And this year, we’ve got a major ‘wax’ incentive for you: our perennially popular poetic wax is now microwaveable! Hey, I’ll admit it: as wonderful as our wax is, the old method of warming it on the stovetop was… well, kind of a ‘hot mess’. I have a few friends who refused to even try it simply because they didn’t want to spend any more time ‘cooking’ over a flame. Plus, DIY waxing is challenging enough without the painstaking prep.

talk about microwave 'lovin'!

So we’ve tossed the old ceramic mug and replaced it with a super-convenient plastic cup—so now you can zap your wax like a frozen dinner. But relax: we’d never axe the formula of our original wax. It’s still the same painless-as-possible, stubble-shrink-wrapping stripless stuff used in our spas and our at-home kit for years.

So kiss your old ‘flame’ goodbye and say hello to the ‘wave’ of the future with our brand-‘nuke’ microwaveable wax. (Now, you’ve got no excuses for ‘wax’ evasion.)

‘Skin’-cerely,

Miss Bliss

But let’s rewind a minute, and remind ourselves why being paraben free is so important in the first place. Parabens are preservatives used to prolong the shelf life of a plethora of products. In recent years, it’s practically become a swear word in beauty industry circles, due to some studies that suggest long-term exposure to the chemicals can lead to cancer, along with other unsavory effects.

After the initial hoopla, it’s been suggested that they may not be as dangerous as originally imagined, and the FDA is still looking at the data. But we believe in erring on the side of caution—after all, our products are all about making you feel good, and how can you do that when there’s a little voice in the back of your head wondering whether all the butter you’re slathering on is going to come back to bite you?

So with that in mind, our goal is to remove parabens from all of our products by the end of 2011. But for now, a bunch of our formulas (in addition to the body butters) are already free of the controversial little buggers. Here’s the full list:

poetic waxing at-home hair removal kit
ingrown eliminating pads
problem salved
blood orange+white pepper bath+shower gel
blood orange+white pepper soapy suds
lemon+sage soapy suds
vanilla+bergamot soapy suds
fabulous foaming body wash
blood orange+white pepper sugar scrub
lemon+sage body butter lite
naked body butter lite
fatgirlscrub
fatgirlsleep (in the US)
serious seaweed cellulite soap
mammoth minty scrub soap
the youth as we know it eye cream
the youth as we know it cleanser
the youth as we know it concentrate
steep clean pore purifying mask
steep clean deep pore cleanser
peeling groovy
best of skintentions (in the US)

Pretty impressive, no? So go ahead and get worry-free gorgeous, because at Bliss, we want to make sure you’re safe, sound… and absolutely stunning.

‘Skin’-cerely,

Miss Bliss

*Tube is now 1.8 oz smaller.

I have a friend who’s quite the cook, always whipping up amazing recipes she comes up with on the fly. She posted the recipe for this savory snack on her blog recently, and I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of you.

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? In fact, I could totally picture it becoming a ‘pop’-ular munchie at our spa buffet, right next to the legendary brownies. I’ll tell you this much—it sure beats making another bag of greasy microwave popcorn. (I can never figure out the perfect time to cook those, and the popcorn always tastes burnt. Ick.) So if any of you beauty-loving foodies make a batch, tell me how you like it!

Actually, as I’m writing this, I’m realizing how many of our products would be really yummy translated into something edible.

Hope you worked up an appetite—or are at least hungry for another tube of body butter.

‘Skin’-cerely,

Miss Bliss

In case you’re not already a ‘dew’-votee of our famous fabulous foaming face wash, let me give you a refresher: it’s a 2-in-1 cleansing and exfoliating face wash for all skin types that forms a fresh, fruity foam. It’s got quite a fervent following, especially since it’s one of the Bliss sinkside amenities offered to lucky w hotel guests.

Given its popularity, it was only natural that its fans would start begging us to come out with a body wash version. And because our customers are so fabulous themselves, we listened—and we’re proud to introduce new fabulous foaming body wash!

This ‘below-the-neck’ formula lets you cleanse and exfoliate in one step, just like the face wash. It’s paraben free, and it’s got a fresh, clean, unisex scent (ladies, expect your man to mooch some).

One more note: although it may look, feel and smell just like the face wash, it’s been specifically formulated for the area from shoulder to shin. So don’t think you can cheat and just start slathering the face formula all over your elbows (although we don’t doubt it’s been attempted at some point).

We’ve really gone bananas with all these new body washes, haven’t we? In fact, we bet your shower hasn’t seen this much excitement since… well, I’ll leave that for you to figure out.

Happy lathering!

Miss Bliss

If you’re a body wash buff, we’ve got some news that’ll work you up into a ‘lather’: we’re launching three all new shower gels: lemon+sage, vanilla+bergamot and blood orange+white pepper soapy suds.

“But…but…don’t you already have shower gels in those scents?” you may ask. And you’d be right (we’re so glad you’re paying attention). But we couldn’t leave ‘gel’ enough alone, so we did some serious ‘foam’ renovations to our existing formulas, and are now re-launching them as our all-new soapy suds.

So what have we done to your beloved bubbles? First, we made them almost twice the size—they’ve gone from 8.5 oz to a whopping 16 oz each. Next, we slashed the price from $24 to $18. You’re probably thinking: “WHA? A bigger bottle for less money? Does not compute.” Well, we decided to break the rules, just because we love you.

And we’ve topped it all off with two other improvements: a pump dispenser to replace the cap top (goodbye squeezing, hello squirting), and a new, paraben-free formula.

We’re totally thrilled about all the updates, but we want to know what you’re most excited about. So go on, tell us:

Stay tuned – later this week, we’ll be telling you all about our new fabulous foaming body wash (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like).

Best ‘washes’,

Miss Bliss

That’s right: next Wednesday and Thursday (8/5 and 8/6), we’re letting a team of gorillas loose on the streets of Manhattan. (Well, they’ll actually be people in gorilla suits—we don’t want to be responsible for any attacks on banana-selling street vendors.) Hitting spots like Sephora in Times Square and Crunch gym on Lafayette Street, the bikini-clad beasts will be protesting against fur—not in the overzealous-red-paint-throwing-animal-activist way, but in the no-one-needs-to-see-the-overgrown-jungle-sticking-out-from-your-bikini-bottom way.

They’ll also be handing out special offers for 20% off signature brazilian bikini waxes at our spas, and 20% off fuzz-fighting and body-toning bestsellers in-spa and online. So if you’re in NYC, keep an eye out for our ‘gorilla’ marketing team and don’t miss the chance to de-fuzz ‘fur’ less. And stay tuned for a video documenting all the monkey business. (Yeah, I said it.)

The rich, skin-softening formula inspires serious ‘dew’-votion among Bliss fans—sometimes to a scary degree. Once, a friend who forgot to re-order was reduced to such moisturization withdrawal, I found her on her bathroom floor trying to cut into the tube with an X-Acto knife just to salvage the last few smears. (Do NOT try that at home. Luckily, I brought her back from the brink of ‘skin’-sanity with a travel-sized tube I happened to have in my bag.) The point I’m trying to make is: people are crazy about the stuff.

So in honor of our famous formula’s 10th birthday, we’d like to ask you:

How to treat cellulite
Unfortunately, there is no cure for cellulite, but you can take measures to improve its (and your) appearance.

Prep/Cleanse
Our newest addition to the fatgirl-family is fatgirlscrub, a skin-smoothing, circulation-stimuating body exfoliator for less-than-perfect parts. Formulated with:
Himalayan pink salt that exfoliates for a smoother skin surface and helps re-mineralize skin, balance skin moisture levels, improve circulation to improve skin repair vitality, enhance penetration of cellulite treatments and detoxify skin surface.

Red Algae: clinically demonstrated to increase circulation to enhance skin repair functions and help diminish the appearance of excess fluid retention

Grapefruit Extract: provides antioxdant protection and refreshes the skin

Peppermint Extract: refreshes,invigorates and cools skin surface

Treat
We make the best cellulite creams! Our cellulite creams target the main causes of cellultie. FatGirlSlim targets cellulite with encapsulated caffeine to diminish the water retention that makes cellulite look even worse and fatgirlsleep tagets cellulite with lavender and sacred lotus flower extract which helps you snooze while you lose!

Camouflage
Everything looks better with a tan, but harmful UV rays? I don’t think so! My best cellulite secret – self tanner!! Spray the ultra-fine mist of my favorite self tanner, A Tan For All Seasons (not smelly, not streaky, not orange, dries fast – amazing – yes, I just sang that last word!) from waist to ankles for a toasty bronze, yet natural, goddess glow. Watch all those flaws that reveal themselves on doughy fluorescent winter white skin blur and disappear with a touch of tan!

Bliss Kisses!
-Karen

I love using hot salt scrub as a pre-shaving treatment. I apply a good amount to dry skin (salt + water=melt!) and give my skin a gentle scrub. This sloughs off all of the dulling dead skin cells that prevent me from getting a super-close shave. After I get out of the shower, I apply body butter while my skin is still slightly damp (it helps lock in hydration for long-lasting moisturization)!

Our customers say:
“I have tried every scrub you can buy and this is by far the best!!!! This is great to use before shaving and doesn’t irritate your skin. It also doesn’t leave that annoying oily film that some scrubs do. The warming action makes it very relaxing! I will never be without this again!”
– Mary, Dallas, TX

I couldn’t have said it better myself!
Bliss Kisses!
Karen

Bliss Kisses!
<3 Karen