"Perfume is the art that makes memory speak"--According to Francis Kurkdjian. A powerful tool that can send us on journey's through scented clouds. Today I will be reviewing a shop that I found on Instagram that specializes in perfumes through essential oils, soaps, lotion bars and so much more.
Royalty Lotus is the name, backed by two brothers--Shawn & Ryan. According to an excerpt on their website;
"Ryan has a passion for mixing and making his own soaps, lotions, sprays, and candles. His passion for creating scented products started when he noticed not a lot of other scented products had the scent he wanted, he began creating more and more until he established a baseline of scents he personally enjoyed. He had also noticed that no other brands would let you 'pick and choose' what types of scents you wanted and he wanted to change that, but he wanted to go a step further and let people 'pick and choose' much more than just what scent they would like. He wants to let people know they have a choice when it comes to how they smell, no matter what season and no matter what occasion."
Many of their products are custom-friendly--with you being able to pick three notes to create your own personalized fragrance. (depending on the product!) Along with the note selection, you also get to pick what oil base you'd like & the strength you'd prefer. For the oil base--they have the choices of Castor, Coconut, Jojoba & Sweet Almond. Definitely something for everyone! And for the strengths--there are 5 levels of strength; Skin Scent (Light--Ideal for those whom might be sensitive!), Radiant (Mild), Regular (Medium), Strong (Bold) and Fill A Room (Strong & Bold.) The last two tiers cost a bit extra, but nothing to extreme. ($0.75 for Bold, $1.00 for Strong & Bold.)
For my review today, I got a little of everything. 3 essential perfume oils, a lotion bar, a moisturizing body spray, a soap & a candle. As I am not too keen on creating my own scents just yet, I was just interested in their 3-pack of limited edition Halloween scents that they already mixed.
A disclaimer--these scents were limited edition, so they are no longer available. (At least, until further notice!) but I am reviewing them as a whole of the company, rather than a possibility for purchase. More perfumes just like the ones mentioned here will be on their website! Thank you!
LIMITED EDITION PERFUME OILS
The roll-on Premade scents go from $9.99 - $14.98, depending on the choice. Custom Perfume blends are a bit more pricey, starting from $10.49 - $15.73. But that's only because you can personalize your scent--choosing the top three notes, oil base and strength.
The roll-on Premade scents go from $9.99 - $14.98, depending on the choice. Custom Perfume blends are a bit more pricey, starting from $10.49 - $15.73. But that's only because you can personalize your scent--choosing the top three notes, oil base and strength.
As mentioned earlier, I didn't want to get all fancy with making a perfume just yet. I wanted to give their shop a try for what they created themselves. Also, the Halloween themed ones really sparked my interest! These were the perfumes of Halloween 2020. They are no longer being sold on their website (as far as I can see, that is!) I will be reviewing them in this section to show you the quality of the fragrance, so if you'd like--you can check out their other available scents or perhaps, create your own!
BANSHEEA sweet & bold feminine mixture of something tart and crisp, swirled with vanilla & brown sugar.
I got all my perfumes in "Regular" scent, to experience it in a normal setting. I definitely something feminine. Quite honestly, the notes shocked me after I read what they were. I try to not look at the note selection until after I smell a perfume and my first initial thought was that this was a slightly powdery sweet Victorian Rose, with some fruit elements mixed in.
Maybe something more aquatic, yet border lining on white musk--almost but not quite, due to the fruity tartness. I was mistaken but my nose instantly thought of that. I think the vanilla and the tart of what I assume is apple worked together beautifully to create a sort of rich and sweet scent that made me mistake it for what I originally thought. The mind is such a wondrous thing, isn't it? lol
The dry down fades from the tart to the vanilla. Almost powdery in comparison to a more rich, warm vanilla most are probably used to. (Which explains why my mind went that direction to begin with!)
Unlike the other two I will be reviewing shortly, this one fades quicker in my opinion. Almost matching your own skin after a few hours. It's a pleasant scent and it definitely turned a lot of heads, so I can see someone liking this one if they were into girly, femme fragrances that linger delicately without being too bold or in your face.
PHANTOM
The website claims this scent is a musky & spicy masculine mixture.
I instantly thought of warm leather and sandalwood. The "spice" being more cream-based instead of rough and bold. Reminiscent of Cinnamon. Slightly woodsy with a dark, warm vanilla base. Definitely can see a man wearing this, singing into the void of night. Phantom is a true male ambience.
The dry down is a warm spiced musk. With slight brown sugar notes. It fades into your skin very nicely, leaving just a touch of warmness that floats around for a few hours before disappearing completely. Warm, exotic & dark.
SCARLET POTIONA crisp & fresh, beautifully unisex blend.
My nose thought this was a Cranberry and Hibiscus infusion. Reminds me so much of Warm Apple Cider. A ruby red scent that is both sweet yet tart. The dry down is just a more lighter version of the actual scent, which makes this a great perfume to wear for me. If I am out in public, a quick touch up will ensure it lasts ALL DAY because this one does just that. I have worn this on my neck and wrists only to wake up the next day with a mild version of it lingering still on me, in my hair, on my pillows. Beautiful is an understatement.
I know this was meant for Halloween, but I'm definitely going to be wearing mine for the rest of Fall and well into Christmas. I can definitely see myself wearing this for Christmas, with the delicious Cranberry-like scent. I've been complimented so many times when I wear this one out. It's definitely my favorite of the three.
Each of the blue glass bottles come with roller balls, for ease of application. I like that they use the roller ball instead of the usual Euro dropper! Euro Droppers can be very messy, especially when you are in a rush!
MOISTURIZING SPRAY: DRIFTWOODDriftwood is a fragrance that I really love but hardly ever see available or even around often. So, since I reviewed their perfume oils--I thought I'd give a different product a try! This is their Moisturizing Body Spray! They have two sprays available--this one and a simple fragrant spritz. I, of course, was interested in what makes this spray so moisturizing and if it does, in fact, do such a thing for my skin type.
Starting at $9.99 - $14.98--The moisturizing spray comes in 13 different scent selections, if you wanted to choose the premade ones. And you get the choice of 4 oil bases, I just stuck with castor! Coconut & Jojoba are charged extra, though. Something to note! They also offer a custom blended one, too. If you'd prefer to create your own!
What I loved about getting this product, was how it was packaged. I have bought several perfume sprays/oils in my past but none that actually shrink wrapped the product! It made shipping extremely safe and secure during transit.
The spray doesn't mist out, as I thought it would. It actually shoots out in a line. I don't know why I thought it would mist out, because it is oil based, making the idea of "misting" seem kind of pointless and unrealistic but it surprised me. Not going to lie! haha Just for future reference, shoot some of the product into your hands and rub together. Works a charm and saves you from loosing an eyeball from accidental firing! lol
The silage is very prominent, but nothing overbearing. Even at the "regular" strength I chose, it could fill up a room pretty decent. It also stays on for a very long time before fading into a woodsy light fragrance. I'd say this one is pretty unisex but more guys tend to like wearing this than girls but I personally love wearing it myself, as a female. This is a bold spicy fragrance that anyone can truly wear and turn heads with!
I tend to have extremely dry skin and I have to say that this moisturizing spray was everything they claimed. It left my skin soft and very supple, without being too overly greasy or sticky with residue.
Now that the oils and spray is out of the way (haha accidental rhyme!) we can move onto the other products I received. More body and bath related ones!
LOTION BAR: HAYRIDE
As you can probably see, I was going for a theme here. A Halloween theme with most of these products. This is a newer product from Royalty Lotus. According to the website, this Lotion Bar is a better way of traveling with your favorite scented lotion. The convenient sized bar is designed to fit nicely into your gym bag or purse without fear of spilling and getting everywhere. Made from refined Coconut Oil, You have the choice of wax, scent, oil base and strength. This was the premade version, but they also offer a custom version, as well.
Some pros about this was that it didn't feel sticky or weighted, like most coconut based products usually do. It was definitely moisturizing. The only issue was the scent being almost nonexistent at the "regular/medium" level of strength! Definitely spend that extra dollar to get a stronger version, if you can!
For those curious--Hayride has base notes of Fresh Woods. Middle notes of Pepper & Currant. And Top notes of clean air! I could smell the Fresh Woods and a musky ozone slightly under the coconut base but everything else wasn't prominent.
100% Vegan Friendly Soap: Hallo-Air
They designed and replaced all their melt-and-pour soaps with this newly created soap formula--This 100% vegan friendly soap is created using 4 key ingredients; Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Olive Oil & Shea Butter. You get the choice of scent, strength, oil base and soap color. They do offer a custom version of this soap, where you can create your very own unique concoction!
I chose Hallo-air which reminded me of a smoky white floral musk. The listing claims this scent has base notes of Smoke. Middle notes of Lily of the valley & mums. And Top notes of Fresh picked daffodil.
I received my soap slightly in distress. It was packaged and shrink-wrapped but somehow, during the travels to get to my house, the soap lost all the pretty intricate details. I don't know if the package just got tossed around too much but the usual mold they use for their soaps (The butterfly and floral pattern I see a lot on their website) wasn't there. It shipped to me in a lump, so at first glance it might not be too appealing but let me tell you--it smells SO GOOD and the lather on this bad boy is AMAZING!
The pictures show just that--a rich thick lather that foams right up perfectly! The soap itself is very big, so I can use it many many times before it starts to recede. I can't get over how big this soap is, I'm use to Etsy shops giving a small chuck or two but this guy is HUGE!
The aftermath of using this soap definitely was a pleasant one. Unlike most melt-in-pours that tend to either be too greasy or the polar opposite--drying me out too much, this soap made my hands feel just like velvet. Clean and very soft. The scent I chose worked amazing for this soap, too. Probably the best I've used in terms of a vegan friendly, handmade soap.
SCENTED CANDLE: HALLO-AIRThis 8 oz premade scented candle is perfect for any occasion. As it says on the website, you can brighten any room with it. I purposely got mine in black with a wooden wick for Halloween. I chose my scent in Hallo-air, to help set the scene for my room but you can choose just about any other premade scent they have available or you can, just like the rest of these other products, create your very own unique scent. Premade is $6.29 - $6.49. Custom is $6.79 - $6.99! They have over 13 scent selections, 2 types of wicks (wax or wood), 2 wax bases (Soy or Soy/Beeswax combo), 4 types of scent strengths and 12 color choices.
I chose mine in Black, with the scent in Hallo-air, a wooden wick, regular strength and with a Soy/Beeswax combo wax base. Apparently the Beeswax shrinks when exposed to heat and will give the appearance of a "sinkhole" in the middle. It does not affect the scent or the longevity, as mentioned on the website. I got the soap and the candle in the same scent, so this will be a great comparison.
I have used wooden wicks before in the past, they definitely are my favorite due to the fact they crackle and pop compared to the stagnant wax wick. This wooden wick, in my honest opinion, looked different to those I've used before. A much more flat, smoothed wood rather than a petrified wooden rounded stump.
I did have an issue with keeping the flame the first time. It kept extinguishing itself out after a few minutes. But once I fixed the burn diameter, and achieved a proper burn pool, it finally stayed properly lit. There is just something magical about a wood wick!
Here is a small video showing the crackle and burn of the wooden wick! For those curious!
I have to say that Hallo-air in candle-form probably isn't the best selection. Some fragrances just don't smell right when burned and this one is just that. Hallo-air is a cool aquatic musk with smoky elements on it's own. So, when burned, it just smells like a burning candle with hardly any fragrance at all. I even got this in regular strength but even so, it can hardly be detected in the house. The slight fragrance that does linger is pretty light. Like a cotton amber or ozone scent. Giving the illusion of fresh linen or clean clothes rather than anything else. "A clean house" as my mom said when she came over. All of the florals that goes inside the Hallo-air blend is lost to the smoke when it's burned. I assume a stronger strength might change this but in regular, it's just too mild.
Another mention would be the wick, now it does crackle and pop. At least, it did when I first lit the candle (as seen in the video above) but I have been burning it for 3 whole days in total and the wick has now reduced to a warm burn. Kind of like the type of burn you'd expect from coal, where no flame is flickering but rather eating away at the wood instead. The flame is tiny, if anything at all and doesn't dance like a wax wick normally would.
And on the subject of burning for 3 whole days, I have hit bottom already with wax to spare. I assume that was the issue they mentioned on their website with Beeswax but something to note. I am going to try to re-melt the rest and incorporate either a new candle inside or a new wax wick, so as to burn everything and not waste anything.
What I can say I love about this company and their candles in particular is that they have a "no waste" refill program. Got old candle jars or mason jars laying around? If you clean it out and send it to them, they will make you a candle out of it for you. This goes with their candle tins, as well. You can check out their premade candle refill program using your own container HERE (Or customize a creation using your container HERE) or refill their tins with a premade scent HERE (Or customize a creation using their tins HERE)!
What I can say I love about this company and their candles in particular is that they have a "no waste" refill program. Got old candle jars or mason jars laying around? If you clean it out and send it to them, they will make you a candle out of it for you. This goes with their candle tins, as well. You can check out their premade candle refill program using your own container HERE (Or customize a creation using your container HERE) or refill their tins with a premade scent HERE (Or customize a creation using their tins HERE)!
MY ENDING WORDI have to say that my experience using Royalty Lotus has been quite a pleasure. Not only for what they have to offer but what they stand for--as someone who truly appreciates the "make it your own" concept with vegan friendly options--The customization, uniqueness and individuality it will give to people is what I admire the best. But more than that, much more than the products being sold--I love that this company is shared between brothers. Ryan & Shawn, having a passion and reaching for it really proves that these two will go a very long way. In a world where beauty, skincare, etc is seen as strictly "female" in such a toxic world, makes my heart melt to see these two guys burn that social stigma. They further prove my own point I've been trying so desperately to fight for--we are all human, we all have skin and enjoy pretty scents. Being clean, smelling good and taking care of yourself should be the top priority for every single person, NOT just for us ladies. We have one body, why not Make It Your Own~
I have included links all through this post, but in case you don't feel like scrolling back up--the website to visit Royalty Lotus is HERE! Visit their Instagram and Twitter, too!
xoxo
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