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My Top 6 Neutral Staple Soaps

Neutral staples?  What do I mean by that?  My neutral staples are those soaps that I keep on hand when I want experience a light, calming shower or bath.  So my neutral staples are those soaps that are lightly scented and usually leave me in a calm state of mind.  My soap collection at this point is well over 100 bars and most times when I select a soap to use, I am looking for a specific experience - a sweet scent, something spicy or sensuous.  Maybe something bright and citrusy or a bakery aroma.  My neutrals come into play when I can't pick one of these or I'm just looking for something in between all of these.  

My neutrals tend to be light and refreshing, but never bland.  Each has a special unique factor that makes it one of those bars that I must always have around.  Here are my top 6.


HONORABLE MENTION: Any Oatmeal, Milk & Honey fragranced soap.  This aroma always soothes me and is my go to when I don't know what to go to. 

6. Lavender Crown Chakra, Indigo Wild
     Calming, soft soothing lavender fragrance in a hardy cold process soap.  

5. Dragon Fruit Green Tea, Unearth Malee
     Mild natural green tea and dragon fruit essence in a gentle cold process bar.

4. Grasshopper, Cream & Coco

     Relaxing sweet grass fragrance with detoxifying charcoal in a hot process cleansing bar.

3. Wonderland, Petals Bath Boutique

    Refreshing, clean fragrance of fresh fallen snow. Only available as a 

    part of their winter release, I try to as many as possible so that I can experience this all year long.

2. Rock Candy, Petals Bath Boutique

    Complex yet simple sugar fragrance spiked ever so carefully with refreshing mint notes.  I was initially  hesitant to try this due to the mint, but it is so subtle it just elevates the scent. I am so glad I received a sample of it in one of my orders. Now it is an absolute must have in my collection at all times.

1. Naked Baby, Cream & Coco

     An amazing play on baby powder, milk and honey that is delightful.  They make a lotion, body cream and body oil in this same scent.  My collection can never be without it.

What are your neutral staples?

All photos courtesy of their respective company websites.

Company Profile: Petal Bath Boutique *Giveaway*

In 2008, Kia started Beacon Creations.  Now known as Petals Bath Boutique, this company produces some of my favorite handmade soaps and bath & body treats.

I've previously stated elsewhere that Kia creates products for my specific soap addiction.  I LOVE variety - having loads of different fragrances of beautiful soap to choose from is what makes me happy. Literally, every day I visit my soap cupboard to marvel at the beauty and fragrance of my soap collection.  Preparing for my shower each day is an event!

Venom ~
An effervescent blend of juicy cherries and berries highlighted with fresh citrus notes and vanilla

Petals Bath Boutique uses a luxurious master recipe for their soap which creates a firm bar of cold process soap that has a rich, creamy lather and leaves skin clean, soft and moisturized.  This one soap formula allows Kia to focus on creating visually magnificent pieces of soap art with a seasonal rotation of fragrances that means lots of different scents are available throughout the year.

Harlequin ~
Japanese Grapefruit and Citron leaf neatly crushed with Sparkling Mimosa with smoky note of Tobacco, Sugar Cane and Black Vanilla

Custom Loaf of Lychee Red Tea

Another great thing about Petal Bath Boutique is its versatility.  Many of the soaps are made as variations with the master recipe, but Kia also creates some unique soap blends, all natural varieties and even custom loaves.  As a product maker myself, I have a huge stock of fragrance oils and it's great to know that if I want something that Kia doesn't usually offer, she is open to creating something from a scent that I can send to her.

custom loaf of Leaves & Twigs

Kia's talent is not just for creating beautiful soap, she also makes gorgeous wax tarts along with lip balms, lotion and a body custard that is dense, rich and delightful.  Her eye for color combinations, swirl patterns and the little details make each item she creates a masterpiece.

                 

Fruity Rings Wax Tart ~  
Sweetly delectable with juicy Orange Pulp, Summer Berries, Tangerine, Zesty Lime and Vanilla Sugar.

*~*Giveaway*~*

Blowing Bubbles ~ A fruity berry combination of strawberry, blackberry and wild huckleberries touched with a hint of pineapple and soft rose on a sweet caramel bottom.

  
The Petals Bath Boutique Spring 2015 release is happening this Friday (March 27th). Make sure you are following them on social media to get the specific time (it is usually in the evening, EST).  Many of the seasonal collection items sell out within hours of the release launch.

Orangeberry ~ Fresh squeezed Orange Juice and Strawberry Cream supported with succulent notes of tropical fruits and Vanilla Bean

Another reason to follow them on social media is that it will make you eligible for our giveaway.  Three lucky winners will be selected to win fabulous Petals Bath Boutique items including a bar of my exclusive custom loaf of "ENERGY" which is not available as part of the Petals Bath Boutique catalog.  Entry form is below

More Petals Bath Boutique?  Find them here:

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Enter to win Petals Bath Boutique items!

 Hurry, contest ends Saturday, March 28th and the winner will be announced that evening. GOOD LUCK!

These profiles are compiled based on my personal experiences and research; and unless otherwise noted, do not express the views, opinions or positions of the owners, employees or representatives of this company.  I do my best to thoroughly research all information prior to publishing, however, any of the information contained in this profile may have changed.  All logos and product pictures posted, unless otherwise noted, are my legal property or I have obtained proper authorization for posting.  If not, proper credit has been assigned and photographs are posted to ensure no bandwidth stress to these company's websites. For further information on this company, its products and services, please contact them directly.

Company Profile: Spicy Pinecone

Company profiles are a snapshot of some of the companies from which I have had the pleasure to experience their products and/or services.

all photos courtesy Spicy Pinecone

Sarah, the owner of Spicy Pinecone, is a self professed hobbyist with a special place in her heart for handmade soap and bath treats, according to her website.  She came up with the company's unusual name when one of her son's became obsessed with pine cones.  He would go on and on about his "spicy" pine cones.  After some time, he explained to her that the pine cones looked "spicy" meaning "spikey".  This cute quip stuck with her and is now the nomenclature for Sarah's hobby turned business.

Spicy Pinecone's Dead Sea Mud Brine Soap Bar

Sarah's commitment to quality products and customer service are the foundation of her business.  She proclaims on her site "If I wouldn't use it, I don't sell it… period." Her dedication to experimentation and research has resulted in a great selection of high quality cold processed handmade soap, bath bombs, lotions, bath melts, candles and more.

Spicy Pinecone's Liam's Toe Jam Shea Butter Salve

Spicy Pinecone has been in operation on Etsy since 2011 and their website carries a copyright year of 2013.  This line offers products featuring great natural ingredients along with brilliant colors, micas and embellishments.  Fun names and playful fragrances are key elements of this company's offerings.  

I have personally used several of her handmade soaps and find them to be well packaged, produce great lather, awesome smelling and skin conditioning.  I will be reviewing these items in depth at a later date.

More Spicy Pinecone?  Find them here:

Blog   Website   Esty   Twitter  Facebook   Pinterest

These profiles are compiled based on my personal experiences and research; and unless otherwise noted, do not express the views, opinions or positions of the owners, employees or representatives of this company.  I do my best to thoroughly research all information prior to publishing, however, any of the information contained in this profile may have changed.  All logos and product pictures posted, unless otherwise noted, are my legal property or I have obtained proper authorization for posting.  If not, proper credit has been assigned and photographs are posted to ensure no bandwidth stress to these company's websites. For further information on this company, its products and services, please contact them directly.

Why Do I Love Bubbles?

courtesy souls-of-my-shoes.tumblr.com

As a child, I loved watching tons of round iridescent bubbles float up into the sky. They just made me happy! To this day, blowing bubbles is one of my favorite ways to relax.

I can’t be sure that it was specifically my childhood fascination with bubbles that brought me to the love I have now for not just bubbles, but soothing lather, sweet aromas and the amazing feel of bath and body products. And though I can’t remember the exact day or exactly how old I was, I can remember when this obsession either evolved or emerged... My first trip to Bath & Body Works with my mom. I had to have been in high school - I remember it clearly, being in awe of all the gorgeous bottles and the mixing of colors and scents was like DisneyLand for me. The whole store with it’s farm feel (before taking on it's now more modern, spa feel, Bath & Body works branding was more farm or country fair like) and overwhelming and variety of fragrance options just made me happy. That day, with my own money (so it was a very serious decision), I purchased a bottle of Happy Daisy body splash and a bar of Happy Daisy soap! (Yes, I even remember the scent and to this day, any fragrance similar reminds me of that experience).

Later in life, my skin began to rebel and itch from all of those lovely soaps and scents and lotions. But the obsession did not fade. I still craved an abundance of different sweet smelling delicacies for my skin. As years passed, I began experimenting with making my own natural products and even ran a small business marketing my creations. Through research and production, I was able to participate in a community with an endless array of handmade and natural products that I could indulge with without the irritation. And so it began...

Through this blog you will see that I LOVE handmade, artisan soap. However, many other bath and body treats excite me - and through this blog, I will share that passion with you - with an occasional cute animal and hopefully some inspiration thrown in. As a consumer, addict and fan of bath and body products I plan to share my experiences, discoveries, ravs and disappointments. As a product maker and business manager, I plan to express my opinion on products, packaging and services based on knowledge, research and experience. I will also share tips, recipes, product hauls and events with you. I have had some business successes and failures - having learned from them all.  I do not profess to be the end all be all when it comes to these things, however I believe we learn from all our experiences and some others may enjoy and possibly learn from mine.

I thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully you'll take this journey with me and enjoy the ride!


Lather & Love,


Ay.