Bellissima Holiday Shopping Guide Day 5: Soap Gift Sets

♥´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨) We're Moving in to the 'Big Boys'!
(¸.·´ (¸.·´♥

Those gifts that are substantial and hefty enough to deserve their own spot under the tree!

But trust me, these won't even make even a minor dent in your wallet... you can feel confident in presenting thoughtful, meaningful, enchanting, gratifying gifts that won't break the bank.

First on the list? Soap, of course!

Soap is a great gift for everyone: practical yet decadent at the same time.

Handmade soap retains glycerin - a natural by-product of the soap-making process that most commercial brands remove and sell due to it's value - making handmade soap much more moisturizing and emollient than store-bought brands. It feels heavenly on the skin and really is a special, pampering treat. It can provide the same extravagant pleasure as an expensive trip to the spa.

And if you guive a man a bar of handmade cleansing pumice or coffee soap, shave soap or shampoo bar - trust me, he'll never want Lava, Barbasol or Suave again!

And Bellissima handmade soaps come in so many varieties, you're sure to find something for anyone: all-natural, botanical-infused, all-veggie oil, goat's milk, scented, utility and more!

We've put together a fabulous 4-piece Soap Gift Set that's sure to please! It comes with 2 bars of our delicious handmade soap - each more than 5oz huge! Each Set includes a pine soap deck and a netted bath sponge. We also add in our Handmade Soap Guidelines - helpful hints for using, storing and extending the life of your Handmade Soap!

Bellissima Handmade Soap 4pc Gift Sets are available at either http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com or http://www.bellissimatruccominerale.com

And be sure to check our previous post for lots of Promo Codes for Discounts valid for through Monday Only!

The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 28, Soap 28

It’s Day 28!

And tomorrow’s the last day to enter our Lather Project Soap Giveaway! 3 fabulous Soapy Prizes and lots of easy ways to enter and WIN!

http://bellissimasblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/lather-project-soap-giveaway.html

And again, for those of you who voted in our fragrance Poll and did not select Amber Vanilla (Soap #15), I have no intention of disappointing! Today’s soap is Triple Mint!

This is such an exhilarating soap!

Peppermint tea provides wonderful antioxidants, crushed dried mint allows for gentle exfoliation and peppermint essential oil offers a scent to awaken the senses! This is a super soap for those who are definitely not morning-people! Better than a 2nd cuppa coffee!

Peppermint oil contains numerous minerals and nutrients including manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium, folate, potassium, and copper. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Peppermint is believed to help relieve symptoms of allergies and asthma, aid in relieving nausea, headache and stress, as well as reduce muscle spasms. And it may nourish dull skin and improve oily skin.

So, here’s the description for Soap #28:

Bellissima Handmade Triple Mint Triple Milk Blend Soap

Our amazing Triple Milk Blend Soap in Triple Mint is incredibly creamy and full of lather due to our triple blend of protein-rich milk (goat, cow & organic coconut) and luxurious all-veggie oils like olive, high-oleic sunflower seed and rice bran to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

Our Triple Mint soap delivers a truly revitalizing aroma! Peppermint essential oil in the lowest therapeutic amounts, peppermint tea that’s full of antioxidants and real crushed mint for exfoliation make this an all-natural spa-quality experience! This is a stimulating and refreshingly cool, clean scent!

Look for Soap #28 at our etsy store

http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com in the next few days!

Remember to use Promo Code ‘Lather Project’ to receive 10% off your Lather Project Soap purchase!

Choosing something else? Use the Promo Code to receive a free sample bar of your choice of Lather Project Soaps!

Tune in Tomorrow for Soap #29!

The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 14, Soap 14

It’s Day 14!

And we’re still doing soaps with a purpose - other than just cleaning, that is! And today it's my alltime favorite! It’s a facial complexion bar!

Skin care is a passion for me. And I’ve spent years trying and testing facial cleansers - with some satisfaction but so much disappointment. The common theory seems to be that because cleansers spend so little time on the skin, there is low penetration and therefore, very little benefit from even the best of ingredients. But my feeling is that it’s another important and wonderful opportunity to feed your skin the very best nutrition you can!

So I wanted a really nourishing complexion bar and chose some fantastic ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for quality moisturizing
Coconut Oil as an emollient
Meadowfoam Seed Oil for its ability to penetrate and moisturize and nurture damaged and distressed skin
Castor Oil for its lubrication and ability to draw and hold moisture to the skin
Evening Primrose Oil as a super-emollient and its ability to protect and condition the skin
Avocado Oil because it’s protein and vitamin-rich and has healing and regenerative properties
Grapeseed Oil for its absorption abilities and moisturizing properties
Sweet Almond Oil for conditioning and softening properties
Rice Bran Oil for its high moisturizing abilities
High-Oleic Sunflower Seed Oil for its absorption and moisturizing properties
Vitamin E because it’s an anti-oxidant
Honey for its ability to draw and hold moisture to the skin
Oatmeal for its ability to help bind emollients to the skin
Chamomile & Calendula for their ability to soothe irritated and sensitive skin
Aloe Vera for its ability to heal and soothe skin

Amazing, right?

So, here’s the description for Soap #14:

Bellissima All-Natural Luxury Facial Bar Soap

Our All-Natural Luxury Complexion Bar Soap is incredibly lathering and deliciously creamy with our lavish blend of vitamin- & nutrient-packed all-veggie & plant oils. I include lots of both evening primrose and meadowfoam seed oils to make this bar super-nourishing, castor oil for plenty of lather, sweet almond and rice bran for softening and conditioning and sunflower, avocado and grapeseed oils to leave your skin feeling smooth and hydrated.

I carefully infuse aloe juice with oatmeal, and infuse water and oils with gentle chamomile and calendula to produce a soothing and moisturizing Facial Bar. I added Vitamin E as an antioxidant and honey to help draw and trap moisture in the skin. I’ve left this bar fragrance- and color- free to leave this an ultra-luxurious and all-natural facial soap!

Look for Soap #14 for sale in our shop soon at

http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com

And the fragrance winner in our Poll is Amber Vanilla - so be sure to Tune in Tomorrow for Soap #15! It's our First Reader's Choice!

The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 11, Soap 11

It’s time for Day 11!

I’m so fortunate that everyone I know is a fabulous cook! The kitchen was always the busiest room in our house when I was growing up and there was constantly something on the stove or in the oven. And having married into an Italian family has just reinforced this tradition - although the aromas are just a little bit different from my family’s Irish cooking!

The biggest complaint that any cook has - while certainly not every one - is the lingering scents left on your hands after cooking with particularly pungent ingredients. Fish, garlic and onions leave odors that are really difficult to get rid of - and I'm embarassed to admit I’m guilty of even taking steel wool once to try to eliminate these overpowering smells!

So, in honor of my family of fabulous cooks, I decided on a Kitchen’s Companion for Soap #11. I chose oils that would be highly cleansing and provide lots of lather. I used double-brewed black diamond coffee and added a few tablespoons of coffee grounds, since coffee works wonders to absorb odors and the grounds work to gently exfoliate.

Oh, and if you choose to believe everything you read, coffee grounds are fantastic for helping to smooth cellulite! So it's not just for use in the kitchen!

Here’s the description for Soap #11 on Day 11:

Bellissima Kitchen Companion - Handmade Black Diamond Coffee Exfoliating Soap

Our amazing Black Diamond Coffee Soap is incredibly lathering and deliciously creamy with our luxurious blend of vitamin- & nutrient-enriched all-veggie oils. I include olive & coconut to make this super-cleansing, castor oil for extra lather and lots & lots of mango butter, grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

Black Diamond Coffee is a gently exfoliating hand soap made with double-brewed black diamond coffee and lots of finely ground fresh coffee beans. This soap is fabulous for nourishing the skin while eliminating grease and removing strong kitchen odors. Some of the coffee aroma remains, but I’ve left it fragrance-free to give you a pure, refreshingly cleansing experience!

Tune in tomorrow for Day 12!

The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 10, Soap 10

Today is Day 10 of The Lather Project!

Time is just flying by and there’s still so much I want to do! So many soaps, so little time…

Soap #10 is a bit of a follow up to yesterday’s hot-process soap making tutorial (Day 9). We used a very simple recipe, ready available tools and even an cardboard box mold to show how accessible soap making is for the home crafter.

So, I wanted to use the same 3 oil recipe for Soap #10, but show how we can dress it up! And even though iron oxide colorants, additives and fragrance oils are not as readily available, I still wanted to show that even a simple recipe can produce a beautiful bar of soap with a little creativity!

I know from past experience that my Lemon fragrance oil will, over time, darken my soap to a deep brown shade. Many fragrance oils with a vanilla scent base will do this. There are color stabilizers and non-discoloring fragrance oils, but I prefer to use some ingenuity in combating this issue.

I split the raw soap into two batches, coloring one with a little yellow oxide and adding the poppy seeds - but no fragrance oil - therefore no discoloring. I then added the fragrance oil only to the second half of the soap base, after removing about 2 tablespoons of raw soap. Then I swirled in the leftover 2 tablespoons - since this soap has no fragrance oil either and won’t darken, I’ll get a beautiful brown & cream swirled bottom half with a yellow-poppy seed top half.

I hope. it’ll actually take about 10 days to 2 weeks for the fragrance oil to completely discolor the soap, so I’ll have to update you at the end of the Project! But you can actually already see a bit where the soap will darken.

So here’s the description for Soap #10 on Day 10:

Bellissima Handmade All-Veggie Oil Lemon Poppyseed Soap

Our amazing Lemon Poppyseed Soap is incredibly lathering and luxuriously creamy with our simple blend of vitamin- & nutrient-enriched all-veggie oils. Coconut oil makes this soap super-cleansing and one third olive oil leaves your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

Lemon Poppyseed Soap delivers a citrusy-fresh and totally tempting bakery-style fragrance! Tart lemons, a hint of orange & lime and just a pinch of mint merge harmoniously with buttery graham, sweet vanilla cream and spicy nutmeg & cinnamon to produce a rich and deliciously inviting scent! Poppyseeds add a touch of gentle exfoliation and dash of authenticity!

Soap #10 won't be available for sale until the color finishes 'developing', but be sure to look for it in about 10 days at

http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com

Tune In Tomorrow for Day 11!

The Lather Project: 30 Soap in 30 Days - Day 6, Soap 6

Soap #6 is another special request.

One of my very first sales after I opened up my Etsy Shop was from lovely woman with a true passion for handmade soap! I firmly believe she has bought from and tried some from every single soap seller on etsy, bless her heart!

She had left me flattering feedback and sent a convo asking if I had her favorite scent - Lavender Vanilla Soap - and at the time, I didn’t. But I offered to make her some - and unfortunately, I moved on and completely lost track of her request.



I forgot about it.

It happens to all of us. And when I discovered her request yesterday as I was sorting through and filing old emails (thank goodness I save everything!), I was horribly embarassed and wracked with guilt! And decided immediately that Soap #6 would be hers. This one’s for you, Emma!

Here’s the description for Soap #6 on Day 6:

Bellissima Handcrafted Botanical-Infused Lavender Vanilla Soap

Our line of Botanical Infused Bath Bars are a special treat for your skin - infusing teas, flowers, plants and herbs in oils or water and adding it to soap not only imparts the amazing benefits to the soap, but also allows for the most nutrients and enrichment possible from the botanicals!

With this amazing Lavender Vanilla Soap, I infuse both distilled water and sunflower oil with Lavender to get the absolute most out of it’s healing and aroma-therapeutic qualities. I added a bottom layer of vanilla to warm up and complete the scent profile - the herbal elements of the Lavender and the creamy, spicy yet sugary sweet notes of the Vanilla are perfect together! And then I sprinkled real lavender buds on top and between the layers for both their beauty and for gentle exfoliation.

Soap #6 is available for sale at http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com

Mention Promo Code ‘Lather Project’ in the Message to Seller Box for a 10% discount off your Lavender Vanilla Soap purchase!

Choosing something else? Enter the Promo Code to receive a Free Lavender Vanilla Sample Bar! (Either wait for a revised invoice or I’ll refund the discount back after payment)


Tune In Tomorrow for Day 7!