Wednesday 27 April 2011

New Soap Batches for The House and Garden Show

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Here are the latest additions to my range for the "House and Garden Show".  I must tell you how exciting and expansive this journey is for me.  I've been challenging myself in the creation of each batch whether it be with the scent I am using and blending or with the techniques I am using.  Of course, as everything in life, practice makes perfect and let me tell you, I have come a long way and I've got a long way to go.  Creating soap is much like creating a painting except that soap has more senses to satisfy as it has to appeal visually, feel good when touched and smell glorious all at the same time.  Then, of course, it has to deliver in the shower.  The Body Bar carefully balances the vegetable used in the soap to deliver rich, creamy and abundant lather whilst making sure the soap moisturises and assists your skin in retaining that much needed moisture.  

Here are the pictures of the last 13 batches I have made for the show:

Here is the official "The Body Bar Berry Nougat bar".  Scented with our fruity dewberry fragrance, this soap is fresh and sensual.  It delivers a rich lather and gently moisturises your skin.
Scented with our Lavender fragrance, this soap is fresh and  glorious.  It will moisturise your skin and leave your bathroom smelling fresh and clean.  Perfect for a relaxing evening shower.
This is our sweet sensual Jasmine soap.  Scented of course with our sweet  Jasmine fragrance, this soap is very gentle and feminine.  It will wrap your senses and keep your skin conditioned.
Time for some tropical kisses! This is our warm coconut fragranced soap that will ensure you keep that glowing summer smile on your face.  Rich and creamy, this soap will moisturise and nourish your skin. 
This is The Body Bar's Chamomile dream soap before cutting 
This is our Chamomile dream soap designed to gently cleanse and condition the skin.  Made with milk, this soap's enchanting scent is lush, feminine and feels like gentle petal kisses. 
This is our Apple Crumble soap log in the mould.
This is The Body Bar's Apple Crumble soap scented with apple, Cinnamon and vanilla.  This decadent soap is rich and creamy.  Also made with milk, this soap is very moisturising and conditioning for the skin.  Perfect for romantic evenings as this is seriously yummy!!!
The Body Bar's Caramel Bar One soap log.
This is our Bar One fragranced soap made with milk as well.  This soap is seriously rich and decadent.  The sweet scent is enough to satisfy any sweet craving whilst its rich texture ensures that your skin remains soft and conditioned.
This is The Body Bar's new face soap.  Made with Sweet almond oil, shea butter, milk and Rhassoul Clay, this soap will gentle cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise your skin for that peachy look!!!
This is our Gourmet "Chocolate and Chilli" soap.  Its sweet and sharp fragrance is unique and comforting.  Coloured with Cocoa Powder, this soap is packed full of antioxidants, which will nurture your skin and assist you in keeping it healthy this winter.
Ginger and Lime Cheese cake!!! Now this is yummy...  This sensual and fresh soap is rich and creamy.  Its scent is dynamic and revitalising whilst its lather will ensure the well being of your skin by leaving it moisturised and conditioned.
My nose's favourite!!!  Now this is a serious soap, made with milk and honey, this soap is by far the most moisturising.  Scented with our sweet vanilla, this soap is comforting and enchanting.  It is one of my personal favourites and I always have space in my shower for it.  By now, I should actually have an entire room to put all the soaps I have in my shower already but this one makes it in every time.  I love that its so rich and the blend of milk and honey keep my skin soft and bouncy.
This is "The Body Bar's" Cinnamon and Orange soap dedicated to the memory of my beloved friend Mandie.  It was her absolute favourite soap.  Every time she came to my house, she had to hold this up to her nose and say: "This is too good for words" and this has stuck with me.  The last of my cinnamon and orange soap left yesterday and I had to make more to keep her flame burning here. 
Last but not least, here is The Body Bar's Neroli soap.  This beautiful floral scent kisses my nostrils and send me to heaven.  I think I should stop thinking that I am not a floral person.  Neroli has a sensual note of sweet orange and wraps my entire home with its enchanting fragrance.  I made this batch yesterday and I can still smell it lingering in my passage.  I have to say that this soap is very moisturising and conditioning for the skin as well as leaves it soft and peachy.

 Well, well, well, that is all for today.  I will be making many more soaps in the coming week and I will share them with you soon.  I hope to see you at the House and Garden Show so you can experience the absolute magic I am.  
Have a fantastic day
ox Sarah xo










Tuesday 26 April 2011

May Special !!!

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Today's post is all about our May special.  As we all know, Mother's day is coming and The Body Bar values mothers.  
If if were not for my mother, first, I would not be here, then I would have never engaged the art of making natural cosmetics.  Because of her love of all things made with pleasure, beauty and dignity, my mother has passed onto me her passion for soap making and in doing that has allowed me to pursue this passion and express my creativity through this art.  She is such a passionate woman with magic at her fingertips that I have to honor and value the wonderful work she has done as a mother, friend and woman.

In that light, The Body Bar has decided to celebrates mother's day for the entire month of May.  We want to celebrate motherhood, daughter-hood and friendship through natural cosmetic making.  So much love and fun goes into the process and I think it is worth sharing this with someone you cherish.
The Body Bar encourages everyone to share the art of making natural cosmetics with someone as it is in sharing that I have gained the most insight and support.  To facilitate that, The Body Bar is offering the workshop series special.  Bring along someone you cherish with you for the workshop series at the reduced cost of R 975 per person.  Click here for more information on the workshop series and the scheduled dates and time for the month of May.

Before ending this post, I would like to invite you to visit In'Fusion Vintage Soaps (my mother's Facebook page on her soap making adventures).  

My mom and I 
It is with great sadness that we pursue our passions in separate countries but with skype it feels like we work together.

Thank you for visiting The Body Bar Blog today
Don't forget to pop by soon as I will be posting some of my new soap batches for the "House and Garden show"
Have a wonderful afternoon
ox Sarah xo

Saturday 23 April 2011

The "House and Garden Show" preparation

Good Morning Everyone,

Now, all I’ve wanted to share with you are the batches of soap I am preparing for a special event.  The “House and Garden show”.  Yes, yes, yes, I am attending the show this year.  Not as a visitor but with a “The Body Bar” stand.  How exciting is that???  I’ve been wanting to exhibit at that show for 2 years now and I received an invitation 3 weeks ago.  This is when I know it is time to give my all and more.  For 2 weeks now, I’ve been carefully planning my soap batches and conceptualizing my stand.  The concept is my little secret so far and will remain so until you see me there.  Surprise! Surprise…  The soap batches however, I will give you a little sneak peek to wet your appetite (literally). 

The soap logs I've made so far all together
This is a soap slab scented with Lemongrass essential oil
This is my delicious "Chai Latte" soap log top. 
This is the "Chai Latte" Soap inside.  Scented with a blend of spices, vanilla and orange, this soap is divine.  The perfect unisex soap made with Rhassoul Clay and Cocoa Powder.
This soap is scented with Rose and contains Pink Clay.  This mild soap leaves a light rosy fragrance in the air and cleanses deeply. 
Now, this soap is a hit in my books.  Made with Goat's milk, figs and dates, it is very nourishing and moisturising for the skin.  Scented with "Dates and Exotic woods." The smell alone makes me want to stick the soap to my nose.
Scented with our "Sea Breeze" fragrance, this soap will wake you up in the winter.  Made with sea weed for a mild exfoliation, this soap will keep your skin soft and clear this winter.
This is "The Body Bar's" men's best friend.  This herbal soap with added green tea is manly, smells clean and will leaves the skin moisturised in these winter months.
Now, this soap is the ultimate if you battle to wake up in winter.  Made using Peppermint essential oil, it will seriously shake you into a bright new day.  
This is our gentle "Cucumber and Aloe" scented soap.  Made with Green Clay and linseeds for a cleansing, detoxifying and mildly exfoliating shower/bath.  This soap is also one of my favourites.  The scent is so clean and sweet at the same time.  It is so refreshing in summer and yet so comforting in winter.
How about a Berry Burst for a dull winter morning.  This Berry scented soap will sweeten your morning.  The sensual berry fragrance will enchant your senses and the rich soap will moisturise your skin.
Now this soap is seriously moisturising.  Made with Apricots and Cocoa Powder, our "Peach Millionaire" will gentle exfoliate your skin and give you the peachy glow.
Yum Yum Yum, this "Chocolate and Vanilla" scented soap is it!!!  Made with Cocoa powder for a rich chocolate scent, this soap is decadent and luxurious.  Perfect to satisfy those sweet cravings!
This soap is our absolute best for dry skin.  With Cocoa butter it will nourish and moisturise your skin.  With Rooibos tea, it will also gently exfoliate your skin.  Scented with Rooibos, a burst of Mandarine and a touch of soothing Chamomile, this soap is rich and comforting.

Here are some of my latest batches.  They are still in their moulds but so worth looking at.  I just want to put my teeth into them.  You must know, I've been on this diet for 2 1/2 months now and trust me, anything that looks like pudding makes me want to dive into it.

This is my Warm Coconut Soap with glitter sprinkled on top.  The scent is so wonderful.  Like the cucumber and aloe, it is so refreshing in summer and so comforting in winter.  This is the top of the log
Some perspective on the Warm Coconut log.  This is a layered soap with a thin layer of dark brown soap as a base.
This is "The Body Bar's" sweet Jasmine soap.  There is a white and cream swirl inside and the scent is just gorgeous.  Jasmine is one of the only floral scents I personally really enjoy.  I am not a floral person when it comes to body care but the sweetness of this Jasmine breaks the sharp floral note that most flowers have.
Time for a bit of Lavender.  This soap is also made with a swirl on the inside.  I chose white, black and lavender purple to create the swirl and of course, I sprinkled some beautiful Lavender flowers over the log. 
This is "The Body Bar's" Berry Nougat Bar.  Scented with Dewberry, this soap smells glorious.  Of course the colours fit perfectly with my logo, so it has to be "The Body Bar's" signature soap.  Made with soybean oil as well, this soap is very gentle and conditioning for the skin.

Well, well, well!  This was a sneak peek into my special "House and Garden Show" range.  I hope to see you there (24th of June- 3rd of July)
Thank you for visiting The Body Bar blog today
Happy Easter and enjoy the celebration
See you soon for more on The house and Garden Show range and our May specials
ox Sarah xo

Thursday 21 April 2011

This week's Workshop Series...

Good Morning everyone!

Time flies!!!  I am so missing writing the blog everyday but life gets busy and a week is gone before I know it.  I have so much to say, I do not know where to start.  

First things first.  Congratulations to Amina from Cape Town.  She is our lucky Easter egg hunt winner.  She will be receiving her Easter basket full of Caramel and Vanilla scented decadent Easter products shortly.  I hope she loves her fantastic products!!! 
Remember to look out for our Mother’s Day promotion coming soon so you don’t miss out on The Body Bar’s May specials.

Right; this week I hosted another Workshop series and our young lady was fantastic.  As last week, we made Soaps, Body Scrubs, Bath Bombs and Bath Salts, Deodorants and Body Creams.  Now, you need to know that the manual contains the basic formulas of each product but the conception in terms of scent, colour and general appearance is the choice of our young lady.  I like to give my participants the freedom to choose the overall look of their products because it is their participation into the final outcome.  It also initiates a new perspective and opens endless possibilities for them.  Here are the pictures of our young lady's wonderful process:

This is our Young Lady stirring the soap mixture 

Introducing the stick blender for a shorter process
Our indication that the soap is ready to be scented and poured in the mold
Pouring with confidence never fails
The soap is now moulded for 24 hours.
The final soap bars scented with Warm Coconut.  She added some poppy seeds for the bar to deliver a gentle exfoliation.
This is our Chocolate and Vanilla Scented Body Scrub.
This is our Sweet Berry scented Bath Butter Bomb.  It also contains some glitter (which you can't see on the screen) and Chamomile Flowers for decoration.
The final layered Cucumber and Aloe scented Bath Salts
Sweet Berry scented Deodorant Block
This is our Body Cream before packaging
The final Sweet Berry scented Body Cream
What a glorious week.  It was awesome to experience another wonderful lady’s creativity and inquisitiveness into the art of making natural cosmetics.  Thank you so much for your attention and willingness to explore the limitless possibilities of Natural cosmetics.  

Thrilled with her products and new acquired knowledge, our young lady is now equipped and excited to engage this journey on her own.

Useless to say that through this creative process, I also learn whilst I teach and as my mom said to me one day: "There is something new to learn everyday".  I believe her...  In fact there is more than something new to learn, there's loads to learn and that's what makes everyday unique, endlessly inspiring and humbling.

Thank you for visiting The Body Bar today
Have a Delightful day
ox Sarah xo