UNICORN DREAMER

The epitome of enchantment, the unicorn is one of the most popular myths out there, told to us from childhood. As the legend goes, one would have to be pure of heart (or more often than not, simply just a virgin) in order to gain something from the unicorn – be it health, wealth or love. Once tamed by a maiden, the creature would be able to grant wishes and bring about joy, utterly at the mercy of the lady and any hunters that were lucky enough to capture it. With roots in Chinese mythology, dating back thousands of years to even hold Biblical connections, the tale of the unicorn is one of the oldest alive today.

SIREN SONG

When I was little I was intrigued by the tales of sirens – beautiful, enchanting creatures with haunting voices. Of course, as a kid I always thought that the only difference between tales of mermaids and sirens were that sirens had wings instead of tails. I later found out that legends told of dark Greek roots, where sirens were manipulative, dangerous beings who would lure men to their deaths, bewitching them with their voices so they could join them at the bottom of the ocean. Honestly, today I find this version a lot more interesting and entertaining, and so I was intrigued to see what Michelle could come up with in her bath bomb.

Expectedly, it automatically became my favourite, and considering it sprinkled my bath with small turrets of seaweed, I felt like it captured the essence of the tale perfectly. With splashes of bergamot, lemon, orange, pink pepper, amber and some rogue glitter, it’s easy to fall completely in love with this bomb. Although not quite in the same way as those tragic sailors, eh?

AVALON

The final bath bomb in this little set is one based off of the ideology of King Arthur – a legend I love pointing out to be that of Welsh origin, before it was taken and retold by the English. The stories of King Arthur’s sword and recovery after one of many great battles all took place in this mythical land, rendering it a place full of healing and wish-granting. Some consider Avalon to be interchangeable with ‘Annwn’, an otherworld of sorts where disease was absent and eternal youth prevailed, being twinned as a Welsh version of a Christian Heaven. This then follows tales such as ‘Caer Sidi’ and ‘Tír na nÓg’, enveloping into a whole range of similar legends.

I love calling out praise for Michelle, as she deserves credit and appreciation and awful lot more than big commercial chains with products far less superior than hers. I thank her for letting me write about her bath bombs, but more so for giving me the opportunity to try them. She’s currently working on a range of Christmas scents, and honestly I can already see myself stocking up on them.

Let me know what y’all think in the comments below!

(and then stalk this other piece I wrote about Ascent a couple months back)

Right now, I sit in a very beautiful home that’s lacking paint, furniture, and my dog’s bed, as I am literally fleeing England. Later this year, I will be studying in my favourite country ever – Wales – meaning that my family and I are currently packing up our whole house to move cross-country. So far, I feel great about the move, as I really can’t stand England (just thinking about London makes me ache), and have so much love for Wales that I’m relieved to finally go home.

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However, I can’t say that it’s been the least stressful experience I’ve ever had, as trying to take three wardrobes of clothes and over 500 novels I’ve somehow collected to a house over two-hundred miles away has been a slight struggle. In times of dire need, I crave nothing more than taking a relaxing bath where I can just lay back and watch Netflix or read an Emery Lord book, and this time was no different. Luckily, I’d been conferring with a lovely woman called Michelle Davies who was more than happy to send me some of the beautiful products from her bath and body shop, Ascent, to write about and ease my stress with. Considering that I am a sucker for bath bombs anyway, it’s pretty safe to say that I completely fell in love with her Journey Collection, which was both travel themed and insanely luxurious.

.The first thing that I love about these bath bombs is that they’re themed after different places, and are all designed to replicate certain features of each place. For example, one of my favourites, titled ‘California Dreams‘ is described as taking you down the Pacific West Coast highway to LA, “experiencing lush national parks with the scent of linden blossom, citrus groves with the refreshing aromas of orange zest and pink grapefruit” – with a splash of Pacific sea salt. It not only paints a picture, but it also delivers, with scents and oils and other little bits all adding together to create this whole scene in just your bath tub. When I tried out this bath bomb, I left feeling inspired. No bath bombs I have ever tried have put this much thought and creativity into their works, leaving me feeling like I’d had more of an experience than a bath.

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Another one of my favourite bath bombs from this collection was the one titled ‘Persian Skies‘. The scent consists of white fig, pomegranate, pink pepper, cardamon, lily, blackcurrant, clove, patchouli, and frankincense (there’s a reason the three wise men gave the latter to the son of Christ in biblical stories, let me tell you). I swear, Michelle must be some kind of scent sorceress – if I’d merely heard this mixture instead of actually trying it out I’d believe it to be overpowering, but it all goes so well that some kind of magic must be involved. It takes a whole new sort of talent to be able to blend all these fragrances, with the result of something beautiful that transports you to the opulent ancient empire of Persia with this luxury in a ball. Also, there’s gold sparkles inside! This is my favourite thing ever, as I emerged from my bath looking like a wondrous sparkly creature, along with smelling like a Goddess to match. Honestly, I would happily bathe in just this glitter, I felt so fabulous afterwards. It’s hard to feel any sort of negative emotion when your skin glitters each time you move.

.Another favourite (okay, who am I kidding, they’re all my favourite, and I want them all the time) is the ‘Spanish Amber‘, because I am in love with Mediterranean culture and everything to do with it (we all know the story about my parents meeting on a Spanish island, right?), and this bath bomb embosses every possible thing there is to love about it. Amber itself has been referred to as a rich, honey like scent, an “aphrodisiac with mystical powers”, I was pretty hyped to try it out and see if I’d fall as much in love with it as the rumours would suggest. Spoiler alert – I did. This bomb also includes guaicewood, patchouli, vetiver, pine, musk and vanilla, so it’s really no surprise that it smells heavenly. The best bit of this one? It also features Calendula, which is a Spanish flower (famed for its anti-inflammatory properties), added as whole petals, which I loved. Not only was I bathing in this beautiful fragrance and oil, but I also had rogue petals from a Spanish flower floating around me. Whilst it meant I had to scoop them out of the bath afterwards, I felt like royalty in this shimmery and summery concoction.

.Michelle also sent me several soaps from the collection, and I fell in love with these also. For example, she sent me one titled ‘French Affair‘, which is Parisian themed. It’s this really deeply romantic scent, filled with roses and added French pink clay, which leaves you feeling rejuvenated (as it is known for its detoxifying benefits) and smelling like you just stepped out of a Parisian flower market on a lazy Sunday morning, with your sweetheart pulling up roses and boxes of sweet fizzy candy. It’s honestly quite addictive.

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Another soap bar I received was ‘Rio Carnival’, which is themed after the biggest party on the planet. With the sharp scents of lime mixed with the deep zesty spices of ginger, this mimics the famed Brazilian cocktail Caipirihna. It’s a jamboree in a bar, with splashes of colour and sharp scents, and is an instant fix to those early mornings where you just want to hop back into bed. Or, like with me, if you need a kick to start painting or moving boxes upstairs, this will get you hyped up and ready to spend energy in no time. It’s an alternative when it’s 8am and you’re in dire need of an actual cocktail.

.The final product I was honoured to try out was the ‘Gone to Hawaii‘ bar, which lived up to all the expectations that I had grown to expect from Ascent. When you think of Hawaiian life, you’d typically think of a chilled, laid-back atmosphere filled with salty air and warm sunshine. This bar captures all of those things, with it’s fruity blend of melon, grape, pineapple, and other tropical fruits, mixed with that of a creamy coconut and a hint of almond oil and sea salt. It turns out that you can get a simple tropical hideaway in an instant, with this nifty little bar. All these products take care of your skin with their gentle moisturising properties and skin loving minerals, but this one features all that and more, with the salt offering light exfoliation also.

.All the scents and themes I’ve talked about are available in both the form of soaps and bath bombs, and I can promise are all 100% gorgeous, luxurious, and bound to make you fall in love with them. As it is, I can see myself spending a lot of time in baths with these glorious items, transported to somewhere far away from the chilly weather outside and the masses of boxes inside. I am super grateful to Michelle for sending me a collection of her bath and body products, and will forever talk with praise about Ascent.

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Let me know what you guys think in the comments below!