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I've GOT to tell you...

After weeks of curing, I finally was able to use my first ever batch of cold process soap yesterday. I have to tell you, it is amazing! Best soap I've ever used! I'm so pleased with it. The bars are super hard, and SUPER lathery! I mean, like, bubbles EVERYWHERE. And it's just so smooth and so nice...



Criticisms? It was only a one pound batch, first of all, and seeing as I haven't gotten any decent soap molds, yet, the bars came out rather small (only 2 oz). Also, it definitely needs more fragrance. I, personally, like things smelling very strong and fragrant! This has a very light coffee/chocolate smell. It's good, but I think it could use more!
Now...if only my shipment of lye would come in....

New Pictures

I haven't updated in a few days. I've been waiting on my new labels to get here...which they finally did on Thursday. Since then, I've been printing like mad. Hopefully labels and tags for all of my items will be done by tomorrow.

I listed more soap on my shop just a few minutes ago. The last and only two bars I ever listed were sold a couple weeks ago! Speaking of which, I really need to make more soap sometime soon! I'm waiting on a shipment to get here, which has the lye that I need.

I might have just enough to make one more one pound batch this weekend. The next two fragrances of soap that I am going to make are Banana scented and Lemon Poppyseed scented. The Lemon scented bars will obviously have poppy seeds in them as an exfoliator.
Back to my Raspberry Oatmeal soap, though? I've actually been using it nonstop. And I only have three bars left! I never thought I'd actually like using my own homemade soap-but I love it! I've never been so clean. Sometimes I'll take a shower for no other reason than just to use my soap! I'll have to make more of that, soon, as well. I don't think I'll be able to go without it for too long! Here are some recent pictures I took of it. These are also on my shop now:




I've also been using my scrub quite a bit, too. I've been making this scrub for years now, and have never really used it up until now! I haven't listed these on my shop, yet, but here are a few I just took:

Vanilla Creme:


English Lavender:


Strawberry:


Anyway, I'm off to finish more labels and bop around on etsy and Indie Public for a bit!

PS, I figured out what I want to do with my life-I want to do my business and go to school for perfumery! Wish me luck :)

A la Carte

I was out yesterday with my puppy, Grendel, when I got this great idea for my shop.
I call it "A La Carte Body Butter". It's a customized 8 oz. tub of lotion. In the description, the buyer chooses 3 out of 5 carrier, or base, oils, 2 out of 4 add-ons, and whatever fragrance they want. Here is part of the write up:

♥♥♥THE BASE: PICK 3♥♥♥

Coconut Oil- An amazing oil for dry skin and sensitive skin. Extremely emollient, and does not clog pores.

Cocoa Butter- A very rich and emollient butter with natural antioxidants. Good use when intense moisturizing is needed.

Grapeseed Oil- Rich in vitamins and great for damaged, dry or aging skin

Sweet Almond Oil- A luscious oil for dry skin. High in essential fatty acids and vitamins A, B and E.

Olive Oil- Also great use in skin care. Very rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids. Beneficial for all skin types.

♥♥♥ADD ONS: Pick 2♥♥♥

Vegetable Glycerin- As a humectant, drawing moisture into itself, this ingredient is great for dry skin.

Vitamin E. Oil- A great natural antioxidant. Provides extra moisture and protection from UV rays,

Aloe Vera Juice- Heals and moisturizes. Excellent for sensitive skin.

Whole Milk Powder- Adds a creamy texture and leaves your skin feeling extra soft.

Then it goes on to list all the fragrance options. I feel like it's a good idea, as I know how people loved customizing items. I don't know how it will sell, though. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. It also gave me the idea to do offer similar customization; scrubs, balms, etc. But I think I'll just stick with the body butter for now, and see how it works out. Hopefully it works out good! :)
I'm off to work for the day but I'll most likely be updating later tonight! xx.

Bleh

One of those days. I made more bath bombs today than I know what to do with. My original plan was to make a chocolate, vanilla, strawberry trio, but...alas! I come to find I am all out of strawberry FO until next week. Tragic. I improvised, as perfectionists often do, and opted with a mix of vanilla buttercream and sweet orange essential oil, making it a delicious orange sherbert fragrance. The shapes are all made with an ice cream scoop, hence the ice cream oriented fragrances. Actually I know exactly what I'm going to do with them! I'm going to list them on my etsy shop. I haven't been updating my shop too much, lately, I've been waiting on my new labels to be fully ready, which is going to be very, very soon. A couple are already done. I hate waiting, but it gives me a little more time for fun experiments! Today I was able to make this new mix of "stuff", it's quite similar to my body whips, only it is going to be a shower scrub. It's very thick, but it's whipped, so it's also light, if that makes any sense. I'll have to post pictures at some point. I used a mixture of coconut oil and coffee bean butter:

I got this butter from From Nature With Love and it's amazing. Made from coffee beans, it's got to be one of my new favourite ingredients, despite it's PPO. I think it's the fact that it has caffeine? Or the that it moisturizes like crazy. Or that it's also a decent antioxidant. Oh, and did I even mention the smell? Undoubtedly, a rich aroma of coffee. It's truly amazing stuff. In fact, I used this ingredient in my first batch of cold process soaps. The mocha cream ones, that I am STILL waiting on to fully cure.
I think that I'm going to make the scrubs all coffee oriented scents? Vanilla Frappuccino, Chai Latte, and Mint Mocha, seeing as they will all be made with coffee butter.

I also am in the midst of making this new creamy body wash. I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed at the outcome of this experiment. It's a great recipe: moisturizing and cleansing at the same time. But it just doesn't lather! Personally, I like my washes lathery but, I guess, some people don't, and some people don't care either way. This body wash is much more creamy than lathery. Then I have to decide on fragrances, which I know is going to drive mental. As much as I am in love with scents, having to be limited to choosing only four or five is next to impossible. It's like choosing which of your kids you love more! The one I chose just to keep around the house is almond scented.
Also, pictures of my new snoggables are here:





I'm really excited about these! They'll be up on my shop starting tomorrow or the day after.
Aside from that, it was a fairly boring day.

Oh, and by the way-this is very random but I promised myself that I would mention it on my blog at some point. I watched the film Premonition recently. With Sandra Bullock? Horrible , HORRIBLE film. The ending was so bad. I was so disgustingly disappointed with it. It was so good and interesting at first, too. It had potential and then it just...ended! And at the end I think I even said out loud, "This better not be the end. They better not start rolling the credits." And then the credits came. Please, if anyone watched this movie and actually liked it, write in the comments section and tell me why. I'm honestly baffled at the idea that anyone could actually like this film. Sorry for the rant! :p I'll be updating more frequently this week. Until then,
xx.

The first sign of addiction...

Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT denial! Haha, it is scrounging about for change to support your habit. So, I don't get paid until next friday-yeah, I get paid biweekly-and I HATE it. Biweekly paychecks= Worst idea ever. Anyway, I NEED sodium hydroxide before than. My stock is dangerously low, and where will I be if I don't get my fix of creating my fragrant, coulourful, sudsy bars of soap?



Soap soap soap. I need to make it. It's my own personal getaway. Luckily, my mom loaned me her plastic-which I went a tad overboard with (oops!, sorry mom, if you're reading-I promise to pay you back! :p) but, hey, I need to do what I need to do.
AND, my labels will be ready by NEXT weekend. I'm so psyched, I can't wait to post them all on my shop. I'll be making more bath bombs today, most likely. I need a good way to package them, as I HATE cellophane bags, and I refuse to use them.

Obviously, I didn't know him personally, but I'd really like to mention the recent death of Heath Ledger. It's a very, very sad situation. *Hugs* to his family and friends. He was a brilliant and well respected actor, and will be missed. RIP.

Late nights

Maybe I'm developing insomnia. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and just start working on my business. I can't stop myself. I wake up, start thinking about it, then just get on my computer and start surfing for new ingredients, recipes, ideas, blogs, etsy, or I'll make up some labels, type out ideas, add figures, etc. I woke up at 1am, and it's just coming upon 3am right now. I also have to be to work in 6 hours.
Damn work. If I had my choice I'd be home all day making soaps and lotions and testing out new recipes.

I did just find one really nice blog, that I'd like to share: Handmade Soap Blog. Amazing soaps from what I can see, and she lives in Australia! How exciting is that? I wish I was living in Australia making soap :)

I haven't taken any pictures, yet, but the grapefruit soap that I made over the weekend is curing fabulously so far. Even though I cut it too early and it's not a nice and smooth looking, the colour is turning PINK (it was orange before, remember...)! And the bars are getting a bit harder. The bars from my last batch, are practically rock hard, but they are looking a bit on the dry side. I hope they didn't come out lye heavy. I really like the recipe that I used for the grapefruit one, so hopefully it turns out decent. Although, it never can be TOO bad to make a bad batch, because then you get to experiment with making another. I'm still trying to think of what soap to make next? I'm leaning towards a coconut scent. I'm a hardcore fan of coconut. The FO I have-"Thai Coconut"- isn't to my liking at all, so, I might just experiment a bit more just to get rid of it. I only have enough lye to make one more batch of soap and then I'll need to order more. I hate lye, but I love soap.