east coast tropics

gardenia soap

local girl lovena harwood may have moved farther away from hawaii than most islanders but the aloha spirit is definitely represented in her handcrafted, vegetable-based, cruelty-free soaps which are created with a mix of luscious hawaiian ingredients like kukui nut oil, coconut milk, papaya fruit and, of course, juicy island fragrances to remind you of home.

lovena recently buzzed me about her new limited edition soaps which bring hollywood to bath time. the line has proven so popular that the book 'em danno soap created in homage to hawaii 5-0 has already sold out, but you can still get your hands on a bar inspired by lost and lovena promises more hollywood meets hawaii inspired soap in the new year.

if you want to get all martha and present your gift with some hawaiian style you can also pick up a pretty lauhala basket. orders over $50 score free holiday shipping but the shipping deadline is next week so hele over soon to receive your goodies in time for xmas!

free holiday shipping at malie kauai

malie spa box + facial tonic

here's your chance to stock up on malie kauai products for the holidays with free shipping on orders over $125. gift your favorite someone with the pampering malie spa box filled with favorites like malie's body lather, sugar cane ginger polish, mango butter bun & body cream.

or gather up lots of malie goodies in your cart to surprise all your friends & family who would appreciate a luxurious treat. one idea: the recently introduced facial tonics for the skincare junkies on your gift list. these natural organic plant distillations refresh the skin with four different formulas including guava pineapple (purify) or lilikoi lemongrass (rescue).

• secret code: holidays (enter at checkout) 
• expires: jan 3rd, 2007

indigenous soap

what do you think of when you hear the words indigenous soap? at first, i thought it was all about island culture but after chatting with soapmaker eric gamundoy i learned that his company's name was truly inspired by the ingredients found in nature that are the foundation for his indigenous soap line.

eric became fascinated with the alchemy of soapmaking after reading a book, and, with a background in the healing arts, was determined to create soap that nixed synthetic ingredients and instead embraced an all natural philosophy. he and his lady love handcraft all their soap on oahu with an emphasis on good for you ingredients like essential oils, shea butter, limu and clay (to name a few).

the best way to sample indigenous' most popular soaps is to order their handy travel bars, and they also whip up some pure soap for folks with sensitive skin &/or fragrance allergies. order online or click here to find shops in the islands that are keeping it indigenous.

pure hapa gets spalicious

spalicious gift box

i've written about pure hapa before but thought i would let those of you getting a head start on your shopping know about a sweet deal for the holidays. gift someone you love with a treat from this luxe spa line inspired by the islands and receive free shipping on orders over $75.

• secret code: kalikimaka (enter at checkout)
• expires: dec 31st

paul brown hawaii

my neverending investigation to unearth the perfect conditioner is currently collecting contenders for my next beauty binge. the hapuna line from hawaii's very own paul brown recently caught my eye with ingredients like water filtered through mauna kea's lava tubes (chock full of minerals and other good stuff) and botanicals from the islands. even better, the shampoo is free of sulfates and the volcanic thermal mask sounds like just the thing to grab when your hair needs some intensive lovin'.

beauty junkies on a budget should definitely check out the paul brown institute in town which opened its doors earlier this year. if you don't mind sacrificing some time to be a guinea pig for their students, you can save some big bucks on salon services like haircuts ($15), highlighting ($48) and even full body massages ($35). walk in's are a no no so do call ahead to find out when the next clinic will be open to the public.

the hapuna line can be found at paul brown's eponymous salons around the islands or stop by haircare express which seems to have the best prices online.