New products are the lifeblood of any retail store and FineGiftSoaps is no exception. Every year at this time we journey to the market in search of new products we can share with you.

Because we are an online store, our challenge is that we can only describe our products and show you a picture - until now that is! I am excited to announce a new offering from FineGiftSoaps - Free Samples - not just when you order from us - but anytime - just ask and we will send them to you - no charge - no obligation. Let us know what you would like and we will send you samples of these luxurious products:

THYMES has introduced a new bath and body line called Ambersweet Orange - and it is wonderful. Each product in the line is carefully crafted of simple, wholesome ingredients and I know you will enjoy all the products from this new line - they will make you feel fantastic - and isn’t that what it is all about?

We have added NOODLE & BOO luxury personal care for newborns, babies and children, which is just what your pediatrician would recommend. “They fill a void in skin care for babies’ sensitive skin” according to Patricia Ferrari, MD, Pediatrician and Mom.

AROMAFLORIA, found in fine Spas, is a collection of bath, body and skin care products expertly formulated with aromatherapeutic essential oils. These products help you empower yourself in your search for balance and well-being in your life. I highly recommend the Honey Papaya Foaming Body Wash - you will love it!

In need of a little pampering? EARTHWORKS luxurious herbal body care line is just what you need. With exotic scents like Seringa Blossom, Pistachio, Frangipani and Sweet Lime these products are incredibly scrumptious. My favorite is the Pistachio - unforgettable!

I hope you enjoy all of our fine products and I appreciate having you as a customer.

First – start by de-stressing – RELAX – we have you covered. No need to go to a crowded store in the mall. And certainly no need to rack your brain about what gift to get that someone special in your life. You are just a few clicks away from having all your Holiday shipping completed.

Remember - Make it Unusual – Unexpected – Luxurious and Personal. Think about the gifts you have given during the past Holiday Seasons. Did they receive the big “WOW – you shouldn’t have”? Did your gift provide enjoyment throughout the year? Was it really special? Here are my suggestions for you to consider from our collection of fine products:

Give the Gift of Fine Soap all year long with this exquisite collection from Claus Porto – made in Portugal and a favorite of Oprah’s – each hand made bar delivers a wonderful fragrance and extraordinary lather. Truly Unusual, quite Unexpected, absolutely Luxurious and it could not get more Personal. This is a gift that will elevate the daily bath to an art form and they will remember and thank you every day.

Give the gift of Aromatherapy – there is nothing quite like the aroma from one of our beautiful scented candles – to be enjoyed in the home every day of the year. During the Holiday Season however – there is nothing quite like Thymes Frasier Fir – a Holiday Tradition for sure. The fragrance from these candles and home scents is so authentic you will swear there is a Siberian fir tree in the room. And for everyday during the year – my favorite candle is the Rosy Rings Lavender Candle – not only is this candle a stunning addition to your table top – it fills the room with the most wonderful delicate lavender fragrance you have ever experienced. Unusual, Unexpected, Luxurious and Personal for sure.

First - start by eliminating the stress. You’re going to find — and buy — a gift one way or another. Are crowded stores or no time to shop getting to you? Not anymore — shop online! You’ll find more options than any mall can offer. Plus, there are no lines, no traffic to get there and no problem finding a parking spot. Anything you can find in a store, you can find online from a reputable seller — and possibly get it for less. Have them ship it and you’ll save even more time by not having to wrap the gift or take it to the post office. Two of the things we pride ourselves in at FineGiftSoaps.com are product selection and presentation. When a gift arrives from Fine Gift Soaps, we are going for “Wow” factor and big smiles.

How are you when it comes to predicting what gift will please the person you’re giving it to? Being a mind reader isn’t easy. You could take the quick way out — saved by the gift card again! But how personal is that? There are always the old classics such as flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine. But how original is that? So let us try to think out of the gift box.

The Art of Gift Giving is really quite simple: 1) Come up with something that shows you put some thought into making the recipient happy. Personally, I enjoy compiling clues about the person. What are their hobbies? Do they collect anything?  What’s funny to them? Still stumped? Ask a friend or relative who’s close to them for suggestions. Above all, try to touch them with a gift that makes it personal from you to them. And you can’t get much more personal than wonderful gift soaps and lotions from Fine Gift Soaps, which is why I started this business to begin with.

One of the new additions we’re launching soon on our site is a Shop by Occasion section to help our shoppers find ideas for the perfect gift. It will feature leading brands and the finest scented products, including soaps, skin care, body & hand care, candles and more — for women, men and babies. If you’re not sure what to buy, ask us and we’ll be happy help you come up with a gift that is certain to impress anyone for any occasion. And, you can always pick out a nice little gift for yourself.

Welcome to the world of aromatherapy. In this world, the air is filled with refreshing scents for you to enjoy. Aromatherapy is an increasingly popular holistic — and therapeutic — approach that relies on aromatic essential oils to enhance physical and psychological well-being. This is not a new fad. The roots of extracting essential oils derived from plants can be traced back thousands of years to the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. Even then, certain plant oils were used for everything from spiritual relaxation and cosmetics to medicines for their natural healing powers.

The benefits from aromatherapy are amazing. After working all day, my husband and I can’t resist the relaxing fragrance of a Rosie Rings lavender candle. It’s as if the aroma that fills the room actually absorbs the stress from our bodies and purifies our souls. Then again, a variety of other candle selections offered by Mistral, L’Occitane and Volupsa also take us to a very peaceful place far away from the pressures of the day.

The best essential oils — and aromatherapy products — are made from natural and pure ingredients, and do not contain synthetic materials. You’ll find many of them in fine soaps and moisturizing lotions. Massaging these pleasantly scented products into your skin is very therapeutic — physically and psychologically. Breathing in their scents is reinvigorating … and they not only refresh your body, they can also help reduce tension, pain, fatigue and anxiety.

So treat your mind and body to aromatherapy. Light a candle tonight and fill your air passages with pure relaxation. Hop in the tub with an irresistibly rich foaming melon pear or vanilla apricot scented bubble bath. Make sure your next shower includes lathering up your entire body with a wild blackberry or classic olive scented soap. And remember, aromatherapy isn’t just for women. There are many men’s soaps that make for fantastic feel-good aromatic gifts.

The reality is that radiation therapy causes normal breast tissue to shrink. That sure beats losing all or part of a breast, but it’s still a scary proposition. After completing my treatments, my radiologist said, “Val, if you massage your breast every day, you can keep the tissue supple and you’ll be just fine.”

I took my radiologist’s advice and I’ve massaged my skin every day since. But I also felt I deserved a little pampering for what I was going through. That’s when I discovered many of the fine soaps and skin care products available, which are now offered on FineGiftSoaps.com. After every shower, I give extra care to my breast by slathering on one of the exceptional softening and smoothing emollient lotions from Olivina, L’Occitane or Mistral — and it really works!

During my radiation treatments my skin turned red. Skin cells died off and that made my skin dry and flaky. BreastCancer.org points out that the skin’s natural moisture is also changed by chemotherapy, which reduces the oil levels glands secrete. It can alter your skin color. Itching, burning, peeling and tenderness are also common side affects.² But some skin care products have proven to be helpful in replacing lost moisture, so you can fight back!

Experts recommend using moisturizer more frequently and gentle, moisturizing soaps or cleansing creams. But avoid soaps with heavy deodorants or scents. After radiation, skin can also become more sensitive to sun exposure and other climate-related elements, so using skin care products containing sunscreen is also a smart move (especially since skin exposed to radiation has an increased future risk of developing skin cancer).²

Before starting any new skin care massage regimen, remember to check with your doctor first. Many skin care products don’t mix with radiation therapy and can irritate your skin even more. The coaching my radiologist provided was right on. Thankfully, I am in complete remission and now happily look forward to my daily breast massage sessions.

In addition to a massage regimen for your breast, consider massage for your entire body during this traumatic time. At BreastCancer.org, they reference two studies that support the benefits of massage for cancer patients. In a University of Minnesota study, researchers found that massage helped lower anxiety and pain while also reducing the need for pain medicine. In another study from the University of Miami, the massage group reported feeling less depressed along with an increase in immune system boosting protective white blood cells.

I urge you to learn more about breast cancer at BreastCancer.org. If you’ve experienced breast cancer, please share your insights with us. Be well … and remember that being nice to your skin, even when your skin isn’t being so nice to you, can have great benefits down the line.

Protecting your skin from the sun is critical — not only because you want your skin to feel soft and smooth, but also because skin cancer is a real threat. One way to get that protection is by using anti-aging products that contain sun screen. It’s an ideal way to keep your facial and body skin moisturized while enjoying other anti-aging benefits offered by the product.

Where do you start? Right here by learning more about SPF protective lotions and precious fluids from L’OCCITANE. If you’re looking for a gorgeous gift idea, check out the FGS Exclusives Facial Collection or the line of Thymes products called Essentials that includes: Face Wash, Face Polish and Face Lotion with SPF 20 Sun Screen.

Join the anti-aging movement. It’s a terrific way to discover how to make your skin feel young again.

Women over 40 realize that every new wrinkle is a big deal. But can you really look ten years younger? Is today’s 40’s the new 30’s … and 50’s the new 40’s … and 60’s the new 50’s? For many, the answer is YES! Just look at the booming cosmetic surgery industry - there’s everything from Botox and lip-plumpers to facelifts and implants to make you look younger. And if cosmetic surgery isn’t your thing, you must have noticed all the anti-aging products and treatments on the market, including soaps, lotions and creams. All proof that the anti-aging movement is in full swing.

You may feel and look good on the inside, but your skin is sure to give your age away on the outside if you don’t take care of it. Do anti-aging products really work? Some people swear by them. I’m also a believer because I’ve investigated these products, personally tried them, seen results firsthand and heard from satisfied FineGiftSoaps.com customers.

One company whose popular anti-aging products can help revitalize your skin is L’OCCITANE. Check out their appropriately named Immortelle line. There are more than 600 types of Immortelle flowers, yet L’OCCITANE uses only one organically-grown, superior variety that contains an optimal amount of a key active anti-aging component. I love that this flower is found on Corsica, also known as the “Island of Beauty.” The secret ingredient in Immortelle products is essential oil that possesses anti-free radical and anti-wrinkle properties. This essential oil is rare, precious, pure and free from chemical residue. Even when dried, Immortelle flowers retain its color and form. Many believe its properties hold the secret to eternal youth, which is why Immortelle is also known as “everlasting.”

Can you turn back the clock and look younger? Don’t waste time thinking about it, give it a try! There are many anti-aging products to explore. Refresh your face with a smoothing exfoliator … Indulge in a precious cream or a cream mask … Treat yourself to an eye balm or an elixir … Experience a brightening cleansing foam or brightening toner … Or invigorate your skin with a renewing serum or essential face water. Whatever you decide, enjoy not looking your age!

Many luxury soaps are beautifully crafted and designed to express pure perfection, so there’s the sight of it. With countless sensually-pleasing fragrances available, there’s the special scent of it. Taking into consideration the newest natural and moisturizing ingredients, there is also the feel of it. Different sizes … distinct shapes … desirable impressions - the list goes on and on!

Plus, there are many wonderful brand names available to choose from that you should explore such as L’Occitane, Mistral, Olivina, Claus Porto, Thymes and Provence Sant’e to name a few.

If you’re a soap lover, you know what I’m talking about. If you just thought that soap was soap, well, we need to enlighten you … and fast! How? By letting you Give Yourself the Gift of Soap.

Many of our customers ask what our most popular products are. I’ve learned that’s an impossible question to answer. Since soaps, lotions and creams are such personal preferences for each individual, there are way too many selections available for making your skin feel sensational to settle on the “most popular.” However, the FGS Soap Lover’s Collection is an exclusive offering from FineGiftSoaps.com. We thought it would be fun to let you sample some of our finest fragrances and luxury soaps - by giving you a chance to win them - with our compliments!

Three lucky readers will be selected at a random drawing on February 5, 2009 - just in time to help you look, feel and smell your best for Valentine’s Day. Enter here to learn more and Give Yourself the Gift of Soap.

It comes as no surprise to my family and closest friends that I own a company called FineGiftSoaps.com. It’s my passion, and now my pleasure, to introduce everyone to the finest natural everyday personal products ever created for lifting one’s spirits and stimulating the senses.

My love affair with designer scented skin care products can be attributed to the best advice anyone has ever given me. Actually, it’s more than just great advice. For me, it has become a philosophy of life. And for that I am forever grateful to my mom. She always said, “Val, if you smell good, you feel good … and if you feel good, you look good … and if you look good, feel good and smell good, you can accomplish anything.”

This is my first blog, which I expect will be the start of many. My goal is to share my insights into the world of luxury body care and offer you valuable personal pampering pointers while helping you uncover many exciting new ways for treating your skin right.

Make a 2009 New Year’s resolution to enrich your body and spirit like never before. Bookmark this link and come back often to explore lots of new skin care products for women, men and even babies. You’ll also uncover many smile-generating gift ideas guaranteed to please for any special occasion. And most importantly, you’ll discover alluring fragrances and irresistible treats for satisfying any mood on any day. That’s what FineGiftSoaps.com is all about. I look forward to you joining us and reading your comments!