Product Spotlight

On Feb 1st I was delighted to launch my first Limited Edition bar of soap. The theme was Valentines day, and this presented me with a few problems to figure out from the get go. You see, while of course I have lots of female customers, who are most appreciated of course, The Black Stuff is primarily positioned as a masculine brand. The scents I create, generally aren't hugely appealing to my wife... So with that in mind, I didn't want to create a feminine soap featuring typical Valentines imagery. I didn't necessarily want to create a product that would...

The Inspiration: On the west coast of Ireland, in Connemara, about an hours drive from Galway you will find the quiet seaside village called Roundstone. A few minutes drive up the windy road towards Clifden, you will reach a junction where cars are parked on both sides of the narrow road, leaving barely enough room for you to squeeze by. You've reached your destination - Dogs Bay Beach. This beautiful beach, which backs onto its sister beach (Gurteen) is the inspiration for this soap. I visited there this summer during one of the hottest weeks of the year. Originally, I thought of including sand from...

Meet Ginger Honey Tea. I cannot stop smelling this soap. I have the one I used for the above photo on my desk, and seriously, I keep finding myself picking it up and inhaling deeply. It's seriously good.  The first smell you get is that tart lime smell, accentuated with a tiny amount of bergamot to give it an edge. As you inhale deeper, this top note dissipates into a warm ginger smell. The middle notes of pepper, clove, and lavender can be distinguished only by the finest nose, they serve to take away the acridity of the ginger and round...