My second "handmade beauty products" workshop
It was last Sunday, from 11am to 2pm. At "duross & langel".
Of course.
It was actually an "advance apprenticeship" workshop: it was therefore accessible only to people who had already attended at least one workshop, it was three-hour long and free (usual workshops are two-hour long and cost $35).
Honestly, I expected to be treated like some kind of "beauty slave", working non-stop for three hours in order to produce mountains of soaps, rivers of shower gel and endless fields of lip balms.
Not at all, my friends.
Just like the last workshop I attended (see here), the ambiance and mood were friendly and laid-back - but also very studious.
We were thus five "students" gathered around Steve (the mighty "savonier") and, unlike the last time I was there, his partner James was also in for the happy ride. Not to mention their sweet and lovely children: their dogs. Only allowed in the workshop during lunch break (so they could steal from our plates???).
I started working in duo with James, in the kitchen: we made "Mojito sugar scrubs" by mixing a lot of sugar with glycerin and almond and jojoba oils; then we flavored it all with spearmint and lime essential oils so it would smell like the real deal.
James having spent a few months in Paris (he loved it!), we got along pretty well... especially when we found out we had the same "Tiffany" wedding bands...
Below, you can see the sugar scrub just before we put it in small (8 fl. oz.) jars. It looks a lot like delicious lemon "Italian ice":
yum yum!!
Back in the store, another team was working on "coconut clove" soap bars: I LOVE their sweet and subtle smell.
The first step is to cut the big glycerin blocks into small chunks: it's the soap base. Then you can add to it whatever you feel like: cocoa or shea butter, essential oils or natural colorings...
Once it's all melted and blended together, you pour it in a large mold; shredded coconut (lightly toasted in a pan beforehand) is immediately sprinkled over the liquid soap. After that, you let it rest and harden for several hours.
When the big block of soap is solidified, it weighs about 12 pounds; it's unmolded and cut into slices (about 5 ounces each), ready to be sold in the store.
A slice of "coconut clove" soap:
Inside the store, a pretty display of soaps:
Just like the last time, we also made balms - "Dragon Balms".
A concoction of camphor, menthol, calendula, ginger, cinnamon and wintergreen, the "Dragon Balms" have a warming effect and can be used to heal muscular or arthritic pains and also as a chest rub when you have a cold.
I actually tested the balm that evening for my love had a stiff neck: it was a success.
It was then time to move on to the ducks...
These are often bought by clients planning to throw birthday parties and other showers. The "baby duck" soaps that we created during this workshop were thus destined to be the party favors of a baby shower.
To make these, you first pour a very thin layer of liquefied soap in the molds and then put the ducks into place: the thin layer hardens very quickly and holds the ducks so they don't move around.
Then you can pour the rest of the soap:
After a few minutes:
voilaaa!!!
To conclude this workshop, we created voluptuous and creamy "shower butters": the base (pretty much what you would use to make soaps) is infused with oils or extracts - depending on the result you want; it is then whipped (just like regular whipped cream!) and put into jars. When ready, it is extremely smooth and velvety...
The "shower butters" feel like French "creme fraiche" on your skin...
As this was not an ordinary workshop, we got the chance to enjoy a very nice "pizza and "MnMs"" lunch break...
Oui!!!!!!
Yet, just like any other workshop, each "student" left with a little "duross & langel" "goodie bag". I must say we were particularly spoiled and, honestly, I'm wondering whether Steve does that on purpose, just so we immediately register for another workshop...
My very cute "soap samples" have already found a place in my bathroom (I'll buy more because I think it makes for a lovely gift)...
"teuscher" chocolate store
Two weeks ago, I went on a little "inspection tour" of the "teuscher" chocolate store - the one I briefly told you about not long ago.
While in the store, I chatted with the owners, of course - more specifically to explain why I was taking a billion pictures of their bountiful boutique...
That day, I had a very hard time deciding on what to buy but I finally chose three miniature chocolate bars the size of credit cards (cute!): I took one that was coffee-flavored, one that was lemon-flavored and another one that was mandarin-flavored. They were all delicious: very good dark chocolate, smooth and almost "velvety" like milk chocolate and with just enough flavor; nothing too overwhelming.
When biting into the coffee-flavored bar, you can actually feel ground coffee beans on your tongue! While the very good mandarin-flavored bar is more of a "usual" combination (it will remind you of the famous orange/chocolate duo), the lemon-flavored one is deliciously new and almost... "refreshing"!
In addition to a quite large range of pretty chocolate bars,
"teuscher" also offers a "not so classic" selection of individual chocolates; some are the shape of animals (ducks, dogs...) and are sure to please the kid in your family - or you.
To the musician in your family, you can offer a "CD" box containing a chocolate instrument plus a real "CD" featuring samples of various artists' works.
One thing leading to another (or because they thought I would never leave their store otherwise...), the nice owners ended up giving me an invitation to the cocktail party - the following week - celebrating the arrival of "teuscher" in Philadelphia.
And whenever I'm asked to attend a free cocktail party for the opening of a chocolate store, you must know, my dear friends, that I always say "oui"...
You can't say I didn't warn you.
"teuscher" in the "Bellevue" building:
200 South Broad Street (at the intersection of Broad and Walnut)
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Map
Hours:
10am-7pm (weekdays)
10am-5pm (weekends)
I'm making my own little beauty products...
Sunday morning, I went to "duross & langel".
"duross & langel" is a charming little "beauty shop", nestled in the heart of Center City (03-28-08 update: the shop is now a lot larger but as charming as it was).
Former "duross & langel" store
Steve Duross is a former hairdresser/esthetician with a passion for skin care and beauty products. His passion is such that he embarked (along with his partner James Langel) on a bold and beautiful adventure: making his own soaps, lip balms, body creams, shampoos...
This great adventure, although pretty recent, is already a success.
Which doesn't come as a surprise: the store is pretty (you feel like buying EVERYTHING, of course), the soaps are gorgeous (I can see them on one of my bookshelves, in my living room...) and they smell wonderful (I secretly wanted to eat some).
The ingredients used by Steve are simple, as environmentally-friendly as possible and, whenever possible, "local" or "fair trade". Prices are pretty reasonable and, on top of it all, it will be Steve's pleasure to advise you and answer all your "beauty" questions.
Perfect!
Yet what is unique and mostly interesting at "duross & langel" is that the customer can roll up his sleeves and actually PARTICIPATE in Steve and James's success story...
I had thus registered for the "balms workshop" of this past Sunday morning.
We were six women and had to work by teams of two.
With aprons on, we started making lip balm sticks.
Here, we're setting up the sticks so we can fill them up...
... while Steve is telling us what ingredients we will be using to make the different products: cocoa butter (left), shea butter (right), bees wax (center), olive oil...
Once these ingredients are liquified (by putting them in a pan, over heat), we add essential oils or fruits or flowers extracts. In this particular case, we added lemon extract and we then filled up the sticks:
In the workshop, people get to create products that will be sold in the store.
Very proudly - and once the "concoction" had solidified - we even put the stickers on the tins!
But people also have the opportunity to make products that they can bring home. To make those, Steve offers different extracts/essences to choose from and every "team" has to make its own little creation - with a tiny help from the "maestro". Steve encourages us to smell everything with our eyes closed, to touch, try...
In addition to the lip balm tins,
we also made "bug repellent" sticks
as well as "healing salves" (also in tins).
Steve had told me over the phone that one workshop was $35 (and lasted about two hours) and that we usually went back home with products well worth the $35: I did leave, very happily, with about 12 products! At the end, we all had a little blue bag carrrying not only our creations but also those of the other "teams".
Sharing, creation, beauty: what more could you ask for???
To see a list of upcoming workshops, it's over here (when calling to register, have your credit/debit card ready for payment).
"Chocolate-coffee" at "Di Bruno"
Some of you already know it and others are just starting to get it: I like treating myself and, most of all, I like it when people treat themselves; as long as you don't bother anyone, go ahead!
Last Friday, I thus treated myself.
Having just received my paycheck the day before, I thought I should celebrate immediately by going to "Barnes & Noble" (two blocks away from my office) to buy IT: Giada's latest book (yeah!!!) which, of course, I'll talk about very soon.
I had thus planned my lunch break as follows: I didn't go back home but went to my office's cafeteria and - perfect timing - they had prepared some "New England Clam Chowder".
It's a rather thick soup, creamy and delicious. I am usually not big on soups but this one is rich and yummy. This time, as the smart girl that I am, I even bought two additional big cups to bring home for my love likes it as well.
Anyway.
After enjoying my soup at my desk - while browsing through my favorite blogs - I took my "real" lunch break and went for a walk in the neighborhood...
Of course, I quickly found myself at "my" "Di Bruno" brothers'...
I'll say it again for those of you who haven't been reading this blog carefully: this shop is a gourmet and foodie dream come true. However, as I always say, their high quality products are not cheap: let me remind you that they are the ones who sell "Nutella" for 17 dollars a kilo (2.2 pounds) (note that, in France, one kilo of "Nutella" costs about 6 euros, i.e. 8 dollars...).
Oops.
As often on Fridays, there was a little tasting going on at "Di Bruno": chocolate??? Almost.
It resembled it much, but it wasn't...
Here is what this product contains: sugar, cocoa butter, milk, coffee beans and soy lecithin (NATURAL emulsifier, if you must know).
Well, my friends: it's incredibly good!!! I don't drink coffee but I love the smell of it and if, as it is the case here, it is mixed with sugar and fat, it can only be good, right?
I shifted to "journalist" mode and talked with the saleswoman: she explained that "Acapella Gourmet Foods" - the company which distributes this "chocolate-coffee" - is about... two weeks old! They are located in Pennsylvania and, apparently, their idea is to offer "solid" coffee, just like chocolate exists in liquid AND solid version.
I tasted two different flavors and they were both very very good. Be careful, however: you shouldn't eat this in excess (like you eat chocolate in excess...) since it contains caffeine.
I had a hard time not being everything and left with only one bar ("Espresso Serenade", the strongest and fullest flavor; 3.99 dollars) and five adorable heart-shaped red boxes each containing one "coffee" (I always want to say "chocolate" but it's not!!) and of which 100% of the benefits will go to Project Rainbow (1 dollar a box: it's cheap, pretty and for a good cause; everything I like!).
They also have heart-shaped and flower-shaped "coffees" in nice little boxes:
