I have heard from a handful of users who, having read our last newsletter, were under the impression that we were giving away Birth Rite soap with every order this weekend. Let me clarify, we are having a storewide discount sale this weekend, but those orders will not be accompanied by free soaps.

In hindsight, I realise that “…everyone gets a slice of our cake” can be interpreted as “OMG Free Soap.” But at the time of writing it was only intended as an expression of our celebratory enthusiasm and our willingness to share the party (so to speak). Birth Rite is very nearly my own personal dream-soap, and frankly I’d be happy to hoard the entire stash!

From the feedback I’ve received, customers have taken the statement both ways (as free-soap and as avail-for-purchase), so it was clearly an ambiguous statement. Let me offer my sincerest apologies for the confusion! And if, by chance, this is a dealbreaker for you in regards to a recently placed order, please contact our customer service team so we can find a resolution.

We’ve reached a fairly significant milestone here at Villainess, and I’m pleased to invite you all to share it with us. The end of August marks our 5th year in business, and the time has truly flown by. With 5 full years behind us I, for one, am good and ready to celebrate. And, it’s only fitting to share this celebration with the people who’ve made it possible - our addicted fiercely fabulous customers!

I’ve been kicking this idea around for a couple of months now - you might have read my rambling if you keep an eye on our blog. I was so excited about this that I couldn’t keep it under wraps completely. Our birthday cake is a ridiculously delicious trifle that toys with the idea of rights, rites, and memorials - potential made manifest and commemorated.

Birth Rite - Layer cake. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, frosted with berries, and grounded with a resinous skin-sent - precious amber, sweet myrrh, tonka bean and peppercorn.

So, everyone gets a slice of our cake! And, to make this a proper birthday blowout, we’re staging a 3-Day Storewide 25% Off Sale. Seriously. The sale starts now, and lasts until 5:00 Central/Standard on September 1st, 2008. You will need to enter the code BDAY25 in the coupon code field during checkout to cash in your discount.

Finally, in an unusual move for us, we’ve posted our remaining stock of Quick or Dead? perfume on eBay! I have a hard time making small quantities, no lie. And since this isn’t a release of proper proportions, we decided to give everyone a chance at the bottles by way ofa a good old-fashioned auction.

Much thanks, to each of you, for making this a postively thrilling adventure. I couldn’t have custom-ordered a friendlier, more-awesome customer base - you guys have made the last 5 years truly rewarding. Enjoy!

As promised…

You can see that the berry frosting layer stayed just as creamy white as I’d hoped, but I couldn’t resist dusting it with a swirl of mocha and mauve shimmer. As the soap cures, the resin and cake layers will become more distinct. And OMG the fragrance!

Today, I made a brand new “special event” soap that I hope to have ready to go by the end of the month. It was a big production - I made 3 huge batches, and split each one into 3 layers. So we’ve got a striated soap that should look just like layer cake.

First layer - amber, sweet myrrh, a splash of frankincense, peppercorns, and ginger, and a touch of tonka bean. This is one of the best things I have EVER smelled, but then I am a sucker for resins and spice. This isn’t my typical black-pepper-trick either. I adore pepper, so I’m usually tempted to throw it in and spice up everything, but generally it lends a biting sort of greenness. This is a very warm, woody pepper that just lends heat to the resins. It’s seamless, and not a bit jarring.

Second layer - vanilla spice cake. It smells like baking, for real. Verra light on the spice - a touch of ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg - just enough to draw on the undercurrent of warmth in the resinous layer.

Third layer - pink frosting, and berries. It’s a positive riot of raspberries and blackberries mostly, you get that sweet/tart impression. Very juicy. And again, just a touch of vanilla/baked goods, to help flow w/ the cake layer.

By working with layers (and not marbling like we sometimes do), I tried to create a visual distinction between the discolouration of the fragrances. The resinous layer will almost certainly be a dark cocoa by morning (they’re sitting in the molds at present), and the cake will be lucky if it’s caramel, and ‘though I reinforced our berries with titanium dioxide (I wanted a white frosting effect) there’s just enough vanilla that it might end up a very pale tan. I may shimmer a bit o’ pink on that frosting layer, just to get the effect I was after. And then, for kicks, I threw in a good handful of pink soap marbles, so the whole affair will be polka dotted. Should be stunning.

Sneak peak tomorrow after we cut the soap. And, feel free to take a stab at guessing what “special event” could possibly be slated for early September! This is an event that I myself managed to forget - so don’t over think it.

We have been getting mad press lately - I am simultaneously flattered and surprised. It’s hella exciting to realise our goodies are making their way out there. The best/worst part? Stumbling over new reviews means I’ve also discovered new reviewers. And reviewers = enablers. Just what I needed - more product recs! So, in the spirit of sharing, I bring you:

magicxmaid’s beautyfeed and a fabulous review of her haul. Dude, I see this stuff every day - Nicole’s enthusiasm had me wishing someone would send me a Big Box o’ Villainess.

Latest Beauty is one of the best beauty blogs I’ve encountered recently. These ladies are bringing relevant reviews, and answering my but-what-abouts before I can properly articulate them. Awesome resource. Check out Melissa P’s Villainess Review - none too shabby, eh?

And then there’s Product Fiend. This is a one-stop resource for every treatment, trick and product you could possibly need to achieve air-brushed perfection. Their coverage had me blushing.