Hey everyone! About a year ago I wrote a Company Overview about Etsy-based bath and body shop Paintbox Soapworks run by Hayley out of Pennsylvania, USA. I've placed several more orders since then, and my awesome co-bloggers Kristin and Jessye Bubbles have ordered as well, so we figured it was time to revisit the brand. Let's take a look!
Paintbox Soapworks sample size Sorbetto in Whiskers
Packaging: The packaging on Paintbox's products is great. It's simple but professional, and the labels stand up well to wear and water. Most products come in sample sizes so you can try a variety of scents and products without breaking the bank. All the soaps come neatly wrapped in clear plastic with beautiful label stickers sealing them closed. Lotions come in pop top bottles. Solid scent balms come in screw top round tins. Bath Streusels, the Bookkeeper's Butter, and all the scrubs come in screw top jars. Soy wax melts come in clamshell packaging. I've been toting around the lotions and solid scent balms in my purse for months now and have had absolutely no problems, so I'm really happy with the packaging.
Solid scent balm in Libby & Lavender
Selection: Paintbox has a great selection of both permanent and seasonal scents and products. Lotions, body scrubs (known as Sorbettos), glycerin soaps, hot process soaps, shaving soaps, solid scent balms, and soy wax melts (at minimum) all seem to be available in at least a few general catalog scents year-round. Seasonal collections bring Bath Streusels and sea salt bars along with the permanent products in seasonal scents.
Samples: Like I mentioned above, samples are available for a lot of the products and almost all of the scents. I've seen samples of the glycerin soaps, the lotions, and the Sorbetto scrubs. All three are absolutely big enough to get a good sense of the product and scent - I never feel short-changed. I highly recommend a 4-pack of mini lotions or a 5-pack of mini glycerin soaps if you're new to the shop. Even my smallest orders have come with a free mini soap or Sorbetto to try, and some of my larger orders have come with two or more free minis to try out.
5-pack of sample sized glycerin soaps
Quality: In a word, excellent. I'll describe how happy I am with most of the product formulas below, but it's also worth mentioning how beautiful they are. Each scent has a different color, which explains the rainbow of soap-shaped squares running across the Paintbox logo. A lot of the soaps have a layer of very fine shimmer running across the top which makes for a beautiful finished look. In the same way that beautifully plated food whets your appetite, Paintbox's products make me feel pampered from the moment I break into the packaging. They're lovely enough (not to mention so consistently excellent) that I've given them as gifts on multiple occasions.
I've tried a lot of soaps in the year or so since my last writeup on Paintbox, and the glycerin soaps are still my favorite bar soap formula, period. They don't dry out my already dry skin, they don't leave a residue, they clean nicely, and they leave my skin very softly scented. I could not possibly ask for anything more in a soap.
The Sorbettos are very slightly drying on my skin so they don't beat out my favorite Emulsifying Scrub from Haus of Gloi, but given how dry my skin is, they should perform nicely for most people.
Sample size Sorbetto (same size as the first photo in the post) in Beet It
The lotions are moderately moisturizing and absorb almost instantly - I can get back to typing about 30 seconds after application with no fear of greasing up my keyboard. They leave a moderate scent that lingers through at least one or two hand washes, so if you normally wear a separate perfume, I recommend sticking to the unscented lotion.
The only products I find a little disappointing are the solid scent balms, but in Paintbox's defense, that's only because I was hoping they would be stand-ins for solid perfumes. The formula reminds me of the texture of candle wax and is much better suited to cuticles, elbows, or other dry spots than rubbing on pulse points. They're somewhat lighter on scent than the other products I've tried. If you're looking for a scented cuticle balm this is a good option (and reasonably non-greasy to boot) but if you're looking for a portable leave-on scent product, I recommend sticking with the lotions.
The quality of the scents is also fantastic. They're generally composed of three or four notes, which makes them vastly more interesting than stock fragrances but also not so complex as to be unapproachable. I find the notes are beautifully melded as well, so it's tough to pick out individual components. I'll talk more about my favorites in the Personal Thoughts section below.
Stay tuned for reviews of the hot process soaps and the Bath Streusels!
Full size Bath Streusel in Punkie Night
Cost: I think these products are priced right in line with comparable indie brands, if not a bit cheaper in some cases. For example, Haus of Gloi's handmade soaps are $5 for a 3.7 to 4 oz bar of soap, whereas Paintbox's glycerin soaps will cost you a dollar more for a 6 oz bar. Similarly, other Paintbox offerings cost approximately the same amount as similar Haus of Gloi offerings but contain more product. The 5-pack mini soap sampler in particular is a screaming deal.
I will say the shipping cost on the larger products like the full size Sorbettos and Bath Streusels is a little intimidating, so I generally don't pick them up unless I'm doing a big group order with friends (more products = bigger flat-rate box = lower shipping cost per product). Suffice it to say I'm jealous of anyone who can pick up products in person from the Paintbox stand at Hayley's local market!
Customer Service: Nothing to complain about here. I've written to Hayley with questions on a number of occasions, and I've almost always received a really quick and helpful response. On one occasion I didn't receive a response; to be fair, I completely butchered the name of the product I was referencing so it's possible she thought the message was intended for a different shop.
TAT: Generally pretty quick. I usually get a shipping notification within a few days of my order, even after big seasonal releases.
Shipping: Aside from the heavier full size products mentioned above, shipping is generally right around what I expect for indie bath goods. Hayley will also refund the difference in shipping costs if it cost her less to ship than what you were charge, which is a huge point in favor of a brand's integrity as far as I'm concerned.
Sample size glycerin soap in Hearthside and full size hot process soap in Guy Fawkes
Personal Thoughts: After a year of purchasing from Paintbox Soapworks, it's easily one of my favorite brands! Almost all of the product formulas are hits for me. Hayley's scents have a shockingly high success rate for me. Aside from Darling Clandestine (which I raved about here), Paintbox is the only shop from which I'll regularly purchase full sizes unsniffed. I'm rarely disappointed. Here are a few of my favorite scents:
Whiskers - a general catalog scent with listed notes of "dry sandalwood, vanilla, and fresh air." I mostly get a creamy sandalwood with just a touch of vanilla here. It's somehow warm, rich, and fresh all at the same time. I keep a bottle of Whiskers lotion in my purse and smile every time I put it on.
The Englishman - a general catalog scent with listed notes of "glossy black leather, Earl Grey tea & peaty tobacco." I was never really interested in leather notes until I tried this intensely masculine scent. The leather is by far the most prominent, rounded out slightly by the tea (which is neither bergamot-y nor astringent). It is not at all sweet. I was so entranced by this fragrance on first try, I compared it to the bewitching Goblin King Jareth in our recent installment of The Edit.
Sample size glycerin soap in The Englishman
Beet It - I picked up a sample Sorbetto in this scent on a recent order because, a perfume based on beets? Sign me up. Here's how Hayley describes the scent: "A nod to that most maligned of roots, the Noble Beet. Dark leafy patchouli drags my Fresh Zucchini Flower scent into the dirt for a scent that is earthy, bitter-sweet & surprisingly naughty." Don't let the patchouli scare you off - it's quite tame and well tempered by a gentle dirt note and something else vegetal and slightly sweet. I can't keep my nose out of the jar. I believe this is a fall seasonal scent.
Gingermilk - a general catalog scent with listed notes of "warm, sweet milk & soothing, sparkling ginger." For once in its overzealous life, ginger plays a supporting role here. This scent smells primarily of sweet cream, with just a touch of non-spicy, non-dominating ginger to make it a little more interesting. It's a very soothing scent, and I'll likely pick it up in Bath Streusel form during my next group order.
Finally, I want to mention that something very cool showed up in our last order - a glycerin soap sample with a prototype scent! The name, handwritten on the label, is Three Continents Watson. It smells of light musk, sweet tobacco, and a hint of mint. It gets two thumbs up from me and I hope it makes its way into the Paintbox catalog!
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That's all the news that's fit to print about one of my very favorite shops! Have you tried anything from Paintbox Soapworks?
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