Ugh, bedridden.
Feeling grizzly and unwell today. No soap-making for me, so I've turned my mind to making up a new recipe, one which is particularly indulgent to take our minds off those cold miserable days ahead.
Here's my view today. Without the tissues and empty glasses!
Taken with a Polaroid Mio.
Woody Herman Orchestra featuring Stan Getz - Early Autumn (1948)
I love the buttery sound of this version of a swooning favourite.
Evening Star
This is my current favourite: Evening Star. It has the creamiest lather, very luxurious. It is enriched with macadamia oil and pine nut oil and the scent is uplifting: basil and star anise. This will be available in Shanghai Lil & the Scarlet Fez's NEW SHOP in about 4 weeks time. That's right - NEW SHOP! Well, there never was on OLD SHOP, but you know what I mean.
Freshly cut off the block and ready to cure:
1930s Women in Resort Wear. In London!
Yes, pity the young women in this clip of a 1930s fashion show on some barge floating on the chilly Thames. It doesn't reek glamour, but the models look swell. Who wants to dress appropriately anyway, much better to always look like you've just stepped off a yacht in the Bahamas.
Smokey Joe is Back in Town
Freshly cut off the block, here is the result of yesterday's batch of soap, using avocado oil (and olive, coconut, caster and rice bran oils!). This is a personal favourite; I find it is very gentle on my skin, which is prone to dryness. The lather is creamy and rich. The scent is cade and vetiver. Smokey Joe!
The Gathering of the Oils
A new delivery of oils has arrived. I know, it's very exciting. New to the Shanghai Lil & the Scarlet Fez fold is avocado oil. I plan to include this in this morning's batch of soap. Avocado oil is high in vitamins A, D and E and is ideal for sensitive skins. A large part of the oil is unsaponifiable, which means it does not react with the lye during the saponification process, leaving a higher percentage of the avocado oil in the final soap. This is good news for your skin. I mustered the oils for a quick snap to show you the wonderful range of colours:
Back to Business
After a very enjoyable break away, I'm back and full of beans! Or is that suds? I could not wait to get back into the soap-making so I have started this week with a batch of rose-scented, rosehip oil enriched fun. This soap also has apricot kernel and rice bran oil, to supplement the very skin-friendly olive oil, and I have coloured it with a mica to give it a rich dusky swirl.
These little beauties have been freshly cut off the block. As I'm writing this, the soaps have filled my office with the sweet green and rosy smell of rose and rose geranium essential oils, an evocative contrast to the grey skies and falling leaves I can see from my window.
Happy Mothers' Day to all those mothers out there.
