Review! - Fortune Cookie Soap | Hunger Games Tribute Collection

Unless you literally live in a cave, in the middle of a tropical jungle and have no contact with the outside world, there's no doubt in my mind you've heard of the Hunger Games book series. Written by Suzanne Collins, it's 3 books set in a what-once-was futuristic and still very animalistic atmosphere documenting basically how young people deal with love, hate, war, trust, betrayal and growing up. I won't give away any details in case you haven't read, but this series has exploded far beyond the young adult audience it was initially intended for and is expected to hold Twilight status once the upcoming movies hit the screen.

Fortune Cookie Soap being one of my guiltiest pleasures, I may be a little biased towards anything they create, but this time felt different. It wasn't too long ago I discovered the Hunger Games, and now considering myself a die-hard fan hearing they would be releasing a Hunger Games collection, my expectations were instantly high.  They held a BlogTV launch party (if you haven't participated in one yet, it's an experience you must have in your life!) dressed in character and showcased 7 brand new products, each dedicated to a character from the Hunger Games.

I bought all 7. (Click each photo to see it larger and clearer)

This is the first time I've seen them create special packaging and a new logo for a specific collection, and if ever there was a certain collection to do it for, this is it. The new labelling and new bottle shapes add an air of darkness, drama and realism to an otherwise fun, quirky and out-there brand. These designs are bold, indulgent and know exactly what they stand for. Now let's see the products up close and personal!

['Coal Hearted' Bath Melts - Set of 3]



Modelled after sexy hunter Gale, these bath melts look unbelievably like pieces of rock! They are large enough be broken apart and used for 6 baths or more and are described as a spiced lime scent. While there is a little bit of hidden citrus, my nose gets a hefty dose of a complex and earthy tea tree scent. They looked just like I expected them to smell and are strikingly similar to the Clearly Complexion Bar Soap they carry, which is also an amazing product. You can feel the butteriness on your fingers after having held these for just a few short seconds.

['The Capitol Diamond' Bath Bomb]

This bath bomb is HUGE and very heavy, almost double the density of their usual bath fizzies at a massive 10oz. Done after the in-your-face and quirky Effie Trinket, it pretty well symbolizes what the 'Capitol' is all about - wealth and power. It's a lovely bubblegum pink colour, LOADED with glitter and smells like a straight-up cotton candy and bubblegum mix. If you've smelled or enjoy Aquolina's Pink Sugar perfume, this smells just like that but with a refreshing bubblegum twist added in. I love the look of the glittered bath bombs, but I'm not a huge fan of coming out of the tub super sparkly, so that may be my only downside. However, that is just personal preference and the bath bomb itself is simply stunning and smells amazing.

['Hair of the Dog' Body Wash & 'Cashmere' Bubbling Bath Crystals]



Gotta love the clever idea to make a body wash that looks like a flask of alcohol to represent the Hunger Games resident drunk, Haymitch Abernathy. Scented with dark vanilla and rum, this to me smells like warm and sweet butterscotch syrup right out of the bottle. A very rich and comforting scent. The body wash itself is even a slightly thick and syrupy consistency, so it's pretty darn hard to not wanna just have a taste! ;) I haven't tried it yet as of writing this, but it will be my first time using a Fortune Cookie Soap liquid body wash and I'm anxious to see how it performs in comparison to their solid soaps.

Cinna, being the mastermind stylist behind the famous 'Girl on fire' costumes the District 12 tributes wore in the book, wouldn't be suited with anything but a firey product. I absolutely love that the bath crystals are layered in yellow, orange and red to resemble fire and all things aside, this wouldn't have the impact it does without that touch. Good job! They are scented with 'Cashmere' and have a warm and sexy vanilla-y musk scent with an underlying edginess.. my nose wants to say maybe even a bit of fruit? I've used their crystals before and the amount of bubbles they create is ASTOUNDING, this is most definitely a pamper myself nighttime treat.

['Tiny Tribute' Shampoo Bar & 'Bakers Dozen' Fortune Cookie Soap]

In the book, Rue is a short-lived and heart-grabbing young girl who is put to rest surrounded with flowers. This Shampoo Bar named in her honor is a delicate sky blue and has star-shaped sprinkles imbedded that from afar, resemble flowers floating through the sky on a clear day. It has chunks of moisturizing butters and has a quite strong scent of warm weather florals. It reminds me of walking past the flower shops during the balmy summer days when they have all the buckets full of flowers set out and the passing breeze catches their aroma. Lovely and girly!

Peeta is another lusted-after male character (Team Peeta or Team Gale?) who comes from a family of bakers. His signature product is the 'Bakers Dozen' Fortune Cookie Soap. It's a very light tan colour with a raspberry shade drizzled over it. Described as jelly-filled donuts, my first sniff was juicy red fruits and popcorn. Wait, popcorn?! I don't usually jump for the bakery-type scents, so maybe it's my inexperience but I definitely get a fresh popcorn and fruity jelly mix. Strange, and yet somehow not unpleasant.

['Hunter Green' Whipped Cream Body Butter]



And finally, after the most important character in the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, comes the 'Hunter Green' Body Butter. Katniss is strong, courageous and drawn to the outdoors. She kicks alot of ass and so does her signature product! My favourite thing they make, this Whipped Cream body butter carries the same smooth-as-silk and super moisturizing texture but with an unusually different fragrance than any of the other body butters. To me, it smells like standing in the middle of a dense pine forest on a cool morning and taking in a big breath of fresh foresty air. It's light and refreshing, a little pine-y without being really woodsy. Definitely a scent you may not pick from the description, but that would easily surprise you in person. I didn't expect to love this type of fragrance as much as I do, it's very unique and highly addictive.

In my opinion, this whole collection was a giant success. I'm already a massive Hunger Games fan, and the attention to detail in these products as you experience them just imparts a certain feeling of closeness to each character. It really made me want to go back and reread about each of the characters. They definitely hit the nail right on the head, and no doubt delighted old fans, and brought new interest to the series. I'm so unbelievably pleased with everything, all I can say is I await impatiently for the collection for the next book! (FINNICK, ANYONE?!)

Did you try any of the products? What did you think? Also, are you going to see the movie this weekend? You know I'll be there, and you know what I'll be smelling like. ;)

Fortune Cookie Soap Website - Check out the products here!

Fortune Cookie Soap on Facebook

Fortune Cookie Soap on Twitter

and just for fun..

Visit the Capitol of Panem - Find out which District you come from!

xo, Sarah

FTC: All products were purchased by me with my own money, except in part with a gift card I won in a contest. All opinions are my own!

Review! - Pretty Addictions Mineral Cosmetics

FINALLY!! I've been waiting to be able to write this review for quite some time. I've been a part of the Pretty Addictions Facebook community for a while now and one of a few girls who had yet to get the opportunity to purchase all the wonderful things everyone was raving about!

Pretty Addictions is a small (and getting bigger by the day!) mineral cosmetics company run by the gorgeous and very sweet Kas Swint. She's only been in business for a year, and already has built a loyal following of fans, addicts and even friends. Until now, she was only shipping within the U.S., but even before I was able to purchase and have stuff shipped to Canada, I was happy to interact and engage with such an awesome group of people. Everyone on her Facebook page is fun, friendly and it's truly a testament to the way she runs her business.

But enough of the small talk, I wanna show you what I picked out! In total, I bought a full mineral eyeshadow collection (6 colours), 5 seperate eyeshadows, 1 mineral blush and 2 of her new Shattered Diamonds glitters. The shipping was quite fast and everything came in a pretty awesome gold bubble mailer. (I bet it killed the mailman not to know what was inside!) Upon opening, I found an invoice and an animal print paper bag neatly tied with ribbon and a handful of business cards. Hey, one of the first batches of Pretty Addictions to make it's way north, gotta get the word out right? ;)

The attention to detail is just something you really don't and probably won't ever see anywhere else. You don't even have to open the jars or wear the products to tell just how high quality everything is and how much passion she has for what she's doing.

[The Nearly Naked Collection (clockwise from top left; Timid, Bubbly, Hero, Serendipity, Brown Suga, Locked & Loaded)]

[From left - Toxic, Envious, Rumor] 

[From left - Obnoxious, Darkness]

[Shattered Diamonds glitter! From left - Bankrupt, Bulletproof]

[Mineral Blush - Spoiled B!tch]



Holy. Crap. That's all I can say. The colours are stunning, have a velvety texture and are unbelievably pigmented. Like, tap-your-brush-in-the-cap-and-you-still-have-more-than-enough pigmented. My camera and photo-taking skills SUCK. I wish I could have done them justice! (Click each photo to see it clearer and more accurate) At first I thought the jars seemed small, but now I see that these are gonna last me probably for the next 3 years. (probably not haha) The shadows came in sealed jars and the blush and glitters came unsealed but with sealed sifters, which is what I would prefer if you asked me. Blush and glitter are really easily overdone and wasted. I went for green and neutral coloured eyeshadows mostly, they're always the colours I've gravitated towards and these are simply beautiful! They have enough sparkle to catch the light without being too much and even having owned them for just a few hours, are already becoming some of my favourite products.

I couldn't wait to try them, so I came up with a wearable and in my opinion, slightly sultry look using quite a few of my new lovelies!

On my eyes - Toxic, Rumor, Envious, Locked & Loaded, Timid & Bankrupt glitter; Cheeks - A tiny bit of Spoiled B!tch; Lips - Revlon Lip Butter in Cotton Candy



All in all, I had high expectations with everything everyone was saying about all the stunning products they were buying, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. I can't wait to go back for more! Be sure to check out where to find Pretty Addictions at the links below, and don't hesitate to give Kas a shout. She's possibly one of the friendliest and most approachable people out there!

Pretty Addictions Website
Pretty Addictions on Facebook
Pretty Addictions on Twitter
Pretty Addictions Blog

xo, Sarah

FTC: Everything was purchased by me, with my own money and all opinions, as always, are my own!

MUST HAVE Nail Polishes for Spring! - Cherimoya 2012 Crackle Collection

Warm weather is starting to arrive and with that, it's time to start dusting off the sandals, filing down those calloused heels and breaking out the fun polish colours! I personally think bold neon shades will be hot this spring/summer but can be a little intimidating for some. Crackle nail polishes are great for mixing it up, adding some dimension and the perfect style to wear if you're a little antsy about rocking the all-out solid neon nails.

Cherimoya is a pretty under-the-radar brand who makes an amazing variety of crackle polishes at SUPER affordable prices ($2.99 at beautyjoint.com).

The Cherimoya 2012 Crackle Nail Polish collection boasts an impressive 48 shades in every neutral and neon you could ever want! I actually stumbled across them in a random discount store an hour from my house and grabbed a neon pink (Immortal) and a neon green (Extraterrestrial).

They are STUNNINGLY bright, have good consistency and coverage and a gorgeous crackle effect! My apologies I haven't even had the chance to photograph swatches of the finished results, but I just couldn't wait to share! My only complaint is that they have quite a strong smell, but nothing I couldn't handle and they dry very quickly. 

[Photos courtesy of beautyjoint.com]

 Amazing right? You can also find them on Amazon.com by searching 'Cherimoya 2012', these lovelies are worth checking out!

Which shades will you be showing off this spring?

xo Sarah

Review! The Marula Tree Soap Co. - Pink Sugar Collection

I broke off a little pink cube of wax and placed it in the top of the warmer, then I lit the tealight, set it in it's place and sat down to relax and try to get some work done.

I've always loved the scent of Aquolina's Pink Sugar fragrance, but I hate spending ridiculous amounts of money on perfume, so I had only ever had small sample vials of it. This little wax melt on that particular afternoon, however, had sparked a hunger for more. Fast forward an hour of browsing Etsy (hey, handmade is ALWAYS better!) and I came across The Marula Tree Soap Co. Not only does she make Pink Sugar bath & body products, but she was also Canadian and around my age. Perfect!

She had a few other collections but her Pink Sugar bath bombs, body butter & soap were listed seperately, and I didn't see a roll-on perfume in the scent. I messaged her asking if she could possibly make me a collection including 2 bath bombs, a soap, a 4oz. body butter and a roll-on perfume, all in the Pink Sugar scent. She replied almost instantly, not only super friendly but more than willing to create exactly what I was looking for. $24 for everything?! I was over the moon, and the deal was sealed.

5 days later..

This picture only shows 1 bath bomb, my skin ate the other before I could take the photo ;)

4 oz. Body Butter with Marula Oil

4 oz. Bar Soap (with very fine mica shimmer)

4-5 oz. Bath Bomb

0.33oz Roll-On Perfume

Free sample bath bombs in 'Monkey Love' & 'Chocolate Espresso'!



Where do I start? The Body Butter is AMAZING. It's the first body butter I've ever tried (I've tried a billion!) that is very thick, rich and emollient but absorbs quickly to an almost 'matte' feeling on my skin. It's like my skin actually drinks it up, as opposed to having a coating of moisture sitting on the surface. I have ezcema in the winter and it's wonderful to have true moisturization without a stinging, greasy layer leftover. The scent is DEAD ON, if not even more pure and sweet than the famous version, and lasted for hours.

The bath bombs are a beautiful pink with tiny red speckles. It fizzed very fast, filled my whole bathroom with a warm, sweet cotton candy and amber scent and turned my bath water a lovely bubblegum pink. No pink tub rings! I almost feel like using the body butter after the bath bomb would be too much, the bath bombs themselves are packed full of moisturizing oils and I left my tub smelling amazing and feeling like I already moisturized.

The soap I haven't tried yet, so I can't tell you how it works but I tried to capture in the photo just how pretty it is! (I know, my photography skills need work) It reminds me of the inside of a pink grapefruit, but a few shades darker. Inside and out it glistens with very fine mica shimmer and has reddish-magenta speckles on top. I can't wait to use it once my current soap runs out!

Lastly, the Roll-On Perfume. The bottle is glass and has a shiny silver cap, it looks and smells exquisitely more expensive than it was. It's a pure, flirty, sugary-sweet cotton candy scent without any fake alcohol or chemical undertones. I dab it on all my pulse points and even put a drop on my fingertips and smooth it through the very ends of my hair. It lasts all day and I can even smell it the next morning. That being said, I find myself reaching for it throughout the day to reapply, just for an excuse to hold the bottle to my nose for a moment.. ;) Almost forgot, can we stop for a second and notice the incredibly generous free sample bombs that came in the box? Amazing!

The Marula Tree Soap Co. makes absolutely wonderful products at astoundingly reasonable prices and is owned by a lovely and very sweet young lady named Nikki. I HIGHLY recommend checking out her shop, her blog and stop by her Facebook page, give her a like and say hi! She even has the Pink Sugar products all listed together in a collection now for your convenience! Why pay so much for one bottle of fragrance when you can get an entire collection for less? I will definitely be reordering when mine runs out!

The Marula Tree Soap Co. Etsy Shop

The Marula Tree Soap Co. on Facebook

The Marula Tree Soap Co. Blog

xo Sarah

FTC: All products shown (except samples!) were purchased with my own money, and all opinions are my own :)