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The weak customer chooses the understandable rack.

"Scintillating" Soap Smells Simply Superb!

As you continue to peruse the vials and bottles on the table, you see another collection of items a little further down.  Deciding to return to the BPAL bottles later, you move on to the next set.


Above this end of the table, a large sign hangs on the wall.  It has a crisp, dark image of a beautiful but evil looking woman, and at the bottom is a caption:  Villainess. On the table underneath the sign, there is a sizable collection of soaps, creams, scrubs, and scents.  The proprietor slides up behind you: 


"Ah, I see you've found my collection of Villainess items.  Crafted by a truly remarkable individual, these cleansing items care for your skin as well as-if not better than-any store-bought cosmetics.  If you like, I have samples set aside next to the collection."


Looking to where the proprietor indicates, you see small squares of soap next to a bowl of water.  Picking up a square, you notice a tag with a name and description underneath.


'Scintillating.'
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This week, I'm reviewing one of my favorite bar soaps:  Scintillating, by Villainess Soaps!

According to the site (and the label), Scintillating is:

Teasing touches of revitalising mints - spearmint, cornmint, peppermint - grounded with a rich base note of black tea, and barely sweetened with soft vanilla.

Absolutely delectable!  The bar is a beautiful bi-color soap, with the top half being a chocolate brown, deep, dark and rich, and the bottom half being a brilliant, soft green.  At first, you get a strong whiff of mint-we're talking sinus-clearing here!  But it's not harsh or chemical, like artificial mints scents tend to be.  Rather, it's the sweet, natural fragrance of freshly crushed mint leaves.  Upon exposure to water (and a bit of scrubbing with a washcloth or loofa), the mint is slowly replaced by a gentle, but powerful vanilla, with a hint of tea swirling underneath.  Soft and cold, this is the scent of a rich, powerful evil!

As for how the soap feels, it creates a very rich, smooth lather that feels like you are rubbing your skin with silk.  It cleans great and doesn't burn, itch, or irritate! And best of all, it doesn't leave scum or stains in the shower-all it takes a little water to wash it all away.

So, in the end, Scintillating is a soap that, despite being made by a company named for evil women, works far any man or woman (or anyone in-between) that wants to smell like an evil, sexy mastermind.

Check out Villainess, and all their great products, at this link:  Villainess Soaps

Product Grade:
5/5, A+++!

You Don't Know Jack (But You Need To!)

Next to the book, you see a collection of bottles.  Some are rather large, while others are tiny.  Each has a label, printed in lovely, flowing script, and some of the larger bottles have pictures on them as well.  You realize that these bottles contain the fragrances described in the book.  Curious, you reach out and pick up the first bottle.  It's labeled with the word "Jack".  You remove the lid and raise the bottle to your nose to take a whiff....

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First review time!  Let’s start with a good one:

This time I’m discussing a fragrance from Black Phoenix (BPAL), called “Jack”.  According to the website, Jack is:

The scent of warm, glowing jack o’lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove.

Mmmm, sounds delish, no?  Well, in fact it is.  Jack is not so much the actual smell of pumpkin (which, in my experience, is a sweetish, stringy, fruity smell), but more of what theidea of pumpkin smells like.  You know the smell that comes to mind when you see pumpkin pie in a cartoon?  Yeah, that’s what BPAL has managed to encapsulate in Jack.  Pumpkin pie and peach in a bottle.

When I tried Jack, I noticed two things:  One, this is NOT something you should wear when you’re hungry.  Seriously, I wanted to eat my arm.  In fact the only thing that stopped me (other than not being a fan of self-mutilation and PAIN), was knowing that it just wouldn’t taste like it smelled.  And two, this puppy is S-T-R-O-N-G.  As in, Jack O’Lantern himself appears before you and punches you in the face, strong.  But it’s a pleasant punch, one that you wouldn’t mind experiencing again and again.  (Does that contradict my not liking pain?  Great, now I’m going to go into an existential crisis…)

Jack is a scent I prefer for dark, cold fall and winter days.  The combination of pumpkin with peach, and especially the bright spice of the nutmeg and clove, creates a warm scent that envelopes you like a soft blanket, and lights your way through even the darkest, spookiest Halloween night.

All in all, I give this an A+!

And, if you’re interested in picking up a bottle, or even getting a tester (called “Imp’s Ears” by the lab folk), you can check them out here:  Black Phoenix, and navigate to the “Bewitching Brews” category.

(By the way, thanks to the lovely Black Phoenix forumites for the image that goes with this post!)