Friday, November 06, 2009

Dairy Powders at Gracefruit.com

I've been able to negotiate a better price on our buttermilk and yoghurt powders, so I've reduced the price of both. Some of the smaller sizes are 60% less! I'm also offering a new 5kg pack size for even bigger savings. I hope to be able to offer reductions on goat's milk powder and sheep's milk powder soon.

Thanks to everyone who has taken time to give me feedback on the mica colours. I've compiled a list of the most asked-for shades and will have them in stock within the next couple of weeks. Please keep the suggestions coming!

Thursday, November 05, 2009

A wee makeover

My daughter is quite the artist! And the cartoon in my new banner is her interpretation of me popping soap bubbles. Thank you, H!

Today we tested several new micas. Why didn't anyone ever tell me how much fun they are? We made lipstick and two eyeshadows, and now I'm keen to try mineral makeup. Of course, I'll get tips from my friend Sally. She's an expert on the subject.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Lip Balm Colours are Here!


Our oil-soluble, lip-safe lip balm colours are a wonderful way to colour your lip balm and other anhydrous products. Our basic colour palette allows you to blend the perfect shade for your products. The matt colours may be enhanced with mica to add sparkle, shimmer, and sheen.

And speaking of micas, we have a new range of lip-safe mica powders. We'll be expanding our range over the coming weeks and would love feedback and colour suggestions.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Moved -- Again!

We've moved into our new premises and have managed to organise everything. And of course, more room means more new items! I've been busy testing lip balm colours and some very pretty micas, and they'll be added to the Gracefruit.com website over the next few days.

I've also taken delivery of some Special Offer products! We have macadamia butter, olive butter, and spearmint essential oil.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Luxury Lip Balm with Olive Oil

Since giving up my soap business back in January, I rarely make cosmetics any more (unless I'm testing fragrances in soap), so last weekend my daughter and I decided to make lip balms. I had some new colourants I'd been meaning to try, so it was the perfect opportunity to get started on items for our Christmas hampers. This year friends and family are getting lots of handmade bath and body products.

I usually use castor oil in my lip balms because I love the feel of it, so you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered there was none in the house. I decided to look at the ingredients I had to hand and come up with an entirely new recipe -- and the result is the nicest lip balm I've ever made.

Some of the ingredients are a bit exotic (I get samples of lovely oils and butters frequently), so I'll give easy-to-find alternatives that will work just as well. The main ingredient in this lip balm is olive oil which neither expensive nor hard to find.

Gracefruit's Best-Ever Lip Balm

30% Olive Oil (use a good virgin olive oil here, not pomace)
22% Beeswax
15% Cocoa Butter
10% Mango Butter (you can use shea butter or avocado butter)
10% Macadamia Butter (or olive, sunflower or almond butter)
9% Avocado Oil (any oil will work -- sweet almond, apricot kernel, etc)
2% Vitamin E*
1% Squalane*
1% flavour oil or essential oil (peppermint essential oil is lovely)

In a pyrex or microwave-safe container, melt the beeswax with the olive oil. I do this is 2 minute intervals to avoid anything boiling over or burning. Once the beeswax has melted, add the butters and stir until they've melted, too. They may melt rather slowly, but it's important to add the butters this way so that your lip balm doesn't become grainy later.

Once the butters have melted, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Once everything is incorporated, your balm is ready to go into the containers. I've designed this balm to be firm enough for lip balm tubes. I wouldn't recommend tins or pots as the balm will be fairly hard.



I added a speck of colour to these, but it isn't necessary. They are just as lovely without.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I've made a lot of lip balms in my time, and this is by far the best.

*if you don't have these, just increase the amount of your oils a little to keep the oil/wax/butter ratio correct.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Landing View

I love the view from the landing this time of year. The light takes on a really beautiful golden glow, and the trees haven't yet gone bare.



Sometimes there are horses and sheep in the field just beyond.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

New Fragrances at Gracefruit.com


I am thrilled to announce that we have four fantastic new fragrances oils:

Banana -- A rich, sweet ripe banana fragrance. This is the most realistic banana we’ve ever tried! Don’t judge this one out of bottle. It needs to be soaped to be believed.

Linden Blossom -- A fresh vintage floral fragrance composed of crisp green notes resting upon a floral heart of hyacinth, rose, lily of the valley and a touch of carnation.

Dill & Green Tea -- A cool, masculine fragrance where green celery, cool breezy ozone and refreshing citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon rest upon a sophisticated, masculine heart of green herbal notes, lavender and lily of the valley. The base is composed of a subtle woody effect twisted with earthy patchouli, moss, amber and musk.


And the most exciting of all...

Double Cream
– I’ve searched for a fragrance that could compare to Lush’s American Cream, and finally found it. Top notes of buttery honey lead to a heart of vanilla, coconut, and caramel. The base is walnut, soft woods, amber, musk and tonka.