rosewater toner

I made bottles of homemade rosewater-based toner for special girlfriends. The toner is simple and pure: rosewater, witch hazel, and a couple of drops of vegetable  glycerin. I made a batch for myself and use it all the time.

The bottles are made for the ladies, too: I cut stencils with their initials, etched the glass with hydrofluoric acid, and mounted a rose quartz cabochon on the top of the cork:

Confession: these are two from a series of gifts for my best girls that were intended for distribution during Holiday ’09. They were delivered this week…November ’10. I had to dismantle my old home last December, I got distracted. Another item crossed off the Finish What You Start list. Brisk hand brush.

Times are lean but we can still have beautiful things.

lotion

This is virgin coconut oil/aloe lotion with ylang ylang and tangerine essential oils. I etched the glass jar it’s in a few years ago.

As a kid I went to colonial Williamsburg and freaked out with joy in the apothecary. I think I was either a shaman-esque medicine woman or a snake oil salesman in a past life. Subsequently I’ve always liked to make my own products when possible. That said, many early experiments were of novelty sort: Ooh, look what I’ve made! How interesting…ok, but I’ll actually be USING the stuff from Kiehl’s.

The recipes are getting more informed and refined. This one involved melting beeswax pellets and organic coconut oil to the same liquid temp, whipping that with distilled water and aloe vera gel, and then adding the essential oils. It is amazing. So creamy I have to forcibly hold myself back from eating it with a spoon. Heady and luxurious. I use it by choice, even! Win.