by MissMalaprop on December 1, 2008
I recently got to try out some awesome lip balm samples from Anti-Body (that’s short for “anti-poverty, beautiful body”). They sent me their peppermint lip balm, which I’m always a sucker for. It’s no wonder why this balm is one of their best-sellers. It’s full of nothing but ingredients you actually know and can pronounce, including fair trade shea butter and fair trade coconut oil.
I’d been hooked on the C.G. Bigelow mentha lip balm before, but upon second glance, there’s a lot of ingredients in that balm with long, chemical sounding names that I’m not really sure what they are. And though the Anti-Body balm doesn’t have quite the tingly pepperminty kick of the C.G. Bigelow balm, I’ve found it’s left my lips feeling a lot softer for a lot longer.
I made my boyfriend try out the chocolate hazelnut balm from their Nutcracker Sweet set, and I’ve gotta admit that when I kissed it off of him, it was pretty tasty stuff. My friend Gwen from Sigh Co. Graphics tested the sugar plum flavor for me and she really enjoyed it as well.
Every Anti-Body product features one or more fair trade ingredients, and as more fair trade ingredients come onto the market, their goal is manufacture 100% fair trade body care products. All of their products currently feature recyclable packaging (with most of it being made from recycled materials), they are free from parabens and are never tested on animals.
While you’re busy scoring all those Cyber Monday shopping deals, check out Anti-Body’s online store and use the coupon code MissMalaprop for 10% off your total order, good now through December 31st, 2008.
by MissMalaprop on June 30, 2008
Jessica of La Patisserie Jolie Bath Products contacted me recently and offered to send me some samples of her products to try out. When I received them in the mail, I could smell their delicious goodness before I even opened the package.
Patisserie Jolie began several months ago when Jessica decided to combine her love of baking with her love of bath products. This is a lady with a sweet tooth, so she knew she wanted to focus on sweet, dessert themed soaps. All of her products are vegan and are not tested in animals, and every single one of them looks good enough to eat! I’ve got to admit, just looking at her Etsy shop reminds me of my sister, who is a pastry chef.
I got to sniff and try out the yummy goodness of the oh-so-pretty Chocolate Serendipity Wedding Cake soap, Grapefruit Dreamsicle soap, Creme de cassis soap, and Cherimoya Sorbet soap (this last one was my personal fave out of the bunch). If you love sweet treats and dessert like scents, these are the perfect bath goodies for you!
by MissMalaprop on March 28, 2008
Ever since reading Living Green, I’ve been much more focused on trying to eliminate harmful chemicals from my life, especially in the area of makeup and body products. As the author pointed out, skin is the body’s largest organ, and why put something on your skin that you wouldn’t want to eat or can’t pronounce?
With so many indie bath & body companies out there, on Etsy and the rest of the web, it’s fairly straightforward to find soaps and lotions that are all natural and don’t include harmful chemicals. Some things are a little trickier… makeup for instance. 
There are some fab mineral makeup people on Etsy that I really want to try - I’ve been keeping an eye on both Mixology Makeup and Coffin Color for eyeshadow. The thing that’s really been bugging me lately is mascara. I haven’t exactly seen an indie solution to that one yet. Ideal Bite has a tip dedicated to non-toxic mascaras, but I also just discovered this other great site through one of their recent tips: Skin Deep, the cosmetic safety database.
This incredible site was launched in 2004 and gives easy to navigate safety ratings for almost a quarter of the beauty & body products on the market — over 27,000 products with over 7,000 ingredients. I recently switched to Crystal deodorant, shortly after finishing reading Living Green. I just compared my old antiperspirant-deodorant, Dove, with the new deodorant on the Skin Deep list. On a safety rating scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest hazard, Dove has a rating of 6 and my new Crystal deodorant has a 0 rating. Considering that many antiperspirant-deodorants have been linked with breast cancer, I’m really glad I decided to make this switch. I’ve been really happy so far too. Granted, the real test will be the sweltering summer months, but so far, so good.
Update - [January 4, 2009] - I’ve now been using the Crystal deodorant for about nine months now and I really like it. And it lasts FOREVER. It seems like hardly any is gone from the stick. Yes, it’s not an antipersperant, so if that’s what you’re after this isn’t your solution. But antipersperants aren’t exactly good for you anyway. I love this stuff.
by MissMalaprop on February 14, 2008
Valentine’s Day is all about the love, right? This afternoon on my way home after work I was walking through the French Quarter and thinking about all of the things I love about this city. (Even though this weekend the Quarter is going to be crazy with the NBA All-Star game and festivities in town.)
Well, just as my love for this city runs deep, I also have a soft spot for one of the most prominent symbols associated with this town: the fleur de lis. So of course I love these fleur de lis soaps by 4th Ave. Soap Co.
Not only are they great looking, not only do they come in some fabulous fragrances (such as raspberry vanilla, red currant and thyme tea, rosemary mint, pink sugar, honeysuckle, sandalwood, and magnolia blossom), but they’re also only $5!
Even if you’re not the sucker for all things fleur de lis that I am, there’s plenty of other great stuff here as well, including aftershaves and face creams, lip balm, foot scrubs and lotions. All handmade and all very affordable. Get it at the 4th Ave. Soap Co. shop.
by MissMalaprop on December 2, 2007
Things have been crazy busy around here lately, so please pardon my infrequent posting. I promise I’m trying to simplify some things in my life and am working hard to get back to a more regular schedule. Things are crazy for most people during this time of year, I know. On that note, I just got a bit of my holiday shopping done at Lollibomb Beauty.
I met Luca from Lollibomb at Stitch last month and I was so glad to finally have the chance to sniff her products in person. I’ve been wearing the two roll-on fragrances I picked up there constantly (I snagged Sugar Rush and Dragon’s Blood).
There are TONS of great gift ideas at Lollibomb including samplers & surprise boxes, monthly subscriptions, travel sets & gift certificates. Plus everything is really affordable, handmade, 100% vegan, and smells delicious! Luca even runs an awesome recycling program where you can send in your old Lollibomb containers in exchange for a free gift.
Check out her website or order your gifts via Lollibomb.etsy.com.
by MissMalaprop on September 27, 2007
If I had to pick a favorite holiday, Halloween would definitely be it. My favorite part has always been the costumes, but if you asked most kids they’d probably say they love Halloween for the candy. I’m guessing most parents would probably not agree.
Well, indie bath & body company Country Meadow has come up with a great alternative to passing out candy this Halloween. Their special Halloween edition soaps come in 1/2 oz. sizes, perfect for party favors or handing out to trick or treaters. Each package contains 25 mini soaps in a mix of their Fall Harvest scents, including Apple Spice, Autumn Winds and Pumpkin Spice, all wrapped in recyclable handmade paper and all bio-degradable. Dentists everywhere are sure to be pleased!
This seasonal product is available in limited quantities, so it’s best to get your order in early. Even if you miss out on these special edition soaps, there are plenty of handcrafted luxury soaps and gift sets available year round!
Country Meadow will also be donating a percentage of all sales to Green Halloween, which helps promote green, earth-friendly alternatives to candy handouts.
by MissMalaprop on July 19, 2007
I’ve been trying out some pretty fab bath & body products over the past few days, sent to me from Frost Fish Cove Soaps. My first thought when I opened the box and took a whiff of the Honey Almond soap? Good enough to eat! Seriously, it smells like candy…my mouth starts to water, and I have to remind myself that I can’t eat it!
Luckily though, there’s also something super yummy to put on my lips. The Coconut Lemongrass vegan lip balm smells absolutely delicious and works wonders. The lotion has been great as well.
I’ve got to say, I’m also really intrigued by some of their specialty products that I haven’t had the chance to try yet. There’s a range of all-natural DEET-free bug repellants, available in a spray, lotion, and a solid stick, plus an awesome sounding featherlight facial moisturizer.
All of their fabulous products are available in their online shop or through Etsy.
by MissMalaprop on May 2, 2007
The folks over at Manor Hall Soap Company are having a Mother’s Day Special. Place your order by Tuesday, May 8th at midnight and you’ll receive 15% off your order. Just use the coupon code “MOTHER” during checkout to receive this special discount.
Manor Hall is a long-time sponsor of MissMalaprop.com. They’re really great people and they’ve got an amazing selection of all natural, handmade soaps and beauty products, including moisturizers, shampoos & conditioners, foot & hand care products, and my personal favorite, the foaming facial cleanser (seriously, ever since they first sent me a bottle of this stuff to try, months ago, I haven’t wanted to use another daily facial cleanser).
Every month Manor Hall gives away a different freebie with every order. Through May, all orders will receive a free bar of Ooh La Lavender soap. There’s also an assortment of different monthly specials, as well as seasonal soap blends. I’ve used quite a bit of their products, so you can take my word that it’s good stuff.
by MissMalaprop on April 20, 2007
I first saw an ad for Medusa’s Makeup in Bust Magazine and was immediately intrigued. An independent makeup company that creates super fun and vibrant colors of eye dusts, eye shadows, glitters and body dusts? And they’re PETA certified to be cruelty free? It’s too good to be true!
Ever since I first visited their website, I’ve been lusting over the gorgeous shades of makeup available…and I hardly ever wear makeup! A true makeup fanatic must really be in heaven here. I love some of the color combos shown as examples on their “Eye Spy” fan photo gallery.
Now if only my favorite local makeup emporium, Fifi Mahony’s, would start carrying this stuff, I’d be golden!
by MissMalaprop on April 12, 2007
Gretchen from Filthy Farmgirl Soap recently sent me a few samples of her handmade herbal soaps to try out. The first thing I noticed when I received her package in the mail was the amazing scents of the soaps. Rowdy Rosemary caught my attention first, but Peppermint Patootie is the soap I really can’t stop sniffing (I’m a sucker for anything minty, and this one smells so good and clean).
I used the Coffee Vanilla Vixen this morning. This one has vanilla extract and real ground coffee inside, so the aroma is great for waking up and the coffee grounds also work well for exfoliating the skin. I brought the Creamy Coconut Cutie with me on my trip to Pittsburgh for Craft Congress and I fell in love with the scent and the creamy texture, which includes ground coconut and coconut extract for that extra bit of tropical inspiration.
All Filthy Farmgirl Soaps are handmade using 100% eco-friendly, natural products like high quality essential oils and herbs and spices…many of which are grown and harvested by Gretchen and company or sourced from their local organic farmers. Shipping is free for all U.S. customers and they’ll also include free samples of other soap scents with all orders over $10.
