Upcoming Soap Reviews

Soap Reviews, you say?? It's been awhile, I know... But, don't forget, I started this blog in August 2007 ( I know, can you believe it?) and it started as a soap reviewing and featuring blog. The original intention of this blog was to create an awareness of handmade soap, its beauty and the amazing soapmakers who make them from all around the world. I felt as if handmade soap had been so under served and so underused. I still plan on converting the world, one person at a time, but Costco exists and even though my family accepts my soap for free, I bet secretly, they buy the sale soap when it's 10 for $3.00. It's ingrained in their head and they don't want to use my soap to quickly, really, because they are taking from me, or it's too pretty.... my mother likes using one in every room because it freshens the air and people comment on how good the bathrooms smell. "Hmm, why don't you USE it, mom? I'll give you more!" Mom says,"It's so pretty honey, I really enjoy looking at it and smelling it whenever I want."

{{rolling eyes inserted here}}

Anyway...

I have a few soaps that have arrived that will be making it to the screen. My camera hasn't yet photographed them because of technical difficulties that will be resolved later today, but here are the soaps that their makers took from their hometowns:

Cream Bee
by Celine Blacow of SOAPERSTAR
Update: Sorry to make you drool over a soap I don't have. :(

I made a mistake. I have Butter Bee Silk:

Butterbee Silk

and

Voluptus
by Meghan Runyon of DREAMING TREE SOAPWORKS

They both sound heavenly. I will leave you with some words from their websites....

Butterbee Silk: fresh whole Buttermilk, deep amber Turkish Honey and pure Tussah Silk....no scent.

Voluptus: Made with two amazing vanillas and coconut milk... {drool}

I'll be back after I eat the soap.

;)

It's Been A Long Time

I haven't done a soap review in a long time. I have soap makers waiting for reviews but I have some problems with their submissions.

I have a baggie of two soaps on my window sill with no labels, nothing to identify who they belong to. Now, I run a business and have two kids so I am busy and I try really hard to be organized, but sometimes I will open a package and throw away the outer package to eliminate clutter. This is why a soap band or sticker is important to affix on the soap. These window sill soaps are now anonymous. They could be yours and you'll never know if I liked them or not. Maybe you should email me.

I also received a bag of three soaps from a lovely woman. None of the soaps were labeled so I don't know which one is which. If I loved the purple one, I wouldn't be able to elaborate on it. Also, They all ended up smelling alike. I don't know if they smelled alike when they were put in there to begin with or they ended up smelling similar, but it made me re-think my own packaging. I just sent out my three soap gift set in a cello bag with the soaps each only separated by a card. Hmm.

Please let me be clear about how you need to send your soap so I can get the best shot at smelling the true scent of your soap and that I know it's from you. If you send soap to me, please make sure that each soap is individually wrapped or labeled with its own scent and/or name and your company name so that if it gets removed from the group of your soaps it can still be identified.

Also, if you want me to review your soap and you want me to try multiple soaps, you only need to send one full sized bar and quarter bar samples of the others (also labeled with scent and company name!) I do not need a full bar of each scent. It is costly for you to mail them and it certainly isn't necessary. The full size bar shows packaging, size and weight. That's all I need. Everything else is scent and feel and I can use the samples for that.

If any of you have any questions about soap you have sent or soap you would like to send please do not hesitate to email me. jo (at) productbody (dot) com

I loved doing the soap reviews and I am ready to do them.

The list of fragrances that my head can not deal with has grown. Now migraines are spiked from:

"Champagne" and "Energy" fragrance oils

Other than that lavender is not a favorite of mine.

;)

loves!

s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p s o a p

The Poll Speaks

The poll I took a few days ago closed and showed an overwhelming 79.71% in favor of occasionally seeing video reviews or opinions on The Soap Bar blog.

It was nice to see that no one chose the "no, I can not stand to see your ugly mug!" answer. :)

I promise to behave and not make this into a vlog (video blog) partly because a) I love photographs, b) because I couldn't stand seeing my face that often, but c) mostly because I'd have to shoot myself if I'd have to call myself a vlogger.

Oh lordie. Then I'd look like this:

So, I'll behave and if I get too vloggy, call me on it!

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Lookie What I Got In The Mail!

For some reason, my Photo Booth App is doing mirror images. Oh well. LongLeaf Soaps that I posted last week arrived in MY HOUSE!!! French Country Sunrise and Cool Vanilla Mint...

It smells, DIVINE....

More when I wash with it...

I am a happy bird.

Thank you, Linnea!

My skin will kiss you later.

Upcoming Review..... Gloi

Haus Of Gloi

My Camera Has A Beef With Me

This is why the coconuts aren't appearing here for you to see. I know you are coming here and checking in to see the coconut finalists --- to see who has taken the gold, but NO, you don't get to because my crappy point and shoot has decided to die on me and the one at work is in RAW fancy mode for photographing website photos and I don't really know how to reset it for regular shooting because I'm kind of technically stupid like that. It IS my camera and I could probably figure it out, but to be perfectly honest, which I am always to a fault, I tend to make things even more bad. Or broken. Or make my husband huff and puff which makes me tense up and bite my nails and really, do I need the extra stress of that!? Ney. I truly do not. He is funny. Have you read his blog? Funnier than anyone I have ever met, in fact. But when he isn't funny and he is irritated with me for breaking the damn camera because I messed with technology which he is a goddamn genius at? Well....then, he is not so funny.

So that is my coconut soap excuse and I hope you understand my camera dilemma. I will say, that I still am pretty sad with the coconut scent situation. I love that the people who participated made beautiful soaps and made the efforts and I will show you and your soap off because of it. You know it. Sadly, though, some of the scents, were almost plastic-ey and non-coco-nutty and pretty much what I have found over the many years of my search.

Fragrance companies: Do you hear my ROAR???? Send me your best! You will have customers. There isn't much out here for us! There is a market for you!!!!

So until then, I will continue to come and talk to you until the camera will please us both. The coconuts will sit and await the photo shoot, yes?


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Upcoming Soap Reviews

Blueberry soap with poppy seeds

Amber's Ambry



and

p.u. baby
Purple Urchin Soap

They will be posted in the next few days (over the weekend most likely).

Sahara Moon

I tried what a lot of soap makers have been doing for a long time, which is throwing soap balls into raw soap. I think it's a neat effect when bthe soap is cut, but my balls should have been more hydrated--looks a bit "cracky" (that does NOT sound G rated, keep your mind out of the gutter!). So my plan with this soap was to use matcha green tea to color the layers on top, thinking I'd get a gorgeous matcha green tea color, but I got some serious browns. The scent was a combination of tea scents- a tea blend with spices.

Of course when I cut it, I thought of the desert at night and when I cut it and got two moons, I thought of Star Wars or some other science fiction book that had many moons orbiting the Earth.

Loving the swirls and color combos, even though it came out totally NOT the way I had intended it to. Unfortunately they are square which makes it hard to wash with. Ideally one bar is two, because you can cut it in half, shown in the soap dish below.

I have to get more molds, folks.

Sahara Moon

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Upcoming soap review: Concord Soap Company

The little that I have for you today

A little of my own soap porn because this is all I've got today.....
Click on these photos if you want a REALLY close look.

vanilla sugar with chocolate soap shavings

yuzu calendula for Betty's Bath

hyacinth soap for Product Body Shop

Upcoming reviews: Great Cakes Soap (peppermint) and Chesapeake Bay Candle signature collection (green bamboo jasmine)

Today I am listening to Yael Naim and Martha Wainwright on Pandora Radio.

Soap Reviews and My Hectic Life

When we moved to our shop, things got moved around and my soap which was organized, labeled and dated became more of a box of soaps over in the corner. Hmmmph. I suppose I understand. They were in the way and they are delicate, so thank you to whoever moved them out of the way so they wouldn't get broken....... but to pile them on top of each other? Ack!

OK, so..... now I am not entirely clear about when the soaps were sent in and who is owed reviews in what order. It would be great if you tell me what you sent and when you sent it, so that I can reschedule my soap reviews and get right down to it again. You all deserve reviews and promoting your soaps - especially during this economical anxiety attack. If you have sent me soap and have NOT gotten a review or have received an email from me, please, please, please email me at jo(at)productbody(dot)com.


Thanks for bearing with the unorganized soap situation that is me at this moment.

Upcoming Soap Review :: Buttermilk + Honey Bar

Arcadia Aromatics on Etsy

24 Carrot Buttermilk and Honey Handmade Soap - JUMBO BARS 6 oz. each - Made with organic carrot juice, pure buttermilk and clover honey.

Looks good? Wait for the review!

Blood Like Syrup

I've gotten into making more and more soap and I thought last night as I was whipping up a nice hefty batch of soap how important it would be for me to commit to making one loaf of soap per day until Thanksgiving. It makes sense. Cold process soap making takes T-I-M-E and if you want to plan for Christmas sales on Etsy or your shop or load up for personal gift giving, you'd better start thinking about things in October while you are picking out your pumpkins.

So my "I'm-going-to-make-a-loaf-of-soap-a-day" pep talk I had with myself last night must have been influenced by some caffeine I had early early that morning because tonight I think my body is under an invisible fat man having a rest on top of me. I think my body must be fighting a cold because I've been on the verge of being narcoleptic for the past 2-3 days, my blood feels a little like syrup, my throat hurts a little bit - but luckily only when I swallow a few hundred times an hour.

I do have to say that my sickness luck in Florida has been pretty strange. When I lived in NY, I got sick every other month with a bad cold or cough. Since I've moved here five years ago, I have been sick four times (or was it three?). I just don't get sick! Weird right? Now if I have jinxed myself by saying it "out loud" I will be very upset should I get sick now.

No soap loaves today. I am just TOO TIRED. I'll try to soap again tomorrow and we'll see how that goes.

I have a few upcoming reviews for you folks soon. I haven't done one in a while. I have been doing a lot of sharing soap porn and talking about me and my soaps. I continue to read every comment and love all the feedback from you. Thanks for being a part of it all here with me!

More tomorrow!

Upcoming Soap Review

Cupcake Bath Bomb (love it!)

Acid Trip Soap

Soap by the log

Grumpy Girl on Etsy. Go check it out.

Look What I Got - Dirty Loves Clean

So cute, so well done, so New York...

Dirty Loves Clean

The soap review will come once I've had a chance to use them I have run out of room in the shower, but since I just bought a suction cup soap holder at Wally World today, I'll be bringing one more soap chap in tomorrow!!

I just love getting clean!

The Canadians Are Coming! The Canadians Are Coming!

Thank you all SO MUCH for the amazing support you have given to me. It is an awful thing to lose someone dear. I will keep things light, however, and let you know there are soaps I will be reviewing in the near future -

Canada bars!

Luv 4 Country Soaps (Canada)

Suzanne Graham For You (Canada)

Birch Bark Soap (Canada)

Upcoming Review ::Savonara:: Moonlit Snow

Upcoming review: A magnificent grey beauty....Moonlit Snow you can buy them here.
Review of soap to follow in the next day or two.

White Lye Soap

Charlene, of White Lye was kind enough to send me a couple of her hardy bars to test. They were wrapped beautifully!! The bars were wrapped in heat sealed plastic and then wrapped with a band. High quality paper with gorgeous designs.

White Lye Whipped Pomegranate

It had a sweet pomegranate scent, with notes of berries and sugar. Definately not overpowering in scent. I have noticed that no matter where I go, pomegranate scented items, soap, bath powder, candles, etc, all are overpowering and makes my eyes sting. I love candles and I love the scent throw to be full bodied, but when a musky pomegranate starts taking over the living room, the candle meets my closet in unlit form, for life. OK. Back to soap. The Whipped soap wasn't quite as I expected. It wasn't whipped like Gudonya, which was fluffy looking- almost like solid mousse, but Char's bar has a lovely smoothness (as you can see) that I quite like along with the calming color.

Char's bar came into the shower with me and lathered up instantly. No need to rub anymore than one-two-three - shazaaaaam! Bubbles galore! That is a nice treat because sometimes a first timer in the shower can take four-five or six rubs before the bubbles lather nicely. Then of course, it continued. I put the soap down and continued to rub my leg with the lather and the lather practically doubled. This worked great for my shaving with über bubbles for super glide on the razor.

I am glad this wasn't a very whipped bar of soap. The last whipped soap I had didn't last very long. Five or six showers. This puppy is going and going! Five showers had, way more than five left. Way more.

Whipped Pomegranate-wrapped

Tomorrow:

Char's Bar #2: Dead Sea Mud - Detoxing Scrub Soap (sneak peek)

MMmmm, mud-dy....

ps: She not only has the Etsy Shop, she has her own beautiful website!

Tell Me A White Lye

Next up: soap review of White Lye Handmade Soap Company.

Salt Soap Tutorial Posts Tomorrow

Salt Bar Tutorial arrives tomorrow morning. I was too busy today to post it and I am running out tonight.....obligations, you know.

The tutorial has been written and created by Sarah Marie Auclair of Ladybug Soapworks.

Until tomorrow!

Where's The Soap?

You are probably wondering where is that girl and where are my soap reviews? I have been neglecting my blogs for the last 4 days....I owe you some soap reviews, but I just don't have them. Sometimes I am really, really good at juggling, being a multi tasker wannabe, but I fail outright sometimes. This being the moment of failure. I haven't photographed the soaps that are up for review ad I must say that when I don't photograph them, my review doesn't give the soap the justice it deserves. I know how easy it is to pull the images from the soap company's website, but then I've cheated...you don't really know I've actually had the bar in my possession, in my home, in my shower, on my skin and finally up against my dull razor.

So what happened to me this week. I had new programs to learn at work, and with orders and learning a new contact system on my computer, I've exhausted my brain, I think. When the babes go to sleep, I haven't been wanting to whip up a batch of soap or write or do much of anything except sit around and watch mindless TV shows, like Deadliest Catch or Hell's Kitchen. I've been more about observing the world and not so much participating in it.

I hope I get my mojo back (a friend's nickname for me...boring story).

In the A.M. I am planning on photographing the soaps and taking a cruise into the shower with them and feeling the magic of saponification!