Licensed practical nurse Ellice Darien started making natural soaps for a friend who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment in 2004. "It worked great for her, and we just kept spreading the love," Darien, 44, says of the shea and cocoa butter soaps she makes from her home in Chesterfield County. On March 1, she opened Darien, a natural bath and beauty shop at Stony Point Fashion Park where she sells her handmade soaps, body butters, scrubs, lotions and more. The 600-square-foot shop doubles as a soap studio where Darien blends mica mineral cosmetics and makes bath products. 677-9145 or visit bydarien.com . —AD
