description says, a lovely amber vanilla with the vanilla notes taking the lead.  This smell is very relaxing and pleasant.

On the Skin: Once on I feel that the amber really takes over.  It is very warm and deep.  For me it is a much more wearable version of Chocolate Incense. It is musky and less feminine but isn't too overpowering, and I feel it is a great scent for fall. 

Sunset

Invoked Image: This invokes an image similar to Chocolate Incense...warm and safe with my love but instead of a campfire we are watching the sun set on a warm fall evening.

Wear Time: 3-4 hours

Verdict: While this would not work as the temperature gets hotter, I may keep this in mind for when fall rolls around.  The scent is like nothing I have and is the first non feminine scent that I've liked on myself.

So Arcturus and Lavender Corset are still on my wish list but now I am also considering Cygnus the Swan and Seraphim as well. Possets why do you do this to me??