Company Overview: Lou Lou's Soaps, Scrubs, & Scents

By Unknown

Nothing to Disclose

The itsy bitsy sample drams from Lou Lou's will steal your heart

You'd think it'd be an obvious connection - Etsy and indie cosmetics are a natural pair, right? Somehow that slipped my consciousness, so when I first realized, "I can find perfume on ETSY?!" I was sufficiently stunned. "But I thought it was just full of whimsical owl jewelry!"

Luckily, Etsy IS full of fantastic indie cosmetics and fragrances, and I recently had the exciting first-time-shopper experience at a little store called Lou Lou's Soaps, Scrubs & Scents. This was the epitome of impulse shopping for me, and very much out of character to boot. Within the span of 20 minutes I went from not knowing Lou Lou's existed to completing my Paypal checkout. So what's all the fuss?

Lou Lou's Soaps, Scrubs & Scents

Inspired by her love of soap making, Evelyn's shop (named after her mother) is a curious collection of bath and body items, the primary focus on soaps and fragrances. She makes it a point to incorporate "healthy" alternatives such as essential oils and paraben-free ingredients. It's clear she has a lot of fun exploring new products and scents judging by the new collections she puts together, so I'm expecting neat things from her shop in the future!

Packaging and Products

Getting into the spirit of the Halloween season!

I'm such a huge sucker for packaging. I should be ashamed with myself - it's what's inside that counts, right? But when you spend all day working adjacent to a marketing department, it's tricky to distance yourself from a certain mindset that comes with the territory. I try to keep an open mind and not be too judgmental with indie packaging because it's the quality of the products and the accessible price that keeps me coming back for more, not a swanky logo or glossy label.

Since this was The Most Impulsive Purchase of My Life to date, I really didn't know what I was getting into when I hit "purchase." The shop's photos are a bit out of focus and not very well-lit. In a way it's kind of refreshing because there's no lyrical novella about the magical places your purchase is going to take you, nor is your glass bottle nestled atop a whimsical staged environment. I like all these things, but it sometimes it builds up my expectations to the point where my nose is almost let down by the payoff. 

Sparkly drawstring bag!

Let me just say that despite the somewhat lackluster product photography, I really loved how Evelyn packaged everything up. I ordered the five-pack 5/8 sample dram bottles (which by the way are so adorable), but I also received two extra vials, a handmade soap, and some candy to boot! The added bonus: everything was all jazzed up for Halloween!

The perfume bottles were wrapped up with a twisted seal around the cap, then placed inside individual ziploc baggies, and that was placed inside the cutest glittery green drawstring bag... which was wrapped in bubble wrap, then wrapped in tissue paper (with an adorable pumpkin sticker as a seal), and finally placed inside a Halloween-themed plastic baggie. This is so ridiculous that it's almost like an open challenge - I dare one of those bottles to just try and leak! Of course, nothing leaked and everything was marvelous. I didn't have to go through as long an ordeal to unpack my free soap sample - that was tucked away in a little plastic bag.

My only critique would be the labels on the perfume bottles. For many of them, the text is barely legible. There isn't a whole ton of consistency in how the bottles are labeled too, although most use the same curly typeface. I think this is a great opportunity for a more unified brand identity (and clearer labels)!

Selection

Lou Lou's Soaps, Scrubs & Scents has just enough to keep you interested (and compile a shopping list for repeat purchases) without becoming overwhelming. The collection of fragrances is the backbone of the shop, as they are what add fragrance to the glycerin soaps. You can buy soap in your fragrance of choice, and if you are really feeling daring there's even a 10-pack.

Spooky free soap sample!

One thing that has me a bit apprehensive is that (as of the time of this post) her regular perfume catalog is only a bit larger than the "limited edition" collection. I'm all for limited edition fragrances, but I get a little panicky at the same time because I keep thinking "What if I fall madly in love with this scent and never get it again?" I was that kid who hoarded all the good crayons and stickers out of fear that once you use them up, that was it!

Lou Lou's also highlights a "soap of the week" special, utilizing whichever featured fragrance is chosen. This keeps things fun and fresh, and since the single bar is so inexpensive it doesn't feel like a huge gamble.

How's the quality? I'm currently testing out my sample pack of fragrances, so I'll have to report back later. Thus far I'm loving it! 

Samples

Buying the sample drams is the best bang for your buck.

Speaking of gamble, Lou Lou's positively nails it when it comes to saving money and testing out samples.  There's a whole section in the shop called Samples and Money Savers where you can find the right price if you want to try a perfume or soap. The biggest reason why I felt totally justified in my impulsive purchase was how generous a deal the sample pack was - even though the 5/8ths dram bottles are tiny, they're still plenty generous to sample a fragrance multiple times, and at only $10 for five (then add in the two bonus bottles I received), it worked out to be an awesome, low-guilt purchase. Fragrances are very much a "try before you buy" experience for me, and nothing dissuades me from dropping money more than having no affordable sample options.

Cost

Perfume Oil

• Sample 5/8 Drams: $10 USD for 5 ($2 apiece)
• Regular Drams: $4:50 USD per bottle, even for limited edition fragrances
• 5mL and 10mL bottles available upon request

Glycerin Soaps

• 4.8oz bar (perfume oil-scented): $5 USD or 3 bars for $4.50 USD apiece
• 4.8oz bar (stock-scented): $4.75 USD per bar
• 30-bar pack (stock-scented): $30 USD

Customer Service

I didn't interact a ton with Evelyn personally, although she sent me a quick note on Etsy to let me know my package shipped and also included a discount code in my order for the next purchase!

TAT

I haven't been this spoiled with an indie company's TAT since I ordered from Haus of Gloi and Silk Naturals. I placed my order on a Friday and received the following Wednesday! I've gotten used to waiting for weeks, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I was unable to find any established TAT estimates though, but from my experience it was fast.

Shipping

As stated on any product page, "I will refund overcharges on shipping that are over $1. I love to use flat rate boxes to save on shipping costs." It looks like she's only shipping to the United States currently, and shipping costs are dependent on weight (the 5-bottle sampler is only $2 to ship, whereas the thirty bars of soap are $10.99).

Personal Thoughts

I probably never would have even considered Lou Lou's if the sample prices weren't so generous. I suppose that sounds a little cruel and heartless, but that is what initially pulled me in. I loved exploring all the different fragrance descriptions, and I definitely had to whittle down my wish list before placing my order! I was very impressed with how quickly things shipped and how nicely they were packaged. I'm looking forward to testing out every fragrance! 

I can't speak for the quality of all the perfumes yet, but the ones I've tried thus far have been really nice and on-par quality wise with other shops such as OHWTO and Haus of Gloi. Evelyn also seems very approachable and open to custom orders and other suggestions, so this is a shop to keep your eyes on in the future for sure!