Scents You're Sleeping On and Other News

What's up, AlternaFam? Lots going on here at AlternAroma HQ. Just launched a bunch of new items a few weeks ago, which are on the site now. There's shampoo bars, lip balms, nighttime lip masks, milk bath, lotion bars, whipped cleanser and shampoo bars. Out of all of the new stuff, the lip mask and the shampoo bars are my favorite. I'm in love with both of these formulations and I'm happy to share the fruits of my labor. I'm also prepping for adding a few new summer scents in soap bars around the end of May/beginning of June.

But before that...I'm getting married!!! Yes, the lovely gent behind the scenes who helps me with a lot of my clean up duties and is my primary sniff-tester is going to put a ring on it this coming Saturday. :) So, if you've thought, "gee, for just having had a big product launch, they sure aren't posting a lot...", well, that's your reason. I've been a bit busy, a little preoccupied and a LOT stressed. I knew weddings were a lot of work, but nothing prepared me for just HOW much work they are. Between that, AlternAroma and my day job...I need a nap.

Speaking of naps...y'all have been sleeping on some great scents! Some of the scents I've made products in are downright outstanding, and you should be trying them, so I thought I'd go ahead and highlight a few of them and tell you why you should check them out.

The first one is a new one, so far only appearing in the Bleat and Moo Milky Bath Soak, but it's definitely going to pop up in the summer soap line and a few other things.  It's called Cucumber Slumber, and it's just luscious. It's a cucumber melon scent, and I know what you're thinking..."oh, another one of those. Like the store at the mall has made since the 90s and all the cheap knockoffs of it." No no, friend. This one is different. It's super fresh and super realistic. You're first hit with a honeydew note, with a little bit of cantaloupe. Then you smell the fresh, vegetal cucumber, along with some notes of aloe, bamboo and lime for depth. I like to think of it as a more grown up version than the body splash we all wore as teens. When I smelled this fragrance oil, it blew me away. So far beyond expectations. Let's put it this way...it was a freebie from my supplier and as soon as I opened the order and smelled it, I ordered a full sized bottle immediately. It's the PERFECT summer scent, and I think I'm going to put it in as many products as I can for summer.

The next scent you're sleeping on, appearing in the Bleat and Moo Milky Bath Soak and Artisan Soap is Texas (When I Die). Now, full disclosure, I tend to dislike most florals. They give me headaches and too many of them smell like your grandma's vanity that hasn't been opened since 1952. However, there are some florals that I love.... Like jasmine, ylang ylang and...bluebonnets. If you've ever been in Texas in springtime, you know the smell of bluebonnets, and this is a dead-on accurate bluebonnet scent. It's a lovely scent. It's strong, but not heavy and a great floral for those of us who generally hate florals.

Speaking of florals that aren't awful, our Soft and Bright Butter Bar in Don't Believe a Word is magnificent! It's an on-trend blend of dahlia and exotic lychee fruit. Lychee scents with florals are all the rage right now, and this is a great take on that trend. It's bright and fresh.

What about masculine scents? Well, we've got 'em. Our Artisan Soap in Tornado of Souls is a house blend I concocted with lots of input from my fiancé, so it's man-approved! It has notes of bergamot, dried winter fruits, amber, anise, cassia and Italian waters. It's citrusy, aquatic and spicy all at once. It's really nice, and it's pretty unisex. Ladies love it too!

One scent that all ages will love is Watermelon Sugar. It's currently only available in the Lightly Exfoliating Bath and Shower Whip, but it's going to pop up in the summer line as well. It's a sweet but not too sweet blend of cotton candy and FRESH watermelon. This is a realistic watermelon scent on a background of cotton candy, not a candy watermelon scent. It's another house blend, and I'm pretty proud of this one.

Last, but not least, we have the scent that is my current obsession, Pepper! It's available in Artisan Soap, Bleat and Moo Milky Bath Soak, Soft and Bright Butter Bar and Hair Farmer Shampoo Bar. It's a spicy, unisex scent that's perfect for year-round. It has notes of black pepper, ginger, clove, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, vanilla, sandalwood, jasmine, cedar and patchouli. On paper, I shouldn't like this scent at all. I'm not a huge fan of spicy scents. But this one is magical. It's sexy, a little gourmand and it feels indulgent. I've been layering the scent daily with the shampoo bar, soap and butter bar, and I have gotten a ton of compliments on it so far. It's divine.

Speaking of all the new things, I want to talk about the two new lip products, the You Dropped a Balm On Me all day lip balm, and my pride and joy, the Overnight Sensation Lip Sleeping Mask. I worked very hard formulating these two products, and I'm thrilled with how they turned out. The lip sleeping mask especially, I had a vision in mind for months that I wanted to make an affordable duplication of the famous Korean beauty lip sleeping masks, but with some better ingredients as well. I took some cues from their formulation, such as using murumuru butter, but I changed things around to make it more approachable. I used pomegranate sterols instead of lanolin. Even though I have no problem using animal products myself, and the balm is not entirely vegan (it contains beeswax), I knew I didn't want to use lanolin. I have always thought that even refined lanolin has a certain odor to it, and I've just never been a fan. I stumbled on pomegranate sterols in my research and knew that if this ingredient was as good as all the posts and reviews said it was, that it was going to be perfect for the sleeping balm...and I was correct. 

For both balms, I wanted to launch a limited selection of flavors, with a few traditional ones and a few out of the ordinary ones. My favorite flavor of the lip sleeping mask is the Old Fashioned. It's yet another house blend, and I love how it turned out. my flavor oil supplier has a huge variety of flavors, including some flavors to mimic cocktails and liquors. I took their bourbon flavor and added a bit of orange and maraschino cherry, and made a flavor to replicate a classic Old Fashioned cocktail. I just love how it turned out.

I encourage you to try some of these slept on scents and find a new favorite. Be sure to always take time for yourself and pamper your skin as well as your heart and mind.

Keep it Sudsy, 

Lee

AlternAroma Soaps