Ironclad Petal on GirlAMatic.com!

And nowwwww:

IRONCLAD PETAL!

:Kermit arms:

Thooughts, comments, spare change?

So Let's Talk Soap

Specifically, Soapy Hollow soap, made in the wilds of Rowlett, Texas by untamed punk mom spiderfarmer.

I got my box of Soapy Hollow Smell Good today. Bug Begone, a natural bug repellent spritz. Garden Retreat, a Refreshing Spritz. Three bars of Gardener's Delight soap, and samples of Neroli and Aloe Foaming Scrub, Warm Vanilla Lotion, and a Gingerbread scented soap.

The lowdown:
First, Soapy Hollow packaging is the best cat toy ever. My kittens played with the tissue and stayed the hell off my desk. What I mean is, it was well-packaged. No spills, no leaks, and in a surprisingly small box. None of that cringe-worthy Amazon overkill here.

The Products:
Garden Retreat is rose, geranium and osmanthus (a tangerine scent). The spray bottle dispenses a very fine mist, a nice change for someone who's been drizzled on more than once by other sprays. The top note is the rose, the middle is the granium, and the finish is the very subtle tangerine of the osmanthus. Heaven for a rose lover like me who wants to smell nice but not get a headache from it.

I haven't had a chance to try Bug Begone on myself yet, but it does smell really good, citronella good, and not like Off!, the scent of a thousand campouts. I needed a bug repellent because mosquitos love me, but this is the first that didn't come with a scent that immediately made me need an icepack and Nyquil for the resulting migraine. It does have analgesic properties, so I decided to let my dog, Yuki, who's been gnawing on her butt because she's the only pet who gets fleas, to test it in my off-label experiment.
I'm glad to say my dog has not chewed her butt for four hours, which is a record. It doesn't seem to be a taste aversion, either. She seems much calmer and relaxed.
Bug Begone gets the human test here on Wednesday, when we will spritz and then do homework outside, damn the mosquitos! (Hey, that'd be a great name for Bug Begone wouldn't it? "Damn the Mosquitos!")

The gingerbread soap provoked such a strong Pavlovian reaction, I felt like I was teasing my mouth. When I sniffed it, gave me the effect of having my mouth react as if I were going to put food in it. (That always cracks me up--it's like my mouth is a dog and I'm teasing it with a biscuit. "Where's the cookie? Who wants the cookie?" I gave my son a piece to wash with, and he was annoyed to find out it didn't taste good (he gave his tongue a tiny touch with it), but he did wash with it.

Gardener's Delight was a much-anticipated treat since sclerotic_rings wrote of his love for it. It really does smell like grass and dirt, nice clean smells. I got myself into the shower and learned quickly that you have to go VERY lightly when taking advantage of the volcanic pumice by rubbing the bar on yourself. It did nicely exfoliate my forearms (which get that annoying contact acne from my desk), and my feet, too. The rest of me I washed by lathering. I smell very nicely clean, and the scent is calming.

Next shower will be the Neroli Aloe Foaming Scrub, and I will report back on that.

The Warm Vanilla lotion is terrific. besides having a really nice feel when it's going on, it smells like a baking yellow cake or shortbread cookies, and it goes surprisingly well with the Garden Retreat spritz--kind of a rose cake, wedding cake smell. I am Lea Cookiehands!

All in all, a stone bargain of goodness at around $5. an item, with goodies for good measure. Give the nice lady your business!