Every summer, the beautiful coastal city of Gloucester MA, near where I live, hosts the Waterfront Craft Festival at Stage Fort Park overlooking the ocean.
There are loads of booths selling handmade products of all kinds. I love it and look forward to going every year.
About 5 or 6 years ago, I was strolling around the festival, and I became aware of the most incredible, heavenly scent. I followed the scent and wound up at Nature Island Botanicals, a booth owned by Daphne Frampton. I’ve been addicted to Daphne’s products ever since.
Daphne is trained as an esthetician, and she studied in the Far East and in the US. In addition, she lived on the island of Domenica in the Caribbean during the 1990s, and her skincare products are strongly influenced by her time living in paradise.
Here is a statement from Daphne about her background and her point-of-view:
“I lived on the unspoiled Rain Forest island of Dominica, W.I. in the 90’s. It is home to 365 rivers that journey from the mountain tops to the sea. Waterfalls, rainbows and the exhilarating and rejuvenating experience of bathing in pristine pools, cradled in lush, wild foliage inspired me to create Natural & Organic skin care products that are healing to your mind, body and spirit. My products are chemical-free – no synthetics or animal testing or colorants. Only mineral colors in the soaps…I use only high quality organic butters fair trade, organic oils, organic extracts, organic herbs and organic essential oils…Made fresh to order for you..”
The products that first hooked me were Caribbean Escape Coconut Body Butter and the beautiful soaps. I always stock up on the body butter because I never want to be without it! The texture is rich and hydrating without being heavy, and the coconut-fruit scent really is to-die-for! It also comes in a lighter lotion form in a pump bottle. Coconut was the scent that drew me to her booth and it still does! Since then, I’ve tried many of her other products, and now I’ve got a whole bathroom full. Last fall, I reviewed the Caribbean Escape Coconut Body Oil (here), and I’m still using it — it has lasted me this long!
Here’s my haul from a couple of weeks ago.
In addition to buying the Caribbean Escape Coconut Body Butter, I decided to try the same wonderful body butter but in a citrus scent called Citrus Sunrise. If you follow my blog, you know that I also adore citrus scents. Daphne’s Citrus Sunrise scent is composed of sweet orange, blood orange, pink grapefruit, and bergamot. I wish my computer had smell-o-vision so you could smell this scent! Not only did I get the Citrus Sunrise Body Butter, I got other products in the citrus sunrise scent as well:
- cuticle/dry skin balm for nails, elbows and heels
- body bar soap
- vitamin C whipped soap sugar scrub souffle.
The gorgeous hot pink and orange vitamin C soap is one of the special bar soaps that Daphne makes from time to time. It is gorgeous to smell, gorgeous to look at, and it leaves my skin so soft. I put in my order for the special soap in advance because I was afraid it would sell out before I got to the festival!
Another new product that I tried is Spa Line Seashore Facial Bar made with tea tree oil, French lavender and bergamot.
I’ve heard that some women don’t like to use facial soaps. To each her own, but I don’t really understand that. I do not share my face soap with anyone else so it doesn’t get “dirty”. This facial soap is not at all drying. In fact, it’s moisturizing. I love the Spa Facial Soap! It makes just enough lather, the mild lavender scent is lovely, and though I follow up with moisturizer, my skin does not feel tight or dry afterwards. In this photo, you can see the ingredients:
I went home with the Whipped Soap Sugar Scrub in three different scents: Citrus Sunrise, Coconut and Green Tea. This scrub is a little different from other scrubs I’ve used in the past from other brands. The other scrubs were oily. I used them after I cleaned myself with soap, and they coated my skin with oil. Nature Island Botanicals Whipped Soap Sugar Scrub is a multi-tasking product: it is soap and scrub in one. It comes out of the container dry, but it soaps up as it combines with water and I apply it to my skin. It leaves me clean, soft and smooth.
In addition to the body care products, Daphne makes facial skincare products too: vitamin C eye cream, vitamin C face and neck cream, and 2-in-1 cleanser. She really believes in the importance of vitamin C for healthy, beautiful skin.
Oh, did I mention that Daphne makes all of these fabulous skincare products herself in her workshop in Rhode Island? Well, she does! I follow her on Facebook at NatureIslandBotanicals, and I get a kick out of her updates where she goes on 15 hour soaping jags. Just amazing!
Daphne goes to craft festivals in the northeast (NY, NJ, MA, NH, CT) just about every weekend from June through December. She’s one busy lady! This weekend, she’s at the Outdoor Art Show in Setauket NY. But if you can’t get to her booth at the craft festivals, the best way to buy her skincare products is via her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/natureislandskincare. If you want to buy her soap (which I highly recommend!), just call her on the phone and she’ll let you know which soaps she’s making (she makes lots of different kinds)! She told me she just made a batch of Facial Soap made from strawberries, blackberries and maple syrup. Yum! Her phone number is 954-646-4005. Nature Island Botanicals is a long-time personal favorite of mine. Hope you will love it as much as I do!
Oooh that soap looks interesting!
Cosmetics Aficionado recently posted…Wet n Wild Smoke and Melrose Eyeshadow Palette Review
They smell incredible!
Oooohhh this sounds awesome. That facial soap sounds amazing, and I am thinking about Maple Syrup on my skin. Yummmm smell.
Jamie @ Makeuplifelove recently posted…A Skin Care Dynamic Duo…
All the products smell like heaven, Jamie!
I want to sniff these so bad!! Great review
Thanks, Jess! I wish the scents could come through the screen 😉
I’ve followed her on FB for a while (Maybe it was your rec?), and I really need to try! Everything sounds heavenly!
Amber recently posted…Olfactif September 2014
Amber, you would love these scents. The body butters are incredible!
this sounds really great! I’m going to check out the site
Natalye recently posted…Too Faced: Country Palette Review and Swatches
Her products are amazing, Natalye! I hope you do check out her Etsy shop
The citrus body butter sounds amazing!
NORAH recently posted…Juice Beauty CC Cream Review
It smells fabulous and it is a wonderful moisturizer! Love it 🙂
This line sounds so neat. I want to smell alllllll the things!!!
NIB products are incredible, and the scents are fabulous. I wish you could smell them through the screen, Judy!
I love shops like this! I can sit there and sniff products all day lol
Lisa Heath recently posted…Walgreens & Dove Want To Reward You For Sharing What #BeautyIs To You
Yes, me too, Lisa! Unfortunately, I only get to see Daphne once a year when she comes to my area, but luckily I know what many of her products smell like so I keep stocked up on them 🙂
I need all of this in my life!
You should give at least one of them a try, Ange!
The sugar scrubs sound nice
Phyrra recently posted…Espionage Cosmetics Kickstarter Campaign
They are wonderful, and they smell fabulous!
i really wanna try this
I hope you do, Laura!
The soaps and scrubs look fantastic!
Ashley recently posted…Ulta Fall 2014 21 Days of Beauty
I love the soaps and scrubs, but I ADORE the body butters!
Definitely going to follow her on Facebook. I got excited just reading about how excited you are about her products. I want to TRY ALL THE THINGS!
Nidia – Lit From Within recently posted…Reviva Labs – Lastin’ With Elastin, DMAE Cream Keepin’ On
You should, Nidia! I have been buying her products for about 5 years. I’m addicted to her body butter especially!
They should make a monitor that let’s us sniff stuff
Betzy Carmona recently posted…Lancome Fresh Idole Fall Color Collection 2014
Agree, Betzy!
I love finding these at my local craft fairs… I always enjoy the scents they use. Many remind me of Hawaii.
Honeygirlk recently posted…Popsugar Must Have August Box 2014 – Unboxing and First Impressions
Yes, they definitely could be from Hawaii!
I love products like those! I want to try some too!
Eugenia recently posted…Mary Kay Project Runway Looks
I hope you do, Eugenia!
I´ve never heard of this brand before but it sounds like a great one.
Leelo R recently posted…Sonia Kashuk brush set, Batiste dry shampoo etc
It is, Leelo. I love artisan-made products like these!
Body scrub and soap look awesome, I wish I had it to try if its effective for my skin. I’ve been experiencing difficulty in choosing the right product for me because my skin is too sensitive.
Issho Genki recently posted…Stranded: 5 Amazing Stories of Being Lost at Sea
Nature Island Botanicals has an etsy shop if you are interested.
I met Daphne at an arts festival in St James NY (LI). While checking out her stuff, I noticed that all the ingredients were almost all edible-not chemicals out of a lab. I bought her night face cream and oil serum-great products!
That’s great, Gita, that you met Daphne on LI and got to discover her products! I follow her on FB and she posted a lot about all the products she was crafting for the show and her preparations for driving to NY. You’re absolutely right about her wonderful ingredients. I usually stock up once a year when she comes to the Waterfront Festival in Gloucester (I hope she’s still planning to come back this year!). In fact, I’m doing an “April Empties” post tomorrow, and I just used up one of her Whipped Soap Scrubs in Sweet Orange/Blood Orange/Pink Grapefuit/Bergamot – the scent was especially divine! I’ve got 2 different scents to try next. And her coconut scented body lotion/butter is my absolute favorite. I hope you enjoy the face products that you bought. I should try those next!