It’s not summer in the Barker household until I bring home an armload of our delicious Wildberry Body Polish. It’s the quintessential smell of summer at my house: a berry-infused creamy concoction created with red raspberry oil and pure cane sugar. It’s the perfect way to smooth thighs, blast those bumps on the back of your arms, and get you glowing from head-to-toe for swimsuit season. Look out beach….here we come! 
What’s the only thing better than a gourmet caramel? A gourmet caramel, hand wrapped inside an inspiring quote, offered in gorgeous giftwrap and created by a socially conscious company! My friend Shelley recently turned me onto Good Karmal and I am hopelessly addicted. With quick delivery and flavors like espresso, sea salt, chipotle and vanilla…I have a feeling you’ll be hooked soon, too! 
Two weeks and $10,000 to kill. Where to? 
Created in French Polynesia, this luscious oil is made by macerating Tiare flowers in pure coconut oil and leaving the mixture to steep for several weeks. The result is a serious skin hydrator with the natural aroma of tropical flowers. 
“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” ~ Ralph W. Sockman 
The perfect remedy on a warm spring day, this softening mask utilizes our favorite skin treats from your pantry! 1/2 cucumber Toss peeled and deseeded cucumber into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add honey, cream and yogurt and blend for 45 more seconds. To use: massage mask onto freshly cleansed skin. Grab a good book and relax for 10-15 minutes. Splash face with cool water to remove. Store any remaining mask in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
Christine B. of Akron, Ohio. As our latest drawing winner, she’s enjoying a host of goodies from our new Asian Indulgences Collection. It’s a package worth more than $75…congratulations! Want your chance to win? Enter here. 
Search our past spotlights and articles! 
I highly recommend the following cozy nooks and places of interest- they represent some of my favorite stops on the web.
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A peek inside an argan oil cooperative· July 2, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsAs I have come to discover recently, Moroccan women are a special kind of beautiful. I have long studied their indigenous beauty rituals and have found them fascinating, so I jumped at the chance to visit an argan oil co-op while on my visit to Asni. While this isn’t a raw material we currently use at Bella Luccè, I was excited to study it further and have begun to build relationships which will allow us to procure responsibly harvested oil of the highest quality for future product development. A little background, if you please: Argania Spinoza trees are a hearty species that is native to south Morocco. They have long been utilized by local Berber women and it’s not uncommon to find gifts left under the trees by villagers in recognition and thanks of the role these vital trees play in their everyday lives. Remarkably, the roots of the tree stretch 25 meters deep into the earth, which is more five times the height of the average Argan tree itself. With a life expectancy of 150-200 years, these resilient trees typically provide up to two crops of nuts per annum. Argan oil is used for both cooking and cosmetic production. Berber women have long used the oil for healing properties and it is often given to newborn babies before they even suckle. It’s said that argan oil has ten times more natural vitamin E than olive oil (which is also native to the region) and ingesting it is reported to help guard again cardio-vascular disease. In traditional medicine, argan is used to treat burns, psoriasis, arthritis, swollen legs and alopecia. There are approximately 800,000 hectacres of Argan trees in the southwest region of Morocco and each tree produces an average of 10-30 kilos of fruit per year. The region produces between 2,500- 4,000 tons of finished oil per annum, most of it created entirely by the hands of more than 2,000 people working in various argan oil cooperatives in Morocco. Now that you’ve had your math lesson for the day and I have sufficiently clogged your brain with numbers…how about some pictures? This is Hafida and I; she runs an argan oil coop operated by local Berber women in a village just outside Asni, Morocco. She was the sweetest, dearest thing and (I suspect) a bit of a rebel. Notice the skulls-and-crossbones sweater? Love it.  Hafida taught me the process of obtaining argan oil, which usually involves four women who sit together to form an informal assembly line of sorts. After the raw fruit is harvested, the hard shell is removed by centering the fruit on a large rock and smashing it with a smaller one. Shelled nuts got into a basket and the outer shells themselves later become animal feed (hellooooo eco-friendly!). I even got into the swing of things and cracked a few nuts myself.  A second woman cracks the nut again using the same process to remove the second shell, which is softer than the first, but still not used in the oil processing. This process reveals the inner kernel, where the good stuff is. A third woman roasts the almond-like kernels, as roasting intensifies the naturally nutty flavor. This step is performed for kernels which will be made into cooking oils; however, cosmetic oils do not need require roasting and, thus, this step is skipped. Roasting or not, all kernels are eventually passed to the fourth woman who uses a large circular stone to grind the kernels into a paste.  God bless her- that has to be hard work. If you look closely, you can see the paste dribbling into the large bowl. She inserts a handful of nuts into the opening at the top, grinds in a circular motion, and the paste dribbles through. There is one additional step to this process: the paste is then squeezed by hand to remove the oil. The remaining paste (seen in the basket on the left) is made into black soap, which is used in hammams (traditional Moroccan and Turkish bath houses). Hafida tells me that it takes four women eight hours per day to transform 80 kilos of raw fruit into 8 kilos of actual kernels which then yield 1 liter of oil. Having seen the painstaking process with my own two eyes, I can tell you that I’ll never look at a bottle of argan oil in the same way.  These are my goodies from the visit, as photographed in my hotel room in Dubai (where they’d already been put to good use). The black item on the far left is a traditional kese mitt, used to aggressively exfoliate the skin in hammams. On top of the kiese is a large jar of Amlou, a culinary spread made from roasted argan oil, crushed almonds, honey and a dash of cinnamon. It’s insanely delicious and I plan to smother it onto every piece of bread I can find when I get home. On top of the Amlou is a jar of jasmine hand cream, then a bar of soap and a jar of black soap paste (again used in hammams). The final item on the right is a body oil, scented with neroli orange blossoms, that feels positively divine on every square inch of skin where I have spread it thus far. These cosmetics are also made by local women, with the profits being returned to their village. The whole lot of it costs me 610 Moroccan Dirhams, or just shy of $75 USD. Bella Luccè does use another raw material that’s native to Morocco: Rhassoul Clay. This super-fine clay comes from deep below the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Utilized for centuries by the ancient people of Rome and Egypt and renowned for its mineral-rich content, Rhassoul deep cleans and detoxifies pores. You can find it in our Sea Kelp & Green Tea Masque. Unfortunately, the Atlas Mountains span far and wide in Morocco and there was no Rhassoul processor close to where we were, but there’s always a next time!
Sir Richard Branson’s Moroccan Retreat· July 1, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsAfter resigning myself to the fact that I had to leave my little slice of heaven in Essaouira, I started another 4.5 hour taxi transfer across Morocco, back down towards Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains. I had booked a single night’s stay at Sir Richard Branson’s Moroccan Retreat because… well, just because. Richard Branson is the eccentric billionaire owner of Virgin Airlines and Virgin Records, the adventurist who managed to circumvent the globe in a hot air balloon and- as it turns out- the owner of a half dozen luxury resorts around the world. Think South Africa, the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland and (drumroll, please)… just outside a tiny village in Morocco. Consider it done- I was on my way. Driving up into the Atlas Mountains was treat in and of itself. The narrow roads were punctuated by donkeys, the occasional camel and mothers in abayas (traditional Muslim robes) walking hand-in-hand with their children as cars swooshed by at perilous speeds. I tried to film the ascent for you, but it made me physically dizzy and I had to force myself to stop. We did get an opportunity to stop over in a tiny village, where many of the locals had gathered down by a rushing creek. There was an outdoor cafè- if you’d like to call it that- just across the water and the locals were busy harvesting food, bathing their animals and doing the laundry in the local waters. They seemed genuinely happy to see a foreign face and were quite welcoming.  We resumed our ascent through rust-colored deserts and mountains of sparse little vegetation. But the moment you turned a corner and spotted it, you knew you had arrived. Kasbah Tamadot. The story goes something like this: Sir Richard Branson first found this property (built in the 1950’s) when he was attempting to circumvent the globe in a hot air balloon. His parents fell in love with it and encouraged him to purchase it and turn it into a retreat. He did so in 2005 and it now hosts 24 intimate rooms, 3 pools, a spa and immaculate gardens at the base of the Atlas Mountains. Turns out, I had scarcely missed Richard by a matter of weeks- he’d left the Kasbah not long before I arrived. So close and yet so very far…. 
 One of my favorite features of the property is the outdoor pool. The infinity edge makes one feel as though you’re going to careen off the side of the mountain. Just across the valley is the village of Tanghart, which was settled in the 12th century by Jews. Its population is now composed of 100 families, most of whom are Muslim and many of whom work to create the goods sold in Richard Branson’s on-property boutique, the proceeds of which go back to the community. I should also mention that 90% of the staff at the Kasbah are local Berber people who have been fastidiously trained in impeccable service and most of whom speak at least three languages (Arabic, French and English). I feel like a ridiculous underachiever. 
 The six-course tasting menu featured some outrageously good red wine from Morocco. So intensely good that I completely forgot the name. We also enjoyed Zaalouk Vegetables, Spring Pea & Morel Risotto, Cauliflower Crowns with Smoked Salmon Mousse, and a memorable Raspberry and Strawberry Tart with Green Lemon Sorbet and fresh lavender from the gardens of the Kasbah. Yes, I’m missing a few courses in there- did I mention I had several glasses of the good Moroccan red wine?  I hopped in the infinity pool for a swim after dinner and listened to the crickets chirp in Morocco as I floated under a starry sky. It usually between day 6 and 8 of my international travels that I start to miss my children madly and in sitting there- eyes closed and immersed in the familiar sounds of nature- I took some comfort that my Celie was probably listening to very similar sounds on our back porch at home, sipping our nightly jasmine tea in South Carolina. I slept like a rock that night. The next morning we were treated to Moroccan honey-baked crumpets with caramelized bananas and roasted almonds and the ever-present pot of Moroccan Mint Tea (which just may become my new obsession) out on the restaurant terrace. After breakfast I snuck in a treatment at the spa’s hammam and spa, Asounfou (the Berber word for “relaxation”). Dubbed the “Yazire Angel”, it features a brisk exfoliation with warm oils mingled with crushed rosemary from the Kasbah’s gardens and a keise (traditional hammam mitt). The body is then cocooned while a scalp and facial massage is performed. It was 90 minutes of heaven! I chose this particular treatment because it is one of a few select treatments known as the “Angel” series. As described by Kasbah Tamadot: “Over 16,000 people die each day in sub-Saharan Africa from preventable and treatable diseases because they live in areas where aid cannot reach them. Virgin Unite, Virgin’s charitable arm, is raising money for the ‘Heavens Angels’ project to buy motorbikes for trained medical workers in sub-Saharan Africa so they can reach thousands of people who may otherwise die unnecessarily. In aid of this charity, we have devised these ‘Heavens Angels Spa Packages’ whereby 15% of the money from treatments sold helps to raise funds for this worthy cause.” Neat idea, yes? It’s days like these that I wish I possessed both a photographer’s eye and a better camera. Unfortunately, I have neither, so you’ll have to stroll over to the Kasbah’s website for the full suite of drop-dead-gorgeous photographs. I can only tell you that I stared at those photos for weeks, studying them in ridiculous detail, drooling slightly with high expectations… and then I got there. And it exceeded every last one of those expectations. With great reluctance, I summoned the hotel car to depart Kasbah Tamadot. I wish I could have stayed longer, but doing so likely would have entailed the sale of one or more of my children to finance the affair and I am rather fond of those little beasts. Next time- there’s always a next time (Please God let there be a next time). The staff was kind enough to pack a delicious picnic lunch for me to take on my way and they loaded my luggage into an SUV that promised to stop in at the argan oil cooperative to show me how this famous cosmetic oil is made. But that’s a story for tomorrow…
Greetings from Essaouira, Morocco!· June 30, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsAfter a tediously long series of three planes, I landed in Casablanca, Morocco last Wednesday morning. Not long ago, I vowed that anywhere that takes three planes to get to likely isn’t worth getting to at all. I proceeded to take a four-hour train ride to Marrakech and another four-hour taxi transfer to a little village called Essaouira. Dare I say here that I’ll have to eat my own words: thirty-two hours of continuous travel, three planes, a train ride and an extended taxi transfer were absolutely, without a doubt, worth it. Essaouira is gorgeous, seaside town that Jimi Hendrix used to frequent. It still carries a bohemian vibe, and is known today for its wind-surfing, thanks to brisk sea breezes. Most inhabitants live quite modestly and are of Berber (African) descent, making their living as either fishermen or craftsmen. Essaouira used to be Morocco’s largest port city. If you looks closely, you can make out the wall that surrounds the village, which was all built in the 1700’s. Inside that wall is what they call the medina, or “walled city.” It’s the heart of Essaouria.  This is how Essaouria (say it “swear-uh”) got its nickname as the “Blue City.” All the fisherman’s boats are blue, as are all the doors and shutters in the medina. It’s strikingly beautiful in person. You may notice that the children are jumping off the bridge into the water. Over and over again…I probably watched them for a solid 30 minutes. On the subject of water, I was warned not to swim in it or consume it- lest I catch ebola or some such tragedy.  A sweet old fisherman I chatted up in Essaouira. He was lovely…  The sea gulls are obviously rather accustomed to people. This one was perched on a ledge overlooking some ruins off the coast of Essaouira. Sixteenth century, I think…  Thanks to the Gnaoua (also spelled Gnawa) World Music Festival, the town was full of rasta boys and hippie girls. This one saw me taking a photo of the boats from the Citadel above and ran to be in it. I love his posture, because it truly speaks volumes about the vibe of the entire town. The festival takes place the last week of June each year and this was the 12th edition.  Six stages, three days, 54 acts, a few hundred musicians and a half-million rasta boys and hippie girls jammin’ to beats from the US, Brazil, all over Africa and lots of native Berber music. This is my favorite act of the festival: Maleem Mahmoud Guinea, Afoxe Loni and Stephane Belmondo. AMAZING African song and dance…  The medina is a walled city with alleys and streets that wind and intersect without reason, designed in such a way as to confuse invaders. It worked brilliantly- at least on me. It took me 2.5 hours of solid walking to find my riad (Moroccan guesthouse) on the first day. There is little automotive traffic in the medina, because the “streets” are too narrow for cars. So lots of bikes and mopeds, but that’s about it. What there is plenty of is… shopping! There was an abundance of pottery: platters, bowls and tagines (those cone-shaped baking dishes that are native to Morocco) are the specialties. The colors are brilliant and all of the work is done is Essaouira. Inside all the winding alleys of the medina are the workshops of craftsmen whose families have been in the trade for generations: woodworkers, metal fabricators, tanneries, potters, etc. There are few price tags and haggling is the name of the game.  One thing I adored: there were children playing everywhere in the medina. Their toys were usually balls or string, but they cared not. There were scads and scads of children (and dogs and cats) running about everywhere. They all spoke French, so I understood nothing more than “Bon Jour” and “Merci”, but they were lovely nonetheless. The mothers just let the kids run loose to play and they would all run home for lunch. Ahhhh, the good old days. As an aside, the medina in Essaouira has been declared an UNESCO World Heritage Listed site.  I stayed for 3 days in Essaouira, doing some research for an upcoming project and attending the Gnaoua Festival. It was an incredible experience and, though I left 3 days ago, I still have Essaouira on the brain. Here are a few random observations: * The people are incredibly warm and generous. In my experience (and that’s all I can speak from), visits to the third world or developing countries often leave me feeling like my bones have been picked clean. And with good reason: the prices on everything from taxi rides to lunch to handmade goods are exaggerated by as much as five or ten times the local price for Western tourists. Yes- you can and should bargain, but some days I just want to know how much my cous cous is going to cost for lunch, rather than engaging in a 5-minute back-and-forth over the cost of goods. In Essaouira, I still haggled, but the process was distilled to its essence and I never felt robbed blind. In contrast, my trip to Cairo in February was my most expensive trip-to-date and I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day from debating the price of every last thing I needed. I appreciated that Essaouira spared me the lion’s share of this awkward dance. As I mentioned, I’ve moved on from Essaouira, and Morocco, for that matter. Unfortunately, while there, I had tremendous problems with my internet and am behind in my blogging as a result. I have lengthy posts in the works about a small village called Asni, Kasbah Tamadot (Sir Richard Branson’s Moroccan Retreat), my visit to an argan oil cooperative and a one-night-stay in Marrakech. I’ll get to those over the next few days and appreciate your sharing my travels! Recycle empty beauty packaging at your local Origins store· June 23, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsShana, Bella Luccè’s shipping diva, brought this neat new program to my attention and I wanted to pass it on to fellow Buzz readers. It seems that Origins has started a new recycling program for your empty beauty packaging. You can return any beauty packaging from any brand to your local Origins store and they’ll forward it on to a central location for recycling. I love the idea; at Bella luccè, we’ve dreamed of something similar for years now. Unfortunately, as we are internet-based and not established as a nationwide storefront business, the fuel consumed by asking you to ship empty packaging back to us for recycling would offset any environmental benefit. So many thanks to Origins for stepping up to the plate and many thanks to Shana’s keen eye for discovering the program. I realize the blog has been a bit quiet as of late, but such is the nature of the beast when you juggle both motherhood and running a business during summer months when your children cannot be shuttled off to school for 35 hours per week of silent, productive bliss. Fear not…I am on my way out of the country on a business trip and will post (hopefully) drop-dead gorgeous photos right here as soon as I arrive. That will be 3 planes, 36 hours and one 11-hour bus ride later, but I am on my way! Summer’s here…bring on the good sale!· June 11, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsThe mercury is rising, the sun is shining and it’s time for sandy beaches, pedicure’d toes and some serious pampering! Bella Luccè invites you to save BIG on our delicious spa products, designed to nourish the body with fresh fruits, healing veggies, exotic clays and natural extracts. Have you tried these warm-weather favorites? Manuka Honey Drizzle Starfruit Banana Buttercreme Bath Cooling Peppermint Foot Soak Pink Grapefruit Foaming Cleanser Hibiscus & Honeysuckle Hair Restoration Treatment Tahitian Body Glaze (named “Best Body Oil” by Natural Solutions magazine) Right now, you can enjoy 30% off every order of $50 or more, plus FREE FedEx Ground shipping on orders of $75 or more (after all discounts have been applied). Act fast…this sale ends at 11:59pm EST on Saturday, June 13th! Use code SUMMERSALE at checkout at the Bella Luccè website to enjoy your 30% off. Happy summer! Our Bali Kopi Scrub in this month’s Shop Smart!· June 3, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsShop Smart is a magazine by Consumer Reports that’s designed to help consumers make informed buying decisions. We were thrilled to receive a call from one of their editors looking for nformation about our Bali Kopi Coffee Scrub. We were happy to oblige and you can check out the results on page 20 of the July issue…on newsstands now!  Southern Beauty Magazine Radio· June 2, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsI was honored to be a part of last Friday’s broadcast of Southern Beauty Magazine Radio, entitled “Mind Your Own Beeswax.” We were chatting about natural products and it was a blast to spend some time with some true Southern gals! You can listen to the broadcast by visiting their webpage and clicking the “Blog Talk Radio” button on the right-hand side of the page. It was a quick interview, but a ton of fun and I hope you’ll listen in… I come in around the 33 minute-mark, but the entire hour is worth a listen. On a particularly personal note…· June 1, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsNineteen years ago, I met a cutie named Christopher as we were on our way to the Science Olympiad state finals (how geekariffic is that?). He was on the local high school team, I was on the corresponding middle school team and we were bus-pooling. I spent the entire 8 hour-trip home from Oak Ridge flirting up a firestorm and we were dating within the week. Fourteen years later, I married that same man. Today is the fifth anniversary of the best decision of my adult life… Inbetween, I’d married another man and started a family. Christopher and I had put our relationship aside shortly after he went away to college. I was in high school and found it difficult to date someone three years older than I, who was pursuing a degree in another state. But we remained the best of friends- swapping letters, visiting when he came home and speaking via phone every Sunday at 2:30pm. He was my friend, my confidante and my consummate sounding board. After my first marriage crumbled, Christopher and I eventually began dating long distance… I had moved to Knoxville, TN to be closer to my parents, while Christopher was living in Columbia, SC. He dutifully drove 4 hours each way every weekend for two and a half years so that we could be together. The man has the patience of a saint. Here’s my favorite story from that time period: I left my previous marriage with precious few possessions. I had one pot and one pan to my name… which meant that I could make broccoli and chicken or rice and chicken, but not both- one pot meant one side dish. Christopher was always gracious when I blushingly put dinner on the table. For Valentine’s Day that first year, he told me he would come see me Friday night (as per our usual) and we’d go out to a fancy dinner Saturday evening. I was insanely excited, because fancy dinners for a single mom of a preschooler and a toddler didn’t happen very often. I awoke Thursday (Valentine’s Day) to the FedEx man bringing me chocolate-covered strawberries. *insert swoon here* I called Chris that night at our regular time, but got his home voicemail. I called again on his cell and he told me he was starving and running out for a bite. We chatted for about twenty minutes, until he asked me if I got the second delivery. I said “No, a delivery of what?” He asked me to check my front doorstep- nothing. He told me to check my side door… as I did, I discovered a silver wine bucket full of fresh flowers. I had the phone in my hand, but not up to my ear, as I said “Now how in the hell did he pull that off?” He stepped out from the shadows and said “How did I pull what off?” I dropped the phone and screeched. He’d taken the day off to come early and enjoy a long weekend. The next day, he took me to Williams Sonoma and bought me a full set of Calphalon cookware that I still use to this day. And we had a drop-dead fabulous dinner that night at the swankiest restaurant in town. As of that night, I knew I’d marry him- and I did a few years later. Christopher was my first love- he taught me how to drive a car, was my official first date, took me to prom and on and on and on. On more than one occasion, people have met my husband and said to me “He’s not at all what I expected.” And he likely isn’t. You see, I never shut my mouth. I am outspoken, ambitious, impulsive, passionate and bullheaded. My husband is an only-child introvert, quiet, conservative, thoughtful, grounded and brilliant. He is the yin to my yang, the tether to my hot air balloon and the careful balance I need to keep me sane. Though he operates largely in the shadows, I could not do what I do without him. He allows me to come home and unload my stresses, provides a critical sounding board, comforts me when I am a certain I am imminently going bananas, nurtures our children when I am abroad and inspires me to be a better person every single day. In a moment of humility that I will probably regret by tomorrow morning, I’m posting a picture of us at prom circa 1991 and another of us this weekend at our anniversary dinner.  Then
Please, no need to fall all over yourselves to compliment my orange hair and dyed-to-match shoes! We’re a lot older and a little fatter, but he remains the single best decision of my adult life. Christopher: I am forever grateful for your love, support, patience, and comfort. Thanks for being my silent cheerleader and best friend. Here’s to 55 more! Mumbai- Inspired Summer Lemonade· May 29, 2009 - General News Of NoteA few years ago, my mother and I were traveling abroad and we discovered the world’s most perfect lemonade in Mumbai, India. I’ve been on a quest to recreate it ever since and I’ve come dangerously close to succeeding. Here’s my recipe- splash of of vodka optional. :)
12 lemons Place two cups water and two cups sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally. Bring to a boil and allow to continue- stirring constantly- for 1 minute. Fill the pitcher with remaining eight cups water and add the simple syrup mixture you just created. Juice all twelve lemons into a measuring cup to yield approximately two cups of lemon juice. Strain seeds and add to pitcher. Add 1/4 cup of lemonade to a blender and toss in a handful of fresh mint sprigs. Blend on high until leaves are pureed into teeny-tiny pieces. Pack a tall glass full of ice, fill with lemonade and add one teaspoon of mint mix. Stir well and serve with a lemon slice garnish! This recipe yields 3 quarts. I realize that’s a small avalanche of lemonade, but it goes quickly in my house and we’ve purchased a larger-than-average pitcher to accomodate the demand. Enjoy! Happy Memorial Day· May 22, 2009 - Bella Luccè NewsBella Luccè will be closed on Monday, May 25th in honor of Memorial Day. There will be no production, no shipping and no customer service offered that day. But rest assured that we’ll back with bells on at 8:30am EST sharp on Tuesday, May 26th. Hope you all enjoy a long, restful weekend… |
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