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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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For my birthday I splurged and bought myself the Enivrosax Amazonia Bags from Bright and Bold . It took awhile before I got to use them, as I tended to forget to bring them, but once I did– they’re wonderful!

A friend and I managed to fit our cumulative groceries in to the five bags (a grocery carts worth!); they were comfortable to hold, easy to manage and carry. At first I was a bit disappointed the print was only on one side of the bag (the other side being a coordinating solid), but these bags are so much more bold and vibrant than pictured that I quickly became glad it was only on one side!

I looked over the seams, and they seem rather durable– one bag held three half gallons of milk and juice, along with a carton of half and half, and showed no signs of strain! That’s what I need in a grocery bag.

Miss Malaprop was recently kind enough to send me a great grab box as an early birthday tiding– in it contained facial products from our generous sponsor, Manor Hall Soap Company.

She sent several bars of delicious smelling soaps, the Lemon and Rosemary Cleansing Grains, and the Lemon and Chamomile Facial Steam Packets. While I haven’t gotten around to trying the soap, the cleansing grains are by far one of the best skin exfoliants I have ever tried! The grains are gentle, so they won’t tear up your skin; they smell delicious, and wash off leaving your face feeling delicate and silk soft. I’m looking forward to trying the Pore Deep Foaming Facial Cleanser(which comes in my favorite scent, Rose!).

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Since I’ve been talking about the gifts I gave this holiday season, perhaps I should mention the French Quarter’s own 160-year-old perfume company, Bourbon French Parfums. Just about every year my mom’s only request around holiday time is that I help her restock her supply of her favorite specially blended perfumes.

Her favorite scents? Voodoo Love and Anastasia. The latter, a soft sweet scent with hints of vanilla and musk, always brings back childhood memories and makes me feel safe…it’s the one smell I most associate with my mom.

If you’re ever in the French Quarter and feel the urge to find a new signature scent for yourself, make sure you stop by 805 Royal Street. In just an hour or so, the custom blend specialists there can whip you up your own unique custom fragrance, based on a body chemistry analysis, personality profile, and assessment of your likes and dislikes when it comes to the basic scents.

Fragrances here are available in just about any form you can imagine. There’s the standard parfums, colognes, and eau de toilette of course, as well as baby powder, after shave, bath gel, body lotion, bath salts and more. There are plenty of combination scent gift baskets to choose from as well.

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Below are some of my absolute favorite MissMalaprop.com features and finds from 2006. Everything featured here since I launched this blog in August has been amazing, of course, but these finds were just so amazing I had to experience them in person. Well, and one was so amazing I’m still upset that I didn’t jump on it before someone else did.

My major score for 2006 was the Garbo Coat from Trashy Diva. I’ve lusted after this coat ever since they started making them, and now that I’m working there I was able to snatch one up for myself this fall. (See me at right modelling my most fabulous of finds.)

Possibly the purchase I’ve gotten the most miles out of is my messenger bag from Construction for All. When I bought this bag via Etsy in early November, Jen quickly contacted me to let me know she’d made a mistake and accidentally sold the bag in question at a local market the day before. However, she ordered new fabric and offered to add any special features to the bag that I’d like. I had her throw in some pen slots, and even though this ended up being basically a custom order bag, it arrived at my door in no time! I use this bag every day, and I’m constantly getting compliments on it or telling people how obsessed I am with it. It’s the perfect size and has plenty of pockets to keep all of my stuff organized.

Fingerless mitts were a favorite find of mine this fall. After posting about the ship mitts from dainty & dirty and handknit mitts from jmacc on Etsy, I snatched up a pair of each for myself.

Another new favorite? Foaming handsoaps and facial cleansers from Manor Hall Soap Company. I just checked the site and it looks like they’re temporarily out of the foaming facial cleanser…probably because it’s so amazing that it sold out during the holiday rush. Seriously though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to drugstore facial cleanser after using this stuff.  *Edit: It’s back up!  They were just doing a quick site update.  You can find the wonderful foaming facial cleanser here.*

MissMischief sent two fab finds my way as holiday gifts. She knows how much I love the octopus, so she adopted an octopus for me through the World Wildlife Federation and she also gave me this octopus necklace from Villa Saruta.

And the MissMalaprop feature I’m so sad about not grabbing for myself before someone else did? The painting entitled “Freedom” from JMCdesigns. Oh well, I suppose that will just teach me not to procrastinate in 2007.

What were your favorite MissMalaprop.com finds from 2006?

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I’m worn out from the weekend. Hosting a zombie party on Friday, Big Easy Rollergirls on Saturday, and the last day of Festivus yesterday. Every time I go to a Rollergirl bout, I can’t help but wish I had the time to be a Rollergirl myself. The other day I decided I would want my roller derby name to be Starbuck. (Battlestar Galactica fan much?)

I also decided that the life of a roller derby queen must be a painful one. On the off chance that I ever get enough free time to take up skating, I’d definitely want to invest in some handmade remedies for all those bumps and bruises I’d surely be receiving.

Etsy seller Green Dreams makes a special Derby Girl Bruiser Balm as well as Derby Girl After Battle Bath Salts. Judging by some of the nasty spills those girls take while zooming around the track, I’m sure they could use something like this to relieve their aching muscles.

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