This is a retail therapy post.
Warning: Many pictures ahead!
Pretty, shiny things. So many lovely things, such a little discretionary spending budget. It's July, which is one of the slower months in the jewelry biz. So slow, in fact, that several of my suppliers actually close up shop for the entire month and part of August. My sales usually ebb around this time of year, as is natural, with people consumed with thoughts of vacations. I don't worry-- I make a substantial amount in the late August to December stretch, with my Autumn updates and pre-holiday sales being far and away my most popular updates. But it's July, and aside from the natural ebb, I just spent a boatload of cash on supplies for the coming months. The discretionary spending budget is... ahem. You get the picture.
Still, I've made a few small purchases for myself over the couple of months.
I've been taking it easy on bath and body stuff lately, as I've been working through my hoarded stash. Really the only new things have been a few odds and ends from the smallish Haunt summer sale (Lavender Marshmallow for the win, and Jason likes the Milkflower soap as well), and some of the summer LEs from Paintbox Soapworks, 'cause she had a bangin' 4th of July sale.
J & I really loved Sweet 100's-- a lovely and fresh tomato leaf. Perfect to wash of the sticky humidity of a Baltimore summer.
Paintbox's soaps are not cold process as far as I can tell, but their glycerin formula lasts a lot longer than other glycerin soaps I've tried in the past. They're huge bars, and the simplicity of the bars appeals to my neat-and-tidy inner Virgo. Plus the shipping is fast, and the proprietress is a fellow BPAL-er. I like keeping it in the BPAL family. :)
Speaking of BPAL, I was lucky enough to snag myself a couple of things from Twilight Alchemy Lab Etsy opening, for small-batch items that Beth makes herself. One of the items was Roots of Prosperity incense...
Holy cow, it smells amazing. Like winter woods. Pine and cedar and a little spice. Only time will tell if its effectiveness holds up, but I'd almost be willing to re-buy solely on scent alone, though I know that's bad of me. This stuff is carefully-crafted working incense.
Also along the Pagan-y vein, I ordered a few things from Magickal Cupboard.
When I started shunning Whitemagic for her copycat ways, the only thing I am genuinely sorry about is that it meant no more ordering her candles, which were pretty good, at least from a mundane technical standpoint. I briefly tried another Etsy seller, Liorah Lleucu, but aside from the fact that it took her an absurdly long time to ship three items, the items just didn't feel right when they arrived. So I did a little sniffing around, and lo and behold, many of her candles were direct copies of Whitemagic's. A copycat copycatting a copycat. No good. Edit: While I won't buy from Liora Lleucu again because of her absurd TAT, I do redact my comment factually calling her a copycat. It's come to my attention that Nancy of Whitemagic had been haranguing MANY Etsy Pagan sellers, crying copycat, so it's hard for me to take her claims credibly. I do maintain that many of LL's early candles very closely resembled Nancy's, but I can't claim one way or another who started the aesthetic trends they now both follow.
But then I found Magical Cupboard. I got general sabbat supplies, including a Midsummer candle:
The supplies arrived promptly, packaged well, with a thank you and a gift with purchase. The candle above smells amazing and scents my entire office even when it's not lit. When I followed up with a few comments, the shop owner got back to me promptly and courteously. And the products felt right. I haven't used anything thus far that needs a particular magical effectiveness, but what I got was what I needed and my sense is that the proprietress (and members of her coven who aid in the production of her candles/items) know what they're doing and aren't just in it to make a quick buck. I will buy from this seller again. Her Autumn sabbat candles look good and the scent blends seem totally delish.
I also tried some Theo Broma incense from Lodestone & Lady's Mantle, a respected Craft shop.
It's also a working incense, and since it is along the vein of a working I've been doing lately, I bought some to try. Of course, the real selling point for me that it was a chocolate scented kyphi. And while it does smell nice when burnt, it does not smell of chocolate. But it does smell like kyphi. So, not a total loss, and I have liked other items I got from that shop, which were professionally packaged and promptly delivered. They also felt right in the way that I could tell the shopkeeps took pride in making them both accurate and appealing to the eye.
I'd like to try some of their solid potions in the future, 'cause, well... look how pretty.
I am a sucker for pretty packaging.
In the vein of prettifying my own packaging, I am trying out two new mineral makeup companies that I have seen used over on Blix's blog. (Side note: Blix is an ATS-dancing jewelry designer married to a guy named Jason. Cue twilight zone music.)
The first company is Morgana Cryptoria. Geared towards the gothy set, they also have a lot of duochrome and multichrome cosmetics, and lord almighty, I am a sucker for that sort of thing. And when I look in my lipstick collection, I basically have about five variations on the dark red / brick red theme. Then again, I rarely wear anything more than tinted balm when I'm not up on stage... but I want to play around with colors for the fall. So I got a couple lip products (that have not yet arrived, but I am still within the stated TAT). One of which is the highly-touted Plumeria lipstick, which is a purplish pink with a strong bluish duochrome. I have NO idea how wearable this is going to be day to day, but JFC. LOOK AT IT.
I also got a few samples of duo-chrome blush from Sobe Botanicals, and a lipstick in Copper Pipe.
I will review them when they arrive and I've had time to play with them. I am hoping that one or both will be a good replacement for indie cosmetic companies I've given up on... I loved Aromaleigh's products, even though the proprietress herself was a total nightmare, and am sad that at least her talent with cosmetics is no longer available. She made some pretty colors. There's also Fyrinnae, but I feel like the site is down more often than it is not, and the TAT is nightmarish anyway. I very much liked the eyeshadows I got from Sassy Minerals last winter-- good color payoff and easily blendable-- but they don't have a lot of duochromes and metallics.
On to nailpolish. One of my new year's resolutions was to stop biting my nails, goddamnit. And I did! By painting them frequently so they were too pretty to bite. I started with some Zoya shades, my favorite of which is Adina, a purple/green duochrome. But I got tired of cycling through the same three colors, and turned to Maggie at Pretty Indulgent for new polishes. (Side note, even though my package was shipped from Canada, it still made it to me in about a week or so. Pretty Indulgent is ideal for Canadians, but still a good choice for Americans and other internationals.)
The first I chose was Orly's Space Cadet, which, as I understand is a dupe of MAC's Mean and Green from the Venomous Villains collection, though I am not sure which came first.
Pic courtesy of All Laquered Up
This doesn't even BEGIN to show how flippin' gorgeous this color is. It goes from a chromey green to bronze to a deep wine purple, and is SPARKLY. I was mezmerized by my hands. Takes 3 coats to get good coverage, but dries quickly and non-gummily. I have no idea if 'non-gummily' is even a phrase, but I'll get to it in a moment.
So this is love, mm-hmmm-mm-hmm, so this is love...
I also got Iris Dust by Nubar. A pretty mauve-to-bronze duochrome.
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
It's a pretty color, but the formula is thin. It took three coats to achieve opacity, and strangely, even with such sheer layers, it feels gummy for about an hour after application. I have worn it twice, and both times, I managed to fudge it up before it dried because it takes so damn long.
Redeeming Nubar, though, was 2010, an iridescent glittery polish designed to be used as a topcoat, but it is super pretty all by itself.
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
And the final thing I've bought for myself in the last few months was another Glamourkin trinket. Run by
willow_cabin & mermaiden, Glamourkin brings a little magic into the world trinket by trinket. Most people wear Glamourkins as jewelry, but my Glamourkins hang around my studio as inspiration pendants. I felt drawn to this one, so I pounced:
And I hear tell that the next Glamourkin update is Thursday!
And now on to my current retail longings...
Fall is coming. I buy the bulk of my bath/body stuff in the fall, 'cause many of my favorite retailers often have amazeballs updates. I mean, the BPAL Halloweenies are coming, along with their Labyrinth series. Arcana usually has one hit in their update. Haunt's Halloween products are lovely, if you can get 'em.
So, naturally my brain is starting to turn to Fall. This Fall, I want to add to my wardrobe. A lot of my tried and true pieces are getting worn out, stretched, pilled, or plain don't fit any more. So, I am going to keep my eye on ModCloth. I want romantic cardigans and softer pieces. I usually go for very clean lines without much embellishment, so I am going to try to step out of my usual comfort zone.
I also have long wanted a Winter Woods Skirt, but am still undecided between gray and forest green.
And then there's the soft, romantic clothes from Lirola, like this wrap top.
In terms of nails, there are a few more polishes I have my eye on...
Zoya - Cheryl
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
Zoya - Faye
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
Zoya - Shivon
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Zoya - Riley
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Zoya - Jem
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Ozotic Pro 502 - apparently only available in Australia?
But LOOK at that duochrome.
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
OPI - Ink
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Orly - Sky Blue Pink
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
And, of course, I have to re-order Wytches Brew incense from Vermorlian.
Though Vermorlian DOES sell ritual products, this is not one of them. This just smells like fall, and I burn it pretty much year 'round. It's my favorite stick incense.
And finally, I am getting a haircut. My hair is getting pretty long, and I need to start trimming off the areas that were once bleached, because they have a different texture than the new stuff, which I've been careful to use only vegetable and plant-based dyes on, no ammonia. I am also going have sideswept bangs cut in again, as it downplays the roundness of my face. And then I will bump up the red from the current light ginger I have now to more of a true red. Basically, I envy April of Gardens of Whimsy's hair.
Pretty, shiny things. So many lovely things, such a little discretionary spending budget. It's July, which is one of the slower months in the jewelry biz. So slow, in fact, that several of my suppliers actually close up shop for the entire month and part of August. My sales usually ebb around this time of year, as is natural, with people consumed with thoughts of vacations. I don't worry-- I make a substantial amount in the late August to December stretch, with my Autumn updates and pre-holiday sales being far and away my most popular updates. But it's July, and aside from the natural ebb, I just spent a boatload of cash on supplies for the coming months. The discretionary spending budget is... ahem. You get the picture.
Still, I've made a few small purchases for myself over the couple of months.
I've been taking it easy on bath and body stuff lately, as I've been working through my hoarded stash. Really the only new things have been a few odds and ends from the smallish Haunt summer sale (Lavender Marshmallow for the win, and Jason likes the Milkflower soap as well), and some of the summer LEs from Paintbox Soapworks, 'cause she had a bangin' 4th of July sale.
J & I really loved Sweet 100's-- a lovely and fresh tomato leaf. Perfect to wash of the sticky humidity of a Baltimore summer.
Paintbox's soaps are not cold process as far as I can tell, but their glycerin formula lasts a lot longer than other glycerin soaps I've tried in the past. They're huge bars, and the simplicity of the bars appeals to my neat-and-tidy inner Virgo. Plus the shipping is fast, and the proprietress is a fellow BPAL-er. I like keeping it in the BPAL family. :)
Speaking of BPAL, I was lucky enough to snag myself a couple of things from Twilight Alchemy Lab Etsy opening, for small-batch items that Beth makes herself. One of the items was Roots of Prosperity incense...
Holy cow, it smells amazing. Like winter woods. Pine and cedar and a little spice. Only time will tell if its effectiveness holds up, but I'd almost be willing to re-buy solely on scent alone, though I know that's bad of me. This stuff is carefully-crafted working incense.
Also along the Pagan-y vein, I ordered a few things from Magickal Cupboard.
When I started shunning Whitemagic for her copycat ways, the only thing I am genuinely sorry about is that it meant no more ordering her candles, which were pretty good, at least from a mundane technical standpoint. I briefly tried another Etsy seller, Liorah Lleucu, but aside from the fact that it took her an absurdly long time to ship three items, the items just didn't feel right when they arrived. So I did a little sniffing around, and lo and behold, many of her candles were direct copies of Whitemagic's. A copycat copycatting a copycat. No good. Edit: While I won't buy from Liora Lleucu again because of her absurd TAT, I do redact my comment factually calling her a copycat. It's come to my attention that Nancy of Whitemagic had been haranguing MANY Etsy Pagan sellers, crying copycat, so it's hard for me to take her claims credibly. I do maintain that many of LL's early candles very closely resembled Nancy's, but I can't claim one way or another who started the aesthetic trends they now both follow.
But then I found Magical Cupboard. I got general sabbat supplies, including a Midsummer candle:
The supplies arrived promptly, packaged well, with a thank you and a gift with purchase. The candle above smells amazing and scents my entire office even when it's not lit. When I followed up with a few comments, the shop owner got back to me promptly and courteously. And the products felt right. I haven't used anything thus far that needs a particular magical effectiveness, but what I got was what I needed and my sense is that the proprietress (and members of her coven who aid in the production of her candles/items) know what they're doing and aren't just in it to make a quick buck. I will buy from this seller again. Her Autumn sabbat candles look good and the scent blends seem totally delish.
I also tried some Theo Broma incense from Lodestone & Lady's Mantle, a respected Craft shop.
It's also a working incense, and since it is along the vein of a working I've been doing lately, I bought some to try. Of course, the real selling point for me that it was a chocolate scented kyphi. And while it does smell nice when burnt, it does not smell of chocolate. But it does smell like kyphi. So, not a total loss, and I have liked other items I got from that shop, which were professionally packaged and promptly delivered. They also felt right in the way that I could tell the shopkeeps took pride in making them both accurate and appealing to the eye.
I'd like to try some of their solid potions in the future, 'cause, well... look how pretty.
I am a sucker for pretty packaging.
In the vein of prettifying my own packaging, I am trying out two new mineral makeup companies that I have seen used over on Blix's blog. (Side note: Blix is an ATS-dancing jewelry designer married to a guy named Jason. Cue twilight zone music.)
The first company is Morgana Cryptoria. Geared towards the gothy set, they also have a lot of duochrome and multichrome cosmetics, and lord almighty, I am a sucker for that sort of thing. And when I look in my lipstick collection, I basically have about five variations on the dark red / brick red theme. Then again, I rarely wear anything more than tinted balm when I'm not up on stage... but I want to play around with colors for the fall. So I got a couple lip products (that have not yet arrived, but I am still within the stated TAT). One of which is the highly-touted Plumeria lipstick, which is a purplish pink with a strong bluish duochrome. I have NO idea how wearable this is going to be day to day, but JFC. LOOK AT IT.
I also got a few samples of duo-chrome blush from Sobe Botanicals, and a lipstick in Copper Pipe.
I will review them when they arrive and I've had time to play with them. I am hoping that one or both will be a good replacement for indie cosmetic companies I've given up on... I loved Aromaleigh's products, even though the proprietress herself was a total nightmare, and am sad that at least her talent with cosmetics is no longer available. She made some pretty colors. There's also Fyrinnae, but I feel like the site is down more often than it is not, and the TAT is nightmarish anyway. I very much liked the eyeshadows I got from Sassy Minerals last winter-- good color payoff and easily blendable-- but they don't have a lot of duochromes and metallics.
On to nailpolish. One of my new year's resolutions was to stop biting my nails, goddamnit. And I did! By painting them frequently so they were too pretty to bite. I started with some Zoya shades, my favorite of which is Adina, a purple/green duochrome. But I got tired of cycling through the same three colors, and turned to Maggie at Pretty Indulgent for new polishes. (Side note, even though my package was shipped from Canada, it still made it to me in about a week or so. Pretty Indulgent is ideal for Canadians, but still a good choice for Americans and other internationals.)
The first I chose was Orly's Space Cadet, which, as I understand is a dupe of MAC's Mean and Green from the Venomous Villains collection, though I am not sure which came first.
Pic courtesy of All Laquered Up
This doesn't even BEGIN to show how flippin' gorgeous this color is. It goes from a chromey green to bronze to a deep wine purple, and is SPARKLY. I was mezmerized by my hands. Takes 3 coats to get good coverage, but dries quickly and non-gummily. I have no idea if 'non-gummily' is even a phrase, but I'll get to it in a moment.
So this is love, mm-hmmm-mm-hmm, so this is love...
I also got Iris Dust by Nubar. A pretty mauve-to-bronze duochrome.
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
It's a pretty color, but the formula is thin. It took three coats to achieve opacity, and strangely, even with such sheer layers, it feels gummy for about an hour after application. I have worn it twice, and both times, I managed to fudge it up before it dried because it takes so damn long.
Redeeming Nubar, though, was 2010, an iridescent glittery polish designed to be used as a topcoat, but it is super pretty all by itself.
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
And the final thing I've bought for myself in the last few months was another Glamourkin trinket. Run by
willow_cabin & mermaiden, Glamourkin brings a little magic into the world trinket by trinket. Most people wear Glamourkins as jewelry, but my Glamourkins hang around my studio as inspiration pendants. I felt drawn to this one, so I pounced:And I hear tell that the next Glamourkin update is Thursday!
And now on to my current retail longings...
Fall is coming. I buy the bulk of my bath/body stuff in the fall, 'cause many of my favorite retailers often have amazeballs updates. I mean, the BPAL Halloweenies are coming, along with their Labyrinth series. Arcana usually has one hit in their update. Haunt's Halloween products are lovely, if you can get 'em.
So, naturally my brain is starting to turn to Fall. This Fall, I want to add to my wardrobe. A lot of my tried and true pieces are getting worn out, stretched, pilled, or plain don't fit any more. So, I am going to keep my eye on ModCloth. I want romantic cardigans and softer pieces. I usually go for very clean lines without much embellishment, so I am going to try to step out of my usual comfort zone.
I also have long wanted a Winter Woods Skirt, but am still undecided between gray and forest green.
And then there's the soft, romantic clothes from Lirola, like this wrap top.
In terms of nails, there are a few more polishes I have my eye on...
Zoya - Cheryl
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
Zoya - Faye
Pic courtesy of Temptalia
Zoya - Shivon
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Zoya - Riley
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Zoya - Jem
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Ozotic Pro 502 - apparently only available in Australia?
But LOOK at that duochrome.
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
OPI - Ink
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
Orly - Sky Blue Pink
Pic courtesy of Scrangie
And, of course, I have to re-order Wytches Brew incense from Vermorlian.
Though Vermorlian DOES sell ritual products, this is not one of them. This just smells like fall, and I burn it pretty much year 'round. It's my favorite stick incense.
And finally, I am getting a haircut. My hair is getting pretty long, and I need to start trimming off the areas that were once bleached, because they have a different texture than the new stuff, which I've been careful to use only vegetable and plant-based dyes on, no ammonia. I am also going have sideswept bangs cut in again, as it downplays the roundness of my face. And then I will bump up the red from the current light ginger I have now to more of a true red. Basically, I envy April of Gardens of Whimsy's hair.