Love-Hate

2007-09-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

I admit, I have a love-hate relationship with Tea Tree Oil. To my nose, it smells medicinal and if it weren't for the fact my face loves it in soap, I'd never allow it around me. In fact, I try only to soap it when I run out of the soap. Sod everyone else's needs.

My latest batch has 10% tea trea oil - it's one of the few essential oils which can be used undiluted without doing something nasty to your skin (to put it mildly), but 10% suffices for my face so that's it for the soap.

Added content © 2007 :: Bathing In Luxury™ & banstinky.com™ - all rights reserved

Olfactory Orgasms

2007-09-09T03:17:00.000-07:00

GASP. OMG.

Blue. One of my new scents. I gladly would roll around in this all day long. It's a wonderful unisex blend of green citrus, ginger, licorice, patchouli, lavender, coriander, cedar, tonka bean with a whiff of caramel and vanilla. Muted midnight blue swirl imparted by a mix of coconut charcoal and mineral pigment.

I am so obsessed with this scent - which happens to me rarely - I took the last bar for sale and it's in my shower now. Everyone will have to wait for the curing batch.

Mmmmmm, serious olfactory orgasm here.

2007-08-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Technorati Profile

Brooklyn!

2007-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

NY, NY -- The independent/do-it-yourself trend has grown into a movement in the United

State

s, with Etsy at the forefront. One of the areas with largest growth is the indie beauty industry - cottage industries for cosmetics, perfume, and bodycare are entering the market daily, many with businesses on Etsy. Friday, August 31 from 6-8 is your opportunity to see the faces behind the movement, and to sample some of the beauty innovations that these smaller businesses have the freedom to create. Etsy, the premiere resource for handmade goods on the Internet, will be hosting a trunk show by members of the Etsy Green and Clean Guild (EGCG) from 6-8 pm at Etsy Labs in Brooklyn.

Special events and promotions for the show include "Haim on Fire" (ltd to the show) a fragrant impression of a well-known Etsy tech-support symbol, and workshops that are open to the public and available on webcast. Music will be deejayed by the coordinator of the EGCG, Xiane, owner of ThreeRavens and co-owner of Coffin Color Mineral Makeup. Other artists present include Lushboxinc, otherwise known as Lollibomb, Magickal Realism Natural Perfumery, Bathing in Luxury, and Martinsville Emporium.

RVSP rsvp@etsy.com

Soap loaves

2007-08-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dandelion's Dinner A green, lighter scented soap. A veritable soap salad with notes of watercress, cucumber and carrots atop fresh leafy greens. I'm pretty sure bunnies prefer non-dressed so no dressing.

OCV™ (photo coming soon)
Sweet orange, vanilla and clove merge into a warm scent. For those familiar with my other OCV™ products, the soap version melds the scents more. Tan with orange swirls.

Raspberry Sorbet ^
Crisp, tart with a streak of sweetness. Colored a raspberry-ish color with mineral oxides and rose clay.

White Tea & Ginger
Crisp, fresh, clean and light. Color - pale / pastel green.

Exotic Spicy Fig™ (no photo)
This complex blend evokes sensuous exotic scents with fleeting top notes of orange touching middle notes of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, figs & caraway. Rounding the blend are hints of sandalwood, myrrh and a breath of vanilla. A perfect blend of woods, sweet and spice. Soft and alluring, unisex (seriously, universally-loved). Unisex. Color - tan.

Ginger Souffle
Loosely based on Origins' scent of the same name. A blend of fresh citrus and cool mint top notes with a spicy warm heart of clove, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon leaf with rich vanilla base notes supporting the blend. Slight sweetness toned down with lime essential oil - kind of foody to my nose. This scent is popular with both sexes - a lot of guys love it which initially surprised me. Color - light brown to brown (newest batch is light brown).

Oatmeal Milk & Honey One of my most popular scents, with added ground oats for mild exfoliating scrubbing action. Very comforting foody scent. Color - tan with visible ground oats.

Daydream
A soft feminine blend with notes of citrus, a whiff of tempting figs overlay the warmth and softness of vanilla, anchored with the seductive potential of musk. Colored with a pink swirl from clay. Color - off-white with pink swirls from Pink Clay.

Bay Rum (no photo)
A sexy masculine scent. No need to be more articulate than that. The men who use it love it, others love the scent on their men. I don't know if this is pheromone in a soap but it sure smells like it. Masculine but not an overly strong scent. Color - cream.

Mojito Wonderfully fragrant from my blend of essential oils with notes of lime, rum & mint with a breath of spiciness. Dill weed adds interesting visual texture. Color - pale yellowish-cream with olive flecks from dill weed.

Pacific Zen (no photo)
My own blend of citrus & rosemary essential oils with added clay and ground kelp. The ocean meets the woods kind of thing. I love this complex scent. Unisex to masculine – leaning more towards masculine. Color - kelp-y / olive colored with flecks from the kelp.

Chant
An earthy exotic scent with fleeting top citrus notes; lavender, spicy and pine middle notes and anchored with an earthy, woodsy base. The colors of saffron monk robes with a splash of brickish red from a seed extract and mineral oxide pigment. On the heavy, earthy side, unisex.

Basmati & Incense (no photo)
Smells like incense my buddhist grandmother used to burn, but with a twist :: as if there were a bowl of basmati rice next to it. Hm, I'll have to articulate this better but for now, that's the best description I can think of . . .

Blackberry Sage
Darn near edible, but please don't even THINK about licking it because I guarantee, it will taste nasty :: for external use only. Hm, my olfactory senses detect predominant notes of juicy blackberry (yeah, the ones with thorns, but like an idiot, you are tempted to walk into the bush because the fruit is so tasty) and only minor sage/herbal notes.

Carmel
The fresh, cool scent of the ocean breeze on the beach on a cold California North Coast beach - where the Pacific is filled with Great Whites. Unisex. Color - the color of pale/med blue layered atop sand-color.

Exotic Tea
Reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong, with an assertive and bold aroma of smoked tea, oak and other earthy wood scents. Pale almost purple-grey tinged with dark tea flecks/swirls.

Chamomile Tea (no photo)
Scented only with ground chamomile flowers. If you like the scent of chamomile tea and tend towards sensitive skin, you might want to try this soap. Color - olive green.

CocoLime
Tart lime notes sweetened a tad with coconut notes. Also inspired by my lip lube scent/flavor of the same name. Color - off-white with medium green swirls.

Vernal Breeze
This is a clean, crisp, fresh scent, not overpowering and not too light but on the lighter side. The scent reminds me of walking through a garden on a spring day with a gentle breeze carrying a waft of fresh air, citrus, herbs, lavender and plain ol' sunshine (bet you didn't realize sunshine was scented). I find the blend very relaxing, very spa-like. Color - off-white with pale olive green swirls from French clay.

Just Came From The Spa >
Fresh tangy blend with notes of green tea, air, citrus and light fruit. Translucent whit-ish with pale aqua swirls and layers.

Yummy
It smells good enough to eat, reminds me of cookie dough (but please don't eat it or even lick it, it will taste disgusting). This natural soap gets it's yummy scent from honey, oats, cocoa and a whopping 10% unrefined cocoa butter. I've been told a little tot with eczema does well with this soap and loves to wash with it!

Stroke Me (no image)
OK, so I'm being slightly tongue-in-cheek. But this scent made me think warm and strokable. Warm scents of musk, amber, sandalwood and a touch of vanilla, contains fragrance. I don't particularly like any of those scents alone but this blend ROCKS. Unisex. Color - tan.

Dragon's Blood ^
Rustic, dark & sensual aroma of incense, amber and patchouli, with a hint of vanilla. Mild mechanical exfoliation with a bit of ground blueberry fiber (the darker brown on top. Unisex to masculine. Dark brown - very rustic looking.

Buckland
Sexy. Masculine. Green. Romp through the English countryside with its moss and brooks :: fresh green top notes of wood, ambergris, leaves and verbena overlay a base of oakmoss and the fresh scent shortly after it rains. Masculine. Color - light/medium green.

Tea Tree Oil (photo coming soon)
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil has had long use as a purported natural antiseptic (antibacterial and antifungal) and some medical research supports its effects on a number of critters. It's found commonly in soaps and other products for use for blemish-prone and other problematic skin. I have oily skin, prone to break-outs and use this soap on my face. I formulated this soap for normal to oily skin. It is plain ol' soap - the above info is educational and is not meant to be medical advice. For the latest batch, I've incorporated some French Green clay for nice sage/olive swirls (photo coming soon).

Zesty Woodland
Name says it all – citrus notes atop notes of cedar and eucalytpus. This is scented more strongly than usual with essential oils. I think it would make a nice, fresh scent for the kitchen as well as the shower. Color - pale sage-y green (from French Green clay) with yellow-ish cream chunks.

White Tea & Yuzu (photo coming soon)
A crisp, green combo of slightly sweetened white tea, ginger and the Japanese citrus. A "green" citrus scent. White clay added for added smoothness. Color - greyish off-white with pale green swirls (photo coming soon).

Pumpkin Pie Yummy. Like Pumpkin pie, without the calories. Darn near edible and even looks like pumpkin pie - colored naturally with a seed extract. :) Seriously to die for. Yum.

Step Away From My Coffee
Pretty descriptive of how I feel before my morning fix. Yeah, you heard right, I am not in a good mood until I've had my morning fix and even then, I might growl if anyone got near my brew. Sweet, of course. Contains real coffee grounds for mild exfoliation and which are also good to "clear" scents. Think of those perfume bars with the coffee beans to cleanse the olfactory senses before you sniff another scent. Perfect for a morning shower. Color of coffee with specks from coffee grounds.

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Soap or Die

Love-Hate

Olfactory Orgasms

Brooklyn!

Soap loaves