Indulgence: what does it mean to you? (and a draw)

I am  a bit of a hedonist. I like to do things that make me feel good, whether that includes fragrance, food and drink or pleasures of an artistic persuasion. I appreciate beauty, and I seek to create the feeling of beauty within myself whenever possible.

I indulge myself, because who else can do it as well as I can? I have no Catholic guilt, no major sins to atone for, no moral obligations that would prevent me from granting myself these sensory pleasures, and it's definitely not always something only a lot of money can provide.

One of my major vices and obsessions is skin care. Not much of a vice, you say? Well, I only obsess and fuss over it so much mostly due to vanity. When I look in the mirror, I want to see perfection. I know, that could not sound more shallow, but since we're being completely honest here, I have another confession. When I have a blemish or discoloration, or anything that bothers or displeases me about my skin, I feel low. Really, really low. Luckily, I have someone near to help me snap out of it quickly. And, I have several quick fixes to make myself feel good in a flash.

A favorite indulgent product I use is Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter (which I have reviewed before). It is an incredibly rich body cream that guarantees the softest skin, and a soothed mind if I only spend a few minutes a day using it. I have it in a few different scents, but my favorite and most often used is Aether, which is unfragranced.

Today I am giving away one 6oz jar of Haus of Gloi Aether Pumpkin Butter. I may be hedonistic, but I am no glutton. You see, my personal reserve of Pumpkin Butter is overflowing at the moment, and I want to share. You just need to leave a comment below between now and Friday, April 8th by 2pm Central time, and I will randomly draw one winner. I will ship anywhere in the world. I will announce the winner via a new blog post around 2pm Central time on Friday, April 8th, and the winner should email their shipping address to eyelineronacat at gmail dot com.

When you leave your comment, tell me what your very favorite indulgence is, or what indulgence means to you.

Good luck!

[Creme Brulee with fresh fruit]

Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub

Today I got the chance to try Haus of Gloi's Bubbling Scrub scented with Troika [soft milks, almond, oat, coconut, sweet agave nectar, clean white].

This is an emollient body cleanser with organic sugar granules for exfoliation. It is supposed to be vigorously scrubbed on the skin to create lather, but it did not lather too much for me. I'm not a stickler for lathering, so I really couldn't care less about that. What I am a stickler for when it comes to my bath and body products is cleansing and scent.

The granules of sugar dissolve as you use the product, skin becomes softened and the moisturizing cleansing base does its job very well without any irritation. The scent of Troika couldn't be more perfect with this scrub. It only leaves a faint trace of the scent on the skin after you towel off, but throughout the day, I would catch faint whiffs of it on my skin. It's an intoxicatingly soft, clean, milky scent.

Once again, Haus of Gloi delivers an excellent product worthy of hoarding, and a 6 oz jar is only $8. Available in Aether (unscented) and many other scents.

Inspired Hydration: Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter

The lovely Get Lippie first introduced me to indie vegan body care and fragrance line Haus of Gloi a few months ago in time for me to try their Pumpkin Butter in limited edition Snow Wolf scent. I'll be honest, it takes a lot for me to get excited about body care products, but this is exciting.

The texture of this shea butter and pumpkin based body butter is not quite whipped, but it has a light, soft texture. Here's the best part: it acts as a true cushion against the skin, hydrating it beyond comparison of anything I've ever used (even La Mer body lotion), heals dry areas and prevents them from coming back. The effects are still felt even after a shower.

The Snow Wolf scent is a delicious dry cedar with a hint of sweetness, and I will indeed miss it once my container of the Pumpkin Butter is gone. The scent lasts an extremely long time on the skin, Haus of Gloi do not skimp on the fragrancing of their products. Today I purchased two more containers in Aether, which has no fragrance. I can only imagine that I'll use the unscented version even more because it will leave my options for daily perfume choices more open. I also picked up a sample jar of the Body Emulsion in Moon Dog to try (coconut, dry sandalwood, nutmeg and clove).

A 6-ounce jar of Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter is available for just $9, with 2-ounce sample jars for $4.50. Check website for availability, as it is made from scratch in small batches and not from a pre-made base, but they restock frequently.

*UPDATE* Aether Pumpkin Butter is now back in stock as of 2/28/11