Indie Body Care Products

Hello my name is Diane and I am a product junkie… okay so it’s not really a secret… I have made my living for umpteen years as a makeup artist and I literally own a store full of stuff… let’s not even talk about the “beauty closet” at my house. Oh how sweet my darling husband is to deal with the overflowing products and stacks of little boxes and bags that line various shelves throughout my office, linen cabinets and studio. This desire to try all things beauty started at a young age and since then I have always yearned to find the latest and greatest that the beauty biz has to offer. Being a small biz owner I still love to find those little artisan brands cooked up with a little ingenuity -first in the imagination and later in the kitchens and workshops of other devoted beauty addicts like me.

Even though I love the convenience of a sudsy body wash there is something about a great bar of soap that feels luxurious. I have tried so many from the super expensive frou frou kind to the health food store hippiesque variety so I was more than excited to try McBrides Beauty Soy & Coconut Cleansing Bar. Cooked up by former fashion exec Wini Burkeman (originally for her ailing mother) this soap is a refreshing delight. Because it has a coconut oil base it lathers like crazy but doesn’t dry out the skin and it smells like milk and honey. www.mcbridebeauty.com

I am also a huge aromatherapy nut and for years used to travel with a stash of oils to rid whatever aches, pains or issues that would arise. So I was ecstatic to hear about Ko Denmark Jasmine + Neroli Body Lotion.

Henriette Holst high school chemistry project turned full-time biz has been winning raves from fans around the Seattle area for awhile. Holst spent two years researching essential oils and consulting naturopaths to come up with the perfect formula. The super moisturizing lotion contains jojoba, organic aloe jasmine and neroli minus but it’s free of artificial fragrances and preservatives. Find it at www.kodenmark.com