Friday Spotlight: Licorice Lip Balm made with Anise Oil

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I figured it would be a good time to spotlight my licorice lip balm! I have a confession to make... I really do not care for licorice! It is one of my least favorite candy and I put off making this lip balm for ages! But, my husband adores licorice and begged me to make the balm for him. So, I figured that other licorice lovers would enjoy it, too!

My licorice lip balm is made with my usual combination of beeswax, unscented cocoa butter, and coconut oil. I love this combo because it makes the balm firm, yet it glides smoothly across the lips. I flavor the balm with anise essential oil and add a touch of sunflower oil for moisture. One of the best things about this lip balm is that it is completely natural. There are no synthetics at all, just natural goodness!

Anise essential oil is extracted from the anise seeds and is often used as the flavoring of licorice candy. While different from actual licorice root, the flavor of anise essential oil is extremely similar to licorice root, even though the plants are not related.

Licorice candy is a staple at Halloween, Absinthe is becoming a staple in the hipster scene, and my anise flavored lip balm is a staple in my lip balm lineup!

Wanna check out this interesting, classic flavored lip balm? Head over to my Zibbet shop now!

Friday Spotlight: Clove Lip Balm

This week, let's take a look at my clove lip balm!

All of my lip balms are made with three basic ingredients: beeswax, deodorized cocoa butter, and coconut oil. These three combine together to make a firm balm with a smooth glide.

This lip balm is scented with clove essential oil, which not only smells like the sweet autumn herb, but tastes like it, too! Clove is a classic in the fall, but I love this lip balm year-round.

Out of all of the lip balms that I offer in my zibbet shop, this has been my most popular by far! Check out some of these rave reviews: 

• "The order arrived quickly and is really close to the Clove Lip Balm that Burts Bees discontinued. Couldn't be happier!"

• "Really great lip balm! This is the only balm that helps my lips, as I have an auto-immune disease that limits the amount of saliva I produce. Really fast shipping! Thank you!"

• "This is the best clove lip balm I've had since Burt's Bees discontinued theirs! I highly recommend it!"

Wanna check out my clove lip balm? Click here and go to my Zibbet shop!

Coming Soon in 2013

Last year, I ended 2011 with a post about what I was working on for 2012. I figured I would keep up the tradition and give everyone a preview of what I am working on for January 2013 and beyond! 

Pipe Smoke Salt Soap with Nettle

First, I am excited to announce that I will be debuting a whole new line of soaps, starting this week! They are salt soaps, made with real sea salt! All of the soaps will be made with coconut oil and castor oil, so all of them will be vegan friendly. They will come in many different scents and colors and shapes! I love the salt soaps because the salt works to exfoliate the skin and soften it at the same time.

Next, be on the lookout for three new lip balm flavors! I was excited to get these for Christmas from my husband... The new flavors are Blueberry, Peach, and Margarita! The blueberry is sweet and juicy, the peach has a creaminess to it that reminds me of peach oatmeal, and the Margarita has a little bite to it. Yum!

Blueberry Lip Balm

My face scrubbies are going to be getting a makeover soon. Before now, my face scrubbies have been a grab bag of mystery colors. Starting soon, you will be able to purchase the exact colors or patterns that you want! It makes shopping much easier!

As 2013 gets underway, I am looking forward to adding two new products to my shop: solid lotion bars and sugar scrub! I have formulated good recipes for both products, but I am still working out the kinks with packaging and shipping. As soon as I can get the technicalities worked out, these two new products will be live on my Etsy shop!

Also, keep an eye out for new YouTube videos, new tutorials and featured posts on my blog, and new scents in my Etsy shop!

2013 looks to be a fun, fabulous year, and I am excited for you all to see the fun new soaps I have been working on! Happy Bubbling!

New Supplies from Aroma Haven

Right before the end of the new year, I found myself with only 4 empty lip balm tubes left in my stock! Oh no! So, before I ran out (my lip balms were very popular this year as stocking stuffers!), I put in a quick order from Aroma Haven. And whenever I put in an order to Aroma Haven, I cant get just one or two things...

Peach and Blueberry Lip Balm Flavors

So, here's the fun, new goodies I got!

First, I decided to add a few more flavors to my line of lip balms. Instead of unique or "strange" scents (like Snow Cone... That one really intrigues people!), I got some old faithfuls. My new lip balm flavors are Blueberry and Peach! They are both very true to their fruit counterparts, with just the right amount of creaminess that makes them perfect for lips!
And, of course, I restocked my lip balm tubes and my tamper resistant bands.

One of the great things about Aroma Haven is that when you purchase an order over $15, you get to pick out two fragrance oils to try for free! My original thought was to stock up on scents for Valentine's Day... But, as I looked around the site, it hit me... MEN! So, I grabbed two masculine scents that caught my eye, and I made excellent choices.

New Masculine Scents: Pipe Smoke and Barbershop 1920's

The first scent is called "Pipe Smoke." My husband adored this fragrance as soon as I told him it was on its way. It is light and musky, with some cherry middle notes. It is not heavy or over powering. I was so excited about this scent that I have already used it! I used the fragrance in a salt bar paired with nettle for a natural green color... That soap will be cured and in my Etsy shop in the first week of January.
The second scent is called "Barbershop 1920's." It really reminds me of the old timey barbershops, with that classic shaving cream smell. I do smell hints of bay and maybe a dash of rum or nutmeg. This would make a great shaving soap, or maybe a new beer soap? Not sure yet, but I'm definitely inspired!

My new soaps and lip balms will go live in January 2013! My little Kodak camera is on the fritz, so I am hoping to get a new camera for Christmas (*HINT MOM!*). :o) Keep an eye out for them!

Presenting New Lip Balm Flavors

Naked lip balm - no flavor

After a flurry of brainstorming and experimenting, I have come up with four fantastic new lip balm flavors, just in time for the holiday season. And I wanted to take out a moment to show them off. :o)

My first one is one that I have had in my head for ages: Naked Lip Balm! No flavors, no essential oils, just beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil! It's perfect for folks who just need a basic lip balm, but want to buy handmade.

Tea tree lip balm

Second, it's one that my husband suggested: Tea Tree lip balm! My husband uses fabulous little toothpicks that have soaked in tea tree oil, and he begged me for this lip balm. I just had to oblige! Tea tree essential oil is known to have many properties to help your health, but I just like the taste. It's an interesting blend of herb with pine and fir and other needle trees.

Mint Tea Tree Lip Balm

Third, it's a combination: Mint Tea Tree lip balm! This one came after some brainstorming and combining of what I already had around, and this great lip balm was born! Mint and tea tree blend together perfectly; they work together to balance each other out.

Mint Chocolate... my fave!

And last, my favorite: Mint Chocolate lip balm! I am a HUGE mint chocolate gal, and I cannot believe that I have not come up with this combination sooner. I already have a peppermint lip balm and a chocolate lip balm... I guess if it was a snake, it would have bitten me ages ago. And best of all, I used cocoa powder in the balm for the chocolate scent, so the finished balm is a lovely chocolate color.

Come by my Etsy shop and check them out: SecondSpringSoaps

Lip Balm Tubes

I love my lip balms! Seriously! I use my lip balms all the time, and I usually have at least 3 floating around in my purse. However, after talking with a few customers, it has come to my attention that most of my customers prefer my lip balms in tubes, rather than my lip balms in tins.

So, I am officially taking my lip balm tins off the market, and making all of those great flavors in lip balm tubes.

The flavors and balms will be the exact same. Just the packaging will change.

I am also going to be debuting some more lip balms made with natural flavors, such as lemon, lime, clove, and licorice!

My plan is to have the current flavors replaced on Etsy and Zibbet by next Friday (June 22), and my new flavors will start to roll out starting on Monday, June 25.

So, if you prefer the lip balm tubes, make sure to grab them up before they are gone!

New Supplies for January!!

Translucent Lip Balm Tubes

For my birthday this year (I celebrated my 28^th on January 2nd!), my husband gifted me with a supply order for my shop! Best. Gift. Ever!

The very first thing that I grabbed up was a set of translucent lip balm tubes with caps, as well as tamper-evident wraps for the finished product. Since I started making lip balms, I've had a few people (my sister was the most vocal!) who have asked for tubes instead of tins. So, I obliged!

Next, I knew that I wanted to add to my lip balm line with a new, fresh flavor. I wanted to pick one that was different from my other flavors... So, I chose this fantastic Cherry Berry! It smells like sweet, tart cherries, with a mix of strawberries and blueberries. To make the lip balm perfect, I am going to tint the balm with either a rosy pink or a nice red.

New Fragrances and Flavors! Yum!

One of the great things about ordering from Rustic Escentuals is that when you order more than $15 in product, you get the option of picking out two 1 oz. Fragrance oils for free! When choosing my fragrance oils, I decided to go a more masculine route and picked Green Irish Tweed and Lumberjack. Green Irish Tweed is a classic cologne scent that smells sweet and musky. I felt pretty confident about the GIT, but the Lumberjack was a bit more of a leap-of-faith. And I am so glad I took that leap! The Lumberjack scent smells amazing! It is very woodsy, and reminds me of a fireplace burning pine logs with a hint of sweet floral undertone. It was a fantastic leap of faith!

The single best thing about Rustic Escentuals is their amazingly quick shipping! I ordered from them early monday morning, and my package was in by wednesday! And their customer service on their facebook page is some of the best that I have ever encountered!

All in all, I am silly excited about my birthday present! I cannot wait to get started on some great smelling men's soaps and some berry awesome lip balm!

Happy creating, dolls!