(from Paula Begoun's newsletter)
Now that so many products contain sunscreen (foundation, concealers, moisturizers, and even face powders), the next question is, what about application? That's a great question! The major issue for the use of any well-formulated sunscreen (SPF 15 or greater with UVA-protecting ingredients) is liberal application, every time (which is why expensive sunscreens may be dangerous because how liberally are you going to apply a 3 ounce $30, $40, or higher priced sunscreen?).
Read More...
Women Are More Willing to Spend on Beauty Again
(from BeautyPackaging.com, June 23, 09)
Retail therapy may still be in action. According to A Snapshot Report on Beauty Consumers’ Reactions to the Economy from The NPD Group, Inc, 55% of beauty shoppers surveyed in April told NPD they will still buy beauty because it makes them feel better about themselves.This is up 4 percentage points since November 2008 (51%). More women also indicated they were likely to go to spas/salons on a regular basis and to buy beauty products on impulse than previously reported.
Read More...
Retail therapy may still be in action. According to A Snapshot Report on Beauty Consumers’ Reactions to the Economy from The NPD Group, Inc, 55% of beauty shoppers surveyed in April told NPD they will still buy beauty because it makes them feel better about themselves.This is up 4 percentage points since November 2008 (51%). More women also indicated they were likely to go to spas/salons on a regular basis and to buy beauty products on impulse than previously reported.
Read More...
Warning Signs of Skin Cancer
(from WebMD)
Like many cancers, skin cancers -- including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma -- start as precancerous lesions. These precancerous lesions are changes in skin that are not cancer but could become cancer over time. An estimated 40% to 50% of fair-skinned people who live to be 65 will develop at least one skin cancer. Learn to spot the early warning signs. Skin cancer can be cured if it's found and treated early.
Read More...
Like many cancers, skin cancers -- including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma -- start as precancerous lesions. These precancerous lesions are changes in skin that are not cancer but could become cancer over time. An estimated 40% to 50% of fair-skinned people who live to be 65 will develop at least one skin cancer. Learn to spot the early warning signs. Skin cancer can be cured if it's found and treated early.
Read More...
Wishing Penny
A great site that offers lots and lots of free giveaways, focused on the TBR recently:
"I must admit that what drew me to Bubble Roome products was it's fabulous packaging. I mean who wouldn't want a stack of colorful 100% Goodness Bars in their bathroom? That is how my bathroom( loo) is decorated - with beautiful but functional toiletries that I can fill my baskets with. A potted plant and nice fluffy towels -that is beautiful to me. "
Read More...
Paula Begoun's Top Sunscreen Picks
(from cosmeticscop.com, May 11, 2009)
Protecting skin from the sun has become an intense controversy for two major reasons. Number one is our basic need for vitamin D, which is produced by the skin's exposure to sun, meaning that it may be problematic to limit exposure or by some opinions, use sunscreen at all. Number two concerns sunscreens and the types of active ingredients used to create the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating which might have unwanted systemic consequences.
Read more...
Protecting skin from the sun has become an intense controversy for two major reasons. Number one is our basic need for vitamin D, which is produced by the skin's exposure to sun, meaning that it may be problematic to limit exposure or by some opinions, use sunscreen at all. Number two concerns sunscreens and the types of active ingredients used to create the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating which might have unwanted systemic consequences.
Read more...
High-Priced Skincare: Is it Worth It?
(from Yahoo Skin Guru, May 12, 2009)
Everyone's more economically conscious these days. But just because Wall Street has a bad image doesn't mean yours should suffer, too. You can still take care of your skin without a stimulus package because the best products don't automatically come with inflated price tags.
Read More...
Everyone's more economically conscious these days. But just because Wall Street has a bad image doesn't mean yours should suffer, too. You can still take care of your skin without a stimulus package because the best products don't automatically come with inflated price tags.
Read More...
Uneven Pigmentation: What Can Be Done?
(from NYTimes, May 6, 2009)ERIN O’BRIEN of Denver has tried product after product, both physician-prescribed and over-the-counter, to eradicate dark patches on her cheeks and forehead. But after 10 years, her mission is still not accomplished.
Read More...
Confused by SPF? Take a Number
(from NY Times, May 13, 2009)LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year’s big gun.
Read more...
Customer Testimonial
Dear Bubble Roome-
I am not sure how I found your site but I am very glad that I did. My husband has cancer and the chemotherapy has really damaged his skin. It is very thin and sensitive to everything. He was constantly trying lotions to help so I bought your triple butter cream in Lavender and Geranium. He loves it! He uses it all the time. And I have just ordered more because he told me that we must never run out! Thank you for making a wonderful cream.
-Jennifer, via email
I am not sure how I found your site but I am very glad that I did. My husband has cancer and the chemotherapy has really damaged his skin. It is very thin and sensitive to everything. He was constantly trying lotions to help so I bought your triple butter cream in Lavender and Geranium. He loves it! He uses it all the time. And I have just ordered more because he told me that we must never run out! Thank you for making a wonderful cream.
-Jennifer, via email
Vintage Soap Collection - 05
I've written about my obsession with the vintage figural soaps of NY-based Lightfoot Soap Company before, but this special set of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs boxed collection of soaps really is a stunner. Made in the 1930's, this would have been a major gift set for Disney, who hired Lightfoot to do many of their other characters in soap as well. (click on pics to enlarge)
The "book" that houses the figures is embossed with gold and wonderful typography and illustration, as well as printing on the edges and spine to look as much like a book as possible. (click photos to enlarge)
Inside is a thin vellum frontispiece which restates the title, as well as the manufacturers info: "Modeled in Castile Soap - Painted with harmless vegetable color. Lightfoot Schultz Co. {also the makers of Old Spice perfume and bath products- which at this time would have been for women, not men}, makers of fine soaps for over twenty-seven years. 389 Fifth Ave. New York."
Inside, the beautifully detailed figures of the Dwarves and Snow White are still miraculously intact, after over 70 years!!!! And they still have traces of their "harmless vegetable color" after all this time.
This is one of the favorites of my collection, and I'm so pleased to be able to share it with you. Enjoy!
The "book" that houses the figures is embossed with gold and wonderful typography and illustration, as well as printing on the edges and spine to look as much like a book as possible. (click photos to enlarge)
Inside is a thin vellum frontispiece which restates the title, as well as the manufacturers info: "Modeled in Castile Soap - Painted with harmless vegetable color. Lightfoot Schultz Co. {also the makers of Old Spice perfume and bath products- which at this time would have been for women, not men}, makers of fine soaps for over twenty-seven years. 389 Fifth Ave. New York."
Inside, the beautifully detailed figures of the Dwarves and Snow White are still miraculously intact, after over 70 years!!!! And they still have traces of their "harmless vegetable color" after all this time.
This is one of the favorites of my collection, and I'm so pleased to be able to share it with you. Enjoy!
Glam - Your Life, Your Style
This blog talked about the benefits of using hemp oil for healthy skin, and featured our Hemp Oil Lotion in Lavender & Geranium.
Hey Brooklyn
So I was recently interviewed in my apartment by a really sweet woman named Amber, who just launched a site called "Hey Brooklyn". She turned our interview into a podcast, and it is the first podcast on the site. She wants to focus on Brooklyn entrepreneurs and find out what makes them tick. I'm looking forward to seeing who else she features on the site as I love hearing the stories of other small business owners.
Women's Health
So far today, we've received a flood of attention due to a promotion on the Women's Health website. They give away a prize every day, and today was the day to give away a gift set of products worth almost $100! In case you missed it, you can try for another one of their giveaways at their website.
Darling Dexter
An adorable blog that TBR advertises on was nice enough to do a Sponsor Spotlight on us. Here are the blog author's words about what she does:"Hi, I'm Whitney Deal -- the small voice behind Darling Dexter. Over the past few years, I have fallen in design-love with the blogging community and use Darling Dexter as a platform to inspire and share my creative adventures."
Now Smell This
I was very honored to find a fan of the Home Sweet Home Room Refresher on the perfume blog Now Smell This. This site is for serious noses who know all about the latest trends and news in perfume. Check it out.
The Soap Queen
Hard-working Anne-Marie of Brambleberry Soap Supplies took time out to give the Ornament(al) Collection: Doorknobs a shout-out on her blog "Soap and the Finer Things in Life". If you are a crafter and /or business person I advise you to subscribe. Her blog is chock full of fun soaps to make, as well as a new easy to understand business series. Check it out.
Design Sponge + Doorknobs
The always prescient Grace Bonney at designsponge was nice enough to showcase our limited-edition Ornament(al) Collection: doorknobs on her blog. These were really fun to make and recipients of the gift sets wrote in how much they liked them. Hopefully, they will be back online and available soon.
Please Don't Pay $65 For A Sugar Scrub
I have to get this off my chest: the Brown Sugar Body Polish from Fresh costs $65 and is a waste of money. Why? It's mainly oil and sugar. Why do I care? I don't like consumers being duped that paying more for something means it is higher in quality.THE CLAIM: this is the ultimate and unrivaled source for supremely soft, silky skin. (that's cuz of the oil) In just one use, the gentle combination of real brown sugar crystals and a blend of nourishing natural oils smoothes and polishes (thats true. But don't think it's smoothing out any wrinkles). Its luxurious, fragrant scent transforms your shower and lingers on skin for hours. (that's what you are paying for)
First off, anything to be used in the shower or bath and then washed off, can only have limited benefits for the skin. There's not a lot of time for the top layer of skin to absorb the nutrients that are inherit in some oils.
Secondly, a lot of it falls to the shower floor during use, whereby you lose expensive product and make the tub dangerously slippery. Bad
Thirdly: when someone says "I love how it makes my skin feel afterwards", that's just the left over oil on your skin - a good thing, but the oil in your kitchen cupboard could do the same thing
Let's break it down by their ingredient list:
- Sugar
- Sweet Almond Oil (very common oil, readily available, not expensive. It's 2nd in the list, and I bet their oil mixture is mostly made up of this)
- Apricot Kernel Oil
- Jojoba Oil (a great oil that mimics the sebum structure of the skin)
- Evening Primrose Oil (a great oil full of nutrients, and can be on the expensive side)
- Passion Flower Oil
- Gingseng Extract (most probably used at 1% of the recipe. They say it "stimulates" the skin. But remember, you'll be washing it off in about 3 minutes)
- Tocopherol (1% of a type of Vitamin E, used to keep oils from going rancid)
- Sunflower Seed Oil (since it comes after Tocopherol in the list, it's less than 1% of the recipe)
- Grapefruit Peel Oil (used for scent. Again, claims to stimulate skin at less than 1%)
- Lemon Peel Oil (scent)
- Orange Oil
- Bergamot Oil
- Lemon Oil (a different kind)
- Litsea Cubeba (a citrus essential oil)
- CYMBOPOGON SCHOENANTHUS OIL (a grass that a Geranium-like essential oil is created)
- LIMONENE
CITRAL
LINALOOL
CITRONELLOL
GERANIOL
CITRAL
CITRONELLOL
GERANIOL
LIMONENE
LINALOOL (all derivatives of citrus, to create the fragrance. Radical overkill) - Phenoxyethanol (a newer preservative without parabens)
- BUTYLPARABEN
ETHYLPARABEN
ISOBUTYLPARABEN
METHYLPARABEN
PROPYLPARABEN (oh well, they added all the parabens anyway. More radical overkill. Made to stay "fresh" for 5 years on a store shelf) - BHA (an artificial preservative added to oils to slow down deterioration)
- BHT (more of the above)
How to make this yourself: Put brown sugar, white sugar, or fine salt in a bowl. Add any oils you like (olive, wheat germ, jojoba) to cover the sugar, add a few drops of Bergamot & Lemon essential oils.....and you have the Brown Sugar Body Exfoliator by Fresh, for about $2 in ingredients.
So, in the end, the consumer is ripped off, and Fresh makes a lot of profit on this product. Profit is good. Ripping off customers is bad.
The Most Super Best Customer Testimonial Ever
I received a great email from a TBR customer, and was so proud I felt like sharing it:
Hi David-
I just wanted to let you know that I think your products are amazing. I have bought soap from just about everywhere and I am addicted to your products. Every time you send a sample it turns into a must buy. Thanks for making such wonderful products. I will not be buying any other bath products for a long, long time. Have a wonderful holiday!
Sincerely,
C. C.
Your flattery will get you everywhere! When you work in a "bubble" (pun intended) you tend to forget about all the people actually using the products you make. This kind of testimonial is a wonderful reminder. Thanks so much!
Hi David-
I just wanted to let you know that I think your products are amazing. I have bought soap from just about everywhere and I am addicted to your products. Every time you send a sample it turns into a must buy. Thanks for making such wonderful products. I will not be buying any other bath products for a long, long time. Have a wonderful holiday!
Sincerely,
C. C.
Your flattery will get you everywhere! When you work in a "bubble" (pun intended) you tend to forget about all the people actually using the products you make. This kind of testimonial is a wonderful reminder. Thanks so much!
Pretty By Nature
Noel at the blog Pretty By Nature was kind enough to spotlight our newest attraction: the Home Sweet Home 3-in-1 Spray. This blog is chock-full of beauty information with a hefty archive going back a few years. Check them out.
Vintage Soap Collection - 04
Three bears with red hobo packs over their shoulder sure seem happy to be going out for a picnic in this great set that is one of the best packaging examples in my vintage soap collection. The box for "Three Bears on a Picnic" by Lightfoot Soap Company (who I've talked about before) is in amazing condition considering it's age.
This die-cut box is a terrific merchandising idea, and the illustrations of trees and the rolling hills of farmland are wonderful and surely must have helped catch many a customers' eye. It's interesting to think that now the cost of die-cutting and printing a box like this would make the cost of the set outrageously high. I bet in it's day it sold for about $3.
Our Two Favorite Colors
A beautiful blog with a very inventive focus on "all things chocolate brown and gorgeous shades of blue", Chocolate Blues, was kind enough to put our new Ylang Ylang & Cinammon bar on their site. If these are your two favorite colors, then this site is your Nirvana
Homework?
Campus Talk Magazine just put us in their monthly magazine devoted to the seemingly un-ending party options of college life, and on their website under their Fall Favorites. We appreciate it, but after reading the magazine, wonder if anyone in college is actually doing any homework or not. My college experience: not so fun.
Fiendish & Fab
The girls of Product Fiend were nice enough to mention the "Election Special Secret Stoop Sale" going on now. This site was created by Former Jane magazine Beauty Director and Senior Editor Erin Flaherty. It really is chock full of great information and shows complete dedication to bath, body and skincare product information. (And they said TBR was "Brooklyn Skincare Darling". Heart skips beat)
Wicked Bubble Rooms
The always inventive Liz over at Wickedly Chic.com was kind enough to make our Hemp Oil lotion her pick of the day. There is always a lot of stuff going o
n at her site, so be sure to check it out.
The Bubble Roome in Spanish
Cremas exfoliantes Sugar Scrubs de The Bubble Roome
Después de los excesos y la inactividad de las navidades, la piel se resiente. Hemos comido tantos dulces y turrones sin acudir a gimnasio después, que seguro que algunos granitos han aparecido en la piel. No te preocupes, se pueden eliminar fácilmente con una buena crema exfoliante.
Las Cremas exfoliantes Sugar Scrubs de The Bubble Roome (20,5$), son muy especiales pues las piedrecitas que estimulan la piel son granitos de azucar morena.
-from: Beliblog.com
The Bubble Roome in Russian
I think this says something nice about TBR. Any translators out there?
Bubble Roome - маленькая компания в Бруклине, которая производит туалетные принадлежности и косметические средства. Основатель компании Дэвид Джонстон (David Johnston) сам разработал дизайн упаковки для ассортимента продукции.
Он комментирует свою работу: "Я хотел создать дизайн упаковки в стиле аптек начала XX века, но подумал, что все-таки чего-то не хватает… Я также стремился отобразить в упаковке узоры викторианской эпохи, чтобы дизайн был деликатным и интригующим. Но при этом не хотел, чтобы упаковка была слишком старомодной, но при этом отображала дух 1900-х. Поэтому этикетки линии Bubble Roome сделаны и неовикторианском стиле".
Bubble Roome - маленькая компания в Бруклине, которая производит туалетные принадлежности и косметические средства. Основатель компании Дэвид Джонстон (David Johnston) сам разработал дизайн упаковки для ассортимента продукции.
Он комментирует свою работу: "Я хотел создать дизайн упаковки в стиле аптек начала XX века, но подумал, что все-таки чего-то не хватает… Я также стремился отобразить в упаковке узоры викторианской эпохи, чтобы дизайн был деликатным и интригующим. Но при этом не хотел, чтобы упаковка была слишком старомодной, но при этом отображала дух 1900-х. Поэтому этикетки линии Bubble Roome сделаны и неовикторианском стиле".
Beauty in Chelsea
I just stumbled upon a blog called Beauty in Chelsea, and they said some nice things about our Brown Sugar and Walnut Sugar Scrub:
Reasonable $$: The Bubble Roome's Lavender & Geranium Sugar Scrub: Made with brown sugar and ground walnut shells to polish and essential oils to pamper, this is the ultimate green goddess luxury. It smells incredibly like a country garden, and the lavender is calming and relaxing. It's perfect for unwinding before bed. Plus, it's handmade in a tiny shop in Brooklyn.
Reasonable $$: The Bubble Roome's Lavender & Geranium Sugar Scrub: Made with brown sugar and ground walnut shells to polish and essential oils to pamper, this is the ultimate green goddess luxury. It smells incredibly like a country garden, and the lavender is calming and relaxing. It's perfect for unwinding before bed. Plus, it's handmade in a tiny shop in Brooklyn.
Milwaukee - "The Paris of Wisconsin"
This fresh and funky blog out of Milwaukee called Church of Style, mentioned TBR and our retailers PaperBoat Boutique and Chartreuse. Thanks to the writer Miz Kansas
Seamless Creative
This very inspirational blog designworklife is "a part of Seamless Creative, a New York City-based design studio. Updated daily, dwl was established to catalog and share design-centric inspiration." Thanks for the photo compliments.
Vintage Soap Collection - 03
Of all the things to model into soap, why not newborn Quintuplets!?! I think America was obsessed with multiple births back in the 30's & 40's, so the Kerk Guild in Utica, NY went ahead making a large set of literal bundles of joy. Believe it or not, this box (with it's terrific illustration & fonts) reads 1934!
The box also says these soaps were created by Lester Gaba (who I was unfamiliar with), and some fascinating info came up about him.....From his NY Times Obituary from 1987:
By 1932 Mr. Gaba had moved to New York, where he created the ''Gaba Girls,'' life-sized, carved-soap mannequins modeled after well-known New York debutantess for the windows of Best & Company. He is perhaps best known for designing the lifelike mannequin known as Cynthia that was created for Saks Fifth Avenue.
It looks like there are several books that he authored, as well as biographies.
The box also says these soaps were created by Lester Gaba (who I was unfamiliar with), and some fascinating info came up about him.....From his NY Times Obituary from 1987:
By 1932 Mr. Gaba had moved to New York, where he created the ''Gaba Girls,'' life-sized, carved-soap mannequins modeled after well-known New York debutantess for the windows of Best & Company. He is perhaps best known for designing the lifelike mannequin known as Cynthia that was created for Saks Fifth Avenue.
It looks like there are several books that he authored, as well as biographies.
Bubble Roome labels
I get all of my labels printed with a great company called Lightning Labels. I'm mentioning it for all you small business owners like me who want professional labels, yet don't need 10,000. Their prices are great, their customer service is excellent (Peggy rocks!), and they carry a stock material called Earthfirst PLA (which is what I use for our labels) that's, believe it or not, derived from corn, not petroleum as most labels are.I mentioned in a posting earlier that the packaging blog TheDieline.com gave a shout out to TBR label design, so Peter at Lightning Labels was pleased since they produced them and he added that news to his blog. It's all one big Shout Out!
Read the Lightning Labels blog here. The original Dieline posting here.
TBR in French
The Bubble Roome est une petite entreprise (1 personne) de Brooklyn, spécialisée dans les produits pour le bain et le corps. David Johnston, le fondateur de la marque, est également le designer à l’origine de cette gamme. From Trendology
The Colors for an Engagement Dinner
The friendly Kati at finestationary.com just alerted me to another "inspiration board" she did for color choices for an engagement dinner: Orange, Pink, Brown and Yellow. And she was nice enough to include one of our Lavender & Geranium soaps- which is actually one of our most popular scents. Thank you!
A Yellow Bridal Shower
I just came across this "inspiration board" from The Finer Things blog, which includes one of our Chamomile & Calendula Goodness Bars. I think these kind of things, which are something I call "Mood Boards", can be a very useful archiving tool. And it's especially good if you have a bad memory, like me, where it's impossible to try and remember all the cool things you've recently come across. This picture shows their collection of inspirations for a lemon yellow bridal shower.
Packaging Blog Notices The Bubble Roome
One of my daily reads is a great resource for packaging designers. Called thedieline.com, they post from a wide range of products and comment on the design and designers of various consumer packaging. Today I was very pleased to see that Andrew mentioned TBR in a post. Thanks! And here is one of the new product photos taken by a cool photographer named Arelis Aguayo (see her portfolio here), who I was lucky to find on craigslist.
Graceful
A really insightful design-oriented blog called Urban Grace Interiors gave us a shout out today. They'd buy us, even without smelling us. Thanks! The blog is by "a wife, a designer, and the mother to a pair of rescued black and white spotty-dotty terriers. (She) loves magazines, lamps, dogs, good pens, and people!"
Brides Magazine "Favors with Flair" - 6/08
Thank you Brides Magazine (online and in the May/June issue) for these terrific glamour shots of our Goodness Bars.
Vintage Soap Collection - 02
To celebrate Fleet Week, these little soap ducks are putting on their own parade. From Lightfoot Soap Company in NYC (read my previous entry about them), these circa 1950's ducks are "modelled in castile soap", and the base that holds them has a sign that reads "Sailors on Parade"aboard the "SS Lightfoot". Do their little paper collars bring you to tears....with their over-the-top-cuteness? They do to me.
Handmade Nation Documentary
Retail store owner Faythe Levine of TBR retailer PaperBoat Boutique in Milwaukee is now a first-time director with a documentary called "Handmade Nation" (press release is here). TBR donated lots and lots of soaps for gift bags at their upcoming Silent Auction, which will raise funds for the film. The doc sounds like a great project! And if you are in LA you should go to the auction event at Poketo studios. You can also go to the film blog: indiecraftdocumentary for all the crafty info.
Six Creative Bridesmaids' Gifts - Spring 2008
Thanks "Better Homes and Gardens" for giving a shout-out to TBR as a creative gift to the ladies in your wedding party.
Chartreuse + TBR
One of my newer retailers is Sarah and her store Chartreuse, in Milwaukee. Well, the store got some great press recently (at mkeonline and onwilwaukee.com), and TBR products snuck their way into the photoshoot. It's rare that I get to see my products on a store shelf ('real life'), so I am excited to post them here:
Sprig Posting
I like what sprig.com said about TBR recently: " to me, they are delightfully reminiscent of sweets on a shelf, or something you would find at the Willy Wonka factory".This looks like a terrific blog, and it is aimed towards "sophisticated people into being green". Lots of good info that includes a lifestyle section and food section. I need to eat more green.
On My Soapbox - Rant #1
From: the heights of my soapbox.Mood: Burnt.
So here's the deal on skin care (and I'm only referring to products for the face here): there is nothing, nowhere, no-how, on any shelf, in any store, that will get rid of wrinkles. Shocked? Stupefied? Disbelieving? Well, I've done a bunch of research from a variety of sources and that's my unscientific conclusion - though all of the cosmetics companies would vehemently disagree. And even some people who've shelled out $ for La Mer ($220 for 1oz) might too.
Let me preface all this by saying that I have had lots of malignant skin cancers taken off my face and body. I burned as a kid, never wore sunscreen as an adult, went to tanning parlors, and lived in Honolulu and Phoenix. So.....aside from the skin cancers, I have "smile lines" that kind of take up my whole face. I exaggerate. Sort of. So I've looked everywhere for the latest product, read the "our best picks" in magazines, asked at cosmetic counters for something that can get rid of these smile lines. One answer: don't smile (yes, I was told that once). The other answers: try this, or this or this. From "Hope in a Jar" by Philospohy ($15 for .5oz), "Zero Gravity Repairware Lift" by Clinique ($52 for 1.7oz) to Perricone "Advanced Face Firming Activator" ($120 for 2oz). I've tried them all. Sample? I'd love one. And they all promise pretty much the same thing: decreased wrinkles, and younger-looking skin. Age defying? I defy you to stop aging.
Now I'm not talking about exfoliators that can give you smooth skin. Those usually work, because they include synthetic alpha or beta hydroxy acids, or fruit acids, or "microbeads", or natural grains like ground apricot pits that will take off dead and dry skin. So they can "technically" give you a better complexion due to smoother skin.
Though there isn't a cosmetic product that can get rid of wrinkles, there are lots of products that will reduce the LOOK of wrinkles, temporarily, like for 2 hours. Long enough to get down a red carpet. How? By hydrating your skin, which can give skin the appearance of fewer lines or more shallow wrinkles. It's simple. Hydrate=water, so (besides drinking a lot of water a day, which is super important), you need a product that contains water and products that make the water bind to your skin. Even skincare at Duane Reade offers that. Which means there is absolutely no reason to spend more than $20 for a basic hydrating moisturizer. Honestly. Unless you like the thrill of spending your hard-earned money.
But wait! There is a product that can prevent wrinkles and fine lines: it's called sunscreen. And it should have an SPF of 15 minimum. It has been shown that skin with no exposure to sun will stay "young-looking" longer, will be tighter, with hardly any lines (except for those from repetitive facial movement). Smooth like a baby's bottom smooth. But we're not Geisha's or babies and we have to go outside into the sun at some point. So always wear sunscreen - even on cloudy days. If you have a facial moisturizer that doesn't have sunscreen in it, it's not a good product. And it should have broad-spectrum protection against UVB and UVA rays.
I really wish my body butters and hemp oil lotions had sunscreen, but small companies like mine usually can't afford to have products tested under federal guidelines to get an SPF rating . But Clinique? Yea, they can afford it. And there are lots and lots and lots of expensive moisturizers (which are usually the last step in a daily skin-care routine) that don't have any sun protection.
So what have I learned, besides disappointment and frustation with crazy cosmetic claims? Drink lots of water. More than 8oz a day (I hopefully asked a friend once if coffee counts as water. Uh, that would be no). Find an inexpensive moisturizer with an SPF of 15. And put some in a small container to make it portable - use it to reapply during the day for continued protection, and to help against the appearance of dry skin.
So that's it for now. I'll get down off my SOAPBOX. Until next time.....
Vintage Soap Collection - History
William Lightfoot Schultz's first enterprise, the Lightfoot Schultz Company, was formed in the 1920s. It was here that he developed his reputation and contacts with the prestige department stores like Sak's and Lord & Taylor, selling soap and fine toiletries under his name and private label. He later was forced to sell to the American Safety Razor Company and temporarily stayed on as president until 1933 when he ventured out on his own again to start a new company.
He formed Shulton Soap in the 1934. He convinced the management at the Bowery Savings Bank in New York City that they had everything to gain by letting him use an office in their nearly vacant building, and he would pay them rent if he succeeded in his new business. With no customers and no product, he started from scratch selling private label soap. His first sale was to Wanamakers for $216 for five gross of Disney's Three Little Pigs. He would produce boxed figural soaps of numerous Disney characters throughout the decade and into the early 1940s, including deluxe sets of related soaps, such as the Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.
In an interview with George Schultz, son of founder William Lightfoot Schultz, he stated how the company name "Shulton" came to be. "So back in the early years about 1934 we needed a better name than William Schultz or W. L. Schultz. So we sat around at home one night and picked something that was reminiscent of the name similar and yet was short and seemed sort of modern and that's how we just claimed the name Shulton.".
Schultz realized that he was never going to get rich selling a private label product and began looking for a product that he could trademark that would capture the public's attention. He was influenced by the Depression and the growing interest in things early American. He and an artist, Enid Edson, researched books on early American lore and visited museums to look for designs. With sketches in hand, Schultz visited his retailing friends and showed them his ideas for packaging toiletries in functional containers that had simple designs. The product packages he sketched had an early American motif but no commercial advertising on them. When the soap or dusting powder was used up, the attractive box could be used to store jewelry, hair combs, and stockings, etc.
The buyers were enthusiastic about Schultz's ideas, and he came back with orders for products that didn't yet exist. He developed a fragrance from a memory of a rose jar his mother kept in the house, a combination of roses, cloves, herbs and other spices, and called his new line of toiletries Early American Old Spice® for women.
He convinced his suppliers of soap, toiletries, boxes and perfume oils to extend credit until the products were made, shipped and his customers paid for them. Early American Old Spice toiletries were an immediate success. In fact, sales at the end of 1938 were $982,000. Shulton introduced a few items of Old Spice® for men in time for Christmas that year, and by the end of the following year, sales were $3 million.
The war years hampered expansion of the business as Shulton began manufacturing ordnance materials such as bullet dies and precision parts for aircraft, but when it was over, George located and built a new manufacturing facility, and Shulton moved to a site in Clifton, N.J. in 1946.
When his father began suffering health problems, his son George took on the additional responsibilities of sales and marketing. William Lightfoot Schultz passed away in 1950, the same year the company's sales first reached $10 million. George was elected president and continued to build the company on the standards and values set down by his father -- offer consumers a quality product at a fair price.
When he made the decision in 1970 to sell to American Cyanamid, Shulton’s sales were $130 million. Since then, the company was bought by Proctor in Gamble in 1990 for approximately $900 million.
My sources:
American Cyanamid publication, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1984
recent Ebay online auctions
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project For Craft and Decorative Arts in America, Smithsonia Archives of American Art, 2001
wikipedia.org website
pg.com website
He formed Shulton Soap in the 1934. He convinced the management at the Bowery Savings Bank in New York City that they had everything to gain by letting him use an office in their nearly vacant building, and he would pay them rent if he succeeded in his new business. With no customers and no product, he started from scratch selling private label soap. His first sale was to Wanamakers for $216 for five gross of Disney's Three Little Pigs. He would produce boxed figural soaps of numerous Disney characters throughout the decade and into the early 1940s, including deluxe sets of related soaps, such as the Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.
In an interview with George Schultz, son of founder William Lightfoot Schultz, he stated how the company name "Shulton" came to be. "So back in the early years about 1934 we needed a better name than William Schultz or W. L. Schultz. So we sat around at home one night and picked something that was reminiscent of the name similar and yet was short and seemed sort of modern and that's how we just claimed the name Shulton.".
Schultz realized that he was never going to get rich selling a private label product and began looking for a product that he could trademark that would capture the public's attention. He was influenced by the Depression and the growing interest in things early American. He and an artist, Enid Edson, researched books on early American lore and visited museums to look for designs. With sketches in hand, Schultz visited his retailing friends and showed them his ideas for packaging toiletries in functional containers that had simple designs. The product packages he sketched had an early American motif but no commercial advertising on them. When the soap or dusting powder was used up, the attractive box could be used to store jewelry, hair combs, and stockings, etc.The buyers were enthusiastic about Schultz's ideas, and he came back with orders for products that didn't yet exist. He developed a fragrance from a memory of a rose jar his mother kept in the house, a combination of roses, cloves, herbs and other spices, and called his new line of toiletries Early American Old Spice® for women.
He convinced his suppliers of soap, toiletries, boxes and perfume oils to extend credit until the products were made, shipped and his customers paid for them. Early American Old Spice toiletries were an immediate success. In fact, sales at the end of 1938 were $982,000. Shulton introduced a few items of Old Spice® for men in time for Christmas that year, and by the end of the following year, sales were $3 million.The war years hampered expansion of the business as Shulton began manufacturing ordnance materials such as bullet dies and precision parts for aircraft, but when it was over, George located and built a new manufacturing facility, and Shulton moved to a site in Clifton, N.J. in 1946.
When his father began suffering health problems, his son George took on the additional responsibilities of sales and marketing. William Lightfoot Schultz passed away in 1950, the same year the company's sales first reached $10 million. George was elected president and continued to build the company on the standards and values set down by his father -- offer consumers a quality product at a fair price.When he made the decision in 1970 to sell to American Cyanamid, Shulton’s sales were $130 million. Since then, the company was bought by Proctor in Gamble in 1990 for approximately $900 million.
My sources:
American Cyanamid publication, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1984
recent Ebay online auctions
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project For Craft and Decorative Arts in America, Smithsonia Archives of American Art, 2001
wikipedia.org website
pg.com website
Vintage Soap Collection - 01
Here is one piece from my vintage soap collection, and it's one of the most adorable. This set is a product called "Lam'twins", which are small lambs modelled in castile soap and made by Lightfoot Company circa 1940. They come dressed up with a pink bow and are happy in their little fenced pen (which also serves as the base of the box). Wonderful typography on the box too. I have a separate post here on the history of Lightfoot Soaps if you are interested.
What is Aloe Powder?
Aloe Powder: Certified aloe comes from freshly harvested leaves of the Aloe Vera barbadensis miller variety of aloe. The inner gel (a.k.a. fillet) is carefully removed to minimize disruption of the Aloin layer. The resulting gel is processed to remove the pulp and fiber. The gel is then pasteurized to maintain efficacy and concentrated using low temperature evaporation. The gel concentrate is then freeze dried without the use of matrix, preservatives or any other additives.
Benefits of Aloe Vera:
Body and skin care
Regenerates new cells
Prevents wrinkle
Treats pimple and acne
Remove stretch marks that are occurred due to pregnancy
Hair and scalp
Prevents dandruff
Benefits of Aloe Vera:
Body and skin care
Regenerates new cells
Prevents wrinkle
Treats pimple and acne
Remove stretch marks that are occurred due to pregnancy
Hair and scalp
Prevents dandruff
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