Hi girls… if you’re regular readers, you might recall my post from April 21… in which I let you all know that I had begun my latest beauty experiment… using Retin A.

What my skincare routine been’s missing…

I’ve been using Retin-A .1% for about 3.5 months now, and I am duly impressed with the results. Despite my initial fears, my skin has adapted well to the product, and I carefully followed both my Dermatogist’s instructions (which were a simplified version of those found in the link above supplied by Dr. Kunin, a great article with lots of information about Retin A, Tretinoin and Retinol).

I started off using my Retin-A every third night, with a Retinol product on the in-between nights (I chose Philosophy Booster caps), and then as my skin grew more and more tolerated to Retin A’s effects, I switched to every other night. I am comfortable staying at this regimen, because Retin A increases cellular turnover and exfoliation. My goal isn’t to thin my skin, but to keep it well exfoliated, luminous, evenly pigmented, smoothly textured and free of fine lines and wrinkles, and my biggest goal for Retin-A- to increase collagen production. Retin-A is absorbed deep within the skin where it does this fantastic job.

Have I noticed any, or all of these things? Yes. My skin is noticeably smoother and texture is much finer. Pores are getting smaller and less deep. I didn’t really have any fine lines to start with, but I certainly don’t have any now. My skin is well-exfoliated and has a very luminous, glowy and creamy appearance. I get an occasional blemish, but these rise to the surface very quickly and abate just as rapidly.

The one thing I have not made progress with is the pigmentation around my eyes that was caused when I took those evil BCP’s, Yaz and Yasmin. I developed melasma under my eyes rapidly after taking these pills and it did not go away after stopping. I have tried various products to lighten it… Murad Lighten and Brighten, Lumedia, Bliss Sleeping Peel Lightening Gel, and a few others I can’t recall. My Baby Quasar is also supposed to assist, since it has 4 wavelengths of intense pulsed light- unlike my Marvel Mini which was only an LED. Nothing has worked. And I am convinced that these areas have actually been getting more yellowish.

I went back to the dermatologist for a checkup, and I was right. Retin-A removes the top layers of our skin through it’s exfoliating action, often revealing layers underneath that are sun damaged, or affected by pigmentation, as in the case of melasma. Retin A was uncovering areas of yellowed skin that were previously covered, and unable to be seen- or at least not seen this vividly!

The solution? A prescription fading creme, or in-office IPL. I decided to try the sample of the creme- Epi-Quin (a stronger version of the fading cremes I had been using), and to see if that worked. This hyper-pigmentation has been driving me crazy for a long time, because my skin is SO pale, it just sticks out like a sore thumb. And one day I didn’t have it and the next day it seems like I did. I think Yaz and Yasmin should be taken off the market. $50 per pack birth control pills. The pharmaceutical companies should be ashamed. But that’s another blog post.

Anyway. The Epi-Quin creme has been working very well, with just the tiniest little dab, twice a day. I already am seeing significant fading. Whew!

For a long time, Vitamin C products were my little miracle. They made my skin feel fresh, firm, luminous and like I was making some sort of anti-aging investment for the future health of my skin. Vitamin C products DO all of this. But if I could give you a metaphor, using Vitamin C products is like using regular film in your camera and waiting for it to get developed. Using Retin A is like going digital. You get some sort of instant, measurable results with each use, and each use leaves you wanting more.

But don’t overdo it. More is not better.

Peptide serums are purported to help speed the healing during resurfacing, and help to thicken the skin. A favorite of mine is the paraben-free and pricey but well-worth it Dermaquest Peptide Mobilizer. With the highest percentage of peptides on the market, this stuff really is the next best thing to Botox in a bottle… no fooling. I apply this serum after my Retin-A has been well absorbed, and each night thereafter. One little squirt is all you need, I’ve had my bottle since February!

• Increases healing potential and tissue regeneration
• Aids in increasing skin thickness through the stimulation of collagen I & IV, fibronectin, and glycosaminoglycans in the dermal matrix
• Relaxes muscle contractions which lead to fine lines and wrinkles
• Increases dermal and epidermal hydration
• Enhances the effects of resurfacers, peels and laser treatments



The other reason that Retin-A has been smooth sailing for me? Baby Quasar, baby… this cutie soothes and heals my skin, relieves redness and irritation and keeps my face firm and happy. My Marvel Mini left me in a great place. Then I graduated to the Baby Quasar. I will give a more detailed review of this product soon, but this product is definitely responsible for the success that I have had with Retin A.

Stay tuned for more from me, soon!

xoxo
Miss K

Several months ago I posted about the benefits of Fish Oil capsules. These not only are great for your skin, but for many aspects of your general health.

Beauty from the Inside Out…

An excerpt:

I had tried taking fish oil capsules once before, but it was a rather, uh… overwhelming experience. Anyone ever hear of the dreaded “seal burps”? It was unpleasant enough that I stopped taking them, despite the benefits that Dr. Perricone and numerous other reliable sources claim. Things such as: radiant skin, healthy hair, stress relief, relief from depression, metabolism boost, appetite control, lowers cholesterol, improves memory loss, improved cardiovascular health, relief of dry skin, and improves acneic skin conditions. How lucky I was when I found out about enteric coated fish oil capsules! I now take these capsules twice daily with absolutely no unsavory side effects. The caps I take are Nature’s Benefit “Fish Oil Naturally”.

I always like to establish results I’ve had with my various health and beauty experiments, and I’ve got some definite quantitative results that relate to some of the claims of fish oil. I applied for a disability insurance policy last fall and had bloodwork drawn, and then this May applied for a change to my life insurance policy and had the get bloodwork drawn again. So here I had two sets of bloodwork drawn 8 months apart, one before starting to take fish oil caps, and one after taking fish oil caps for approximately 4-5 months.

The results? My cholesterol levels went down considerably! Both my Cholesterol and my HDL Cholesterol levels went down 30 mg/dl. This was a 15% change. To put this into perspective, Cheerios advertises that eating Cheerios every day for 12 weeks can lower your cholesterol an average of 9.1 mg/dl, or 3.8%

I made no changes in diet or exercise… just the fish oil caps. I recently got back into my workout schedule again, but my bloodwork was drawn before that. My insurance agent was so impressed with my results and what I told him about the fish oil caps that he’s going to start taking them also. And so is my husband (and he hates to take pills).

So there you go girls… Fish oil caps, definitely great for your skin, and your heart. Now, if they could just make those darn things easier to swallow…

Hi Ladies!!!

It’s been a slammin’ week here at AL… we’ve been busily buzzing around like bees processing your sale orders and replenishing inventory as we go!

Just a reminder… the sale ends tonight!

So if you haven’t used your coupon code yet, cash in on the sale! We may not have another coupon sale for a little while because we’re about to move into our new headquarters and every last jar, table, chair, computer, shelf and sifter seal must get packed and moved to it’s new home in the next few weeks then we’ve got a lot of organizing to do… This is a major move and we’ve got lots of glorious wide open space waiting for us!!!

I will post photos of the messy process to satiate curious minds as we go. I know I sure an curious… LOL.

I’ve gotten some of my Etsy goodies… and ordered some more, too! You’ve got to feel good about shopping on Etsy, I must repeat… and I am shopping with no guilt these days (the BEST kind of shopping) as I’m a closet recycler. When I get tired of things, I simply list them on Ebay, sell ‘em and then fill up my PayPal account and start again. Thank goodness Etsy takes PayPal!

Right now I am waiting for this new red dress and two new necklaces!

The red dress is from Wildewear, whom I mentioned in a post last week and received a dress from early this week. Their stuff is great, I highly recommend!

Once the sale is up I’ll be back to regular blogging. I’ve got TONS of gallery photos to add, as well as updates on Retin A, the No!No! and some other stuff…

Stay tuned!

xoxo

Miss K

Pretty, huh? (Official Pantone chart below…

From the Pantone Color Institute:

“Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have become staples, as illustrated by Blue Iris, one of the top 10 colors chosen by designers this season, and Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2008.”

Blue Iris, a beautifully balanced blue with an undertone of purple, is a favorite among designers, as it combines the calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple. Dramatic Royal Lilac brings purple to the forefront of fashion and generates a bit of heat with its exciting red undertones.

Serene, sophisticated Caribbean Blue is another popular hue this fall, especially in jewelry and accessories, but it can also add a colorful intensity wherever it is used in the wardrobe. Twilight Blue, a twist on a classic navy, shows the transitional aspect of spring segueing into fall. Serving as a wonderful base color, Shady Glade delivers a natural elegance to the fall palette. Taking green in an interesting direction with its true green characteristics, this hue is a departure from greens of seasons past, which have had distinctively yellow undertones.

Reds are a steadfast favorite for fall and Aurora Red is no exception. Versatile and universally appealing, this true red adds a splash of energy to the palette. Soft, dusky Withered Rose, with its pinkish qualities and brown undertones, is a versatile hue that blends with every shade. Ochre, a beautifully mellow yellow with a hint of mustard, adds a touch of lightness and spice. Orange has had a long run, and now, more than ever, consumers are gravitating toward intense shades like Burnt Orange, bringing this once steady background color to the foreground. The complex yet modest Shitake is an intriguingly understated shade, especially when teamed with the robust colors of fall ‘08.

© Pantone Institute

All of this fabulous color information can be officially viewed at the Pantone website, where you can download the Fall 2008 Report for yourself as a PDF file…

Ladies…

I’m so sorry that so much time has passed between my first post about the No!No! and my first review of it… it’s been a tremendously busy time here at aromaleigh.com! While I have had time to keep my legs smooth for our 90 degree weather, I just haven’t had time to actually write about it…

In case you’re coming to the blog fresh on this topic, here’s my first post on the subject…

Gadget Crazy: Testing out Sephora’s new No!No! Hair Removal System

As I mentioned last time, it took me a while to cozy up to the No!No! concept… but a painful experience with having my underarms subjected to the searing pain of laser hair removal (I think that having my underarms tattooed would be less painful!!!) – made me rethink my desire for the No!No! several times, and ultimately led to my late night impulse purchase.

With the understanding that the use of the No!No! would be a gradual process that might take 6 or more months to yield results, I decided to commit myself to see if this cute little gadget actually delivers… and to share the news!

I am happy to report that you will on the majority of occasions receive any package that you order from Aromaleigh.com much faster than you will receive it from Sephora. (Sheesh, and I am a patient person!!!).

OK… if you’re pro-body hair, or anti-hair removal, or you’re plotting a secret hardcore feminist email campaign to set me straight about the glories of accepting one’s body hair and how I should stop with the silly hair removal essay this very second… Well, please refrain. I simply don’t like body hair. Lots of us don’t. It has nothing to do with what I personally do grooming-wise to primp and pamper myself in relation to my political or societal views. And it certainly has nothing to do with any woman’s rights to remove or to not remove. I am all for the empowerment, equality, betterment, beautifying and advancement of women. I just prefer to do it without labeling, pigeon-holing and excuses. So get your razors, epilators, wax, and No!No!s out and read on, girls…

My lovely little black No!No! arrived carefully packed in a box containing everything I would need to get started. An instructional DVD is included, but I chose not to watch it. Firstly, because I hate instructionals. Second, because I was too excited to just read the brief printed instructions and get started on my stubbly legs. Sorry if that is “too much information” (TMI). No, I won’t be providing any pictures of my stark-white legs. That’s definitely TMI.

Here is what you receive in your all-inclusive No!No! Hair Removal System box:

-3 short blades
-2 long blades
-No!No! device in blue, black or pink
-a storage bag
-small brush to clean the no!no! device
-adapter/cord
-Instructional DVD
-1 buffer

Now let’s go through the list. The first two items on the list are the short blades and long blades. These aren’t actually “blades” at all, but rather ceramic inserts that you place into the end of the No!No!. They house the Thermicon wire technology that the No!No! is based on. Your hair comes in contact with the wire, and the heat signal is passed to your hair shaft. The metal strip within the “blade” then lifts away the singed stubble.

Hot blades come in two types, short blades for stubble, and long blades for hair over 1mm in length. It is very important to use the right hot blade for the length of hair you are trying to remove, or else your results will be affected. In my experience, I found the long hot blades to be useless… and instead, worked only on hair of 1mm or less, making sure that I was always working with stubble. This definitely produces the best results, but more on that later!!!

This is what hot blades look like. Kind of scary, but they are not sharp, really…

You also receive a buffer in your No!No! box. What exactly are you going to be buffing? Well, remember, the No!No! is not a razor. It does not provide a close, smooth razor shave. This is a common misconception and reason for returning the product in other reviews that I have read. So as long as you’re not expecting a razor-close shave and you understand that using the No!No! is a process and not magic… you should be fine! Once the hair is zapped by the Thermicon wire and singed by the hot blade, it is crystallized and turns into a powder that collects on your hot blades surface and inside of your No!No!. That’s what the little brush is for- to brush away this dust. Keeping your hot blades clean increases their life span.

The buffer, on the other hand… is for making things as smooth as you are used to them being with a razor shave. Your legs or arms will not be left perfectly smooth after using the No!No!. You will still feel a tiny bit of stubble (and if you have very dark or thick hair, I wager that you might even be able to see this stubble). This is remaining singed hair left in your hair follicle after treatment. The buffer’s job is to buff this away and leave you with a totally smooth surface. This is, of course a matter of personal preference. You don’t need to buff. But you may LIKE to buff. I personally don’t buff. I found it to be a pain. Because 2 days later, I am going to be No!No!-ing again, anyway… But you may like the buffer. If I wanted a baby smooth shave, I’d razor it. I’m happy enough with no visual hair and not being perfectly smooth. Good enough for me!

I began No!No!-ing 8 weeks ago and I have been very faithful to the process, keeping my legs and arms clear of stubble approximately every 3 days. The goal of the product is a gradual reduction in hair density, meaning that your individual hairs will grow back thinner and sparser over time and eventually, not at all. That every-3-day schedule may sound daunting, but it is actually much easier for me than shaving. I usually do either my arms or legs in the morning after my workout, and then the next day, I will do arms or legs in the evening before my night-time shower. Either way, I don’t do it all at once, so it doesn’t take me forever.

The system promises no mess, no cuts, no burns, no irritation and no noise- and all of these things are true.

My first attempt with the No!No!, was, as recommended, on my leg. The square shape of the device, and the fact that the entire head of it must be flat and flush with your skin in order to work properly- makes it ideal for areas of the body that are not curved. In other words, legs and arms are very easy to do. Elbows and knees are quite challenging, even for a seasoned user. Underarms would be almost impossible to do. The bikini area is not recommended. The face is not recommended. (And I can’t figure out how anyone could possibly fanangle the No!No! to work in these last two mentioned areas!) The dimensions of the No!No! are a little surprising. It is by no means large, but it is thicker than you’d think it to be from the photos on the Sephora site. I’d estimate the No!No! to be about 4″ long, 2″ wide and 1.5″ thick. I thought it would be thin, as in thin- like a cell phone is thin. It’s not. It’s boxy compared to a cell phone, such as my Motorola Razr. This is why curved areas are tricky!

The hot blades are very easy to pop in and out of the end of the No!No!. You just match up the product logo on the front of the hot blade with the product logo on the front of the device, and evenly pop in the hot blade until it snaps in. Easy as pie. Plug in your adapter cord first, and then plug the cord in to your device. Of course, don’t No!No! near a tub full of water, or any water, for that matter. (Uh, had to say that…)

The No!No! lights up steady green when you are drawing the device slow and steady across your skin, and this steady green light also means that the device is working. Uneven or quick motion produces a flickering light and causes the device to “jump” around in what can be rather unnerving to a new user. It takes a while to develop that slow and steady “pull” across your skin and at first, when you place the No!No! on your leg, you will surely end up with a flickering, pulsating and jumping device that will scare you. I personally thought that I had unleashed some sort of strange slashing blade on myself and that the green flashing lights and bouncing motion was a precursor to a subtle electrocution. Kind of like the feeling I got when I was 6 and I took the light bulb out of my Lite Brite and stuck my finger in the socket. Hey, my mother never told me not to do it, and I was curious. You only do something that stupid once.

Emergency averted however… I just had to develop the right “touch” and slow glide. Once I mastered this (within a few minutes), I was a No!No!-ing fool, and my entire bathroom stunk of burnt popcorn (yes, this is what your singed hair smells like, and this means that the device is working!). I did my lower legs and my forearms. All that you feel is the slight sensation of warmth. Sometimes it may feel a little hotter on certain areas, such as ankles, around the knee, elbows- anywhere there is less fat to absorb the heat, I believe! My forearms were done in a matter of minutes, as lighter, finer hair is a dream to No!No!. I keep my forearms hair-free because in my work, I like to swatch colors on my arms. Having fuzzy arms is an impediment to this, other than the fact that I just don’t like having fuzzy arms!

My lower legs took longer, as the No!No! may require a few passes with darker, coarser hair. Yes, you may have to repeat certain areas with a few slow strokes to get all of your hair singed. While this may seem like a pain, it’s just necessary. You will find that as your hot blade ages, they will not work as well. I have not yet replaced mine, but I will be, soon. You can get a set of new hot blades (3 short and 2 long) from Sephora for $21. I wish you could purchase just the short hot blades by themselves, because I don’t use the long ones. Unfortunately, they come as a set.

I think that if you have very dark, coarse hair, that the No!No! system might prove to be frustrating for you. I am not a particularly hairy person, and I don’t have dark, coarse hair. I have fine-medium hair on my arms, and what I would consider medium brown and blonde hair on my lower legs that is only noticeable once it is quite, well- hairy! A system such as this is quite bearable for me to use, because I do feel that I will achieve results within the reasonable amount of time promised. I already have noticed results in two months.

What have I noticed? The hair on my arms is growing back in extremely fine and thin. Very easy to No!No! again and takes just a few minutes to quickly get the job done. The hair on my legs is not growing any slower, but I do feel that it is thinner in texture and there seems to be less of it. However, it probably isn’t helping my hair growth to be slowed when I am taking hair growth vitamins, fish oil caps and Imedeen Time Perfection vitamins for my skin. I’m quite sure that these all are making my hair grow like crazy (I know that my hair on my head and my nails are growing like a jungle!) However,  I will definitely continue my protocol throughout the summer and with the new hot blade set.

I’ve got 6 months of 90 degree heat and bare legs to inspire me…

The No!No! is definitely not a miracle device, but I sure do prefer it to razor shaving (I always cut myself, even with the Venus or Quattro Razors), and I’ll take it anyday over waxing or laser hair removal.

Did I miss anything? Any questions, just ask me! I’ve got an appointment with my No!No! later tonight!

xoxo

Miss K

Hi ladies…
A quick update!

Our Mother’s Day Sale is still going on through 5/14 and ends that day at 9 PM EST. See my blog post on 5/10 to get your coupon code and full details!

We received an inventory shipment today with items such as Vitamin C serum, Eyeshadow Primer, Glycolic Acid serum, Foundation Primer, Vitamin C Masque, Perfect Finish Spray, Gel Liners, etc… etc… Most cosmetic items that had an out of stock message are now restocked.

Some brushes are out of stock due to our sale… I apologize for the out of stocks, but brushes are going fast with the discount! I will be placing a stock order the day after the sale to replenish our stock.

The online site product review system is still not working, yahoo and our programmers are now working on the issue (I know, I am starting to sound like a broken record!)…

Baby Kabukis sold out, so I removed them from the sale front page. I have replaced them in the 25% off sale with Rocks! Sonic Eyes… these have been added to the 25% OFF sale through 5/14 AM until sales change at 10 AM EST. Happy Shopping, these are a GREAT DEAL with your 15% OFF Mother’s Day code!!!

I am working on a new color chart for Rocks! Sonic Eyes, so you will soon have a new improved chart for this line, just like the rest of the fabulous new charts on the site! So far, it looks great! Stay tuned…

Happy Shopping Ladies and Have a Great Night… I must get back to your orders!~

xoxo

Miss K

It has been only since my post of April 28th that we’ve taken major steps in our household towards reducing energy use in hopes of reducing our “Carbon Footprint”.

See my post from April 28th,

Green Eyeshadow, and some Green Thoughts for the Day.

I received my energy bill today and I honestly didn’t expect to see major changes… after all it’s only been about a month since replacing regular light bulbs with CFL’s and 2 weeks since we really went all out towards reducing our energy bill.

Well ladies, I am very proud to report that all of our little changes added up into a huge drop in or kilowatt useage!!! Last year in the month of May, we used 3574 KWH. Last month, we used 3949. This May billing cycle? our use dropped to 2653!!!

Our entire family contributed to this change and I am so proud of all of them. We all made small changes to our lifestyles to reduce energy use.

We can all make small changes and reduce the energy use of our homes, one of the greatest contributor’s to our country’s carbon footprint!

Why does this matter? Well, smaller energy bills mean more makeup!!! No, really… you all know what I’m talking about. The environment and the reality of climactic change. It’s something that is important to me and that I choose to use blog space for in hopes that I can affect small change in others, too…

What are some of the things that we did to reduce our kilowatt useage?

installed compact fluorescent bulbs in all high-use lights

reduced temperature on water heater and had water heater serviced

replaced filters on our heat pump, had it serviced and opened up all of the vents in our home for better efficiency.

shorter showers!

turned off lights not in use/used minimal lights needed

Washed all clothes in cold water- no more warm or hot loads.

Wash full loads of dishes at night when power costs less.

Wash larger loads of laundry. One large load costs less to wash than 2 small ones.

There’s more, but that’s all I can remember right now. We can all take baby steps and make a HUGE difference collectively towards living a more efficient, less energy-dependent green lifestyle. And unfortunately, by the looks of gas prices right now, it would be smart to reduce your home energy bill. You may need the extra money to use to fill your gas tank (and a little extra left over for makeup, too of course!!!

xoxo

Miss K

Should I come out with the red, white and blue eyeshadow gift set to get us all through this year’s elections?

I’m eating this (very yummy, by the way… why doesn’t Jon Stewart have his own ice cream flavor?):

I’m reading this (excellent read, by the way… highly recommend. Ron Paul fascinated me in the debates and this is quintessential.):

I’m watching the results of today’s primaries, as Hillary and Obama fight for every last delegate and supah-delegate! (Hey, I voted for John Edwards. I still think he’s the man. But I’ll take Hillary. Sorry, I’ve never felt the Obama love. It’s either there or it isn’t. And here, it isn’t. So I pray for Clinton Superdelegates, while at home we argue about the electoral process being unconstitutional in our spare time… seriously… )

Democrats »	TOTAL DELEGATES
	Barack Obama Pledged: 1,524 Superdelegates 252 Total: 1,776
	Hillary Clinton Pledged: 1,364 Superdelegates 266 Total: 1,630

Some earthy greens for a day where I had a lot of green thoughts.

Divine Intervention, Palmetto, Blast, Loden

I finally took one of those “what is your carbon footprint” tests online… where it gives you a basic idea of just how much you’re contributing to climactic change, global warming, carbon emissions… whatever name you want to call it! And I feel like I’ve got a big foot right now.

A few months ago I was so concerned with researching hybrid cars, I thought that driving and travel was the biggest problem. Well, all of the hybrid cars were too tiny for my family and use needs, or they were giant SUV’s. What’s the deal with that? Boy, was I wrong that my car was the main problem!!! My previous car was far more efficient than ANY hybrid SUV, and my “new” car gets the same mileage and has a low smog index- .39 ( the average car is .58 ) (I recently replaced it with a 3 year old “previously enjoyed” (i.e. recycled) station wagon which I am loving- you should see how much cardboard and recyclables we can fit in the back for our twice weekly trips to the town dump!!! Yes, no recycling program here. You want to recycle? You do it yourself.) The carbon footprint of my car, with the very low mileage I drive each year was nothing compared to the carbon footprint of my home!!!

I never suspected the amount of carbon emissions that we all are adding to the atmosphere just by everyday energy use in our homes! It has been a huge wakeup call for our household, and we’ve gotten out several year’s of electric bills to chart our kilowatt usage, see which months are historically the worst, and visited our electrical coop’s website for ideas on how to reduce our electrical usage and be more efficient.

We have big goals for our household. For me, it’s not even so much the monthly cost of electricity, but rather our kilowatt usage and the impact that it is having on the environment. The psychological factor of knowing that you’re making a difference, albeit a small one- is impactful.

Check your electric bill and see if your electrical company has a website. Check it out and see if you can find tips on how to be more efficient, more green, and reduce your electrical useage!

While I was at my electrical co-op’s website, Palmetto Electric Co-op, I found out a few cool things. Our co-op has an initiative to get all households to switch over to CFL bulbs and is sending two bulbs to every household. We also have a Green power plant that is run by methane gases collected from landfills (here in South Carolina)! Co-op members can sign up online to purchase $3, $6 or $9 blocks of Green Power. Of course, I just signed up. Purchasing 2 blocks per month has the same environmental impact as recycling 320 pounds of aluminum. I signed up for 3 blocks. That’s a lot of cans!!!

I’ve been listening for months to the Democratic debates and reading all of the daily political news about what each candidate is going to do for the environment, and green-collar jobs, and renewable resources… It was kind of nice to see it in action at home here in South Carolina, and be able to be a small part of it- even if I do have to pay in to it to use it.

Maybe someday power from renewable sources will be commonplace. It has to be!

Does your electric company have something similar!? Go check it out! Sign up!

Those ladies, are my green thoughts for the day…

xoxo,

Miss K

I recently started buying some pigments from a company that offers 3 gram jars for only $4.00.

I looked at my jars of Rocks! shadows and Elemental Lustres and on the website, the new Gothic Lolita shadows, and it says that you’re selling like 1.2 or 1.5 grams of shadow to me for around $7.50 to $8.00!

Why are your eyeshadows so much more money?

I don’t want to upset you, but I’d like to understand why you are charging us so much money for your product and other companies are selling us HUGE amounts of product for so much less. It seems like we are getting ripped off.

I would prefer to remain anonymous.

Dear “anonymous”

Your question doesn’t upset me- because it gives me the perfect example to explain how some other companies are selling their products and how it is all very confusing. The jar industry sells sifter jars according to how much the jar weighs. You can get 3 gram jars, 5 gram jars, 10 gram jars, 20 gram jars and 30 gram jars. The majority of small mineral makeup companies sell their eyeshadows according to the size of the jar and NOT what the jar holds.

If I sold my products this way, then I would sell the Rocks! shadows as 5 gram jars. I would also sell the Pure Hues, Gothic Lolita shadows, Elemental Lustres and Drama Liners as 5 gram Jars. All other eyeshadow lines would be sold as 10 gram jars. So you see, you’re not getting 1.2 grams in comparison to another company giving you 3 grams of product. Because they’re not giving you 3 grams of product. They’re giving you product in a 3 gram jar.

It can be very confusing, so I often try to explain it in several ways on a product page, saying “this jar is what is commonly known in the industry as a 5 gram jar” And then indicate how much in WEIGHT that the jar holds in product.

Now back to the issue of getting a 3 gram jar for $4. I didn’t mention the company in my blog posting- let’s leave them out of this. But I can tell you that you aren’t getting a sifter in that jar (they don’t do sifters). All Aromaleigh eyeshadows have the added bonus of having a sifter. I can tell you that 3 gram jars are very rounded on the bottom, so that ingredient labels cannot be placed on the bottom. 5 gram jars are the same diameter as 3 gram jars, but they are much larger because they don’t have this pronounced concavity. They are perfectly flat on the bottom and we do put ingredients labelling on the bottom of our jars. The company you gave me in your example labels only the tops of their jars with a plain label with the brand name. We offer totally waterproof, high quality, beautifully designed labels on our products. We take pride in neatly packaging them with sifters and sifter seals.

3 gram jar for $4.00 (From other company)

5 gram jar of Rocks! Eyeshadow for $7.50

If I do this with our Pure Eyes Frosts, Satin Petals, Eye Lustres or Mattes- then we’re selling a “10 gram jar” for $8.25/8.50 That puts us at $.85 per unit for the more expensive shadows- killer value, huh???

That’s $1.33 per unit for the first jar and $1.50 per unit for the second jar. And don’t forget about the $.85 per unit for all of the eyeshadows we sell on 10 gram jars.

So we are slightly more expensive (by about 17 cents per “unit”) for our “5 gram jars” and we’re a head and shoulders greater value for the vast number of colors we sell in 10 gram jars.

But then there is this HUGE factor that you might not be thinking about where you’re saving money. Aromaleigh weekly 25% OFF sales. Every week, 12-13 products are featured at 25% OFF. Chances are, your product will fall into that within a four week rotation. Add into that our free shipping coupon, and our list of free product incentive coupons (note- these are all things that the company you told me about does NOT offer!) and to be honest, I think it’s obvious who has the better value!

That’s right… Aromaleigh.

So before you just look at things at face value, it never hurts to ask, and look at the big picture.

Aromaleigh offers a great value. But I really feel like it is all too often forgetten about our weekly sales and what a huge money-saver these are. Free shipping coupons and Free shipping on all sample orders is a great money-saver as well. Free products as incentive on orders of various dollar amounts is another great way to save. I could go on and on about the ways that we offer you ways to save money, but I’d be talking myself silly.

I just get tired of hearing or reading “Aromaleigh is expensive” and “Other companies are so much cheaper” when we actually have so many offers that I turn blue in the face while explaining them all. I also get tired of reading that I keep raising my prices. Raising my prices on what? Prices have remained the same on foundations, samples, you name it… for years. How many of you have paid more for a jar of Voile or Glissade in the last 4 years? It’s funny, because I actually *reduced* the price of samples about 4 years ago!

No other mineral makeup companies have the special offers and incentives that we do. Our prices are great on ANY day, even without sales. Our prices are AMAZING when the products you want are on weekly 25% OFF sale.

Love,

Miss K and Aromaleigh (the “sleeper” company with the greatest selection of colors and the best value and fastest shipping!)