A lovely Sunday outing

Post Market Post

The Human Snail

Here is a picture of me working at my blog:

Well, it's not really, it's a snail, photographed by an amateur photographer in the 1930s.  A recent addition to my collection of snaps.  I have been working quite hard recently, in preparation for two markets over the weekend just gone.  The fall-out of this is I have been slow to post to my blog! 

One of the products I launched over the weekend is the gift pack.  Not just any gift pack, but a party in a box:

 
Karena from Magic Jelly prepared the beautiful labels and patterns, of course, and each gift box is different, containing a variety of Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez products.  Some even have Magic Jelly buttons, coasters or mirrors!   They were well received over the weekend and I plan to have more ready for the next round of markets before Christmas. I hope to be able to offer some via the online shop too, so more on that later. 

I have had a couple of enquiries from people asking where I will be next.  There are a couple of simple ways to find out:

1. sign up to my monthly newsletter - I will tell you about the markets for the following month, any special offers and any other news relating the Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez;

2. follow me on Facebook.com/ScarletFez;

3. visit me at a market and ask me!

When in Rome

What Soap to Make?

A long weekend, gorgeous and sunny weather, what soap should I make today?

From the cover of "The New Target Book for Girls"

It had to be When in Rome, of course!  That fresh and aromatic scent of basil and spearmint is perfect for this balmy weather.  Made with olive oil, shea oil and meadowfoam seed oil, When in Rome is a wonderful skin conditioning soap with a creamy lather and looks smart with its blue and black swirls.  

I have just made another batch today, but I do have some When in Rome in stock in the online store.  

Rosehip and Pomegranate Face Serum

A New Product

The last couple of weeks have been very busy as Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez prepared for a market and the release of a range of new skin-care products.  

I have had an excellent cleansing face soap out for some time now - the unscented Pink Moon Face Soap.  Then, the Rose and Cucumber Face Mist, a soothing and fresh toner for the face.  Rosehip and Pomegranate Face Serum completes the range.   This oil is made from organic rosehip oil and is blended with pomegranate oil, camellia oil, meadowfoam seed oil, olive squalene and vitamin E.  

You only need 3 or 4 drops of Rosehip and Pomegranate Face Serum, gently massaged over your face and neck after toning.   It is a relatively 'dry' oil, so will sink in quickly and is, therefore, suitable for use under make-up.  It suits normal to dry skin.   What I like about the serum is that it is made with only the ingredients I want to use on my skin, no padding, extending or emulsifying with water.  Just simple oils with all of their nutrients and benefits in a small bottle.  Good things come in small packages, right?  (I sound like Mary Ann Singleton from Tales of the City!)

I have made up a small face-care kit with all three of the above products, which are available from my stall at any market I will be at.  You can also buy each separately, of course!  Sign up to my newsletter (the button is in the sidebar) for up-to-date news of where I will be, special offers and new products.

New Product Launch

Rose and Cucumber Face Mist

I have been working for the last few months on a couple of new products, the first of which I am proud to say is released today!  

Rose and Cucumber Face Mist is an excellent toner and can also be used on the face just to refresh the skin.  Made from gentle rose water and soothing cucumber water, this face mist is blended with hydrolised oats.  One of my favourite ingredients, hydrolised oats instantly sooth the skin, making it look and feel soft.  

You will note, of course, that this product is completely natural, vegan and is not tested on animals.  The labels have been beautifully designed by Karena at Magic Jelly.

Rose and Cucumber Face Mist is the perfect accompaniment to Pink Moon conditioning face soap and will shortly be joined by another new product, a face serum.  More on that later.  

If you are interested in trying Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez's Rose and Cucumber Face Mist, come and say hello this Saturday at That Dapper Market at Bowden. 

Smooth as Velvet

Velvet Cream soap

This all-natural, vegan soap, made without palm oil, is as mellow as a balloon of brandy.  With the chocolate/vanilla/almond-like scent of tolu balsam, and its creamy, rich lather, it's a luxury worthy of any lounge lizard, cove, vamp or sophisticate.  Velvet Cream is made with a blend of rich oils including olive oil, olive pomace, cocoa butter and mango butter.  Available now through the Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez store.

Join the Club

Keeping up to date with Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez news

If you have been following Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez's blog (of course you have!), you will have noticed a change in the way it looks.  Take a look to the right:

Karena from Magic Jelly has created these fantastic buttons in the sidebar, all designed to lure you into the world of soap!  I must say, I love them, and I keep clicking on them for fun, they look so good.  Perhaps I should keep that to myself. 

You will have noticed that one of the buttons is for you to subscribe to a new newsletter that I will be releasing in the next week or so.  The newsletter will have news on upcoming markets and other events of interest, new product arrivals, special offers for subscribers and most importantly, fun!

You can also subscribe to this blog - there is a mini form just under the buttons for that.  If you subscribe to the blog, you will receive an email alerting you to new posts.  

Also, Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez is now on Instagram!  You can find me at #shanghaililandthescarletfez.  The photos I will post here will be different to the content of this blog and Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez's facebook page, but will focus on soap, what inspires me, more soap and anything else that captures my fancy.  Join up and welcome aboard!

Nightshade

Heady and exotic

I love making perfume, it's something that brings me a lot of peace.  I experiment as much as I can with the natural essential oils that I have and every now and then I come across a blend which I think is successful.

Of course, it is all subjective, what is strange and compelling to me might be repellant to another, but I don't mind that.

When I put together the Nightshade blend, I knew instantly that this was one of the successful ones.  It smoothly combined a number of elements, elevated the scents I wanted to feature and produced an evocative perfume that I'm proud to have made.

Not for everyone, Nightshade is heady.  It's a late summer's night in Acapulco, a midnight tryst in a winter hothouse or it's the lingering memory of the first time you saw your love.  Nightshade is blended to highlight that most beautiful and exotic of scents, tuberose, with a supporting caste of cocoa and black pepper.  

Nightshade takes its place with One Fine Summer and Sleepy Lagoon in the current range of Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez's all-natural, vegan eau de parfums.  

Winterfield

A new soap

I have just released a new soap, Winterfield.   I love coming up with new soap ingredient or essential oil combinations and with this soap, I chose to go for a classic Mediterranean scent, lavender and rosemary.  As I was releasing the soap in winter, I wanted it to have a 'comforting' feel, so I used extra rich and creamy oils including avocado, apricot kernel and hemp seed oils, to achieve a lovely smooth lather - perfect to counter the drying effects of a hot shower.   Winterfield is gently coloured with green clay.

So, please feel free to visit the store to purchase some Winterfield of your own.  Otherwise, you can follow my Facebook page (you may wish to select the setting to receive all of my notifications as otherwise you may find Facebook is something of a brat, not liking to share everything it should) to keep up to date with which markets I'll be at and when.

Nightshade

A new perfume by Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez

I am pleased to release a new fragrance, Nightshade, which will debut at That Dapper Market this coming Saturday.  Nightshade is a beautifully rich and mysterious blend of essential oils, absolutes and resins but the shining stars in this all-natural, vegan fragrance are cocoa and tuberose.  It is heady and would be described as an 'oriental' with a fine sillage and good staying power.  Just in time for winter.

It is always difficult to describe a fragrance, but I can tell you my thoughts on this one.   The floral notes are intense and suggest hot-house rather than meadow.  It is tropical, but out of season, like an orchid delivered in a white box full of tissue in the dead of winter.  It is other-worldly - a visitor from far away, sophisticated and alluring.  The cocoa and the resins underlying the floral notes bring warmth and softness, which is the reason why I think Nightshade is more of a cooler season fragrance than one for a summer release.

Come and sample Nightshade at That Dapper Market and say hello!

Immortal Violet

Creating a new scent

I am currently formulating a new scent based on violet leaf essential oil.  This has proved quite a challenge for me.  I love the scent of violets; the flower and the leaves, and I wanted to capture something of the violet's complex green, earthy and sweet nature.

Starting with a resin base, to anchor the florals, I chose to include helichrysum (immortelle) in the base, as I am mildly obsessed with this scent at the moment. Of course, I added violet leaf and a touch of rose.  I wanted to ground the sweetness of the violet with a smokiness, reminiscent of the autumn air early in the morning, so I added a touch of cade.  The blend is heady, but I think it may prove to be successful once it has matured for a couple of weeks.  I'll see...

The New Melancholy

Autumn, Aspire and Annuals

I know it is stating the obvious, but autumn is here.  It seems to be a bit early, the leaves are well under way to their new colours, there are dahlias out, it smells smokey at night, it's cooler and now, daylight savings is over.  As much as I really don't like (I'm being mild here) the very hot weather, it is sad to see the summer go.  Sad in a melancholy way.  

But I love the small rituals of a change of season.  The decision to pack away the linen and pastel coloured argyle socks, switching from rose scented tea to chai, dusting off the Balmoral boots, raking leaves, ordering violets and looking through bulb catalogues, moving from citrus and herbal scents to woods and resins.   They are small and personal things - I'm certainly not a 'no white shoes after labor day' type of person - but each one is a rediscovery of things forgotten (if only for 6 months), and an anticipation of cool days ahead, rugged up and cosy.

Here's a flower.  A dahlia from our garden, no less, and I see we aren't the only ones keen to have a piece of this:

I was very proud during the week to have picked up a copy of Aspire Magazine, a free publication circulated at various venues around Adelaide, because I am in it!   Well, it wasn't about me in my gracious living room (a la "Hello" magazine), but there was a small article about Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez soaps!  I was very happy about it and I'm chuffed to be in this new, very smart, magazine.   Here's the article, but I recommend reading the whole magazine, of course!

And finally, I am at the Wattle Street market in Fullarton on 12 April 2014, and Pop up at Prospect (Prospect Road) on 26 April 2014.   Come by and say hello and smell the soaps, bath salts, room sprays and perfumes I have on offer!

One Fine Summer

A new perfume coming to Shanghai Lil & The Scarlet Fez

A sneak preview!  A crisp floral with citrus highlights. 

Marketing

Upcoming Event

I am happy to report that Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez will be at the next That Dapper Market on Saturday, 29th March 2014.  Here is the flyer for the event:

We had such a good time last time and met a lot of lovely people and got to help them make a selection from the 19 different varieties of soap we had for sale there!   

This time around, there won't be so many varieties, but there will still be plenty to choose from.  I think I will group them into "floral", "aromatic" and "gourmet" to make things easier for people.  

Also, I hope to have bath salts and room sprays there too.   And...fingers crossed...new perfumes!   

So, there will plenty to see, smell and buy!   Here is a shot of the stall from last year (this year, it will be bigger!):

I am lining up some other market gigs too, so I will keep you informed both here and on facebook.

Experimentation

Velvet Cream - a new soap

I haven't made a new variety of soap for a while.   I've been busy just restocking some 'old' favourites after the Christmas rush.   So, yesterday, I whipped up a log of Velvet Cream.   This soap is made up of the usual olive oil and olive pomace - a great base for soap because it is super mild and gentle.   Added to this is a generous amount of cocoa butter and mango butter.   This will give the soap its creamy, luxurious feel.   Finally, I added a dash of castor oil.  I find that this gives the soap a silky feel on the skin.

For scent, I used vanillin and tolu balsam.  I don't know how this will take in the soap - this is the experimentation part.  I haven't used either before.  The vanillin tends to crystallize, which might be annoying, but has a delicious vanilla scent.   The tolu balsam is soft and mellow and has a rich vanilla/resin scent.   Overall, I think the scent is delicious, so I'm hoping it holds in the soap for the duration!   

Here it is then, in its mould.   I'll have more pics after 4 weeks when it is ready to use.

Available Stock

A guide to some mighty fine soap!

After the Christmas rush, I have sold out of a number of varieties, which I am currently busy replenishing.  However, there is still soap left in the store and below, you will find some of my favourites:

Top row:
Evening Star - Gentle and indulgent, Evening Star soap has a rich and creamy lather, brimming with luscious oils including macadamia nut oil and pine nut oil. The scent of basil and star anise is fresh and seductive, just what you need after your day out on safari. A Pernod martini is recommended after use.
Sunday Spice -  A gourmand's delight, Sunday Spice is a creamy, rich soap packed with luxurious oils for your skin like cocoa butter, shea oil and avocado oil. With the mouth-watering scent of carrot seed and ginger, you'll think you're on the bank of a river, sitting on a gingham picnic rug with a slice of home made carrot cake in your lap! A super luxurious and delicious soap.
South Pacific -  We all have our own Bali Hai and in this soap you will be wafted there on a dream of exotic lemon and tropical flower scents. Enriched with coconut oil, cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil, your skin will think it's on holiday too! A great conditioning soap.

Middle row:
The Emperor's Chai -  With delicious and spicy cardamon through a creamy blend of cocoa butter, macadamia oil and pine nut oil, you will have your very own dream cup of chai in a bar of soap! All that, and beautifully served up packaged in its own box.
St Clement's -  Wonderfully scented with mouth-watering sweet orange and may chang essential oils, this beautiful soap will have you dreaming of summer escapades through the citrus groves of southern France. Blended with oils including olive oil, olive pomace, macadamia nut oil, vitamin E-rich rice bran oil and jojoba, St Clement's is well suited to condition and gently sooth sun-kissed skin.
Madame X... -  With the seductive scent of ylang ylang, rose geranium and black pepper, this spicy floral will bring out your adventurous side. Lavished with super rich oils including olive oil, olive pomace, cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil and exotic musk melon oil, your skin will feel sensuously smooth and silky, ready to start your day of mystery and intrigue! Packaged in green - the colour of the unconventional! What a soap!

Bottom row:
Smokey Joe -  This soap is a sophisticate. A luxurious blend of oils including olive oil, avocado oil and vitamin E-rich rice bran oil make for a fine conditioning soap. The smokey, green and earthy scent of cade and vetiver takes this soap to another level. It is the lapsang souchong of soaps.
One Fine Summer -  Lying in the grass looking up at the blue sky, walking through the pines by the beach front or drinking your first Pimm's No.1 cup for the season, One Fine Summer will evoke your fondest summer memories. With a gorgeously breezy citrus-floral scent and lavishly blended with macadamia nut oil, shea oil, olive pomace and olive oil, One Fine Summer is a luxuriously creamy, all-natural and vegan soap. A superb skin-conditioner.
Spring Sherbert -  A sumptuous blend of oils including apricot kernel oil, cocoa butter, olive oil and vitamin E-rich rice bran oil give this soap its fine lather and conditioning properties. But for you romantics and dreamers, it will be the fizzing floral scent of lemongrass, lavender and lavendin that will fill you with the excitement of a new spring day.

Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez soaps are $7.50 and postage is $7.00 for up to 3 soaps, and $11.00 for 4 soaps or more.  Let me know if you have any queries or if you would like to reserve a favourite soap which is not currently available.

Enriched Bath Salts

New products for 2014!

I recently trialled a range of bath salts and I was very pleased with the results.  I sold them at That Dapper Market and people seemed to respond to them well. 

In making the salts, I considered what I wanted out of a bath product - something luxurious and indulgent - something which softens the water (sheesh, Adelaide water is hard!), leaves the skin gently moisturised and provides a wonderful scent (gentle and not over-powering).  

So, I used high quality, mineral-rich salts - Dead Sea mineral salt and pink Himalayan rock salt - mixed with skin-softening epsom salts and added a splash of shea oil.  I chose shea oil because it feels particularly nice on the skin.   The shea oil and the essential oils I added needed to be anchored (oil will eventually seep to the bottom so something needs to keep it suspended around the salt throughout the jar), so I used a blend of arrowroot and bicarbonate soda (again, great for softening water).

I made three, if I might say so myself - amazing - all-natural scents:

The Violet Hour - a complex yet sweet blend of violet leaf essential oil and vanillin;

West of the Moon - a super-rich floral blend of rose geranium and ylang ylang and;

Evening in Capri - a sophisticated dry citrus blend of kaffir lime and bergamot.

Each jar of bath salts is accompanied by a cute little wooden spoon (made from plantation wood) and is beautifully labelled ready for gifting or indulging!   The 200g jars of salt will be $16.00 and postage will be $7.00.   The salts will be ready in the Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez store about mid-January.

That Dapper Market

Dear Diary, today is my first market...

Yes!  Finally Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez will be appearing at That Dapper Market today from 3pm to 9pm.   No, there won't be singing and dancing but there will be plenty of soap - SIXTEEN varieties, no less, plus some beautiful bath salts and room sprays.  Come down and have a look, it's a great little market with plenty of atmosphere and a good mix of vintage, hand-crafted, food (especially vegan!), music and fun!

Gift Buying for Her

A selection

Eeek, what happened?  It's December already?!  No, I'm not ready either, but no need to worry, I've got some ideas for gifts for those occasions when you just want a small token to give to a lovely lady! 

Top Row
Love Lies Bleeding - a lush rosey scent
Lemon Meringue - mouth watering lemony scent
Riviera Escapade - citrus and lavender blend

Middle Row
South Pacific - exotic ylang ylang and may chang
Madame X - a spicy rose scent
When in Rome - bracing basil and spearmint

Bottom Row
Spring Sherbert - a fizzing lavender and lemongrass scent
Spearmint Julep - fresh as a daisy spearmint
Odalisque - romantic rose geranium and may chang

All of these soaps, and more, are currently available through the Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez shop now.  Or, if you can wait, I will be at That Dapper Market on 14th December from 3pm onwards.  Each soap is $7.50 and is beautifully packaged ready for gift-giving.  And of course, all Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez soaps are vegan, all natural and hand-crafted in South Australia!  I do not use palm oil.

So, if you want to see your friends and family dance with glee, give them a Shanghai Lil and the Scarlet Fez soap and sit back and watch:

Photo from Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez collection.

Party Season

Tokens of appreciation

It's a busy time of year for most people and there are usually plenty of events to attend in the lead up to Christmas.  Work functions, barbeques, family reunions (eek!) and, if you're brave, you throw your own party!

Attending this whirl of activity can get expensive, new clothes, the food, the wine but it is often the gift that causes the most anxiety.  A small token of appreciation is an appropriate way to thank your host and wish them all the best for the season, but it's picking out something a little different and a little easier on the waistline, that can be a challenge for some.  

Here at Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez, you have a vast range of all natural, vegan soaps, hand-crafted right here in Adelaide, to select from if you are looking for an inexpensive gift.  Take a look here:

There are 19 soaps to choose from!  Each soap comes packaged in a lovely box, ready to gift, and only $7.50 per bar!  This is good value when you consider the luxurious oils used to make the soaps, designed to cleanse your skin without making you as dry as a biscuit.  Each bar is scented with essential oils - oils extracted from flowers, leaves and fruits - which provide you with an authentic, natural sensory experience without being bowled over by tenacious synthetic fragrances.

Visit the shop by clicking the button above.  Have fun and let me know if you have any queries.