The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 4, Soap 4

Soap #4 is a special request by my husband.

When I first started on my soap making journey years ago, I had made this soap with him in mind - and it‘s been his favorite ever since! He’s not a coffee drinker - strictly tea. Me, I’m a coffee-by-the-pot kind of girl, but I enjoy drinking tea occasionally.


What I do love about tea, though, is all the anti-oxidants! Rich in polyphenols, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, tea just might provide as many benefits when applied to the skin as when ingested internally! Honey, too, has anti-oxidant as well as anti-microbial properties - and is famous for, among other things, it’s natural ability to attract and retain moisture which may aid in maintaining skin’s softness and elasticity.

And this is another soap for our all-natural line!
This one’s not vegan, however, due to the honey, but it has no synthetic fragrance and no colorants. I love when I can scent and color a soap without using additives!

I used strongly brewed mix of earl grey tea (for the aroma & color) and green tea (for the benefits) as the water element of this soap, and then added about 3 tablespoons of honey once the cook was done. The soap is a rich, deep caramel brown shade as a result of the tea - and the scent is both delicate and distinctive.

So, here’s the description for Soap #4 on Day #4:

Bellissima Handcrafted All-Natural Sweet Tea & Honey Soap

Our amazing Sweet Tea & Honey Soap is all-natural with our luxurious blend of vitamin- & nutrient-enriched all-veggie oils. We incorporated brewed tea and lots of honey for the wonderful skin-healthy benefits, used lots of olive & coconut oil to make this gentle but cleansing and lots of sunflower and rice bran oils to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

Sweet Tea & Honey imparts the scent of traditional earl grey tea - a relaxing blend of citrus with a hint of bergamot. With the golden amber, slightly floral perfume of honey and the aromatic notes of fine, black tea leaves, this is a uniquely subtle and highly sophisticated fragrance!

Soap #4 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 Sweet Tea & Honey Soap purchase!

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

Tune In Tomorrow for Day 5!

The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - Day 3, Soap 3

We’re on Soap #3 - and a yummy #3 at that!




When I ordered this particular fragrance oil, I was really looking forward to the first sniff. It was named Tropic Winds (or something similar - ‘name changed to protect the innocent‘). Having been a travel agent for over 10 years, I’ve inhaled the breeze on many islands and I really looked forward to all the fabulous memories this scent would bring back!

When it arrived in the mail I swiftly opened the bottle and took in a huge whiff - and it smelled nothing like Tropic Winds! Certainly not of the winds I had ever experienced tropically. Oh I sensed an undercurrent of hyacinth, maybe a touch of hibiscus, but nothing that resembled the ‘winds’ of any island I had visited. I was expecting red florals, a touch of tropical fruit, a bit of exotic greenery and lots of ozone and sea air.

But didn’t it smell exactly like my favorite Red Sangria from my very favorite Spanish restaurant!?! And once I soaped it, the fruity, wine-y aroma prevailed… and there we have it!

Oh! And this was my first attempt at layering hot-process soap - I have to work on my technique quite a bit, but overall I was pretty pleased!

And so, Soap #3 on Day #3 is:

Bellissima Handcrafted Red Sangria All-Veggie Oil Blend Soap

Our amazing Red Sangria 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 and sunflower and rice bran to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

Red Sangria imparts the scent of a medley of fresh fruits and the invigorating aroma of a variety of red florals. Pineapple, tangerine, plum & lime mix melodically with hibiscus, amaryllis, hyacinth & even sweet orchid. The robust undercurrent of smooth, red wine makes this a unique, brisk & energizing, fun & fruity fragrance! And the mica-tinted top layer makes this soap a visual delight!

Soap #3 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 Red Sangria Soap purchase!

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

Tune In Tomorrow for Day 4!

The Lather Project: Day 1, Soap 1

Today’s the first day of 'The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days’ - I’m so psyched! This is definitely the biggest, if not one of the most exciting events since I started my business. This endeavor really has me rejuvenated, and has got my creative juices flowing. I have so many electrifying things planned for this Challenge - and I just couldn’t wait to get started!





And so we’re on Day 1, Soap 1.

I thought for the first soap in my challenge I would go back to the beginning… well, sort of.

Many, many moons ago, the very first soap I made was a cold-process, 1lb test loaf created with a very simple 5 oil recipe. I’ve never used a borrowed recipe - I’ve always created my own using an online soap calculator. I decided early on in my business that Bellissima’s recipe’s would - and forever will- be our own proprietary formulations. And that goes for everything from our mineral cosmetics to our solid perfumes to our laundry soap.

Although my very first soap wasn’t a fabulous success, I keep one bar from that batch for posterity - so I can periodically look back to see how far I’ve come. And the scent was Calla Lily - one of my very favorite floral fragrances!

I decided that for Soap #1, I would use my all-time favorite soap recipe - mmmmm, featuring Olive Oil & Shea Butter - and the first fragrance I ever used in soap making: Cally Lily.

I decided, too, to use an in-the-pot swirl technique and add in a bit of gold mica. I wanted something delicate and ethereal for this soap - just a barely-there hint of color - just like the classic wedding-white flower.

And so, here’s the full description:

Bellissima Handcrafted Soap w/Olive Oil & Shea Butter in Calla Lily

Our amazing Calla Lily Soap with Olive Oil & Shea Butter is enriched with luxurious all-veggie oils - featuring olive - but also with sunflower and rice bran to nurture your skin - and lots & lots & lots of Shea Butter to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated!

Calla Lily is a harmonious blend of fresh white florals and green herbal elements. Notes of freesia, cyclamen and white roses - and just a whiff of cashmere - round out this sweet and alluring scent.

Soap #1 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 Calla Lily Soap purchase!

Choosing something else? Enter the Promo Code to receive a Free Calla Lily Sample Bar!

Either wait for a revised invoice or I’ll refund the discount back after payment.

Tune In Tomorrow for Day 2!

'The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days'

I’m on a mission.

I’m setting myself a challenge that is just so exciting that I’m bursting at the seams! A trial that will test all my skills, talent and creative abilities as well as my stamina and fortitude. An undertaking that will not only be stimulating and exhilarating but fun and hopefully, entertaining, too!

I’ve been needing to replenish my inventory of soap and develop some new products, but have been procrastinating like crazy (it’s practically a genetic disorder in my family). I’ve only been making what I’ve needed from order to order lately, and that’s just not like me. I love to make soap - just read some of my earlier posts to learn more about my obsessive devotion to this craft. But I’ve been forced to let other priorities take precedence and I’ve suffered for it - immensely.

Not only is my inventory severely depleted, but my stress and anxiety level has increased dramatically! Soapmaking is and always has been a highly therapeutic process for me, and going without my ‘fix’ for even a week or two has me a total wreck.

So I’m ready for a retreat. An adventure in intensive therapy like I’ve never experienced before!

30 straight days of soap making.

I’ll be documenting this project right here in my first blog series. I really hope you’ll consider following along - I’ll need lots of ideas, encouragement and support! I’ll post pictures, add recipes, note successes and failures - and I promise special pricing and deals just for my readers! I'll be listing every soap for sale at http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com. I’ll keep you updated every single step of the way - I may even host a Giveaway or two!

And at the end of this extravaganza, I’ll have over 90 pounds of soap in stock. 30 three pound logs of different formulas, scents, blends.

I’d better start making some room - because The Lather Project is off to a running start tomorrow!