Independent Spotlight – Suds n’ Sass

To start out the new year with a bang, January’s Independent Spotlight is with the bubbly Beth of Suds n’ Sass!

What drew your interest in bath products?
I’ve always loved food/dessert type fragrances but I could never find what I wanted when I went shopping so now I can create my favorite bath products in my favorite scents!

How long have you loved bath products?
I’ve always loved sugar scrubs, soaps, lotions and perfumes and such but more recently I’ve started to love bubble bars and bath bombs and things for in the tub!

How long have you loved makeup?
When I was quite young (maybe 4 or 5) my mother let me wear makeup and her cheerleading uniform for Halloween and that was the start of my love for makeup! Of course, I didn’t wear it on a daily basis until middle school or high school but I did love it none the less!

What spurred you to create your first bar of soap?
I received a soap making kit as a gift and I fell in love with it! After tons of research I bought some higher quality ingredients to play with.

What made you decide to make your own makeup?
I’ve always loved makeup (for as long as I can remember) and I wanted to create my own makeup line to make the exact products/colors I wanted! I remember buying many makeup items and being so disappointed for whatever the reason (the shimmer doesn’t show up, too sheer, not the color I thought it was going to be etc.) With my own line, I can make whatever shade I want, whenever I want it!

How did you come to the decision to open Suds n’ Sass?
Suds n Sass started with bath & body products and the makeup came later! I received a melt and pour soap making kit as a gift and had so much fun with it! I then researched for quite a while and decided to purchase some higher quality ingredients to play with and I was hooked! My friends & family LOVED everything I was making and so I decided to start up an Etsy shop to share my creations with others!

How did you decide on the name?
Actually, I brainstormed a ton of names but none fit or they were already taken. One day while I was brainstorming my husband says what about Suds n Sass and I loved it!

About how many hours a day do you work? How many days a week?
I would say most weeks I work all 7 days but the hours vary from 2 or 3 up to 10 to 12+! This includes research, purchasing ingredients/supplies, answering emails, creating new products, formulating, working on orders, packaging, shipping and more!

How do you come up with your scents?
Some scents are created to bring back childhood memories, some are designed by my customers and a few were designed by my husband!

What inspires you to create your makeup?
Many different things inspire the colors I create including places (A Day at the Beach Collection), holidays (Halloween Collections), customer requests, nature and more…

What is your favorite product to create?
My favorite products to create are Loaf Soaps, such as the Hot Apple Pie slices that are available now and the Hot Fudge Sundae slices that I had in the past! I love making dessert themed soaps because they smell edible and seem to cure my dessert cravings most of the time!

What’s your least favorite product to create?
Bath Bombs are my least favorite product to create because depending on the humidity sometimes they work and sometimes they crack or split in half!

What are your favorite colors to wear?
I love nude lips and cheeks with bold eyes. I would say my favorite colors to wear are purples!

What are your favorite colors that you’ve created?
Favorite Lip Colors: Hocus Pocus (Halloween 2010), Purplerazzi (Jelly Balm)
Favorite Eye Colors: Tattoo Shop, Poison Ivy, Spellbound, Night Elf, Get Ur Freak On

What are your favorite scents to wear?
I love food/dessert type scents such as my Death by Cupcake & Pumpkin Sass House Blends.

What are your favorite scents that you’ve created?
Death by Cupcake, Pumpkin Sass & County Fair are my favorites at the moment. Over the summer Beach House was a favorite!

What are your favorite lip colors?
I love nude shades such as MAC Crème d’ Nude and sheer bolder shades such as Hocus Pocus that I released for Halloween 2010.

Do you have a favorite beauty trend?
Unfortunately, I don’t. I wear what I feel comfortable with.

What are your favorite scent notes?
I love vanilla based fragrances.

What is your all time favorite scent?
Victoria’s Secret Sexy Little Things Noir.

What is your all time favorite eye shadow?
My all time favorite shadows (I can’t decide) would be Boardwalk & Pharaoh!

Do you have a signature Scent?
I don’t have a signature scent but I would say 90% of the time I’m wearing a food/dessert type scent.

What are your favorite seasonal scents?
I don’t choose my scents based on the season, I choose them based on my mood! Lately I’ve been loving Death by Cupcake!

Do you have a favorite way to make fragrances?
I love making fragrances that bring back childhood memories as well as fragrances that make me think of a certain place such as Beach House!

Do you have a trademark look or trademark colors?
My trademark look would be a nude face (cheeks & lips) with bold colors on the eyes!

Do you ever look at the runways for inspiration or trends?
Unfortunately, I don’t pay attention to runways although I did name the first 6 Kiss My Sass Glosses after Fashion Cities!

What do you prefer to look at for inspiration when you’re in the mood to create something new?
This depends what I’m creating. I love recreating childhood memories in my House Blends (such as County Fair) and I love creating makeup based on holiday themes (Halloween) and places (A Day at the Beach Collection)!

I know you take custom requests. What are your favorite custom requests that you’ve received?
I love getting requests for House Blends the most and so far my favorites have been Cuddly Blue Poodle, Poodle in the Woods and Sugar Rush! Although not my favorite (I prefer “food” type scents) Tranquil Moments has been one of the most popular House Blends designed by a customer!

Phaedra, the inspiration for Cuddly Blue Poodle & Poodle in the Woods

What’s your skincare routine?
Don’t laugh but I use basic soap (unscented) to wash my face, St. Ives Apricot Scrub once or twice a week to exfoliate and I’m currently using Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer! That’s It! I’ve tried some brand name skincare such as Clinique’s Three Step but my skin seems the best with basic drugstore products.

What colors have you dyed your hair?
My natural hair is a medium to dark brown but it’s been dyed other natural colors (Auburn, natural with highlights etc) as well as bleached and blue!

What’s your favorite way to accessorize?
Most of the time I’m wearing jeans and a tee or tank as I’m a simple girl! However, I do love purses & shoes.

Can you tell us about any upcoming collections?
I like to keep collections a secret until it’s almost time for them to launch.

What’s your favorite chocolate?
I’m a chocoholic but I love dark chocolate the best!

Do you have any pets?
We have 2 cats, Sugar & Neo.

Do you play any video games?
No but my husband does!

What are your favorite authors or books to read?
I don’t read that often but I love Stephen King as well as Dan Brown and Dean Koontz.

What are your favorite tv shows?
My favorite right now is The Office!

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?
My ears are pierced 3 times as well as cartilage on the left ear. I previously had my right eyebrow & bell button pierced and no tattoos yet!

What is your office like currently?
My desk is always a mess but I still know exactly where everything is!

What color is your bedroom?
Our bedroom is currently white with beige and black bedding and black window treatments.

What colors do you like to decorate with in your home?
I love doing basic colors (neutrals or black & white) with a pop of color!

What do you do to relax?
When I’m done with work for the day I like to relax and watch a movie with my husband and daughter.

What do you do to pamper yourself?
I don’t get much time to pamper myself but if I’m ever home alone I like to take a hot bath and just relax and enjoy the silence!

What’s on your iPod or Pandora Station?
Over the Holidays I listened to Christmas music nonstop! Any other time I listen to everything from Story of the Year to Band of Horses, Metallica, Green Day, Radiohead, Muse, Three Days Grace, Brand New and more! I’m not a huge fan of country music but pretty much anything else goes depending on my mood!

Thank you so much Beth!

As a special for Phyrra readers, Beth has a coupon for you!
Coupon Code: PhyrraSpotlight
Minimum order is $10.
15% off with the coupon.
It’s good from now through February 6.