(Closed) Celebrate Mother's Day ~ Esscentual Alchemy Review and Giveaway Ends 5/14 {Extended!}

Every woman loves a beautiful perfume, right? Do you really know what's in your favorite fragrance? If we really knew what all the toxic chemicals were that we use everyday on our skin, I think we'd probably think twice. Well, I'm excited to introduce you to Esscentual Alchemy! Using only safe, raw perfumery materials and NO synthetics, chemicals, or preservatives, these handmade botanical perfumes are a natural alternative for every woman!

My botanical natural perfumes are made by blending pure essential oils and absolutes (derived from plants, flowers and resins, not synthetic fragrance oils) in a base of alcohol or jojoba. My ingredients are locally sourced from plantations that are organic, sustainable or wild, whenever possible.

Synthetic fragrances use chemicals and petroleum byproducts. Companies are not required by law, to list their components. They only appear on labels as ‘parfum’ or ‘fragrance’. There are no long term studies done on these compounds regarding the safety and effect of these chemicals on our bodies. Recently I learned that in the 1970’s, a synthetic musk was developed, and heavily used in main stream perfumes, which after a period of time, was discontinued due to photo-toxicity and neuro-toxicity issues, and the lack of breakdown in the environment. Who’s the test subject for safety? Human beings.

-Artisan Absinthe Dragonfly (Amanda)

Amanda uses detailed descriptions and photos to help convey each scent she creates. I found this to be extremely helpful in learning about each scent before choosing the ones I wished to try. Looking at them again after I received my samples, I found they were spot on and completely described what I was smelling! Here are my first thoughts on the 6 scents I sampled...

Orange Chocolate Roses - A warm, spicy orange surrounded by a floral chocolate mix.

The Delicate Ones - Reminds me of the creamy French-milled bar soap you find in hotel bathrooms but with a more floral scent.

Fleurs - An old fashioned vintage floral scent.

Gourmand Delight - Vanilla, chocolate, and fruity sweet aroma. A tiny bit of mint and floral undertones.

Brass and Bulldog - A spicy cinnamon stick with a bold, masculine character. Very "brassy" as the name suggests.

For the Love of Bees - A sweet honey with a waxy undertone. A light aroma overall.

Just taking a whiff out of each vial does not do them justice at all! I had to actually apply each scent to a piece of paper to get an accurate feel for each one. My favorite scents were For the Love of Bees, and Orange Chocolate Roses. I also enjoyed Brass and Bulldog for a "manly" scent. They were all very different, but I could tell the same artisan created them. Amanda has a very unique variety of scents, and you will enjoy trying them for sure!

Price: The Botanical Perfume Sample 6 Pack is $25.

The Verdict: Amanda at Esscentual Alchemy clearly takes great pride in her meticulous work in creating botanical perfumes. I'm impressed with what she creates and I love that I'm not adding toxic chemicals to my skin with her perfumes. The price is quite high for a full bottle of her perfumes, but then again we probably don't fully know the actual process, cost, and time involved in creating just one handmade-from-scratch, safe perfume!

Buy It!

Check out the entire selection of botanical perfumes at Esscentual Alchemy online.

Win It!

One winner receive a Botanical Perfume Sample 6 Pack of their own! Winner's choice! (ARV $25)

Rules:
-Leave 1 comment per entry
-Include your email address in each entry
-For complete giveaway rules and help entering, please click HERE

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry: (must be done first)

-Tell me what perfume you would love to try from Esscentual Alchemy! (1 entry)

Extra Entries:

-Follow The Reynolds Mom on GFC (1 entry)

-"Like" me on Facebook (1 entry)

-"Like" Esscentual Alchemy on Facebook (1 entry)

-Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

-Follow Esscentual Alchemy on Twitter (1 entry)

-Tweet the following up to 2 times/day, at least one hour apart please. Please leave the URL of your tweets in separate entries.

#Win a #free Botanical Perfume Sample 6 Pack from Esscentual Alchemy @TheReynoldsMom #Giveaway #natural Ends 5/14 http://tinyurl.com/3fqntfb (1 entry/tweet)

-Subscribe to my blog by email (2 entries) or RSS feed (1 entry)

-Post my button or post about this giveaway on your blog using at least 4 sentences. Please leave a link to your post (2 entries each)

-Make a purchase at Esscentual Alchemy during this giveaway! (10 entries)


Thanks for entering and good luck!

Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end on May 13, 2011 at 10pm PST. Extended! Ends 5/14 Winner will be chosen by Random.org, emailed, and announced on my blog shortly after giveaway ends. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or I reserve the right to declare a new winner.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.