This is the confessional for the art, entrepreneurialism, and exaltation of handcrafted soaps; cosmetics; and perfumes. It's also a celebration of those who learn it, make it, sell it, teach it, preach it, and everything in between. You may be thinking a podcast dedicated to soap sounds boring, but I can assure you that something with a reputation as clean as soap most definitely has a filthy and entertaining side. It’s also a peek behind the shower curtain of my universe of beauty, bathing, and business. I have twenty-three years of historical accounts of exorcisms and miracles around the art of soap & cosmetics. Thirteen of those years have been as an entrepreneur. I’m thrilled to be sitting on a present-day podcasting pulpit, of sorts, and telling the tale of two beauty brands. Bathhouse Soapery & Villainess Alchemy; the proverbial sinner and saints of the podcast and the embodiment of my good & bad girl identities. I began teaching myself the science and art of soap, cosmetic, and perfume formulating at 19, at my kitchen table. Once you’re possessed by the holy ghost of creating your bath & beauty luxuries, you’ll find there aren’t enough people to give it away to. Like me, you may have the revelation of selling your handcrafted wares. *Que the baptism by fire into the entrepreneurial world. It’s not all “Insta-pretty” posts of makers milking their goats and holding trays of fresh handcrafted soap at the farmer’s market. As the former president of the world’s largest trade association for handcrafted soap & cosmetic makers, I can tell you it can be a blood bath to bring your craft to commerce. That’s why my soap kitchen is my church and bathing my religion. I personally and professionally invite you to join the congregation of Sinner Saint & Soapmaker while we worship the practical magic of beauty, business, and bathing. About Charlene Simon Being a mom at 15 and having three toddlers by nineteen, Charlene found her path of formal education by becoming a self-taught soap, cosmetic, and perfume formulator and retailer. She’s bootstrapped Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium in 2009 with $700, and hobby-level soapmaking expertise and tools. Villainess Alchemy is Bathhouse’s wicked-stepsister boutique and is where the magic of your own bespoke bathing. Charlene is the founder and award-winning branding artist of Fat Bottomed Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe where she competed on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and was featured on Netflix. Fat Bottomed Girl's is now owned by her oldest daughter. She's recognized for raising the bar on the main streets where she’s made a home for her boutiques. As the former president of the global trade association for handcrafted soap & cosmetic makers, Charlene has collected over a decade of requests for advice and has spoken at sold-out soap and cosmetic conventions. Charlene’s adventures in beauty aren’t only professional; she won the title of Mrs. Arkansas America and placed Top 15 at Mrs. America. She resides in Hot Springs Arkansas, also known as “the spa city” where she has her flagship boutiques for Bathhouse Soapery, Villainess Alchemy, and her makehouse where all the not-so-practical magic happens. www.sinnersaintsoapmaker.com www.CharleneSimon.com https://www.facebook.com/thecharlenesimon https://www.instagram.com/acidic7basic www.bathhousesoap.com www.villainess.net www.sinnesaintsoapmaker.com