bath plantation

the age of the internet has made it a bit easier for stay-at-home moms with the entrepreneurial spirit to set up shop online. chere deshayes may be far from her island home but, after the birth of her son, she decided to create bath plantation where she whips up products with scents reminiscent of hawaii.

you'll find everything you need to create an indulgent spa day at home: camomile bubble bath, bath salts harvested from the pacific ocean, and hand poured soy candles all available in scents like sugar cane, mango martini and coconut milk. an added bonus, the lovely glass apothecary bottles are pretty enough to display in the bath.

fyi - stash $25 worth of bath goodies in your basket and receive a complimentary bottle of lotion with your order.

{update | jan 2010: please note bath plantation changed ownership after this was posted}

island bubble shack

the musicians turned soapmakers behind bubble shack look like they just may be on their way to becoming hawaii's homegrown version of lush. the husband & wife team whip up hefty bars of soap at their mililani hq with island inspired names like leeward sunset, lilikoi shave ice (made with adzuki beans) & coconut volcano. you can even lather up with a lost bar that would definitely be on the wish list of certain island castaways substituting sand for soap.

and if you're a sucker for good packaging, then you will love being able to customize the wrapping for your carefully chosen soaps. bubble shack can be found at the aloha stadium swap meet or hele over to their website and score $5 shipping with orders over $50.

go hawaii

 

well, i'm finally off on a long awaited trip home and have a list a mile long of things to check out during my short but sweet visit. h|h will still be updated so don't forget to check in to see what's new with a few of my favorite islanders.

one thing that i will be stocking up on while i'm home is hawaiian blend suncare. i first spotted it at longs a few years ago and it is the. best. sunscreen. ever. it smells just like hawaii and the ingredients are top notch (you'll have to take my word for it since i left my last tube at a hotel by accident, but believe me when i say that i am the kind of girl who knows her ingredients and this is good stuff).

you can find hawaiian blend at longs (of course) and the abc stores. why, it's even available for our friends down in guam. if you can't get to the nearest pacific island then hele over to their e-store.

25% off malie kauai

every bargain hunter knows that you need to hop on a good deal straight away since you never know when it will vanish into the ether. if you have always wanted to try something from malie kaua'i, hawaii's very own ooh-la-la spa line, then get yourself over to daily candy deals to score 25% off your order.

stock up on goodies like the recently introduced aloha ambiance, malie's very own reed diffuser in tempting scents like pikake & gardenia. and, since the odds are slim to none that you'll ever get a ticket to one of oprah's favorite things shows, don't forget to pick up one of their luscious mango butter buns while you're at it.

there's sushi in my soap

even if you're not on a first name basis with the chef at the local sushi bar, you'll get a kick out of these nigiri sushi soaps from the big island's double brush. the husband and wife team handcraft each soap in their big island studio where they create a mix of crafty goodies.

pair these up with their sushi candles for a super cute hostess gift*.

*chopsticks not included.