Cosmetics, Spa and Bath

The time has come for me to restock a few beauty supply items, face moisturizer and body cream. Which means I get to try out something new.

I liked Dress Green’s body creams so much, that I decided to try a new fragrance, White Tea and Ginger. White tea, made from immature tea leaves, is reputed to have a high quantity of anti-oxidants, and the ability to boost the immune system.

Ginger is one of those spa ingredients that I think of as food. But I think of it also as warm, tingly and fresh smelling. And that seems to work well in my mind with the idea that it is healthful. Though in this case I believe the ginger and white tea are more about fragrance than an active contributor to skin rejuvenation. And that’s okay with me. I think it smells fantastic. And the cream is fluffy and smooth.

I was therefore not surprised when it was hijacked by my five year old, and appeared on the floor and several pieces of furniture. She appeared with blobs of it on her skin announcing, don’t I smell good Mommy and thanking me so much for sharing. Her father did not agree and asked what is that odor. He couldn’t quite put together white tea and ginger being a fragrance in body cream and not being part of the meal. I’m a bit sorry for men who do have daughters and don’t have sisters. They have no idea how many bath and spa smells are going to be involved in their lives.

Also of interest is Dress Green’s face moisturizer and nourishing butter. It’s made with and smells like cocoa butter. And it is fragrance free – it just smells like the cocoa butter because that is one of the main ingredients. Cocoa butter smells like coffee. So if you don’t like coffee, this is not the cream for you. I love coffee. But I only put this moisturizer on in the morning. I think coffee is a morning smell.

Smell aside, the face moisturizer and nourishing butter is very, very rich and for dry to normal skin only. I would probably go so far as to say dry skin only, which is what I have in the Winter months. It’s a semi-solid and melts on the fingertips. Like the olive oil and beeswax cream that I previously reviewed (and use in the evening) this cream took a bit of practice to put on in order to avoid an overabundance. It looks greasy for just a moment, then absorbs into the skin.

One word of caution, don’t put it too close to anything warm. It will melt and look quite uninviting. But that doesn’t seem to affect its performance.

I also received a free lip lush with my order, which was a nice surprise. Unfortunately, it contains avocado oil, to which I am wildly allergic. So I immediately gave it away – first asking about any avocado allergies. I hear it’s great.

Christine Eclavea Mercer

Where other people see worn out shirts and grandma's sheets, Christine sees little girls pajamas and a new purse lining.  Read all about it at Christine Sews and follow her on Twitter.

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Dirty Ass Soaps: I’m a 30 year old native New Yorker. I recently relocated to Boston. After spending 3 years in Syracuse going to school for architecture, I decided that Boston Architectural College is the next step in my career.

Using my super powers as an artist, graphic designer and crafty gal, I make my items with a designers eye. I create new things in my mind every day, and just have to find the time to physically make and list them on here for you to check out and bring home.

I began making soaps 11 years ago when a friend got a soapmaking kit as a holiday gift. She knew I had the craftin’ bug, so once she invited me over to try it out, I was hooked! It was all over from there.

I started Dirty Ass Soaps in September of 2006 as an addition to the Indie Garage Sale, and it completely took off from there.

And she’s currently featuring Chocolate Dipped Strawberry soaps for Valentine’s Day – fun!

Erika Jurney

Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade.

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Many natural soaps take advantage of herbal ingredients for fragrance and medicinal properties. Some herb and plants are believed to heal or soothe a number of skin ailments without the use of chemicals. Three worth mentioning are tea tree, lavender and calendula.

Tea tree essential oil, which has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, also smells great. It can be used alone, or combined with other ingredients in soaps that are friendly to irritable or acne-prone skin.

Lavender has been traditionally used in aromatherapy and bath and body products for everything from potpourri to candles to soaps and creams. It is also believed to be calming and helpful to those suffering from headaches and depression.

Calendula comes from the marigold plant. It promotes skin healing and repair. And it is known for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Of the herbs mentioned above, I find calendula to be the most soothing and gentle. Tea tree fragrance is my favorite in the morning for its energetic scent, or at the end of a hot day – especially if sunscreen needs to be removed.

During the summertime I am able to enjoy fresh lavender. I am fortunate to have a large, healthy lavender plant. So I dry the lavender and make the oil myself, then use it as a moisturizer all winter. In soap, it’s a great fragrance to hand over to sweaty children. They smell better almost immediately.

Dr. Flowers’ store has a great variety of natural soaps. They smell wonderful and arrived promptly, wrapped in embroidered cotton sleeves. The soaps have a wavy cut, which makes them pretty to look at and shows off the herbs within. And I appreciate the eco-friendly packaging.

My order from Dr. Flowers also included small heart shaped soaps, that look nice in the bathroom. And they are very appropriate to have this time of year with Valentine’s Day coming up.

Christine Eclavea Mercer

Where other people see worn out shirts and grandma's sheets, Christine sees little girls pajamas and a new purse lining.  Read all about it at Christine Sews and follow her on Twitter.

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Gorgeous eye shadow colors, plus they have other kinds of cosmetics as well.

(And while I enjoyed making the above photo collage, now that it’s finished it is kind of freaking me out — so many eyeballs!)

By Orglamix.

Erika Jurney

Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade.

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