Saturday, April 28, 2012

Soap In The Raw

Soap porn in the raw.  Yes!  It's true, I have a love relationship with raw soap.  It is so beautiful in it's own dessert-pudding-like way.  The final product is even more exciting, but when one finally takes their raw soap creation and puts in in a mold to become soap, it leads to me to a happy place of raw.


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Christmas Warmth "batter" by Kinder Soaps





sandalwood vanilla by Bella Fresca





Carrot Buttermilk Soap By Soap Foundry (only found his blog)





Calendula + Chamomile by Dragonfly Dew





Triple Milk Vanilla Buttercream Luxury Shea butter Soap by My Planet Earth Soap




(my soap) Mar Bar unscented goat's milk soap by Product Body|Absolute Soap





Sweet Pea by Great Cakes Soapworks







 Carrot Something by Revive







Yum....what's up YOUR sleeve today?


Friday, April 27, 2012

Chuffed and Muffed?

Over the past year, I have formulated very specific soaps after hours upon hours of research and testing.  My soaps have come a long way since I started and I am very proud of how far I have come.

It is always a shot in the arm (a GOOD thing) when our products that I create get raved about.  It's also amazing how hard I take a disparaging review or email from someone who hates my products.  Why do I take it so personally?   Because I work so hard to make them great and I am proud of my work, I guess.

A few months ago one of our soaps: Thai Sticky Rice Cocoa+ Shea Butter soap was scrutinized on a blog about how drying it was and the person who wrote it continued to say they didn't know what all the fuss was about it.  (Ouch...)  However, in the countless emails I receive regarding people's experiences with our products, I have only received incredible feedback regarding that soap.  Drying?  Just the opposite, according to all the other customers who brought it up.

So recently, we received an email from a disgruntled customer who bought Fat Boy Milk + Butter Bar.  Hated it.  That store-bought soap was better than that and what a waste of money it was. Then she left a 1 star review on our website.

Disappointed, more like a glycerine soap than a milk soap. Really wanted to like this soap but NOT! Did not leave with that smooth feeling I've always gotten from other milk soaps-after shgowering I can scratch legs & see marks(dry skin marks). I've felt better moisturizing qualities from Oily of Oly or some other top retail soaps. I cant really even say its very cleasing at least didnt feel so.I was not a fan will not repurchase; O I will say it last longer than alot of milk soaps I've purchased it stays firm when wet where most milk soaps will have a tendancy to dissolve more quickly than some soaps.




Look, I know not everyone will like everything I make.  I don't believe it's possible for everyone to like everything.  As Joe Jackson said once (and these are in extra loose quotes), "You can either go to the people and give the masses what they want, or offer your craft to the masses and wait for them to come."  I put this in quotes, but I am paraphrasing a memory of mine about something he said that has stuck.

People will come.  That's what I got from it.  All the stuff out there that scream "interesting" are unique, so as long as it's out there, people will seek it out.

 As I grow in this business, I have realized that I can't compromise my style and give the masses what they want.  Because guess what?  So will everyone else.  And what would make me stand out?  So this is one of the reasons we have discontinued the multiple elixirs we used to make.  It was staggering how disjointed it made me.

So now, I make what I know is good and it's what I love to do.  And if people like it, they will come, and if they don't, than they can go, but I will stay true to what I believe.  I believe in quality, not quantity.  I'd rather make Soap + Crush than offer one hundred things in one hundred scents.

Having come to this conclusion, and months later, I get a wonderful review from Julia at Cocobong Soaps blog.  She really likes Fat Boy and this lovely lady is hard to please, especially in the moisturizing department.

I think I'll take THAT review over the one on my website.  :)

 photo courtesy of Cocobong Soaps Blog

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Friday, April 20, 2012

MIA and Happy Soaps

I just want to apologize for being M.I.A. on this blog. With reinventing my business, and trying to make enough soap to never run out of stock raising a new puppy, doing taxes/financial stuff and struggling with my body over the last week, I am pooped to say the least.

I've been basically asleep for 2 whole days.  I have been having wickedly detailed and horrific nightmares, also.  My body has full body aches, head and neck pain and severe exhaustion, like someone took a needle and extracted my energy for 48 hours.

Julia, of Cocobong, sent me a list of questions about my business so she can include a little Q & A in her upcoming review of my soap (I am SO nail biting), and I don't even have the energy to answer those questions properly.  I will provide a touch of soap porn, as I really have nothing more to share with you right now.

I do have some things on the horizon to share:  I HAVE to show you some of my own soap porn.  For instance, Palm Beach Illustrated soap is the most beautiful of all three batches I've made. I haven't photographed this batch yet. The colors are blue and green and splendid!  Also, I wanted to share our new plain design of our Lemon Scone Goat Milk Soap.  It used to have a white dollop on top, but we decided to go basic on this one because the acceleration was tricky towards the end and I want a consistent looking bar for every batch.  It's not as "pretty", but I like it even more because it has unified basic-ness (I know....not a word).  That's all I'll say for now.

Ok, ON TO THE PORN!  Today, I'd like to share some orange and pink soaps that I have dug up for you.  For some reason, I've never made a soap with these color combos, and yet, I absolutely love the combination of pink and orange.  Go figure.  It is on my "to do" list now.  Perhaps a Spring soap is due... The following soap photos have blown me out of my depressed sickly mode and into just feeling sickly mode.... ;)  Get your seat belts on.



I just love the pink, orange, purple combo!  Gorgeous!!





"Sari" by Soap and Restless
Unreal and gorgeous beyond my words....
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Another by Soap and Restless:

Gelato by S+R
Oh yummo.  This is a stunning photo.  Well done!!



Pure unscented coconut milk soap with Sea Buckthorn by SoGa Soap + CupFakery
A beauty!  yummers.... :)



"Ambrosia" by Marcie Brown
This is one of her Spring soaps.  Looks edible, doesn't it?  Love!




TubTime Treasures (Renee Lillie)
So soft and precious.




Raspberry Lemonade by Pipestone Soaps
Great swirl!


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Thank you for coming back every time you do. I am totally committed to making this the best blog for soap freaks like me (and possibly you).  ;)

You may now go on to your regularly scheduled activities...  Have a great and sunshiney day!


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Friday, April 13, 2012

Today Is All About Blue



Since I made blue soap yesterday, I thought I'd look at other blue soaps, too.  Here's a crappy phone photo I took of my Palm Beach Illustrated Soap:



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The Shire Soap: Future Primitive Soaps
I am loving the blue/white swirl on top.
Closed lavender buds waiting to hatch, Geranium leaves tossed in Gardenia 
absolute and a fistful of star-shaped Ylang Ylang flowers.




Coconut Cream Blue Flower Tarts: The Roche Shop




Sea Salt Soap: Empire Soaps 
(lemon verbena and lemongrass)




 Blossom Goat's Milk Soap: Two Blooms Design
Cotton Flowers




Big Ass Blue Soap: Heart Button Boat Soaps
Lives in my old neighborhood!  :)




Colorful Logs: River Country Soapworks