Haul: The Bathing Garden August 2016

This might be a bit out of season now that Halloween has passed, but my experience with Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas melts is they're fairly interchangeable in the cooler months. That works out if you seem to've fallen behind on melting.

This was a fairly monumental order for me because I finally decided to bite the bullet and try out some of Shannon's much praised bath and body!

I placed my order on August 4th and it shipped on September 15th, within her stated turn around time.

First, let's look at these gorgeous clamshells! Each one cost $3.75.

Faerie Call: Fresh blackberries covered in clotted cream and topped with a layer of strawberry cotton candy.
Creamy, tart blackberries and sweet strawberries. That tart creaminess is a bit off putting, but I'm counting on it diminishing as the wax is melted. 3.1 oz

Faerie Bonfire: A complex bonfire scent with notes of leaves, vanilla, sandalwood, and brown sugar.
Swoon. I would like this in perfume form, please. Sweet, musky sandalwood with a hint of smoke. On the exhale you catch just a hint of vanilla. 3.0 oz

Evernight:  Lavender and lilac are highlighted with a touch of eucalyptus and blended with soft woods, white musk, and sugary vanilla.
Herbal lavender, a hint of lilac, and just a tad bit of eucalyptus. I can't pick up much more on cold sniff. 3.0 oz

Illusions of the Labyrinth: Mandarin, musk, sugar, and a woodsy violet.
Sweet violets and tangy mandarin. Delicious and complex. 3.2 oz

Belladonna Tincture: A spicy blend of black pepper, patchouli, and vetiver; softened with mellow sandalwood.
A soft and woody blend. I want to stare and sniff for hours. 3.2 oz

Deadly Gardens: Tonka bean, sparkling rose and jasmine, with notes of orange citrus and vetivert.
Lots of rose and vetivert on cold sniff. Almost seems soapy to my nose. I paid $2 for 1.9 oz.

On to the much anticipated bath and body!

Cemetery Keys Whipped Soap: Vanilla tonka beans, lime citrus, and a sugary sweet white floral.
Very heavy on the lime citrus. Very sweet. I like it, and it makes my legs super smooth when I use this instead of shaving cream. A 4 oz tub cost $8.00

Mummy Mademoioselle Sugar Scrub: Ground vanilla beans, rose petals, and jojoba spheres. Scented with candied rose jam, sweet sticky salt water taffy, and creamy white vanilla.
Sweet vanillas and roses. Not too rough on the skin, but definitely exfoliates and leaves the skin silky smooth. 8 oz cost $9.00

Ever Night Whipped Soap: Lavender and lilac, highlighted with a touch of eucalyptus and blended with soft woods, white musk, and sugary vanilla.
All I can smell when I use this is woody eucalyptus. A bit of a bummer, as I was hoping for the other notes to be here as well. M likes it, though, which is a plus. 4 oz for $8.00

On to the freebies I received!

Boo Berry Mansion Whipped Soap: Blueberry, strawberry, and vanilla with a heaping scoop of sweet sugar and iced birthday cake.
Yummy blueberry-strawberry soap. I like using this to wash my hands after I've washed my face every night. Of course, then I dream about sweets and candies and wake up with a hankerin' for everything that is unhealthy for my body, but what can ya do?

Storybook Mint Whipped Soap: Peppermint candies, milk cake, cotton candy, and fluffy spearmint meringue with subtle hints of apple.
Lots and lots of mint. All I smell is peppermint candy. Which makes me further crave candy. Why do you do this to me, Shannon?

Pumpkin Pie Spice: A dark and spicy pumpkin blend. Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and fresh creamed pumpkin.
Dark, cinnamon-rich pumpkin pie with an extra bready note. Yummy! 0.9 oz

Cardamom Potion: No scent description available.
This cardamom is surprisingly soft. A hint of musky vanilla and something slightly citrusy. I definitely want more. 1.3 oz

Glacier Blue:  A refreshing peppermint scent that surprises with menthol, musk, and slight citrus notes.
Oh, yes. Strong, punch-your-face-in peppermint and menthol. Perfect to set the chilly mood while you sit bundled up with a cup of hot chocolate, tea, and/or coffee and enjoy the brisk air. 0.8 oz

Cemetery Keys: Vanilla tonka beans, lime citrus, and a sugary sweet white floral.
Similar to the whipped soap, I pick up a heavy dose of lime and just hints of vanilla floral. 0.6 oz

Bohemian Solstice:  Blue raspberry snow, rich cream cheese bites, all topped with a lavender chamomile glaze.
Lavender chamomile, hints of cream cheese, all layered with the slightly sweet blue raspberries. Combines to create a surprising but succinct winter blend. 0.6 oz

Winter Mint Cake: Rich hot chocolate, dark chocolate cake, and fresh peppermint meringue.
I'm not a chocolate fan, so I can't say anything besides milky chocolate. Oh, and ew. Call me a masochist when I inevitably try this melt out. 0.5 oz

Price breakdown time! Since this has more than just wax, the price/ounce before shipping will mean a lot more!

Total Before Shipping (Minus non-wax items): $20.75
Total After Shipping: $34.25
Total Wax Received: 22.1 oz
Freebies Received: 4.7 oz (included in total wax received)
Price/Ounce without shipping: 93.9¢/ounce
Price/Ounce with shipping: $1.55/ounce

I don't give the price/ounce shipped much thought, as about half of my order was non-wax items. My conclusion is Shannon runs a competitively priced, gorgeous-looking, spectacularly performing wax and bath and body company. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I'll be back.

Have you ordered from The Bathing Garden before? What do you think of her products?