Masques & Masks – A Perfect Match!
Greetings, Sudsers! I hope your weekend has been productive. Mine has been decent – this was the final weekend before Tacoma’s Holiday Food and Gift Festival at the Tacoma Dome, so I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Except not really. I signed up for Victorian Country Christmas this weekend, so the light at the end of my tunnel is an oncoming train of more holiday show prep work. I don’t know why I do this to myself. This week on the Soap Case I will be introducing you to my October Maker of the Month, as well as providing a bit more information on a new Soap & Clay product!
RavenCraft – October Maker of the Month
We run into all types of people in life. Some we love, others we can do without. We have acquaintances, we have friends, BFFs, and even some frenemies. But every once in a while, you stumble upon people so incredible, so bright, so captivating that you pull them into your circle and never let them go. These people become your people; they change you at the cellular level. So it was with the RavenCraft Family.
I met Josh and Yvonne and their three awesome kids at The Fairyblossom Festival in Chehalis over the summer. And I immediately fell in love. The whole family is kind, optimistic, altruistic, intelligent, artistic with my kind of sense of humor. They’re delightful, and I enjoyed spending time with them at the event. We’ve since bumped into each other a few times since, and when I opened up Soap & Clay at Freighthouse Station, I knew that I needed them for my Maker of the Month table. Here’s why:
Amazing, right? They are so unbelievably talented, I can’t even. Their masques are all handcrafted, every piece is unique, and the entire family contributes to the design process. Family businesses are the best businesses, in my opinion. I’ll have more from RavenCraft over the next few weeks, but in the meantime be sure to check out their facebook page, give them a like, and come try on their wares at the shop!
Mask + Scrub Combo: Activated Charcoal Face Mask
I know, I know. I did an activated charcoal post last week. My very sensitive skin gets super wacky as the weather gets cooler, so I find myself turning to the healing products more often than usual. This mask is my favorite go-to these days, and because of my super sensitive skin I was super particular when I developed it. Here’s what makes it great:
Plate o’ Awesomeness
- Activated charcoal purges toxins and clears skin
- Bentonite clay reduces redness and detoxifies
- Grapeseed oil delivers EFAs and hydrates tired skin
- Evening Primrose softens skin and minimizes fine lines
- Orange Valencia EO brightens skin
- Noni Fruit Powder exfoliates and delivers antioxidants
This mask is a dry delivery system with a twist. I infuse the activated charcoal, clay, and exfoliant with high quality botanicals and essential oils, making sure that everything is uniformly mixed, before packaging. But Mrs. Soap & Clay, why do you do this? So glad you asked! While activated charcoal and bentonite clay are wonderful on their own, I was more interested in creating a skincare system comparable to a treatment at a spa. Purging pores isn’t enough; your skin needs EFAs, antioxidants, and hydration too. So with this system your pores are purged, your skin is hydrated, your debris is removed, and your face is polished and glowing. The exfoliation bit is because I really love dual purpose products; this mask pulls toxins from the skin, tightens, and then sloughs away the remaining unwanted gunk. Pretty sweet, eh?
Why the dry delivery system? Well, adding the hydrosol before packaging is problematic for a number of reasons. First, a main focus of my crazy soapy vision is delivering undiluted and pure skincare products. Water, well, waters down these beautiful botanicals, yielding a less effective product. Also, if I add water, I have to add a preservative. This is something I also avoid in my products as preservatives can cause a host of skin problems. Finally, a dry delivery system allows you, the end user, to customize the mask to fit your skin’s needs. If you’re super dry, for example, you could use a lightweight oil as your hydrosol. Skin lacking in luster? Try rosewater! Perhaps you need to feel the burn of a chemical peel-esque mask – apple cider vinegar would be your go-to. Dry delivery makes this mask extremely versatile.
So there you have it, Sudsers – the process behind creating the activated charcoal masks, the reasoning behind October’s Maker of the Month (reason: because RavenCraft is awesome), and now I must bid you adieu.
Just kidding. Coupon code for you to try your very own AC Mask+Scrub on me below.
Coupon code BLACKISTHENEWBLACK for a free AC Mask+Scrub. Offer expires October 23rd, 2016. Thanks!
I’ve been working on the lip butter line for a few months, now. Being a lip balm aficionado, I was pretty picky when it came to recipe formulation. The goal was a medium weight, nourishing balm with great staying power. Also, the consistency had to be just so; if a balm is too soft I end up with more on my finger than I’d like (wasted product es no bueno), but I don’t want to spend more than a nanosecond swirling my finger across the balm before applying. I’m very interested in the repair qualities of high-end balms – knowing that the silky smooth butter blend on my lips is also delivering skin loving EFAs and vitamins makes me happy.
I use a cocoa and mango butter blend for these balms (with coffee butter included in the Java pot), because both of these butters are great for dry and chapped lips and have the added benefit of repairing damaged skin and fine lines. They’re also a little bit on the firmer side with a slightly higher melting point (which means they stay firm at room temperature), which helped with the not-too-hard, not-too-soft consistency I was after.
