Best of Westchester 2011 AWARD- WINNERS

"Before you scoff at the notion of another shop touting “handmade soaps,” know that Gili Zilca, the owner of this pretty, fragrant, bijou boutique, is not just a soap maker—she’s a chemist; no really, she has a master’s in applied chemistry. But it’s not the science we’re so enamored with; it’s the art. Inside this white-shelved shop are Zilca’s one-of-a-kind creations, such as delicately aromatic slices of olive oil or glycerin soaps cut from loaves, in symbiotic scent combos like peppermint eucalyptus and ylang-ylang and lily of the valley. There are also gorgeously wrapped gift soaps; whimsical soap “cakes” and “cupcakes”; sensuous massage oil (the lavender-vanilla is particularly divine); and a variety of sprays, scrubs, creams, and lotions. Soaps for babies and men are available, as are custom orders. And soap-making classes and parties are held in the back of the store." July 2011
http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/July-2011/Shopping/

Best Of Westchester 2009 AWARD- WINNER

34 Sensational New Stores
Beauty Cosmetics FOCUS: This beauty boutique specializes in all-natural, handmade olive-oil soaps in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and scents, as well as aromatherapy products, lotions, moisturizers, and skincare products.
VIBE: Don’t look for a storefront; there isn’t one. This teensy-weensy shop—just 144 square feet—is tucked away inside a nondescript building directly across from the Pleasantville Metro-North station.
BACK STORY: “I wanted to see my customers and be able to talk to them face to face,” says owner Gili Zilca. So, last July, after five years of selling her products through her website, Zilca, who wanted to do something “creative and artistic” with her master’s degree in applied chemistry, opened her Pleasantville boutique.
THE STUFF: A lovely array of bath and body products including colorful, aromatic bath confetti and herbal bath bags (like teabags full of herbs for your bath).
OUR FAVE: Luisa New York’s patented 41-ounce signature olive-oil soap cakes, which are available whole ($66.95 for a plain “iced,” birthday, or baby shower cake; $79.95 for a 41-ounce, two-tiered wedding cake) or sliced (a 4.14-ounce slice costs $5.50 and lasts about a month) and can be customized. If you display your cake at an event, be sure to let the guests know it’s soap—it really does look good enough to eat!
TRENDING UP: “There has been an increase in demand for men’s products,” Zilca reports. So she’s developed a men’s bar soap, “Midnight,” made with Frankincense, myrrh, and dry peppermint herbs. “The colors are darker than the women’s soaps,” she says, “almost black.”
PRICE TAGS: From $2.95 for lip balm and lip gloss made with cocoa butter and beeswax to $79.95 for a two-tier soap “wedding cake.”
YOU’LL LOVE: Knowing that everything is handmade (in Zilca’s basement), in small batches to ensure quality and freshness.
PS: Zilca can customize her products in a variety of colors and scents, and also will customize the labels.

March 2009
http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/March-2009/34-Sensational-New-Stores/