Pin Up Bath and Beauty from Dolce Mia

We know, we know. It’s what’s below the surface that counts. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t suckers for pretty packaging. In the best possible world, we’d get substance and style wrapped up in the same attractive little bundle.

And that's exactly what we found in the all-natural, sulfate-free soaps and new line of paraben-free scented lotions, just launched in June, from Sonoma County’s Dolce Mia. Founder Jenny Mountjoy, who runs the company from a bucolic eight acres she shares with her family and five sheep in Sebastopol, blends custom scents that go hand-in-hand with the pin up girls, surfer chicks, starlets and cowgirls adorning each product. Take the Golden Girl Pin Up collection, for example.

“The scents were designed around the image, so it’s very much a vintage floral,” Mountjoy says of the tuberose-scented bar soaps and lotions, emblazoned with a blonde bombshell oozing retro glam appeal.

The decoupage-inspired printed packaging Mountjoy designs using vintage imagery sourced everywhere from vintage greeting cards found at flea markets to children’s books from decades past so effectively blurs the line between beauty product and home decor that you may find it difficult to unwrap the bar soaps. Luckily, they also come in liquid pump form, and lotions are available in pumps or on-the-go travel pots with screw-top lids.

Available online at Dolce Mia, www.dolcemiastore.com.