spring beauty buzz

 

just a quick update with a few new products from island beauty companies. bubble shack has added a lotion line made of 70% organic ingredients including macadamia nut oil, shea butter, aloe vera and antioxidants like vitamins a, b, d & e. the super moisturizing combo is supposed to sink into your skin without leaving a greasy residue behind. available in 8 of bubble shacks' popular fragrances.

the shack also retired a few soaps to make room for four new creations:

• south shore sweetie: citrus blend of tangerine & japanese yuzu
• wilds of manoa: a lush rainforest bath experience
• rocky point rumble: chunky mix of peppermint, coconut, lemon peel & lime
• auntie aloha's hawaiian comfort soap: moisturizing goodness of honey, coconut milk, apple & oatmeal 

pure hapa recently introduced their luxurious hapalicious body wash made with shea butter, kukui nut oil & aloe vera. scents include white ginger, haupia orange & sweet pineapple.

the company also launched a small men's line with sleek unisex packaging. if you are still using regular aftershave it's time to switch it out for keoni's face formula which has good for your skin antioxidants like vitamins a, c & e plus moisturizing extracts of hawaiian noni fruit, ginseng & green tea.

and pamper your hair with justin's soy shampoo made with soy protein, vitamin b5, ginseng root extract & coconut oil. the gentle shampoo was created for justin, the nephew of pure hapa's owner, who is battling brain cancer with a portion of sales dedicated to the national brain tumor foundation.

pat's island delights

gourmet hawaiian treat basket

whenever we go to the waiau zippy's, the pat's island delights shop across the way always beckons me but i never stopped in because i assumed it was just a snack shop. and since my aunty's pantry is always stocked with treats the last thing we need are more snacks in the house.

then, before the last trip home, i discovered via kat of our adventures in japan that pat's is really more of a gourmet snack shop so i finally explored their website and with a few clicks discovered volcano island honey, hawaiian kine taro chips, foodstuff from maui culinary academy & so much more stocked online.

intrigued and in need of omiyage gifts to bring back to the mainland, i paid a visit to the shop and was delighted to find all the foodie treats on my wish list in one convenient location. you could easily drop a lot of money here and it was difficult to restrain myself since everywhere i turned there was something to tempt my taste buds. this is definitely a good place to go if you need a nice hostess gift or want to shake things up and give mainland ohana something a little different.

and a nice bonus for folks outside hawaii is that instead of racking up shipping charges at various websites you can hit pat's for one stop shopping and add a few more goodies to your cart with the money you saved.

pat's is located in town (ground floor of the davies pacific center at queen street) and at the waiau shopping center in pearl city.

{update | jan 2010: pat's pc outpost has been shuttered since a fire a few years ago so find your way to the town shop to scoop up 'ono island delights}

a wee bit of zen

baby tanks + angel dress

lily lotus recently introduced a small keiki line featuring the same hand dyed and embellished style that has made the women's collection a favorite at island yoga studios. the wee tanks have a bit of baby bling and a playful edge not typically found on the playground.

if the tanks are a tad too fashion forward for your little one, these handmade toddler dresses (sewn by a woman's co-op in bolivia) are made even sweeter once they go through the lily lotus treatment.

shanti + enlighten notes

and, if you want to spread a little zen, take a peek at the yoga inspired note cards from local artist miu lang harumi kahalehau of miu artworks which are only available online at the lily lotus website.

p.s. don't forget the secret code to score free shipping!

ani's bake shop

apple sweetbread . . . yum!

one of our traditions when we go home is to buy a loaf of ani's apple sweetbread to enjoy at the beach after my fella's dawn patrol sessions. it is so ono and i like to tell myself that the apple filling counts as a serving of fruit. the only problem is that even though ani's is stocked at stores like longs and foodland there is never any guarantee that the apple bread will be on the shelf.

so before we headed to the airport, we stopped by ani's bake shop in the halawa industrial park (adjacent to mauna loa hq) to pick up a few loaves to send to a friend. the bake shop is sweetbread heaven with every flavor ani's makes available and freshly baked to boot. in addition to apple, you can grab loaves of sweetbread with coconut, guava & more fruit fillings as well as taro bread and our friend's favorite mac nut cinnamon bread.

one thing i learned during my visit is that ani's is a sweet local success story of a mom & pop business that makes over a million dollars a year in revenue . . . that's a lot of bread! read more and get inspired at the star-bulletin.

another surprise was the small case at the register filled with a variety of donuts which are quite satisfying if you have a sweet tooth. the donuts are not available online but you can take your pick of ani's sweetbreads on their website.

map it!

mauka makai excursions

pu'u o mahuka heiau

locals know there is so much more to oahu than the postcard scenes depicting waikiki so if you are a traveler ready to discover the real hawaii (beyond the glossy brochures and package bus tours) you will definitely want to hook up with mauka makai excursions. the small native hawaiian owned eco-tour company offers intimate cultural walking tours taking guests off the beaten path to parts of the island many visitors never see.

while exploring the 'aina (land), guides share stories and legends of the people of old (ka po'e o kahiko), the history and rituals of the native hawaiians, and the cultural significance of the plants and flowers found on the island. tours are available to different parts of oahu and mauka makai also offers custom shoreline fishing tours for those who would like to learn how to throw a fishing net hawaiian style, spend an evening torch fishing, or go tide pooling with your keiki.

take a peek at the star-bulletin to learn more about the company's mission to protect the 'aina while preserving and sharing the culture of hawaii.

{update | jan 2010: company website has been taken down}