Sneak Peak: Lava Lamp Lip Gloss

This Saturday I will be teaching a new class called all natural lip trio at the Nova Studio.  I have spent the last 2 weeks re-making and fine-tuning recipes for this Saturday's class where students will learn to make lip balms in a pot, lip tints and lip gloss.  I'm still working on the design of the presentation and am much closer to being done than I was last week, which is a good thing!  Nothing like the reality of an upcoming class to help motivate.  This is a fun project and one of my favorites from the class - I love the color pop and hope everyone else likes it as much as I do.  At first glance, it is not that interesting but once you tilt and turn it upside down, it's very soothing and relaxing to watch the colors glide through.  Not only that but it is also good for your lips.  I experimented with the one on the far right by placing raspberry and orange layers to get a more interesting color effect - next time around, I will probably use thinner color layers so there is a larger clear area for the colors to migrate.

Bright colors in these retro-style lip glosses

Tub Time Whoopie Pies

This yummy recipe is from The Natural Beauty Workshop.  I've been on a "soapy" dessert kick lately (see my marshmallow soap here) and want to try this next.

Bath Tub Whoopie Pies
This is a three part recipe. So much so, that the third part will have to be completed at least 24 hours after the first. To start this recipe, we'll begin with the "chocolate cookies" that make up the top and bottom of the Whoopie Pies.


Phase One: Making Cookies
Ingredients 

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup Epsom Salt
1 cup Baking Soda                   
1/2 cup Citric Acid                    
1/2 cup Whole Milk Powder          
1/2 cup Oat Flour, Fine       
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder   
1 teaspoon Umber Oxide             
Wet Ingredients
1 ounce Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
2 ounces Cocoa Butter, Regular
1/4 ounce Dark Chocolate Supreme
Fragrance Oil                  
Directions
Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients very well. There should be no clumps in the mixture. To achieve a completely even color, as shown in the picture, you may need to put the powders in a food processor, blender or other closed topped mixer.
Melt your Cocoa Butter in a double boiler, or in the microwave. If you use a microwave to melt your Cocoa Butter keep a close eye on it. Microwave in short 5 second bursts and mix well in between each burst of heat. In small mixing bowl combine the melted Cocoa Butter with your other wet ingredients. Stir well.
Slowly pour your liquid ingredients into the container with your dry powders. Stir this mixture well, making sure to distribute the moisture quickly and evenly.Add just enough liquid to make the mixture packable.  This is a similar technique to making Bath Bombs.
Cover a baking sheet or sturdy tray with a sheet of waxed paper. With clean hands, knead the Whoopie Pie mixture. Make small balls of "dough" with your hands* They should be roughly the size of a clementine or a small lime. Separate each ball of dough into two equal portions, making each portion into it's own smaller ball of dough. Gently press the balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Use your fingers to press them into small circles or domes. Keep each set of two cookies together so that you can match them up during phase two of the recipe.
Allow your cookies to dry for  about 24 to 48 hours. The longer they sit, the better. They will become harder and more durable as time passes. Make sure your cookies sit in a cool, dry place.  Humidity can be disastrous to this recipe.
*Note: If your "dough" is not sticking together try adding a little more melted Cocoa Butter to your mixture. If it is too slimy to work with, try adding more Oat Flour.
Phase Two: The Icing on the Cake
Ingredients
1 cup Shealoe Butter                   
1 teaspoon White Kaolin Clay        
1 teaspoon Cornstarch               
2 teapsoons Beeswax, White    
1 teaspoon Buttercream Fragrance Oil
Melt the Beeswax in a double boiler. Once it has completely melted, remove from heat and add the Shealoe Butter.  Shealoe must be melted gently or it can be damaged.  Make sure to mix it continually as it melts.  When the Shealoe has liquefied,  add the Cornstarch and the Kaolin Clay to the double boiler, continually whipping as the mixture cools.
As soon as the mixture in the double boiler is completely mixed and uniformly melted, pour the contents into a large mixing bowl.  Beat the mixture until it becomes cool using an electric mixer or a whisk.  When the mixture cools to room temperature add the Buttercream Fragrance Oil and mix once more.  The mixture will not set up and harden as soon as it becomes cool, this can take up to twenty four hours.  While the mixture is cool, but still very soft, transfer it into a pastry bag.  Make sure the tip and the open end of the bag are properly sealed and leave your mixture in a cool dry place until it is ready for the next phase of the recipe.  Leaving the mixture in the refrigerator is unnecessary as it may cause the "frosting" to become too hard to use.
Phase Three: All Together Now
Over the next twenty four to forty eight hours you should check your cookies periodically to see how quickly they are hardening up. When they are firm enough to pick up, turn over and handle without crumbling they are ready for the final phase of the recipe.*
Also keep an eye on your "frosting". If you made it the same day that you made your "cookies" it should be quite firm by the time your cookies have hardened.  Apply a frosting tip to your filled pastry bag to get started.  You'll be frosting every other cookie, leaving half of the cookies to top the Whoopie Pies.  Start frosting from the center of your cookie, drawing a swirl to the outside edge.  It won't take very much frosting for each Whoopie Pie.  When your cookies are frosted, take their corresponding un-frosted cookie and place it on top.  This completes the Whoopie Pies!  You may want to give them an extra day or two after you frost them before giving them out or attempting to ship them anywhere.  That should give them plenty of time to harden up.
*Note: Due to the humidity or dryness of the air this hardening time may vary. If the weather is too hot or humid this recipe may fail.
Usage
Using these sweet little treats is as easy as pie. Just drop one Bath Tub Whoope Pie into the bath tub for a deliciously fizzy treat.  To make your treats last longer, try using 1/2 a Pie at a time.
Packaging
Packaging Bath Tub Whoopie Pies can be almost as fun as making them. Cello bags tied with colorful ribbons or bakery and candy boxes would make lovely presentations. Just be careful to mark them well or someone is bound to take a bite! It is also important to keep the Whoopie Pies dry.  Make sure to use packaging that is as air tight as possible.

**Note: To create an all natural version of this recipe simply leave out the fragrance oils and colorants. The natural color of the Cocoa Powder and the aroma of the Cocoa Butter will provide a hint of chocolate scent and brown pigment. Also, if you would like to make a vegan variation, the Beeswax can be substituted for 1 teaspoon of Candelilla Wax. The Whole Milk Powder can also be replaced with Coconut Milk Powder or additional Cornstarch. Please be aware that making any changes such as these to the original recipe will alter the results.

Project: Cappuchino Milk Bath

This delicious scented milk bath combines skin soothing Oat Flour with gently exfoliating Milk Powder to create a luscious, skin pleasing combination that you and your tub will love.  The sweet, familiar aroma of our Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil adds an indulgent twist to this recipe, but it can also be made with all natural aromatics.  Treat yourself, or a fellow latte lover to this yummy bath time treat.

Cappuccino Milk Bath 
Makes 1 20 oz. (by volume) Container
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Dendritic Salt
• 1 cup Oat Flour, Fine
• 1 cup Whole Milk Powder
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 ounce Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil*

Directions
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the Baking Soda and Dendritic Salt, and stir well.  Measure and pour 1/2 ounce of Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil into the bowl and mix it well to disperse the oil.  Next, add 1 cup of Oat Flour and 1 cup of Whole Milk Powder and stir again, making sure to break up any clumps.  Measure 1/2 cup of the mixture and set it aside in a smaller bowl.  Add two tablespoons of Cocoa Powder to the large portion of mixture and stir it well to disperse its color.  You can add more Cocoa Powder if you want the color of the powder to be more dramatic.  Spoon the brown mixture into the container first, followed by the white portion of mixture.  Make sure to tap the powder down as you are filling the container so that you can fill it completely.
Usage & Packaging
This recipe was created for use with our 3x6 Acetate Rounds, but it would look lovely in almost any tall, clear jar.  Make your batch look extra scrumptious by adding a Wooden Scoop, a Brown Ribbon, and our Printable Tags.  Download them here: Download Cappuccino Milk Bath Labels

*To create an all natural version of this recipe, substitute Roasted Coffee Oil and a few drops of Vanilla Absolute for the Fragrance Oil.

from: The Natural Beauty Workshop

Recent products with lemon essential oil

I've been on a lemon kick lately - summer seems like a great time for lemons.  Here's a recent lemon poppy seed body scrub that I've made.  Yes, I used real poppy seeds as they work great for texture and are a natural exfoliant. 



Lemon poppy seed body scrub

And here's a lovely jar of lemon-scented botanical bath salts with rose leaves, lavender buds, organic oatmeal, and a custom blend of epsom, dead sea, and sea salts - yummy for your skin!  I love to soak my feet in bath salts, rub them down with a foot scrub, and then slather on rich moisturizing cream for a foot-pampering treat.

lemon botanical bath salt

You can learn to make these products and more at my next tub treats class in November!  They make great hostess, housewarming, thank you, holiday, or just-because gifts.