Inside Story!!!

Good Morning,

I want to share with you some new Cupcakes I made this week...  I've been wanting to add some more colour and shape to these body delicacies...  I am not a chef on the best of days so this whole piping bag, nozzles and decorations thing is new to me (You should have seen me the first time trying to get the first cupcake topping in place, hilarious!!!)  

In any case, I now balance the bag, pressure and movement to a T and of course, when that happens, it is time to deepen and experiment.  With the star nozzle, it is easy to manage as it will always look good-ish but I wanted the round nozzle, which leaves little room for error.  It is smooth and shows all the bits and pieces.  So , I bought a round nozzle (took me ages to choose, I wasn't too sure which size was adequate for the cupcakes.)  I also bought cute little flowers and shimmering balls to match the concepts I had in mind.

Of course, then the nozzle has to match the story of the cupcake, a star nozzle works wonders with florals (in my mind, that is) and the round nozzle matches sweet, decadent fragrances...  I just can't conceive in my head a delicate Neroli fragrance using the round nozzle...  To cut a long story short, I decided to do Neroli Cupcakes with a star nozzle, glitter, cute little orange flowers and a couple of shimmering balls and Apricot Biscotti Cupcakes with a round nozzle, glitter and shimmering balls.  The round nozzle turned out soooooooooooo gorgeous, I kept some without the balls.  Here they are:

 I really wonder if everyone meets the same dilemmas in the design process.  

I just love to look at a well conceived and executed idea.  It makes so much more sense when all the elements match.

These Cupcakes are a little jump into the coming spring (I can't wait for the warmth to come back.)  Lovely scents and looks to lighten up the mood and delicious shea butter and cocoa butter to pamper the skin (which will soon show itself-summer is a couple of months away.)  

Have a wonderful week end

ox Sarah xo

More Deliciousness!!!

Good Morning,

Gosh, it's been soooooooooo long.  Keeping up with the blog is becoming a luxury and I miss it soooooo much. So much is happening so fast, I don't even have time to take pictures and spill my heart out.  

In any case, I am not giving up and here is my latest batch of delicious fizzy cupcakes.  

I designed a new formula using Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter in the cream.  Deeply moisturising and nourishing for the skin, these cupcakes will cleanse, detox and feed the skin to keep it soft, smooth and healthy.  Scented with our precious Apricot and Buttermilk with a hint of tangy Cranberry, these are decadently yummy.  I also enhanced the packaging to facilitate their travel ability.  Little polka dot space ships for the gourmet cupcakes and they are ready to fly !!!

I have to say, these little bombs are phenomenal.  I use them in my bath and I use them as foot soaks and they work wonders.  The base of the cupcake is cleansing and detoxing as well as packed full of antioxidants and a delicious scent that will enchant your senses whilst the topping is deeply moisturising and nourishing.  All in all, this preciously cute cupcake delivers an intensely delicious bath without all the excess calories...   

Moisturised, nourished and soft, my skin is embrassing this vicious winter with ease and comfort.  I cannot ask for more...

Thank you for visiting today

See you soon with more delicious goodies

ox Sarah xo 

Cupcakes, Anyone???

Hi Everyone,

I have to share this new addition with you.  

Who does not love a cupcake???  I mean, they are cute, precious and are used as artistic media.  I love them deeply and I've always wanted to make some.  You have to know that I am no cook.  I burn, over salt and the only thing you can expect when I cook is chaos, so I am not going to bake cupcakes.  Soap cupcakes?  Such a novel idea but a bit impractical, I find.  They are shaped to be short lasting and savoured and soap lasts long and melts slowly.  What was once a delightful cupcake is now a distorted soap, NOT!!!!  So I decided to create a bath DUO in the shape of a cupcake.  

We all know that fizzy bath butter bombs are fun and pamper the skin by detoxing, cleansing and moisturising it. So why not a cupcake detox???  Sounds good to me... So I created the base of my cupcakes using my fizzy bath butter bombs formula and yes, the cupcake fizzes, Yum!!!  Then the icing (the most important part of the cupcake if you want my opinion.)  The cupcake is built to carry the icing around, one can't just eat the icing. 

So the icing is the perfect bath melt.  A bath melt is a product designed to add extra moisture in a bath.  It does so by mixing with the water and creating a gentle milk that in turn, moisturises the skin and leaves it feeling soft, smooth and silky.  The 2 products together are the ultimate winter pamper for the skin as they will detox the skin and replenish its natural moisture.  

Of course I had to add some glitter to it as well as some sugar flowers and beads to make them irresistible.  

Scented with our rich, creamy, sweet and exotic Vanilla, these cupcakes are decadently deliciously fabulous.  Here they are:

These will be launched at the House and Garden Show next week.  I am planning to do some more cupcakes for the show to add some variety to the range.  I am not yet sure what I will make, maybe chocolate praline, red berry nougat, strawberry, will see...  What is your favourite cupcake??  Please let me know so I can create some mouth watering favourites...

ox Sarah xo

Community Project Gift Range

 Good Morning Everyone,

Here are some more pictures of the community project's corporate gift range.  The first two pictures show the Soap Sandwich put together by Antoinette.  I made the soaps for these and Antoinette designed the sandwiches using the soap.  The next two pictures show some "Soap on a Stick" Kebabs also put together by Antoinette.  The next two pictures are the "Cocktail Fizzy Bombs" in their shot glasses with a cocktail umbrella and a little fluffy ball.  The Green one is a Marguerita-lemon and Vanilla Bomb, the Orange one is a Pina Colada-Pineapple and Coconut bomb and the pink one is a Strawberry Daiquiri-Strawberry and Vanilla Bomb.  This range is for women and we decided to match it with some "Shooter Bombs" for men, which leads us to the next two pictures.  We have a Springbok Shooter Bomb scented with Peppermint and Vanilla, a Aftershock Shooter Bomb scented with Cinnamon and a Coffee Liquor Shooter Bomb, originally known as the Blow Job but for our range, we stick to Coffee Liquor scented with Coffee and Vanilla.  Finally, the last two pictures:  A scrumptious Apple Cake, Yum!!!

All these fantastic soaps are handmade and natural.  

Of course, I am not the one selling these precious goodies as it is an exclusive range for the project, so for any inquiries, Antoinette is the lady in charge.  Here are her details:

Cell: +27 72 879 2325

Landline: +27 31 262 7014

Fax: +27 86 514 1588

Email: naturesant@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting today

The Body Bar has some gorgeous new soaps for the House and Garden Show to present tomorrow, so make sure to come back tomorrow

Have a fantastic day

ox Sarah xo

Fizzy Bath Bombs Range

Hi Everyone, 

Yesterday was one of these days where excitement met inspiration.  I was designing my range of bath bombs and I wanted to create some new looks to match all the body scrubs.  I love matching sets of products as the scent is reinforced and when I love one thing, I LOOOOOOVE it and I want more of it (this happens with Pisces in general, lol :)  I also discovered a new trick with these Fizzies.  Since Durban is very humid and Bath Bombs Fizz in humidity, it has been challenging to make them and keep them fresh until yesterday...  For some unknown reason, I decided to try doing them with some Coconut Oil, and "Wow" it foams 10 times more and it somehow doesn't absorb the humidity like other oils.  Result, I have Bath Bombs that are perfect (even after being outside for an entire day).  

In any case here are the glorious freshly made Fizzies:

 As you may have seen, I've been playing around with my camera as I seriously needed some skills to present decent pictures that best express the essence of each product.  My camera had hidden secrets it chose to hide from me for a while and with the help of my partner (a photography expert), I am learning the camera language!!!  Hopefully you can see that...

ox Sarah xo

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

Bath Bombs and Bath Salts making

Good Morning Everyone,

Last night was The body Bar's Bath Bombs and Bath Salts workshop.  The first session was all about information.  I explained the ins and outs of bath products, their content and their purpose.  I believe that it is not a coincidence that people tend to gravitate around the ocean.  Most people plan their holidays around the ocean and the beach seriously have an appeal that draws people to it.  Recreating the salt water in our baths has been used for many therapies as the minerals in the water are essential for the overall health of our skin.  Bath products may seem unnecessary to the rushed and a must for the body conscious.  Essentially bath products are designed to relax the muscles, sedate the nervous system, reduce muscle pain, detox and purify the skin and replenish our bodies with much needed minerals and nutrients.  

The first products we made were bath butter bombs.  These fantastic bombs are designed to fizz in the bath and release their goodness in the water in which you soak, soak and soak. We added some Shea and Cocoa butters to the bombs for their nourishing and moisturising properties.

Here are the pictures from last night's bath butter bombs making:

Our lovely ladies weighing the ingredients for the bath butter bombs

Weighing the butters for the bombs

After mixing all the ingredients together, we need to pack the mixture into shape.  It looks a lot easier than it actually is.

Still packing the mixture into moulds

Time to remove some of them from the mould

Packing and unpacking the bombs

The final butter bombs scented with a sweet and spicy ambiance fragrance.

Then, we made the bath salts and here are the pictures:

Our lovely lady evenly mixing the dry ingredients together

Adding the additives

Adding the Cucumber and Aloe scent

Mixing all the ingredients into a uniform, even mixture

We separated the mixture and coloured them individually to layer the salts in the container.

Our ladies layering their bath salts into their containers

The final product scented with cucumber and aloe

Now remember, all these products are handmade with love for the very first time by our fantastic ladies and I think they are doing an amazing job.  It is so  exciting to share this with them and see the value they are getting from it.  Just through their sharing, I see that they are inspired and already creating their next formulas in their heads.  They can already see how they and their loved ones can benefit from the products.  We are having loads of fun and sharing loads of laughter which makes me know that they are loving it and enjoying these newly learnt skills.

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Come back tomorrow for our deodorant and cream making update

Have a wonder full day

ox Sarah xo