If flying over the Pacific Ocean and landing at one of the most infamous islands in the world is currently out of your budget, you can bring the intoxicating scents of Hawaii and other international delights to the comforts of your own home. With Magic Senses handcrafted glycerin soap, the natural fragrances of beautiful blossoms will awaken your senses and transport you to your very own personal getaway.

Easily travel to exotic destinations, as our handcrafted Hawaii soap captures the magical quality of tropical islands and aromatic flowers. We’ve included the fascinating blend of plumeria, gardenia, and pikake – a species of Hawaiian jasmine better known as Jasminum sambac. The appearance of the soap is just as tempting with an energetic pink-purple base filled with decorative waves.

About Jasminum Sambuc (Pikake)

Widely grown throughout the tropics, the strong scent of pikake flowers are used as a gorgeous ornamental plant or most famously to enliven welcoming leis with distinct shapes and colors.

In the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the southwestern and southern parts of Asia, the same species of jasmine found in Hawaii decorates these regions. Called the sampaguita in the Philippines, the government named the flower their national bloom. Stringing the flowers together, the blooms create breathtaking leis, corsages and crowns used for offerings at religious altars or for welcoming guests.

With the majority of the country practicing the Buddhist faith, Cambodians have been using wooden needles to thread flower buds together to offer the Buddha. In China, the flower is transformed into a soothing jasmine tea. The sweet fragrance of the flower is also popular in Bengali, making the perfect embellishment in women’s hair.

A Worldly Fragrance

Our handcrafted Hawaii glycerin soap not only allows you to inexpensively travel the world, but to also freshen up, relax, and luxuriate after a hard day at work. Treat your sensitive skin to a moisturizing experience with natural fragrances that leave behind a light scent of the tropical islands and worldwide destinations. Create an attractive gift basket of Hawaii soap for family and friends or pair with other selections in our collection of floral glycerin soaps for the ultimate gesture.

As  snowflakes trickle their way into a New Year and the chill of lower temperatures settles in, it’s time to pamper your body with a winter wonderland of soaps. Vegetable glycerin soaps are perfect for the winter, as they leave skin soft and supple with natural ingredients that accommodate all skin types, including users with sensitivities. At Magic Senses, we have an enticing collection of winter-themed soaps we’d like to share with you:

Peppermint

Reminiscent of dancing candy canes, the solid white base of our handcrafted Peppermint soap contains large red solid swirls. Infused with natural perfume oil, users often lose themselves in the refreshing and stimulating scent of peppermint. Stay alert throughout the day with our Peppermint glycerin soap – an experience that truly invigorates the senses.

Spearmint

For a refreshing start to the morning, our Spearmint glycerin soap provides a much-appreciated mental boost, as the scent is known to increase and sharpen the mind. The pleasant pale green base with pieces of dark green spearmint leaf shapes also elevates the allure of a winter-themed soap basket.

Cinnamon

Think classic holiday scents and mugs of spiced apple cider on a chilly day when treating your skin to our Cinnamon handcrafted glycerin soap. The unique (almost creamy) solid white base with red swirls will certainly uplift your spirit, especially with the peppery fragrance of cinnamon.

Snowman and Snowflakes Soap Gift Set

The winter season not only brings a white Christmas, but also helps create precious snowman-making memories. To celebrate this time of year, we have the perfect gift set for family, friends, or yourself. The Magic Senses Snowman and Snowflakes Soap Gift Set comes complete with handcrafted glycerin soap filled with distinct personality and love. Outfit your bathroom with our jovial Frosty the Snowman – dressed in his signature hat, inviting smile, and carrot nose. Two delightful snowflakes round out the gift set that’s just as pleasing to the eye as with its scent.

This morning our Orange Clove soap was reviewed by Jennifer at The Dirty Shirt. Here is what she wrote:

“I had the great opportunity to be introduced to this company and received the Orange Clove soap to review. From the second the package showed up at my door I could smell the heavenly scent through the box and it only got better when I opened it. I loved the bright colors of the soap and after using it for the first time liked the scent even more. I love the special uniqueness of this soap and looked around their site for Christmas this year. I found so many great shapes, scents and more that I had to share the website with my friend who loves unique soaps. My next purchase will be their Gardenia soap, my favorite scent of all the floral scents. I recommend Magic Senses to everyone. Their soaps make the perfect gift!”

When you just can’t settle on a single one-of-a-kind handcrafted glycerin soap, Magic Senses offers mini gift sets comprised of two different fragrances and unique designs. Offering a chance to explore a range of our themed Soap Collections, choose a mini gift set for yourself or send as a present for that special friend or family member – especially during the upcoming holidays. Packaged in festive decorative boxes and made with love, we offer the following exclusive gift sets:

Mini Aqua Gift Set

If the soothing shade of blue is your favorite color, then two of our most popular Fresh and Clean Soaps should tickle your fancy: Rain and Oceans. For a naturally fresh, clean scent, Rain glycerin soap moisturizes the body with no added chemicals – leaving behind a subtle scent. Beads of white and blue appear within a lovely translucent blue-green base.

Mini Oatmeal Gift Set

Featured in the 2009 Holiday Issue of the San Joaquin Magazine, our Lavender Oatmeal and Oatmeal Almond soaps represent duel-purpose selections that lightly blanket the body with natural fragrances and provide satisfying exfoliation. For example, the soft nut-colored clear base of our Oatmeal Almond glycerin soap allows you to easily examine the robust supply of oats.

Mini Lavender Gift Set

Lavender essential oil not only provides one of the most relaxing natural fragrances, but also aids in the quest for a more calming and stress-relieving bathing experience. Our Mini Lavender Gift Set comes with a bar of Lavender Oatmeal and Lavender – an eye-catching selection in a fresh clear base decorated with green leafy waves and violet swirls.

Mini Hippie Gift Set

Take a trip back to one of the most sensual decades of our times with a burst of 60′s love delivered in our Mini Hippie Mini Gift Set. The colorful presentation of a bar of Peace of Patchouli offers a bright orange base containing an artistic tie-dye peace symbol. Using the classic clean fragrance of Sandalwood, embrace the sedative properties of the second handcrafted glycerin soap selection in this gift set – captured in a solid white base with dark brown swirls of seduction.

Mini Holiday Gift Set

The Mini Holiday Gift Set includes our refreshingly spicy Orange Clove and the ancient Roman scent of pine-like myrrh, which fills a room with a distinct herbal fragrance. The solid beige base with attractive yellow swirls of Myrrh helps create an inviting scene for both bathrooms and guest bedrooms.

Time to Relax Mini Gift Set

After a hard day of work or to satisfy your need to unwind, the Time to Relax Mini Gift Set creates a tranquil escape with our Chamomile Sage and Mystique glycerin soaps. Also known as our Sandalwood Amber Oatmeal Soap, Mystique provides a soothing fragrance, while Chamomile Sage contains a well-known calming herb (chamomile) in the world of natural healing.

For holidays, birthdays, or ‘just because’, Magic Senses mini gift sets allow you or a special someone to experience the beauty of our one-of-a-kind glycerin soaps – handcrafted with natural ingredients and packaged with love.

For most, the holiday season is a time of entertaining. From dinner parties to having drinks with friends to family members visiting for a few days, the time can fly by in a blur of events. It can be too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of both attending and preparing for all that is happening over the holidays. The details of getting everything ready can take away from actually enjoying your own event.

Of course, if you’re the host, you want everything to be perfect, everyone to feel welcome and comfortable during their time with you. By incorporating some handmade soaps into your preparations, you can ensure that everyone who is a guest will feel special during a stay at your home.  Nothing is more welcoming than being greeted by fresh towels adorned with a beautiful bar of handmade glycerin soap after a long day of travelling, shopping, visiting or attending other festive events.

With so many different colors, styles and scents to choose from, you can provide a unique handmade glycerin soap for each of your guests. You can choose a soap based on the person, or with the wide range of holiday soaps, you can easily find some that will match with your overall decor. Peppermint, cranberry, cinnamon, orange clove and myrrh are just some of the different soaps you can choose from. There are even snowmen and snowflake shaped soaps if you have children visiting or you want to add a little whimsy to a stay with you.

No matter what you decide, not only will the handmade glycerin soaps be appreciated when they are first received, but they will act as a subtle reminder of this special time of year throughout the following months.

This month we decided to give away some seasonal novelty soap so if you like snowmen and snowflakes, keep on reading!!

About the Giveaway:

Open to US residents only.

Winners: 
- First prize: a soap set of 1 snowman and 2 snowflakes in our beautiful branded gift box. (1 winner)
- Second prize: a snowman soap!! (10 winners)

How to enter (required): Visit MagicSenses.com and then come back and leave a comment telling us the name of a product you would buy as a gift this Holiday Season!

For additional entries (leave a new comment for each additional entry):
- one additional entry if you grab our button from the sidebar and post it on your blog, please post the link;
- one additional entry if you sign up for our Newsletter (the form is on the sidebar);
- one additional entry if you join our Fan Club on Facebook (log in to see the page);
- one additional entry if you follow us on Twitter (we have a new Twitter name!!);
- one additional entry if you send a tweet about this giveaway, please post the link (once a day only);
- one additional entry if you fave us on Technorati;
- one additional entry if you blog about this Giveaway with a link back to MagicSenses.com
- one additional entry if you follow our Blog via email.

The giveaway ends on Tuesday, Dec. 29th, 2009 (end of day). Don’t hesitate to tell your friends!

*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winner will be chosen via random.org and announced online and via e-mail.

Good luck!! Merry Christmas!!

**********

Find out if you won!!

Whether you’re ready to spruce up your household décor or need a creative holiday gift idea, you can use handcrafted glycerin soaps to create unique holiday fruit baskets. Filled with vibrant colors and inviting aromas, Magic Senses has just what you need to deliver hypoallergenic luxury to family and friends. Handcrafted soaps are one-of-a-kind treasures you might just want to keep for yourself. We offer a bevy of popular fruity options, including:

Cranberry: Outfit a holiday basket with one of our popular choices in gift giving – Cranberry glycerin soap with a fresh clear red base dotted with dark red berries and vibrant red swirls. You’re sure to step outside your shower or bath with a cloud of crushed cranberries surrounding your body.

Grapefruit: The fresh citrus scent of Grapefruit glycerin soap is a popular pick-me-up for early risers who need a little extra rejuvenation in the morning. Brighten up your holiday gift basket with shades of pink and yellow by adding this handcrafted soap with decorative grapefruit center.

Apple: A holiday fruit basket isn’t complete without the crisp and clean scent of freshly picked apples. Magic Senses offers two selections for the apple lover: Green Apple and Spiced Apple. Our Green Apple soap offers a clear pale green base with a green apple shape decorating the center. Expect a sugary brown clear base surrounding a rather decorative presentation with our Spiced Apple handcrafted glycerin soap – perfect for the Christmas season.

Mango Papaya: The blend of mango and papaya natural fragrances create handcrafted glycerin soap you’ll be tempted to taste. Providing the perfect fruity escape, allow the scent of exotic fruits to carry you away to endless relaxation.

Pomegranate: Inside the festive solid yellow base, red “seeds” dance in our attempt to capture the beauty and allure of an exotic fruit that packs quite a juicy punch.

Strawberry Fields: Do you have a strawberry lover on your holiday gift list? Provide friends and family with an explosion of berry redness – a bright clear red base set with solid pieces of red and orange.

Watermelon: It’s OK to remind friends and family of the cool, refreshing summer treat in the middle of winter. The attractive creamy pink solid base is filled with melon ‘seeds’ – offering not only a pleasing scent, but also a nourishing bathing experience.

Other Magic Senses fruity selections to consider for a holiday gift basket of soaps include: Cherry Vanilla, Orange Clove, Cucumber Lime, Coconut Lemongrass, and Mardi Gras, which introduces the scent of the yuzu fruit – a Japanese citrus treat not found in the United States.

What is Body Butter?

Photo by abreathoffrenchair

Body butter is a type of skin moisturizer used by many for extremely dry skin, particularly in the winter. It is usually much heavier than creams and lotions as it is made with a lot less water. Most body butters use a seed or nut oil as their base ingredient to produce the most hydrating formula possible and because it is made with nutrient-rich ingredients, it protects as well as hydrates the skin.

To make body butter, the seed or nut of choice is ground up to release its oil. The oil is then extracted from the pulp and mixed with other ingredients to produce the fragrant body butter.

Benefits

There are many different benefits to using body butter, when compared to creams and lotions. Natural body butter is made using only natural ingredients, which are better for your skin and your body in general. They contain a higher level of emollients, which are absorbed into the skin and keep it moisturized. Body butter forms a protective layer over the skin, helping reduce the effects of the sun and hot and cold air. Many find that their skin is much softer and less prone to cracking or becoming inflamed when they use body butter.

Shea body butter, created from Shea nuts, has high levels of vitamins A, E and F. These vitamins help to keep the skin moisturized and clear, plus they help to protect and rejuvenate the skin. Shea body butter can reduce fine lines and wrinkles and is beneficial for many skin complaints, including sun damaged skin and some skin conditions, such as eczema.

Shea nut oil smells great on it’s own, but it is also very versatile. Other fragrances can easily be added to shea butter without being overwhelming. With a range to choose from, why not indulge your skin with a treat of one of the Magic Senses’ shea body butters?

Today I’d like to thank all of our customers who sent us feedback on our products via e-mail or left messages on our voice machine while we were on vacation. Your feedback means a lot to us and we appreciate you taking the time to get back to us!

Here is what Janet J. e-mailed us:

“Dear Betty, 

I love your soaps! I am so glad that I found your company. They look and smell wonderful! They arrived in just a couple of days. Thank you also for the free soaps.

You have a new customer. Everything is done first class down to the free soaps and the note. I will be back for more.

Merry Christmas,

Janet J.”

Thank you! Happy Holidays!