HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

We have received all sorts of new delights, and been able to restock some previously out of stock items.  All the products listed below are fully described and available on our New and Special page.

This newsletter contains:

• New products - Oils, a synergy, skincare products and packaging
• The return of out of stock products - Himalayan Lavender and Eucalyptus Radiata, Rose Confetti Soap
• A very special packaging sale for that special gift.
• Some suggested Valentine Blends
• Our new "Charity of the month"
• A reminder of our 10th anniversary sale.
• "Crop News" - Projected shortages
• An aromatic cake recipe

NEW ABSOLUTE - Golden Champa

Just in  from India, solvent extracted from the creamy yellow blossoms of the Michelia Champaca.  We all fell in love with this sweet, exotic floral. Read all the details on our New and Special page!

Available both undiluted, and in a 10% dilution in Fractionated Coconut Oil.

Rosemary Cineole

Wildcrafted, from Morocco.  A new sweet (and very affordable) version of this perennial favorite.

Patchouli 10%

We have a lot of visitors to our shop who want Patchouli to wear as perfume.  And they are not going to take the time and effort to dilute it.  So we started offering it in a skinsafe 10% dilution.  Our sweet, Indonesian Patchouli diluted and ready to wear.

Germbeater Spice Synergy

Add some Spice to your life, with our new Germbeater Spice Synergy. We added some Cinnamon Bark, some Cassia, and some Clove to our traditional GermBeater formula and came up with a spicy brew that will kill any germ brave enough to show its face around here.  (Do germs have faces?) 

CLARIFYING GEL ROLL-ON

For those with extra oily skin who hesitate to use any oilbased product, we've added our effective Clarifying synergy to aloe juice.

We suggest using our Liquid Clarifying Soap to cleanse, tone with an appropriate hydrosol (perhaps Tea Tree or one of the Lavenders - preferably Spike Lavender)  followed by application of the Gel.

For those of you new to our products - our Bliss Bath is just what the name describes.  A blissfully pampering powdered "diffusing bath oil" that dissolves the rich Jojoba Oil and the essential oils throughout the water, to pamper and nourish your entire body.  Susan Apito, of the Botanical Elements Trade Association recently received a sample of our Rose Bliss Bath (along with a jar that was going into a gift box for someone else.) She wrote:

When Marge Clark said she was sending her Rose Bliss Bath for the
gift promotion, I was happy to know she was sending it...but that's
it.  It sounded nice, but I don't have time to relax in the bath as
much as I should [or need for that matter] and I don't particularly
like the smell of roses.  I always think of rose smell as cloying and
almost unpleasant, and I was once sprayed in the face by the
perfume "model" at Bloomingdales..."Tea Rose"...SPRAY...before I had
the time to dodge her, so it brings back bad memories.

But Marge sent a sample with her gift basket donation.  HHmmm...this
actually smells nice.  REALLY NICE, I thought. 

Nice enough that I didn't use it because I was taking a bath, I took
a bath IN ORDER to use it! 

It was a beautifully but delicately scented bath, the dissolving
powder was really neat...and the actual bath experience was really, I
don't know how to say it...centering and grounding.  I'd almost go so
far as to say magical!  I will be ordering some!
 

For more raves about our Bliss Bath see our Aromatic Baths page.

PATCHOULI Bliss Bath

We've had requests for this...and I'm thinking Valentine's Day might be the perfect time to introduce it!

UNSCENTED Bliss Bath

For those sensitive to ANY aromatic product, or for those who want to blend their own favorite scent. "How to use" instructions are on the new and special page.

REFILLS Available:

We're offering refills for our best selling Rose Bliss Bath.  Packaged in cellophane to save time in packaging, we can offer it at a lower price.  (Hint, you can order a refill, and one of our Bail Jars and package it yourself, and save several dollars.)

New Container - Clear Lip Balm Pots

These charming wee pots hold one eighth ounce of your favorite lip balm, salve or solid perfume.. Sparkling clear PET plastic looks like glass.  Package of 4.

And to put in the wee pots - the simplest solid perfume recipe I know of:

3 parts jojoba
2 parts white beeswax beads
1 part essential oil or blend.

Warm the oil, add the beeswax beads and warm gently until melted.  Let cool until warm to the touch and starting to thicken. Stir in the essential oil, and pour into wee pots.

BACK IN STOCK - Himalayan Lavender

We have been out of stock on this popular, refreshing Lavender for some time.  It arrived (along with the Champaca described above) and to celebrate, we are putting it on special sale, both in our standard retail size, and on our fast buys page.

Also back:  Our Eucalyptus Radiata (Organic, from Australia) Many of you have been looking for this gentle Eucalyptus, and our supply has finally arrived.

ROSE CONFETTI SOAP:

We have been out of stock for months, and some of you have been clamoring for it.  Just in time for Valentines! A gentle milk soap, richly scented with pure rose otto, gently colored with Rose Clay.  (We've changed the packaging on our soaps, starting with this new batch.  When life slows down to a dull roar, we'll put a photo on the specials page so you can see it.)

Valentine Hint and Special Sale:

I recently took a bottle of our Sandalwood Shave Soother, added just a few drops of Rose Otto (I'm not sure how many, but it wasn't more than 10, probably fewer!).  The result was lovely.  The rose was almost hidden - definitely not too floral for a man to use, and lovely for a woman.  It was used for a massage oil, and if you want an easy and amorous blend for your Valentine, male or female, I strongly suggest this one.  We are taking 10% off the normal price of our ShaveSoother to encourage you to try the blend.

Another thought - The Sandalwood Soother is a wonderful addition to our Unscented Bliss Bath, if you want a Sandalwood Bath.

THANK YOU!!!

Your response to our Soldier's Care Packages was overwhelming.  You donated enough to keep our "mailing list" well supplied with goodies for some time. 

The response was so good, we decided that in addition to our "usual" Wednesday charitable donation (2% of all sales every Wednesday is donated to our selected "charity of the month"  we are going to add the charity of the month to our shopping cart.  For February, donations are going to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.   You will be able to add a $1.00 donation to the foundation while placing your order through our shopping cart.

REMINDER:

Don't forget our 10th anniversary sale...10 on the 10th.  10% off any order placed via the shopping cart on the 10th of each month this year.  Simply type  "anniversary"  (without the quotation marks!") in the box that  asks for a promotional code, and press "apply".

Also, if you are shopping for that special Valentine's gift for someone, don't forget our gift list page. (And Courtney reminds me to remind you that we DO offer gift wrapping.  Denise is one of the most talented gift wrappers I have seen, and T. has a special talent for arranging multiple products so they look inviting and special.

Predicted Shortages:

The flooding from last year's hurricanes devastated the Florida Citrus fields.  There was VERY little organic grapefruit oil produced and my sources tell me that so much damage was done to the soil that next year's crop (this year's???) will also be lean.  And no California organic pink grapefruit was produced this year.

We bought a larger amount than our normal order (at a very increased price!) on the theory that, stored under nitrogen and refrigerated, the shelf life should be enough to last until new crops become available.  If you've noticed an increase in our Pink Grapefruit price, that's why.

Also, we didn't buy any of this year's crop of USA Peppermint from our normal supplier.  Weather conditions in the midwest were all wrong for Peppermint. This year's distillation is extremely high in menthol, and lacks the soft sweetness we have come to expect.  We have found one source that we loved, but it is as almost as expensive as our imported Organic British Peppermint oil, and I'm not sure we want to spend that much (or charge you that much) for a conventionally farmed specimen. I'm tempted, tho.  It sure is a pretty oil! 

On the Road Again:

If any of you are planning on attending the Pacific Institute conference in San Francisco in April, please let us know. Courtney and I are both planning on going, and we would love to connect with any of our clients who are there.

Also, Courtney will be vacationing in New York City the first week of March. If anyone would like to get together with her perhaps for lunch (I'll have to see that she brings lots of samples on her trip!) please email her.

Special Sale on Packaging and Presentations:

Our "Presentations Page" contains soapstone boxes and other treasure chests, handmade botanical cards for your most special sentiments, lacquer boxes, silken bags - all sorts of beauties to hold very special gifts.  For the month of February we are putting everything on the page at a 25% discount.  (The discount does not show in the pricing on the page but WILL be reflected in the shopping cart.)  Stock up now for special events!

Romance Blends for your Valentine:

Touch my Heart

(I can't find my source for this one, but it is truly lovely.)

5 drops Bergamot
2 drops Jasmine Grandiflora
4 drops Frankincense

I'd use close to two ounces of carrier if using this blend for a full body massage. (And remember to use Bergamot FCF if using on the skin.)  I'd prefer to use it in the aromalamp, though.

I just received my last order today and I can make my own favorite soul-nourishing blend now (equal parts ylang ylang complete, jasmine sambac, and rose maroc - sweet, fresh, warm and thoroughly delicious!!)

She calls it "soul nourishing"... I think it's sensuous and romantic!

Sensual Massage Blend: (from Maggie Tisserand)

first prepare the Vetiver Base Oil:   to 100 mls of your favorite carrier oil (we prefer Fractionated Coconut) add one or two drops of Vetiver. Let stand overnight.

to 30 ml (one fl ounce) of the above carrier, add:

2 drops Sandalwood
2 drops Clary Sage
1 drop your favorite Ylangylang
and ONE drop of either Rose Otto or Jasmine Grandiflora.(the latter addition is optional, but I would insist on the Rose.)

Chrissie Wildwood has some "love potions" for both men and women in
her Perfume book.  Our old friend Rick loved the following:

4  Jasmine Sambac
7   Indonesian Patchouli
4   Ginger                                      

(If one of the above love potions doesn't help your romance along, I give up!)

RECIPES:

At a recent Herb conference in Chattanooga, Gerry Vileniki was generous enough to share her famous Lavender Pound Cake recipe:

one box pound cake mix (I use Betty Crocker)

2 or 3 drops lavender essential oil (I would use organic!)

and one tablespoon dried lavender blossoms, rinsed in cold water.

That sounds wonderful.  But I'm wondering what would happen if you substituted 1 drop of Rose Otto for the Lavender oil, and dried rose petals for the lavender buds???

And from a 1999 newsletter:  A rosy romantic beverage:

Did you know that the Rose and the Apple were from the same family?
I had forgotten.  Discovered a wonderful way to ?blend? the families, for a
festive toast in place of champagne, or a romantic breakfast.  Add about one
part Rose Hydrosol to about six parts of apple juice. YUMMY.....    Have yet
to try it with sparkling cider, that?s next on the agenda. (And now I?m considering adding a single drop of Organic Rose Oil to a
bottle of apple juice.)

Aromatic quote of the  month:

"The horizon all around me
breathed out perfume
announcing her arrival
as the fragrance precedes a flower."
                Colin Franzen (ed.) "Poems of Arab Andalusia"
 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Return to Newsletter Menu                Subscribe to Receive our Newsletter via Email