Kiss Me, I'm Green

A while back, I wrote about getting your mouth up to par, mentioning that I enjoy wearing a natural lip. Actually, I enjoy wearing a natural everything, as I spend most of the day running around in the heat, make up askew, and would prefer not to look like I’m taking a walk of shame at 7 PM when I leave work. Not cute.

Here’s how I’m keeping my smile sexy and simple this summer:

Good Fortune’s edible Brown Sugar Vanilla lip scrub is the bomb.com (and you know I don’t throw that compliment out there too often). It’s edible! Need I say more? The 12-year-old fat kid inside of me who used to eat sugar cubes as an afternoon snack is screaming with delight every time I use this exfoliating lip prep. It tastes good, it smells good, it’s handcrafted and natural, and it’s always there for you should your blood sugar levels spontaneously drop. The directions are simple enough: rub it on, and lick it off. Or enlist someone else to lick it off for you, if you so choose. A hungry someone. You’re tasty, don’t forget it girlfriend.

By Stephanie , The Luxury Spot, A blog with all the best Tips! Dirt! Info!

Paper or Plastic? Take the survey for free credit (or cause you want to).

Inspiration? I visited High Country Outfitters in Atlanta, saw their GF display, and talked to "the guys" about what men want.

What do you want? Quality, eco-friendly, easy to undertand, shaving, camping, good smelling products.

Solutions? Clearly defined packaging for shaving, face, and displays with more information.

Plastic shrink wrap? Information sticker on side, quote card on top, stack on sides so you can see the type of soap, and yes, you can still smell them.

Earth friendly? We figure that processing paper, tearing it, and using stretchy bands are equal to plastic shrink wrap. Consumers may disagree?

Survey Says? So far the paper packaging wins with remarks such as "it looks more handmade, more eco-friendly, easier to touch/smell, less mass produced looking." Plastic-wrapped fans liked the cleanlines, how its protects their other items, and from getting "soapy," and less wear and tear.

Your opinion matters! 3 Questions • 60-Seconds • Free $5

Wholesalers? Want plastic? We have it IN-STOCK for immediate shipping!

Faucet Soap, worthy of its own outdoor "green" shower

I'm a serious nature lover, and have always dreamed of having an outdoor shower. Can you blame me, check out our view of the Appalachian mountains! Plus, I love summer, traveling, camping, and being active. All of the recent feedback from campers on how they love our Citronella Grapefruit Faucet Soap for its mosquito fighting properties, made me jealous. I couldn't stand it, I wanted some of the action, so I popped open a fresh bag for myself.

Luckily, my mother, (the photographer in this case), loves nature and showers as much as I do. She decided to build us an outdoor shower. Yeah mom! It wasn't even finished yet, but I had to try it out with my Faucet Soap. I went for a nice long trail run on our farm and then turned on the spicket to a nice cold slow trickle of well water. Ahhh! The shower is completely green, requires no energy, and even has a solar powered light for the night. To complete our green beauty regiment, we ONLY use phosphate-free Good Fortune Soap. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Citronella Grapefruit lathered so well and didn't leave me smelling like bug spray. I'm pretty sure I'm in heaven! Happy eco-soaping, ya'll!

Read all the rave reviews on Good Fortune products.
Feeling inspired? Email us your thoughts! products(at)goodfortunesoap.com

My Good Fortune Girls

Meet some of the members of our Good Fortune dream team. Keltsey, Charlotte (aka: mom), and Teona, are exactly that, a dream come true. Here you see our first 3-person production line. Keltsey filled the Brown Sugar Lip Scrub, mom capped the jars and labeled them, and Teona did the shrink wrap. You go girls!

I've been running the business with the help of one part-time employee and help from friends for 2 years now. I've been blessed, but to be honest, I've been struggling and needed more help. I wanted to grow, but didn't see how it would ever be possible. I suppose I had a lack of faith. I feared that no one could do it just like me, I couldn't afford to pay employees, or I'd never have it together enough to run a real business. What was the turning point you ask?

I finally surrendered my fears and asked for help. I decided on little less of Jennifer and a lot more faith. As soon as I gave it to God, then doors started opening, and the perfect employees and plans started falling into place. I've got new challenges to face each day, but I'm not complaining. I'm so happy to finally have help, and can't wait to hire more sales and Web people.

I encourage you to surrender your fears, take a leap of faith, and let God guide you in a new direction. Just let it go and see where the journey leads you!

Tea Tree Oil, More Uses for All Natural Products

We are always hearing interesting uses for our products, but this one takes the cake. One customer called to tout the benefits of our tea tree essential oil. Tea tree oil is known for it’s antiseptic properties and on the label we say it’s great to combine with lotion, bath water, or mouth wash to help with skin irritations and infections. But when folks call with testimonials, our ears perk up. This time was no exception. She called to say just a dab of tea tree oil instantly takes the itch out of mosquito bites (and prevents them as well).

And since it’s bathing suit season, we were especially interested to learn our tea tree oil, dabbed gently on the bikini area, soothes razor burn in that sensitive area. Try a 1 oz. jar of pure tea tree essential oil for only $6.50!

Got more testimonials? We’d love to hear them!

You wanted a SPF Lip Balm

Summer is here, and as we all know, skincare protection is very important. A few people have asked for a lip balm with SPF. I found an all natural recipe and whipped some up yesterday. Oh my goodness...what a creation!?! The creamy texture is great, but the super white color is just wrong. Wrong, I say!! We all had a good laugh, which helped ease the stress of a very long day!

Teona (my latest & greatest employee, shown here), and I made 1,200 bars of soap today, which partially explains the crazy dirty clothes and no makeup. Again, we had a really rough, exhausting day. Everything that could go wrong, did. I won't list all of our mishaps because we worked it out (and learned from them). Life is too short to stress, and being able to laugh at yourself is crucial. Lucky for me, I'm the owner of 50 of the world's ugliest lip balms, so why not wear them proudly?

We're all about the journey here at Good Fortune, and want to encourage everyone to keep trying new things and to never give up. Sometimes you hit a home run, and other times you make really white lip balm. The most important thing is that you stay in the game and don't take yourself too seriously.

Oh yeah, I've got free, ultra white, SPF lip balms to those who want to be cool like me. You just say the word!

inspirational lip balms with quotes

I'm constantly inspired by the people I meet and the world around me. I believe that "like attracts like", and the world brings beautiful spirits into my path. I recently had the pleasure of meeting two interesting women and store owners. Debra owns La Muse, gifts with purpose, and Valinda owns Art for the Soul. They were both drawn to my Good Fortune Soaps with spirit. You know? Our soaps with the inspiring gift/quote cards!

I think we can all agree that Good Fortune is the best soap ever, but what makes us truly special is that we are actively working to make the world a better place. So why stop with soap? Why not also add some fun quotes to lip balms they asked? Hummmm....good idea! So that's what I did, and I love them. I kept all four of our original lip balm flavors, but created new limited edition labels. The best part is we can create any custom lip balm label for any store, event, or person.

I hope you love the new quotes. They'll be available in a few weeks. Thank you everyone for helping me brainstorm ideas.