Review: Haus of Gloi

So I know this isn't about bras OR makeup... but I am a big fan of indie companies and thought "close enough". I've had my eye on Haus of Gloi for a couple of years now, but never took the plunge until now, as I am in the market for a new body scrub and I like nice-smelling ones that aren't ridiculously expensive.  

  

There were so many scents, I didn't know where to start. Even if something sounds like it smells nice, who knows if I would like the smell in person? So I bought the smaller 56g size tubs and decided to try a few scents. I also bought a soap bar.  

THE BRAND 

This indie brand has been around for a while now. I think I first came across it in the subreddit /r/indiemakeupandmore. The brand is cruelty free and vegan. Everything is handmade from scratch. They make original and very intriguing scents in several different types of bath/body products including rich pumpkin body butters, lightweight body emulsions, emulsifying scrubs (for both exfoliation and moisturising), bubbling scrubs, handmade bar soaps, perfume oil, hair oils and lip balms.

ORDERING/PRICING

The site is easy to navigate and ordering is pretty straightforward. It's great that the company offers small jars to try out their products for a few dollars each (though most indie companies offer sample size options).  I went with 2 sugar exfoliants, a soft bubbling scrub, a body emulsion and a full size soap which cost only $20 USD. The kicker here is that shipping was $19.90 USD which feels so expensive (I did receive a paypal refund of $1.50 the following day), but shipping these kind of products can be costly when it's based weight. Feels expensive, but products here in Australia would cost more. So altogether, it cost about $50 AUD for the products and shipping.  

I placed the order on the 2nd of July, received a shipping confirmation the next day and the parcel arrived on the 16th. So 14 days. Not too bad coming from America! I'm pretty happy with that. The parcel arrived in a small box, with everything quite tightly packed and secure. Each item was wrapped in olive green tissue paper and there was a little handwritten note which was a nice touch. They also popped in a couple of sweets.

Rose City

"Red roses and the earthy wet scent of aged patchouli."

I quite like rose-scented things, so I picked two items to try in Rose City. And I have to say... it is more than a Rose City... it's a Rose Country. It's just a bit too much for me. The body emulsion smells like rose potpourri at my nana's house. It actually has given me a bit of a headache, although the scrub is not nearly as strong.

As mentioned above, I was not a fan of this scent. At all. It gives me a headache. Still, I figured I should test the emulsion. So I rubbed some of the product into my left forearm to see if I liked the formula, even though I am giving this to my nana. 

The body emulsion is actually a really nice, light body moisturiser. It sinks into the skin easily, leaving it nice and soft without feeling greasy. Once it is rubbed in, the scent is not nearly as strong, although sniffing my arm still makes me feel a bit sick. My goodness, this scent lingers. I scrubbed my arm with a washcloth and the smell is still there. I'll admit that I really like the formula of the emulsion though. I might get it in other scents next time. 

This is the only bubbling scrub I bought so I really want to test it... but I can't bring myself to apply more roses onto my skin, even if it does not smell nearly as strong. I felt the texture though, and it feels drier to the touch than the sugar exfoliants did. 

Haus Amber 

"Rich and sultry amber, our own hand blended accord."

Oh I like this smell. It's quite subtle but not weak at all. It does smell a bit sultry, actually. It smells like it would leave a really nice lingering scent on the skin. I kind of wish I'd got this in the body emulsion or perfume oil instead, because it would work really well as a base for one of my unisex perfumes.

I didn't want to wait to have a shower to test this out, so I used my finger to scoop out a bit and scrubbed it onto my right arm to test it. I'm a fan. It feels rough on your fingers but once there's water and massaging, it's a gentle exfoliant that feels really nice on the skin, leaving it feeling moisturised but not greasy (despite having coconut oil as an ingredient, which I don't like by itself). It also leaves a really nice subtle scent on the skin that I love. I'll most likely buy this in full size once I've finished the mini jar. Maybe in a pumpkin butter as well.

Vice

"Steam billows rolling off a vessel of fresh made Turkish coffee, marshmallow goo tainted by graham cracker crumbs, toasted hazelnuts all blanketed in the blackest chocolate."

I don't know if I smell all of that... all I know is that smelling this makes me want to eat it. It smells like a super rich, coffee fudge brownie cake. I want to smell this all day. And I don't even like coffee or cake. I even held it up to my dad's nose and his face lit up and he said, "Oh my god, that smells delicious". I'm glad I bought the bar soap as well as the exfoliant in this scent. Definitely my favourite of the bunch.

I actually used the sugar exfoliant on my left arm on top of the entire area I had rubbed the Rose City emulsion into. This was partly to test the scrub, and partly to try to remove the rose scent. The scrub felt really nice, like the Haus Amber one, and didn't leave my arm feeling greasy. It didn't completely remove the rose scent but it did make scrub off most of it and it seemed to leave a lingering scent of its own. 


The bar of soap not only smells edible but looks it. It took some willpower not to bite it. It smells the same as the scrub, but there is no lingering chocolate scent after the bubbles wash away (except for a slightly vanilla soapy smell). Once the soap bar itself has been under the tap, the scent isn't nearly as strong on it either. They've obviously perfected the formula of the soap, though, which lathers easily and is gentle on the skin.

Zazz (sample)

"When something feels a bit lackluster, dull and boring, it obviously is lacking, zazz. To fix this we recommend something definitely zazzy and not overly complicated: Tart cranberry, pink grapefruit, sparkling champagne all shook up with crushed ginger root "

The lovely people at Haus of Gloi sent a free perfume sample along with my other purchases. Sniffing it straight from the tube was a mistake - it was overpowering and smelled awful, like detergent. However, after dabbing the tiniest amount on my wrist, I can smell the tart sweetness that customers would like. It smells pretty fizzy and frivolous. It is not as overpowering once on the skin and I think would be a nice scent on a young woman that likes sweeter perfumes. I'm still not quite a fan, as I don't like the smell of grapefruit and prefer more sultry scents, but it has gotten me interested in trying some other perfume oils of theirs as the quality is definitely there. I will probably pick up Haus Amber in my next order.

SUMMARY  

Overall, I'd say Haus of Gloi is a win. Their product quality is great and the scents are complex and original. Their TAT is also pretty fast for an indie company. I will definitely be ordering from them in the future. Although, I think if I am trying out new scents, I will get perfume oil sample versions first as shipping is probably based on weight. And along with the perfume samples, I am definitely getting Vice and Haus Amber pumpkin butters at some point. They are nicer scents than any I've smelled in other bath/body brands, including Lush.