Beautiful Soap Wedding Favours - coming in January 2011

I'm so happy to announce that we will be introducing beautiful soap wedding favours into our range from January 2011. 

These will be handcrafted using wonderfully luxurious goatsmilk & glycerine soap which will include added Sweet Almond Oil which is cold pressed from the kernels of sweet almond fruit and is one of the most popular oils for use in cosmetics. The oil is rich in plant sterols, essential fatty acids and is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2 & B6 which combine to make a highly beneficial oil for use in skin care products. To this, I add an Ecocert skin conditioning agent to further enhance the fantastic skin feel of our luxury soaps.

Glycerine soap has long been used for dry skin conditions as it is a humectant which means it draws moisture into your skin.

We are offering these soaps in a choice of fragrances and colours, to match your wedding theme.  We're more than happy to discuss, with the happy couple, their personal favourite fragrances and colours and produce soapy wedding favours that will not only enhance the whole celebratory day, but will allow your guests to remember your fantastic day by taking home a memento that is not only beautiful, but practical too!

Below are samples of the soaps we'll be introducing from January 2011.

Each soap is €2.50 (approximately £2.10), and weighs approximately 85g.  This price includes a choice of ribbon colour and organza gift bag to match your wedding colour scheme.  The minimum order is for 45 soaps but larger orders can be accommodated - your order must be placed a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the requested delivery date.

Beautiful pure goatsmilk soap presented in luxury organza bags with personalised Wedding Day labels

We can personalise your labels to include the couples names and their wedding date

Close up of soap details - soaps will come in a variety of these three designs

Contact us at info@soaperstar.com if you would like to discuss your requirements and you can check out all our other Soaperstar products at http://www.soaperstar.com/.

Sheer Luxury Organza Christmas Gift Bags

During the weekend, I uploaded images of our two new Christmas Gift bags - Festive Orange Spice & Christmas Glisten - to the website.  I thought you might like to hear about them. 

They comprise of one luxury handcrafted goatsmilk & glycerine soap, one Sheer Luxury Body Butter and one Sheer Luxury Body Polish sugar scrub, all beautifully presented in a colour co-ordinated organza gift bag with satin ribbon ties.

Festive Orange Spice is a strong, rich dark and spicy orange and cinnamon blend, very cosy and heartwarming. It is a very traditionally Christmassy fragrance blend that works really well for bath and body products; a perfect Wintery scent that will leave your skin beautifully fragranced.

Christmas Glisten is a cosy blend of festive fruits, wine and sweet warm spices. It is a beautiful Christmassy blend, softly spiced with a warm fruity background, that leaves your skin beautifully fragranced.

Product Descriptions (so you know what you're buying!):
Luxury Handcrafted Goatsmilk & Glycerine Soap - with added Shea Butter & our Ecocert skin conditioner, this soap will leave your skin wonderfully clean, soft and beautifully fragranced; coloured using natural mica, this soap softly glistens.

Sheer Luxury Body Polish - a new addition to the Sheer Luxury range, this sugar scrub is crammed full of exotic Macadamia Butter & Coconut Oil along with unrefined golden brown sugar crystals to help remove any dead and dry skin, leaving your skin feeling soft, glowing and beautifully moisturised. This is designed to wash off in the shower after use. Best followed by our Sheer Luxury Body Butter.

Instructions for use: After showering (using your luxury handcrafted soap), scoop out a handful of the scrub and, using circular motions, gently scrub any dry skin from your body. Don't use on the face or any tender areas including broken skin. Suitable for use up to 2 - 3 times a week.

Sheer Luxury Body Butter - with luxury Shea Butter, Coconut Oil & Rice Bran Oil, this whipped body butter is a deeply intensive moisturiser made with 100% of our pure quality oils and butters; you need only a small amount to have the softest skin ever. The butters and oils are specifically chosen for their ability to condition, soften and protect your skin.

Instructions for Use: Apply all over the body (avoiding the facial area) and allow 10 minutes prior to dressing, to allow the product to soak completely into your skin; can also be used a hand/cutical cream. A little goes a long way.

Note: None of these products are designed for use on your face, so please ensure you avoid this area. Do not use on broken skin. Our Body Polish may leave the bottom of your shower/bath slippery so please exercise caution. Avoid getting any water into your body polish jar in use/storage as this can affect the effectiveness of the scrub.  

Minimum Weights/Capacity: Soap 120g, Body Butter 100mls, Body Polish 200mls

You can purchase these fabulous gift bags exclusively online for only €23 (excl. P+P) - just click this Christmassy link!

Soaperstar - Made in Ireland Feature in No. 1 Magazine!

The weather is blowing a gale outside, the rain is lashing against the windows, it's pitch black and yet I'm smiling! Why? Because an envelope dropped through the door this morning with a copy of the November issue of No. 1 magazine who featured Soaperstar's fabulous new Sheer Luxury Lip Butters in their Made in Ireland article. 

It's great to have a mention in nationwide press and have our products listed as one of their "Must Have's".  No. 1 magazine is published in Cork and is billed as Ireland's No. 1 health and beauty magazine. 

If you'd like to purchase our Sheer Luxury Lip Butters or any of our products, please check out our online store at http://www.soaperstar.com/ - fabulous new Christmas Gift Bags on sale now!

Christmas Gift Bags from Soaperstar

Well, it's exactly 7 weeks to Christmas today! Eeeeekkkkkk.. I hear you scream! Yep, 7 weeks.  Not long at all... but we've put some small gift bags on our site today to help you sort out some of the present buying woes and, the best thing is, you can buy from the comfort of your own armchair!

If you have friends or family living anywhere in the EU, we're more than happy to send their gift directly to them - we can even include a small Christmas gift card with the present (you just need to email me with what you'd like me to write on the card).  Just order via the website, use your friends/family address as the delivery addresss and drop me an email to say it should be sent as a gift and the message you want to send and let me take care of the rest. 

Also, these are the perfect size for gifts for your kids teachers, for stocking fillers, for your work collegues, your girlfriends, your Mum in Law, your Dad or brother.... for everyone in fact!  A perfect size, two luxury goatsmilk & glycerine soaps made in Ireland, at only €10 per gift bag (excluding P+P).

We've put together a great selection (over 10 different combinations to choose from) so you're sure to find one (or more) that suits.  What a great gift - handcrafted luxury goatsmil & glycerine soaps, made in Ireland, all for only €10!

The gift bags you can buy are:

Think Pink Gift Bag

contains one My Sweet Love and one Velvet Heart

My Sweet Love - with added Golden Jojoba Oil, this fragrance is a fresh, floral bouquet with fruity accents reminiscent of sweet raspberries based on a warm wood-musk foundation; coloured with stunning raspberry pink and white swirls - a sheer fruity floral beauty

Velvet Heart - with added Apricot Kernel Oil; this fragrance is a beautifully soft, romantic blend of Red Roses, Sweet Violets and soft White Musk; coloured using natural micas to create the softest, most romantic glistening pinks which play beautifully against the pure white of the goatsmilk soap

Only 6 in stock

Fleur Frais Gift Bag

contains one Lazy Summer Sunday and one Aqua Haven

Lazy Summer Sunday - with added Organic Unrefined Nilotica Shea Butter; this fragrance has a heart of jasmine, orange blossom, lilac & rose, supported by a woody base of cedarwood, patchouli, vanilla & musk; coloured with deep tones of blue and purple natural mica

Aqua Haven - with added Golden Jojoba Oil; this fragrance is a heady mix of marine scents with a soft woody, citrus & sea salt; coloured using a mix of blues, greens, aqua turquoise and white with a sizzle of shimmering mica to represent the crash of sea spray from salt water waves

Only 3 in stock

Symphonie de Jardin Gift Bag

contains one Lavender Champagne and one Rain Shower

Lavender Champagne - with added Apricot Kernel Oil, this fragrance is a blend of uplifting citrusy lemon against a background of calming, soothing French Lavender; subtly coloured to reflect the citrus lavender with a touch of glistening natural mica

Rain Shower - with added Avocado Butter, this fragrance is a fresh aquatic blend of lily of the valley, gardenia, raindrops, mist & clean green countryside; coloured with a blend of soft turquoise with cool green and pure creamy white and a hint of glisten through the use of natural mica

Only 6 in stock

Island Cocktail Gift Bag

contains one Pineapple Beach and one Mango Island

Pineapple Beach - added pure Organic Coconut Oil, this is fragranced with a delicious, fresh, sweet & juicy pineapple scent; coloured using a blend of two different natural glistening micas

Mango Island - with added Mango Butter and fragranced with the sweet exotic tropical fragrance of Mango; coloured with tones of yellow & orange with white goatsmilk swirls and a luxury glisten from the natural mica

Only 6 in stock

Glitterti Gift Bag

contains one Orange Blush and one Good as Gold

Orange Blush - added Apricot Kernel Oil, fragranced with a fresh cologne, blending perfumed bergamot and sweet orange blossom with delicate cottony florals on a base of precious powdery musks; coloured using stunning bronzed swirls created using a blend of orangey bronze coloured natural mica alongside bright orange and white goatsmilk swirls

Good as Gold - with added Golden Jojoba Oil, this is a sweet, floral, nectarine and juicy mandarin complimented by peach and plum on a creamy vanilla base; coloured using a stunning golden natural mica alongside orange and white goatsmilk swirls

Only 4 in stock

Spots & Dots Gift Bag

contains one Oriental Crush and one Hawaiian Blossom

Oriental Crush - with added pure Coconut Oil, fragranced with a blend of zesty lime & mandarin, leading to a base of basil with warm accords of precious woods & amber; coloured with glistening brightly coloured spots of glycerine soap in shades of lime green and mandarin

Hawaiian Blossom - with added Mango Butter, fragranced with the sweet exotic tropical scent of frangipani, a native Hawaiian flower; coloured with tones of yellow glycerine and white goatsmilk soaps, with added natural mica to give a glittery sheen

Only 5 in stock

Blue Moon Gift Bag

Specially designed for the man in your life and contains one Midas Touch and one Mister Blue Genes

Midas Touch - with added Apricot Kernel Oil, fragranced with a lush green woody citrus blend of sandalwood, cedarwood and tobacco leaf and deeply coloured with black and two different types of golden natural mica to give it a gold rush feel

Mister Blue Genes - with added Golden Jojoba Oil, fragranced with a stunning blend of apple and mandarin, within a heart of exotic jasmine and violet, ending on a deep musk base - the fragrance is has fresh notes from the fruit, a mild floral heart followed within a deep musky base; coloured with the deepest blue mica to create lustrous blue swirls mingling with black and white swirls

Only 3 in stock

Gentleman's Club Gift Bag

An alternative gift bag for the man in your life & contains one Indian Rainforest and one Mister Blue Genes

Indian Rainforest - with added Apricot Kernel Oil, deeply fragranced with a wonderful blend of cedarwood, giving a warm woody masculine base, alongside the deep earthy scent of patchouli, a fragrance element used in many commercial aftershaves for men; coloured using two different natural micas, a deep forest green and a lighter green gold, alongside the white goatsmilk - giving an impression of dark deep Indian Rainforest

Mister Blue Genes - with added Golden Jojoba Oil, fragranced with a stunning blend of apple and mandarin, within a heart of exotic jasmine and violet, ending on a deep musk base – the fragrance has fresh notes from the fruit, a mild floral heart followed within a deep musky base; coloured with the deepest blue mica to create lustrous blue swirls mingling with black and white swirls

Only 4 in stock

Champagne Cocktail Gift Bag

contains one Lavender Champagne and one Hawaiian Blossom

Lavender Champagne - with added Apricot Kernel Oil, this fragrance is a blend of uplifting citrusy lemon against a background of calming, soothing French Lavender; subtly coloured to reflect the citrus lavender with a touch of glistening natural mica

Hawaiian Blossom - with added Mango Butter, fragranced with the sweet exotic tropical scent of frangipani, a native Hawaiian flower; coloured with tones of yellow glycerine and white goatsmilk soaps, with added natural mica to give a glittery sheen

Only 1 in stock

Blushing Blossom Gift Bag

contains one Orange Blush and one Hawaiian Blossom

Orange Blush - with added Apricot Kernel Oil, fragranced with a fresh cologne, blending perfumed bergamot and sweet orange blossom with delicate cottony florals on a base of precious powdery musks; coloured using stunning bronzed swirls created using a blend of orangey bronze coloured natural mica alongside bright orange and white goatsmilk swirls

Hawaiian Blossom - with added Mango Butter, fragranced with the sweet exotic tropical scent of frangipani, a native Hawaiian flower; coloured with tones of yellow glycerine and white goatsmilk soaps, with added natural mica to give a glittery sheen

Only 1 in stock

All of these soap duos are presented in a purple glossy paper gift bag and purple quality tissue paper and are only €10 each (excluding P+P) - a total bargain!!!

Check them out at our online store and, once these are gone, they're gone because we need to make way for new designs/fragrances and stock in 2011. 

Keep an eye out for two larger gift bags coming soon - Festive Orange Spice & Christmas Glisten with luxury soaps and matching Sheer Luxury Body Butters and our new Sheer Luxury Body Polish which hasn't even been released yet! Plus we're going to be giving you a special offer on our Sheer Luxury Lip Butters in free gift bags too!!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy Pressie Shopping!

Celebrity Mention for Soaperstar!

I just had to tell you - I got a fabulous link sent to me on Facebook last night, check it out here. Yes! Soaperstar been recommended by Colin & Justin!

For those who don't recognise their names (seriously, you don't?), Colin and Justin are Scottish interior decorators and TV presenters, who have appeared in over 26 programmes, most notably 60 Minute Makeover and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

This is really a story about the power of Twitter as a marketing tool - I joined Twitter in order to help market Soaperstar but I've had a ton of fun along the way and made some good friends.  Twitter is all about relationship building so that you not only enjoy the company of others but they can become your customers too. 

One of my very regular customers is Justin's sister and, although she told me ages ago, I would never have assumed any link or even spoken about it (customer details are utterly confidential of course).  She mentioned yesterday that she had given Justin one bar of the soap only for him to take her whole stash and then, last night, she sent me the link! They must have loved the product!

I had to thank them, of course, and left a message on their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ColinJustin to thank them and, in reply, they said

"Hey Celine - we LOVED the soaps and are always keen to recommend lovely new product we come across. Good luck with the biz'! C and J x"

 

Well, chuffed to bits just doesn't describe it! It's soooo cool to be recognised for your work and so publicly too!

 

I just wanted to say a huge thanks to Colette and to Justin & Colin too, I totally appreciate it!

 

If you're interested in purchasing any of our luxury handcrafted goatsmilk & glycerine soaps or our Sheer Luxury Body Butter, drop into our store at http://www.soaperstar.com/ - we'll be delighted to see you there.

 

Excellent Reviews for our Sheer Luxury Body Butter

Since their lauch on 1 April, our Sheer Luxury Body Butters have really gone down a treat with our customers.  I've received two absolutely fabulous reviews of them and our luxury handcrafted soap and thought I'd share them with you here.

Sinead recently ordered one of our very new (not yet even released!) Body Butters and said "I received my new Zesty Citrus Cream soap yesterday which smells fab and can't wait to open it (I know it will be amazing, the soaps always are!) but had to share about the bodybutter - I was sent an exclusive - Summer Sunflowers!! Opened it and the smell - pure sunshine - but it gets better, normally body butters are kind of thick? This is like a mousse - goes on the skin and becomes like a body oil that feels amazing and soaks right in! I'm converted totally and recommend this product to anyone - friends are sorted now with presents for ever! Well done Celine on an amazing product!!".  

And Felicity messaged me on Facebook to say "Hi Celine, I just wanted to post up about the products I received from you this week....the package was so beautifully wrapped that I took it into work to show the girls before I defaced it with my scissors. Well the excitement of the wrapping alone was tremendous and then came the two body butters that I ordered. The girls went mad for the citrus scented option and immediately wanted to try both out. they loved it, I loved it and I had to give up the business card and the little sticker on the front of the box so that they would know how to contact you. I am looking forward to my yummy hot bubble bath this evening where I will be doing eeeney meeeny miney mo on which option to smother myself in when I get out. To a job well done on both a professional as well as a fun level, I give you a big thumbs up. PS - Your packaging and branding is just excellent."

I was blown away by these reviews and wanted to thank both girls for taking the time to tell me how much they love the products! I really appreciate - feedback like this makes all the months of research so worth it!

Oddly enough, both girls are florists so know a thing or two about fabulous fragrances and excellent design!

If you'd like to check out our Sheer Luxury Body Butter selection (new fragrances being added next week, including the Summer Sunflowers) then check out our website at http://www.soaperstar.com/ - we also carry a wide range of luxury handcrafted goatsmilk & glycerine soaps.  

Soaperstar Press Coverage on Beautycouture.ie

I came home today to a fabulous email from the lovely Niamh from Beauty Couture.ie to say that they featured Soaperstar today!

Beautycouture.ie is Ireland's newest and brightest online magazine and is the place to get your daily dose of celebrity gossip, beauty and fashion news, plus totally yummy recipes, the hottest social pics, the best interviews and more fabulous competitions than you can shake a bejewelled stick at.

You can read the Soaperstar article here - thanks Beautycouture.ie, you made my day!!!

Remember, if you too want be couture and treat yourself to some luxury handcrafted soap and body butters, check us out at our online store today!

Selena just loves Soaperstar!

You may remember a couple of weeks back, I ran our first Soaperstar competition to win a Soaperstar tshirt and soap of your choice.

Anita Karir won the competition because by telling everyone, if she had the choice of any of the Soaperstar soaps, which one would she choose.... she said "Colour Bomb as I love rainbows, can teach my baby daughter colours using it, and it is so bright and cheerful and will put a smile on my face brightening up my dull life". 

Well, at Soaperstar, you know we're all about colour and fun and can't stand the thought of anyone having a dull life! So, the tshirt and soap were duly packaged and sent off with the mail fairies. 

And today, on a day when I was more than a little stressed out anyway, some of the cutest pictures in the world dropped into my mailbox totally making me grin from ear to ear!

Anita had taken some of the most adorable photos of her little girl Selena (just gone 1) posing with the tshirt and soap... have a look see and tell me they don't just melt your heart!!

Hmmm... Mum, this doesn't taste as good as it looks

Hello, Hello??!! There's no-one on the soaphone!

Ok, so you MUST buy this fabulous soap dahlin' !

Aren't they simply adorable??! Thank you SO much Anita for sending these on to me - they really put a smile on my face today!

Remember, if you want to get your grubby mitts on some of our fabulously luxury handcrafted goatsmilk & glycerine soaps, then hop, skip and jump along to http://www.soaperstar.com/ and buy, buy, buy!!! Limited stock on some items, so order soon. 

Sorta quiet here isn't it?

Just a quickie post to say that I'm sorry it's so quiet on the blog lately - the outside world is having a huge effect on my soapy world, leaving me exhausted and more than a little brain frazzled.  I'd love nothing more than to go and soap and make body butters all day, believe me... they don't answer back, or forget deadlines, or say "oh, didn't I tell you?".  One of my dearest wishes is that I could work on Soaperstar as my full-time job but the way the world's economies are going, that might not be today or tomorrow! Not to worry, I shall be posting fab pics of new soaps soon enough.  I just wanted to explain the silence - not intended but necessary I'm afraid. 

Creation|Collaboration 3rd Women Wednesday Blog Hop!

Welcome to Creation|Collaboration's 3rd Women Wednesday blog hop, hosted by Beads & More by Lois, Soaperstar and Plans and Presents

Creation|Collaboration was set up by eight women, all existing friends, who run small businesses from their homes. We have started Women Wednesday blog roll to link up with other women in business, spread the word about Creation|Collaboration and basically just have fun visiting all of your interesting blogs!

We are also in discussions with regard to listing features companies (on a regular basis) as part of our promotional campaign so by joining in with the blog roll we can get to know you and your business and maybe you could be one of our first features.

Heres how you can join in with Collaboration Women Wednesday:

• Link up your blog name and URL to your Women Wednesday blog post using the McKLinky below (you only need to add on one blog to be seen on all of the McKLinky blog roll's) Please note that it's for blogs only and not links to your websites or shops.
• Follow our Creation|Collaboration blog and the hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• Grab our Women Wednesday button and feature it on your blog or Women Wednesday blog post.
• Follow and comment saying you're from Women Wednesday on as many blogs as you likes listed in the McKlinky box.
• Follow back any new followers from Women Wednesday!

It's that easy and a fun way to discover new and interesting blogs and us women at Creation|Collaboration get to meet other women in business!

A little something for myself

Well, I'm in the envious position of having a pretty much fully stocked store (if you want to change that situation, check us out at Soaperstar's Online Store and buy tons so I have to make more!!), I decided to make a few things for myself!!

Pretty much everyone who makes soaps and creams and all the yummy bath and body type things you can get, doesn't often get time to treat themselves and make something for just them! But I decided I needed a treat, and here they are:

All the soaps are cocoa butter based (very gentle on your skin) with our normal skin hydrating element plus added Sweet Almond Oil (can't help but make it pure luxury you know!) - the yellow ones on the right are a blend of Grapefruit & Lemongrass, the green ones are Peppermint & Spearmint and the orange ones on the left are Sweet Orange & Mandarin (the little two coloured one is a little bit of left over orange and grapefruit together).  All are scented using pure essential oils and coloured using natural micas (the green one, you'll notice, I could have mixed that in a bit better! D'oh!).

In the middle is a total experiment - handmade shampoo!!! With great hair loving goodies like Oat Protein and Panthenol (the pro Vitamin B you get in some big brand shampoo's).  I've never made a 'poo before so it was an utter experiment but it's a lovely pure white colour and a great texture (thickens up naturally overnight to a cream texture - which is good cos it sort of looked like frog spawn and pond water when I started!).  This is scented with Rosemary & Lavender essential oils - perfect for hair.

So, a few little pressies for me ... I really enjoyed making them and I hope you enjoyed having a peek at what we have in our bathroom!

If you need a gift for someone special or even yourself (and who isn't special enough to buy a gift for themselves!) check out our handcrafted luxury goatsmilk & glycerine soaps - and afterwards you can slather yourself in our Sheer Luxury Body Butter too! We're getting rave reviews back on these! Check out http://www.soaperstar.com/ for details - oh and we've got a new May special offer happening too!!!

Soaperstar is Creation|Collaboration's First "Friday Feature"

I'm chuffed that Soaperstar has been the first "Friday Feature" for the new Creation|Collaboration blog... please check out the fab new blog post here!

Soaperstar featured in the Mr Site Newsletter April 2010

As I previously posted, Soaperstar won the Mr Site Website of the Month for April 2010 and I said I'd post the newsletter article when published - well, it dropped into my mailbox this evening and you can read it online here, just scroll down to "Website of the Month".  Fresh off the press!!

I'm still chuffed!

Soaperstar Wins!

Well, I got home yesterday evening after a long hard day, and jumped online to check my emails ... and what did I find in my inbox? A fabulous email! Yes! But fabulous how? Fabulous because I'd just been told that I've won the Mr Site Website of the Month!! I was thrilled, such good news. 

And, even better news... they've also asked to use my site on their sample pages, to show people how a Mr Site website can look! I am really honoured about this ... when I started out, I didn't have any idea at all how to make a website, what information I'd need, or even what to do about those funny websitey languages?? But I did know I wanted to make it myself, I knew how I wanted it to look and I wanted to be able to update it myself, whenever I needed to. 

For those who don't know, Mr Site is a template driven site ... you choose a template that you like and you can input your own content on it; but you can also change almost every aspect of it to make it your own (because who wants a website that looks like everyone else's?!) and, if you learn a little HTML coding, you can certainly change a lot of the format of it.  The content is all down to you of course!!

Mr Site publish a monthly newsletter and Soaperstar will be featured in this - can't wait to see it!

Don't forget, if you like any of our fabulous Soaperstar products, check out our Soaperstar Online Store - we'll be delighted to see you!!!