A Revolution? Let’s Soap So…

Lightly soothing, softening up under gentle pressure, bubbling brightly at just the right moments… To stop and think of it, in times of stress a well-made soap is a lot like a well-rounded friend. Even smaller wonder that artisans such as Janell of Dancing Mooney, whose shop features soap injected with pure personality, are especially loved. With signature items such as the olive oil-based Green Tea and Lavender soap, its stirring fragrance locked into a series of layers as verdant and dark as the bed of a Scottish loch, its dressing of tea leaves as fine as a sprinkling of rare pipe tobacco, the store scores high marks in mystery and suggestion.

In the category of sweet’n’salutary, however, Dancing Mooney is no slouch either, with items such as the Vanilla Mint and Oatmeal soap encapsulating the very idea of class in a glaze-white confection comforting as honey porridge and spry as a young mint leaf plucked fresh from the garden. Bold as Bay Rum, inspiring as Ginger Peach, coastal-clean as Ocean Air, the myriad varieties of soap offered in this store stir the senses and light up the eyes, reminding us that even the oldest and most basic of bath items can be transformed into a work of art when placed in the right hands. And speaking of hands, you’ll be able to get yours on this irresistible product sooner than you think, should you be lucky enough to win this great giveaway. Dancing Mooney is sharing with you, our lovely readers, a bar of Green Tea and Lavender Soap to call your own. To enter, visit DancingMooney.etsy.com, then come back here to tell us about your favorite item in Janell's shop. Tell us in an additional post if you subscribe to Wishing Willow, follow us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, and "tweet" about the giveaway. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. Contest ends 2/26/09. We have a winner. Congrats Leane!

The Essence of Escape

A modern log cabin perched in the cleft of a snow-drizzled mountain. A coastal hideaway whose backdoors open to a gloriously unobscured view of the sea. A cottage in the pristine countryside. The dreams that propel our labors almost always center on a place, far from the scenery of our everyday lives, that tantalizes us with its possibilities. We may or may not succeed in fulfilling every dream, but in the meantime we can count on the power of artisans such as Chris of Red Leaf Bath and Body Products to transport us to exotic locales daily through the gateway of our senses. Drawing on an assortment of natural ingredients including many found in the average kitchen, Red Leaf specializes in compact, concentrated products offered in many different varieties, each of which bears its own soothing or salutary essence.

For the traveling man, for example, a rich-lathering Shaving Cube scented with Black Tea or perhaps Basil Lime might serve as a welcome alternative to the harsh motel wakeup call. For the woman who loves to simmer away her worries, a gift of Bubble Bath Dough infused with Lavender or Oatmeal, Milk and Honey may be just what the aromatherapist ordered. The discerning customer will notice instantly the uniqueness of Red Leaf’s offerings: A Very Concentrated Room Spray, a bar that lathers into shampoo, an all-day moisturizer that is sprayed on for superior coverage. Furthermore, one of the most useful aspects of this particular shop is its well-articulated product descriptions, leaving little question that just about anything sold here will be at worst refreshingly unconventional, and at best a revelation. As a clincher, Red Leaf is even offering a freebie to get your stock started: The winner of today's giveaway will receive their choice of Red Leaf's Award Winning Men's or Women's Soap and Shave Cube with a Chrome Stand in your choice of scents. To qualify, visit Red Leaf, then come back here to tell us about your favorite product and scent. Tell us in a second post if you happen to subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 12/18/08.

**We have a winner! Jennielee who said, "My favorite product is the long lasting linen spray and my favorite scent is the English Coast."**

A Fragrant New Frontier

We’ve come a long way since Marco Polo. Today, with the same flourish that the proud Italian must surely have employed in showing off his “exotic” Eastern wares to an audience unaccustomed to cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and anise seed, not to mention noodles, our modern bath alchemists manipulate ever-bolder blends of flavors in their quest to create an original, irresistible body-pampering product. Some, such as uber-spice girl Dana Eskes of Moon Maiden Soap & Sundries, have plunged further along the bath merchant’s trade routes than others, as evidenced by her serendipitous discovery that goat’s milk soap works quite wonderfully in off-the-map flavors such as Turkish Mocha and Basmati Rice, lip butters with the essence of Gingersnap and Almond Biscotti, and body lotions in Kumquat and Coconut Lime Verbena varieties.

For all her adventurous offerings, however, it would be unfair to say she strays too far from the homegrown goodness of breadbasket America. Anyone who uses free-range goat’s milk fresh from her neighbor’s farm, and remembers to pay tribute to our collective Main Street memories with childhood flavors like Dreamsicle and Gooey Caramel, clearly hasn’t forgotten her roots. Shucks, there’s even a Candy Corn-scented candle in the mix. In summary, then, the Moon Maiden avatar is two parts aromatherapist, one part alchemist/adventurer, and 100% agreeable. And speaking of agreement, I’m certain we can all concur that those things which are free smell sweetest, which makes the following announcement all the more exciting: one lucky winner of today’s giveaway will be receiving a sample box of goodies which includes: one 4-ounce jar of the Vanilla Sugar Satin & Silk Body Cream (incidentally, one of the most luxurious substance we've come across) ; four 1-ounce bars of Goats Milk Soap in any scent; one 2-ounce bottle Shea Body Lotion in any scent; and one tube of Lip Butter in any flavor. To qualify, visit www.moonmaidensoap.etsy.com, then come back here to tell us about your favorite product. Tell us in a second post if you happen to subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 11/20/08.

**We have a winner! Starshine3 who said, "I would like to try the Dragonsblood Goats Milk Soap. Thanks for the great giveaway!"

You Dropped a Balm On Me

The mechanism that made Pavlov’s dog drool at the ringing of a bell and all of us salivate at the smell of fresh-baked pumpkin pie is proof positive that the five senses are inextricably linked. Small wonder, then, that a moisturizing cream instilled with the essences of universally-loved flavors such as Birthday Cake and Black Cherry would create such a scintillating fusion of sensory experiences that the proprietor would have to put a warning label (Do Not Eat) on the container. To sample a Bunny Butt Apothecary product, like listening to opera by candlelight or sharing dinner on the beach, is to create a moment of escape from the realities of life that leave us wearied and worried. The whipped creams, distinguished by clever titles like Currant Obsession and Sucre Bleu, are among the most unique creations in the shop, but with offbeat hits like Apples and Twigs Shaving Bar Soap, Honeymoon Mineral Lip Tint, and Aromatastic Perfume Oils in the catalog, Michael Buble’s ballads would be censored for their edginess before Bunny Butt would ever be accused of producing anything remotely commercialized.

Compelling as all these offerings are, however, it’s probably Bunny Butt’s Lip Balms that steal the show. Beginning with relatively traditional flavors including Fresh Mint and Clover Honey, the pyramid rises toward more and more unconventional flavors such as Chocolate Truffle and Pomegranate, with fare as exotic as Mojito and Lychee (it’s apparently a fruity flavor of Asian origin) at the top. As many of you ladies know, these balms aren’t just for cooling the burn of a bad chap, but are also wonderfully useful for causing a good chap to remember the mysterious taste of your lips. But whatever your use for such an item might be, you’ll be glad to know that Bunny Butt is giving one Smoochy Bun Gift Set, which is a choice of any three lip balms in an imprinted muslin pouch, to the winner of today’s giveaway. To qualify, visit Bunny Butt Apothecary, then come back here to tell us about your favorite product. Tell us in a second post if you happen to subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 11/11/08.

**We have a winner! Congrats to Jenifer who said, "The Mojito and Lychee Lip Balm sounds delicious!!**

Rubbing Out The Blues

There are few balms as therapeutic to the spirit as the scents that grow wild on a spring day. Clover and chamomile; lilacs, honeysuckle, jasmine and hyacinth; the litany of living fragrances climbs off the tongue like wandering wisteria. We know, instinctively, that the mood-enhancing power of a plant’s essential oils is best received through the portal of smell, but scent enthusiasts like Kelly Barlow, owner of Moody Girl Aromatherapy, understand that touch can play a vital role in the therapy process as well. Let’s face it, we’ve moved beyond the age of stress-relieving squeezable hackysack bags. Moody Girl is grown-up stuff: From Lemon Verbena to the bueno Mojito-Lime Spearmint (my favorite), these products create a sensory effect no less wondrous than the first time you placed a seashell to your ear as a child and swore you heard waves crashing.

When poet Luci Shaw describes the bouquet of her favorite neighborhood tree, she notes foremost its invigorating properties: Just now the buoyant scent of eucalyptus oil/ begins to lift the air to life/ and stings into my nose the need/ to breathe its healing in. Well, we’ve hand-tested these products, and can vouch for their splash effect. And lucky you, Kelly is also offering you the chance to test her original creations for yourself. The winner of this giveaway will receive the choice of any one Sugar Scrub, as well as any one Bath Taffy offered at Moody Girl. To enter, visit Moody Girl Aromatherapy, then come back here to tell us about your favorite product and scent offered. Wishing Willow subscribers receive a second entry, so remember to let us know in a second post that you subscribe. (If you don't have a Google account, just click “anonymous” to leave a post.) Contest ends 10/15/08. Good luck!

**We have a winner! Imanoptimisticbeauty who said "Oh my! My choice would be BATH TAFFY-Solid Bubble Bath-- Lavender Mint... what a great combination of scents!"***

For those who didn't win - Not to worry! Enjoy 10% off the product price from Moody Girl Aromatherapy. Be sure to mention Wishing Willow to get your discount. Discount expires 12/31.