Bath and Beauty

I just love indulging myself with bath and shower gels, body washes, you name it! And you can bet that my relatives will be the recipients for some, if not all, of the items I'm including here.

First off, I want to draw your attention to a special little Etsy shop known as Bunny Butt Apothecary.

Now, we had some incredible submissions for our Holiday Gift Guide, as you can plainly see from the items we chose to share, the very cream of the crop . But Bunny Butt Apothecary is special to me because I discovered them on my own, and was so charmed by their storefront and the handmade products they offer that I actually approached them about being in the guide, just so you guys could discover them, too! I always like supporting independent sellers and shop owners.

Here's Bunny Butt's bio, which I just love:

Bunny Butt Apothecary is the creation of a twenty-something-year-old bunny owner named Anna. One day, Anna set out on a mission to prove to the world that you can smear yourself with (almost) natural things and smell darn pretty doing it and, behold, a business was born. Why the name? With the popularity of the Leaping Bunny program, bunnies have become a sort of symbol of cruelty-free practices, and our chief concoctor (yes, that's a word!) is madly in love with her own two bunnies. Plus, bunny butts smell like a spring meadow, didn't you know?

Bunny Butt Apothecary's fantastic products cater to even the toughest candidates on your list: have a budding vegan in the midst? Their Essence of Chamomile Unscented Soap is as pure as it comes! For more of a splurge, check out the Deluxe Bun Gift Set, with a little bit of everything--I especially like the Death by Sugar Cookies Whipped Cream, so decadent! And yet perfectly formulated to nourish your skin (Bunny Butt Chamomile soap, 5.50, gift set prices vary by set).


I have a couple more fabulous finds, again from small shops with big ideas, both of which feature cupcake-themed products. And who doesn't love cupcakes?! Pictured are Serah's lovely cupcake soaps. Serah's sent me a sweetly-scented sample (try saying that five times fast!), and they really do look just like creamy frosted cupcakes inside a plastic cup when they come in the mail. I can just see a 'tween or teen girl going nuts over these soaps. Serah's even has special holiday offerings: Christmas Reindeer Cupcake soap is a colorful red-and-green selection (Serah's, Cupcake Soaps range from minis at 2.50 to 12.00).


But if your daughter prefers bubble baths to hand-washing, then may I suggest
our next recommendation: bubble bath cupcakes! Soap Silly Bath & Body is owned by a Mom of three, including a teen of her own, so she has resident experts on hand to help her formulate her inviting bubble bath cupcakes. Even the names sound delicious: Birthday Cream, Orange Chiffon and Raspberry Lemonade are among her concoctions. My favorite is the gift box of four, pictured (Soap Silly Bath & Body Bubble Bath Cupcake gift set, 28.00, individual bubble bath cupcakes are 6.50).

Ever have trouble taking off your makeup at night without getting your hair wet? I know, you're a Mom and sometimes you don't even have time to put that makeup on, let alone worry about getting your hair wet! But you're daughter, who never goes out without her perfect face, will love this product, and you can borrow it whenever you need it, too. ; ) Tassi is one of those simple, inspired products that make you wonder why no one thought of it before: a simple terrycloth, elasticized head band that holds your hair out of the way when you are putting on or taking off makeup.

There's a video on their site to show how the Tassi works, and it's reasonably priced, so it makes a great stocking stuffer, too. I tried one out, and even with my fine hair, had no problems holding it all out of the way for keeps (Tassi, 14.99, buy two or more and get free shipping).

You won't want to miss our next listing in the Cool Moms Rule! Holiday Gift Guide, Books They'll Actually Read, which comes with even more giveaways! Check back here tomorrow.

Also, don't forget to enter our Hallmark and Lee Jeans giveaways!