Scentimental Waxing by Crater Lake Company

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2010-04-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

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Look what I've been up to...

2010-03-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? Sorry, sorry, sorry. I've been busy working on the Signature Collection launch (photography, copywriting, product prototype making, etc.) and about 2 weeks ago, our Facebook page went live (thank you Jill.) Speaking of Facebook, daaayummm, we have some good looking customers :) It's been fun putting faces to the names.

Anyway, so here's a sample of what we've been up to at CLC.

It looks like our Signature Collection will launch in early April. Stay tuned because we're going to have one helluva sale to celebrate!

There's a lot of stuff brewing (note: this is a hint to our Facebook contest) behind the scenes, but I'll save them till my next post. All you need to know is we're going to have one amazing summer!

Worldly Wednesday - Alaska!

2010-03-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

Since we're on the topic of snow. Here are some pictures from our Alaska cruise.

Top & bottom picture: What we saw from our balcony. Check out how glassy and still the water's surface looks.

The Hubbard Glacier below:

Check out the boat getting up close and personal to the glacier.

A close up of the glacier:

Till next time...

You guessed it....more snow...

2010-02-26T13:09:00.001-08:00

That's me (in my pimp/Yo Gabba Gabba hat), knee deep in snow. I've lost track of how much snow we've had in the last 2 weeks. All I know is that at 4 feet 11 inches (or 3 apples high as my friend Jill says), I need to start walking around with a flag in case I get burried in the snow.

Outbound packages will obviously be delayed. Our sorting facility is in NJ and they got hit pretty hard as well. It will take longer for our packages to get to the sorting facility and probably longer for it to leave the facility once sorted. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

On a non-weather related front, we're busy preparing for the launch of our Spring fragrances as well as our Signature Collection. The website will go through a minor cosmetic lift as we incorporate the Signature Collection into our line. It's about time for a change anyway.

Oh and for those of you who have been asking me about setting up a Facebook account - I'm putting the finishing touches on the page before I make it public. I am forever and deeply indebted to Jill who got our page started, held my hand and talked me through simple tasks such as uploading pictures and creating an account. Thanks Jilly. You have no idea how grateful I am for your friendship and never-ending patience :)

Feedback on the conditioners continue to come in and it looks like our testers have a clear preference of which formula works the best. With a little more tweaking, I think we'll be ready to launch sometime mid-March.

Thanks for reading. I'm off to dig my car out. If I don't write another post in the next 7 days, send someone to find me. I'm probably burried in a snow bank.

Worldly Wednesday - Please...NO. MORE. SNOW.

2010-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

I know I wrote that my next WW post would be of Alaska, but I swear, if I see any more snow, I'm going to lose it. So, hoping that a bit of reverse psychology will do something positive to my psyche, I'm posting pictures of the warm sunny beaches of St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

The view as we approach the port.

White sand beach, clear blue waters...why must I be stuck in snowy New York!? (The yellow bag in my hand contains a box of the most delicious truffles I've ever tasted.)

The lush greenery of St. Thomas.

This Dish is B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

2010-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

We're discontinuing our Moisture Whip Light Conditioner. In it's place is a new formula I've been working on since late last year. I've finally narrowed it down to 2 iterations and it's out to test with some of our customers.

I have high hopes and big expectations for this conditioner. So far, both versions of the recipe are working wonderfully for my hair, which is why I had to send it to a larger test panel than what we normally use. My hair likes both and if it were up to me, I'd never launch it because I can't make up my mind. I've formulated it specifically for colour-treated hair in need of some tender loving care and moisture. While it delivers a moisturizing punch, it's light enough for daily use.

Why a conditioner with bananas? For starters, I love bananas. And growing up, we had a family friend - Auntie Annie from Indonesia who had long, thick, shiny, luxurious hair. In that childlike fascination, I asked her how she got her "princess hair" and she said used mashed bananas mixed with a bit of oil as a weekly treatment. Indeed, bananas are very beneficial to the hair. It is rich in natural oils and proteins that soften hair and increase its elasticity, thereby preventing splits and breaks. In fact, many at-home remedies for dry, damaged hair call for applying mashed bananas to your hair and leaving it on for 20 to 30 minutes. The conditioner also contains green tea extract, a well known anti-oxidant, to combat the dulling effects of the environment on our (colour-treated) locks.

Auntie Annie also used to rub a clove of garlic on her fingernails for growth and strength, but I'm going to leave this one alone.

I'd like to thank the wonderful gals (and one unwitting guy - Chris) who agreed to test the formulas. As I type this, Chris is begrudgingly getting his haircut. He claims he's been having a string of good hair weeks and has no idea why. It's been so good in fact, that he's put off getting his haircut, until I finally commented that his hair was looking rather "floppy" lately. Unbeknownst to him, his good hair weeks are due to the switch-a-roo I did to his regular conditioner. Tee, hee.

The feedback is slowly trickling in and it looks promising - I'm really, really excited. If all goes well, I'm looking at a late February, early March launch. Stay tuned.

Worldly Wednesday - Oh Vancouver

2010-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

In honour of this year's host of the Winter Olympics, here are some pictures of Vancouver from our trip last summer.

The opening and closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics will be held at B.C. Place. I don't know if shirtless guy (pictured behind me) will still be at his post.

No matter where we go, we always find our way to the local Chinatown. This is the Chinatown Arch in Vancouver. It's the gateway to the city's bustling Chinatown. It's also the gateway that led me to the hair salon where I walked in for a trim and walked out with a mullet. Good thing about hair is that it grows back and shows no sign of the trauma it once endured. My self-esteem however, has been permanently scarred. I spent the rest of the vacation listening to Chris serenade me with 80's music in honour of my haircut. That and he said I looked a bit like Bruce Lee.

Chris pondering the next CLC promotion at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

So that's pretty much it for Vancouver. We were only there for a few days as a stopover on our way to Alaska.

Next post - Alaska.

Gimme That! Stack o' Scrubs Gift Set!

2010-01-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

Win your very own Stack o' Scrubs Gift Set!

Last month, we sponsored a giveaway hosted by Courtney, blogger extrodinaire of Me and Bella. It was such a hit with 337 entries and we couldn't be more pleased!

So...here's your chance to win dear Scentimental Waxing readers. Simply send an e-mail to info (at) craterlakecompany (dot) com. You get multiple entries by doing the following:

1 entry for subscribing to our newsletter or being an existing subscriber.

Up to 5 entries for submitting a product review (please go to the specific product page on our website and click the Write an online review link.) You can submit up to 5 product reviews for a total of 5 entries.

2 entries by reviewing a CLC product on your blog (please include a link of the review in your e-mail.)

In your e-mail, please list what actions you took to enter so we can tally up your total number of entries.

Thanks for participating!

Here's looking at you 2010!

2010-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm back from my quick holiday/business jaunt to the Philippines.

We're starting the year off right with a big sale, so watch for our re-opening in the next week or two. We'll have a general sale for the public, as well as an extra something special to newsletter subscribers, so please make sure you're signed up to receive CLC's newsletter, The Fragrant Times.

Just a quick update on what's happening at CLC:

We'll be hosting a giveaway of our Holiday best-selling gift set, Stack o' Cupcakes, so stay tuned for details on how to enter.

The rising cost of supplies has made it necessary for us to raise our prices. Average price increase is approximately 16%. While I know this is not welcome news, we're doing our best to find other ways to make this increase easier, such as running more frequent promotions, enhancing our customer loyalty/points program and evaluating other cost-cutting initiatives.

We'll open with a sale on our Holiday fragrances. It will be a percentage off retail. However, if you're a newsletter subscriber, we'll provide a coupon code for you to enjoy an additional discount on top of the sale price.

Wanna get 50 points credited to your account? If you purchased a Holiday 2009 Sampler and used our new Whipped Cream & Sugar Scrub, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this newly reformulated product. Please e-mail your feedback to sharonn (at) craterlakecompany (dot) com. Was it scrubby enough? Did it rinse clean or would you chacracterize it as a moisturizing scrub? Did it make your skin smooth? Did it leave your skin fragranced? What were your overall impressions of the product? To thank you for your time, we'll credit your account with 50 points which is equivalent to a $5 credit.

Well that's it from me for now! Only 6 days into the new year and already my head is spinning! Whew!

Worldly Wednesday - Who Says You Can't Go Home?

2009-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

6 more sleeps till I head back home to the Philippines. I can't wait! I'm so excited I can hardly sit still.

I've been doing this "pilgrimage" for 5 years now and I've developed certain rituals as I make the trek home. After clearing immigrations and security at JFK, there's a long hallway that leads to the departure gates and as I'm taking that long walk, I listen to Bon Jovi's Who Says You Can't Go Home. I do this every time to officially kick off my travel - the 16 hours to my first layover, then the next 3 to 4 to get to Manila. I love it. Taking the walk with my iPod blasting this song gets me so giddy with excitement. Just thinking about it makes me do the jumpy claps!

Home for me now is in a city called Marikina, which I think is kind of like a suburb of Manila. When I was growing up though, the first home I can vividly remember was in a place called Sampaloc. I make it a point to revisit my childhood home because it reminds me of my humble beginnings and the blessings I now have. It reminds me of how extraordinary my parents are for the sacrifices they selflessly made to give their children a fighting chance at a good life. We didn't have much back then, but I remember a very happy childhood. I never felt deprived and I was always so happy and grateful for what I had.

I guess I need this yearly reminder because sometimes, I find myself whining about not having this or not being able to afford that. Back then, I think I had 2 pairs of shoes and I loved and cherished them both to pieces. Now, I sometimes complain about not having the right shoes to go with my outfit as I stare at a walk-in closet full of them. We've had to cut back on luxuries such as eating out because of the economy and I find myself feeling deprived or less fortunate, even as I stare at a pantry full of food, that I'm just too lazy to cook. I forget that there are people out there who are lucky if they have even just one square meal for the day.

I'm not proud of this admission and at the risk of sounding sanctimonious (sorry, I really don't mean to) and in the spirit of the Holiday season, I hope we can start counting and feeling grateful for our blessings. It sounds simple in theory, but hard to practice...the act of counting what we have and not dwelling on what we want, can't have, can't afford or can't do. As the new year approaches, I for one will try to be more mindful and grateful for all that I have - a sound home, 2 cats, 2 dogs and a man who loves me...(I know this because every time I come home, I am showered with sloppy kisses, vigorous tail wags and excited barks...and that's just from Chris!) While my once a year homecoming may not be enough to keep me grounded and grateful all the time, I can always count on my friend Debra and my family to keep me honest for the rest of the year. And for this, I am truly grateful.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Here's a picture of my first home. We lived in the second floor of the building in the middle background of the picture (where the airconditioner is in the window - and no, we didn't have this growing up!)

Sneak Peek at Black Friday Sale!

2009-11-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

Pssst...here's a look at the 2 sets we'll have for sale on Black Friday.

Actually, for newsletter subscribers, it'll be a day early.

Stack o' Cupcakes return! Our cupcake sampler from last year was such a hit that we've decided to bring it back again. You can't have too much of a good thing right? You'll get 3 - 2.5 oz of Sugar Cloud in the following cupcakey declicious scents: Lemon Cream Chiffon, Zesty Pumpkin and making a return from last year, White Vanilla. These cute scrubs are decorated just like real cupcakes, come in a frosted gift bag and housed in a holiday themed liner. How cute is that?!

Holiday 2009 Sampler - next up is this season's holiday sampler to make your bath merry and bright. We're debuting our new scrub, Whipped Cream and Sugar, that's a reformulation of last year's Cream & Sugar scrub. This time around, we've whipped up the butters and oils to a frosting like consistency for a truly decadent experience. We've also reformulated it so it rinses clean, leaving just a touch of moisture and fragrance on your skin.

Oh right, we were talking about the Sampler. Okay, the sampler contains 5 - 2 oz. products featuring our new Retro Holiday labels. The goods: True Lustre Conditioner in Cranberry Sparkle, All Tressed Up Sulfate-Free Shampoo in Cranberry Lime Cupcake, Bath Cloud in Pistachio Cream Pie, Flutter Butter (check out The Luxury Spot's review of Flutter Butter) in Nutmeg Divine and finally, Whipped Cream and Sugar Scrub in Vanilla Snaps - a scent exclusive to our Holiday Sampler.

Fragrance Bar Crisis Resolved

2009-11-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've loaded all our new and returning Holiday scents under the New Scents section of our Fragrance Bar. Thank you for your patience. Of course, it was a user-generated error and I apparently broke some kind of HTML code. Surprise, surprise. I'm the dangerous type of "coder." I know just enough to get by, but if I break something...I know nothing of how to fix it because I don't really understand the error message it's giving me! As my mum would say in Tagalo, "Ay naku!" (Translated to something like Oy vey I think.)

Anyway, so I sent the newsletter out then went to bed. I woke up this morning to an inbox full of e-mails inquiring about the sale. As I read through them, I realized that there was a common thread to the questions. So here are the 2 questions I got asked most.

1. Why did you drop the limit to qualify for Global Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope/Box?

We dropped it from $50 to $40 because technically, with the 25% off discount, you'd actually be able to purchase $62.50 worth of Holiday sale goodies for $50. $62.50 worth of merch will definitely not fit in a flat rate box or envelope. Due to the sale, $50 worth of merchandise will only actually cost $37.50 so we had to make this adjustment to our shipping to accomodate for the discount.

2. This is a big discount. Are you going to have a bigger sale for Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Broke Tuesday (I made this one up, tee hee!)

No. We're going to have a special sale for Black Friday, but nothing as big as the one we're currently running. For Black Friday, we're going to be offering our Holiday Gift sets, taking down the entire Fragrance Bar, but keeping the Holiday scents around. We'll have a special coupon code for newsletter subscribers only (so please don't forget to subscribe) that's good for a percentage off your entire purchase. So it basically works out to this: For this week, till Thursday, November 26th, you can enjoy 25% off our Holiday goodies or wait till next week and enjoy a smaller discount, but it will be off your entire purchase (that's our gift sets and holiday goodies.) Does that make sense?

We've been talking about our holiday sales schedule here at CLC and we've been bouncing ideas around since September so please know that we put a lot of thought and preparation into this. We wanted to have staggered sales and promotions so if one doesn't appeal to you, then maybe the next one will.

As always, we thank you and deeply appreciate your support of CLC.

'Tis all!

Pages not loading in Fbar

2009-11-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's getting late over here. I've been wrestling with the New Scents page on our website. I'm going to call it a night and post our scent descriptions here for now. I'll tackle this tomorrow. Actually, I'm going to make a phone call to Tim who will then fix whatever it is I broke :)

New Scents
& Re-released Scents

Holiday 2009 Collection: What's that? Bah humbug you say? Banish the winter blues and celebrate the holiday season with these heartwarming scents that's sure to put you in a merry mood! Inspired by everything merry and bright.

Comfort & Joy (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: The name came before the scent and we set off to create a blend that would embody the true meaning of this phrase. The result is nothing short of heartwarming. Warm sweet milk, lashings of Indonesian cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin spice come together to create a blend that's as comforting as your favourite fleece blankie. Wear this and find the familiar comfort you seek when you find yourself knee-deep in the Holiday rush.

Cozy Sandalwood (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: Here's something for non-foody lovers. Cozy Sandalwood is a warm scent with a hint of spiciness. Sandalwood's subtle sultriness, with its darkly sweet and woodsy background, serves as the perfect canvas from which sugar and spiced citrus notes unfold. Notes: sandalwood, orange peel, cinnamon, a dash of ginger and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Cranberry Lime Cupcakes (Another CLC Creation) Holiday Cupcakes 2008 Collection: Even the biggest Scrooge will love this adorable cupcake sniff. Smooth and velvety key lime buttercream frosting sits atop a rich yellow cupcake studded with sugared cranberries. The tartness of both lime and cranberry is wonderfully complemented when set against the warm, buttery notes of a fresh baked cupcake. And to keep things interesting, the quintessential holiday scent of pine and cedar sits softly in the background, enhancing what is, an already delightful blend.

Cranberry Sparkle (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: A cranberry blend that you can take seriously. Sometimes cranberry can come off as being too fruity-tart-sweet, but not in this composition. Wisps of crisp winter air laced with pine and mint make this a clean and very wearable fragrance to commemorate the Holiday season. While definitely a cranberry based blend, the drydown is cool, crisp and clean with cranberry's sweet and tart notes fading into the background, but still present to give this blend its playful twist.

Candied Ginger Cupcake (Another CLC Creation) Holiday Cupcakes 2008 Collection: A slight reformulation of last year's Ginger Lemon Cupcakes. Recipe - 1 part lemon cupcake + 2 parts ginger infusion + Greedy heapings of lemon zest buttercream frosting + a handful of candied ginger sprinkles = a warm, rich and full-bodied lemony delight that's sure to make you feel all warm and shnuggly.

Frosty Jubilee (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: Sugar glazed black cherries sit atop a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream. This frozen treat is studded with cherry and vanilla mini meringue puffs to add sweetness and finished with a light drizzle fo peppermint syrup for a festive flair. Let the party begin!

Lemon Cream Chiffon Cupcake (Another CLC Creation) Holiday Cupcakes 2009 Collection: Wow. This is unbelievably, lemony-goodness yummy. Who can resist light as air lemon chiffon cupcakes decadently frosted with vanilla buttercream? If you're not convinced yet...what if we told you that this cupcake sniff has a secret cream cheese center? Oh and what if we rolled the frosting in roughly crumbled sugar cookies? Ha! We knew it! We already had you at "unbelievably, lemony-goodness yummy!" The rest is was just...vanilla frosting on the cupcake...

Nutmeg Divine (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: The door bursts open and you fall into the arms of eager relatives who shower you with hugs and kisses. You're home again and all the familiar smells greet you... fresh baked snickerdoodle cookies cooling on the rack and Uncle Sal's lethal eggnog punch spiked with rum and generous shakes of nutmeg let you know that you are indeed home. You smile broadly, inhale deeply and wonder why you ever left. Notes: Nutmeg set against rich, creamy eggnog, brown sugar, warm baking spices and sugar cookie batter.

Pistachio Cream Pie (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: Smooth, creamy
and absolutely delicious. This is a sniff that's grand in its simplicity. Sweet pistachio cream filling with hidden treasures of crushed pistachios fills a rich graham cracker crust. We think this is a scent that will appeal to just about everyone. It's comforting, unhurried and smooth and strikes a familiar sweet chord in our hearts.

Oh No A Mistletoe! (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: The line of suitors wanting to kiss you keeps growing. What is it about tonight that makes you even more irresistible? Why it's your black tea and rose perfume mingling so beautifully with the scent of the mistletoe you find yourself standing under! English holly sprigs, fresh picked cranberries and pine collide with the sweetest and most sophisticated rose fragrance and men just can't help themselves. Pucker up sweet cheeks...it's gonna be a long night!

Warm and French Toasty (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009 Collection: Rich and inviting, this french toast sniff pays homage to the now closed, but still famous Figaro Cafe in NYC's West Village. Thick slices of Challah bread dipped in a creamy buttermilk batter, rolled in sugar dusted corn flakes then griddled to a golden brown perfection. Upping the decadence factor and making you more weak-kneed, we top this blend off with a dollop of hazelnut vanilla cream. The drydown is divine, where warm baking spices and white vanilla come to rest.

White Vanilla Cupcakes (Another CLC Creation) Holiday Cupcakes 2008 Collection: Here's one for the ages for all you vanilla lovers out there. Vanilla cupcake made with vanilla bean puree is merely the vessel that carries the rich sweet vanilla frosting to your mouth. It took three different vanillas and months of trying to create the base for this blend. The result is
100% pure vanilla indulgence. Enjoy!

Zesty Pumpkin Cupcake (Another CLC Creation) Holiday Cupcakes 2009 Collection: Not just any ol' pumpkin cupcake sniff! We folded orange zest into the batter and frosted this goodie with heaps of orange buttercream. Crushed walnuts, heavy handed shakes of cinnamon and handfuls of raisins perfect this treat. See...we told you it was good!

Holiday 2009 Scents Launching Tomorrow

2009-11-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to have all the work done for the launch of our Holiday 2009 Collection no later than 5 pm ET tomorrow. I still have a bit of work to do, but I'm pretty confident we can get this done by tomorrow.

So here's a sample of our limited edition Holiday 2009 labels. Do you like it? I absolutely love it and I've been walking around with samples showing anyone who'll spare me a minute.

Holiday scents will be on sale at 25% off. Most of you know we rarely ever have sales, so as to control turnaround time, and especially not at this discount point so we're really excited to get this sale going!

The sale will run till Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th. At that point, the entire Fragrance Bar comes down and fragrance choices will feature just the Holiday 2009 Collection. We'll also be launching our Holiday Gift Sets so stay tuned because we have tons of exciting things in store for you.

Speaking of exciting...I'm so excited to go home! Philippines here I come! More on my trip later...

Wordly Wednesday - Cusco, Peru

2009-11-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm posting first thing in the morning so I don't miss another WW post.

More pictures from Peru...

San Blas Church in Cusco. Notice the crystal blue sky? Gorgeous right?

Town square (Plaza de Armas) in Cusco.

Sacsayhuamán (pronounced kind of like Sexy Woman). One of the first ruins we visited upon landing in Cusco.

Hello? Anybody up there?

The birth of Tetris as we know it today. This is amazing...this wall was constructed by fitting these rocks (boulders?) together without any mortar. Look how geometrically accurate each piece fits.

Till the next Wordly Wednesday post...

Holiday 2009

2009-11-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

Gah! I already missed a WW post didn't I? I had every intention of posting more pictures from Peru, but time just got away from me. I've been busy trying to get our Holiday 2009 offerings squared away.

So how about a preview of 2 of our Holiday 2009 scents?

Warm & French Toasty (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009: Rich and inviting, this french toast sniff pays homage to the now closed, but still famous Figaro Cafe in NYC's West Village. Thick slices of Challah bread dipped in a creamy buttermilk batter, rolled in sugar dusted corn flakes then griddled to a golden brown perfection. Upping the decadence factor and making you more weak-kneed, we top this blend off with a dollop of hazelnut vanilla cream. The drydown is divine, where warm baking spices and white vanilla come to rest.

Frosty Jubilee (Another CLC Creation) Holiday 2009: Sugar glazed black cherries sit atop a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream. This frozen treat is studded with cherry and vanilla mini meringue puffs to add sweetness and finished with a light drizzle fo peppermint syrup for a festive flair. Let the party begin!

Don't forget, Fall Back sale ends Monday, November 9th at 12 noon EST.

Happy day!

Worldly Wednesday

2009-10-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

For the longest time I've said that I was going to post pictures of my travels, but have never done so...until now - and I guess on certain Wednesdays going forward. From now on, I've designated Wednesdays to be (drumroll please) Worldly Wednesday. I'll try to post as often as possible, but it may be like every other Wednesday or something.

So here's the first WW post. Pictures of Machu Picchu from my trip to Peru 2 years ago. It took my breath away.

The quintessential Machu Picchu picture from the caretaker's hut.

Entrance to the village

A sight to behold. What I saw when the fog lifted and the sun shone through.

Walking down the street in the "residential" neighbourhood.

We took an obscene amount of pictures during our trip. Next time, I'll post pictures of Cusco, Lima and Puno (Lake Titicaca - tee, hee.)

Home Stttrrreeetttch!

2009-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

2009 is almost over. Can you believe it? Someone once told me that time goes by quicker as one gets older. This year, it seemed like I blinked and it was October. Guess I must be about 117 years old, at the rate time's flying for me.

Anyway, our Halloween fragrances from the Scary Movies Collection will mysteriously vanish by October 31st, so please get your orders in now. Once again, you've made this collection the best-selling one in CLC's history. Top 3 scents from this collection are: I Scream Sandwich, Dial M for Marshmallow and Ghost Sips. The most commented on scent from this collection is The Bridezilla of Frank N. Stein. Apparently many of us have suffered in the hands of a Bridezilla. From outrageous gift registries and ghastly bridesmaid dresses to a choreographed interpretative dance number of Josh Grobin's You Raise Me Up...courtesy of the groom and his mother. What?!!

We've received numerous requests to bring back our Fragrance Bar, so we'll do so in November. Not sure what the exact date is yet since it's going to take a lot of administrative work to get the pages up and scent choices loaded in the drop-down menu.

In December we're thinking of offering some gift sets. As many of you know, I travel home to the Philippines the last two weeks of December so we need to get these goodies made and out the door in record time before CLC (and I) go on holiday break.

It's my favourite time of year and I'm so excited for all the we have in store for the rest of the year.

Halloween & Fall Scents

2009-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes we will have some Halloween & Fall scents coming out by this weekend. Sorry for the delay.

We're going to be bringing back our Halloween '08 Scary Movies Collection. This was probably the best selling collection in CLC's history. We couldn't believe the hits that came out of this collection and to this day, I still get e-mails inquiring about whether Ghost Sips (my personal favourite) or Nightmare on M Street or I Scream Sandwich is coming back. So here it is gals! It's baaaack! Major thanks to Jill for all her feedback. Oh and we're also bringing back our Pumpkins on Parade Collection to usher in the colder days ahead.

Please sign up for our newsletter to get the latest scoop.

Thanks all! Hope everyone had a great summer.

I Heart Kiva

2009-07-16T06:54:00.001-07:00

I've been waiting for this. Kiva now has Filipino borrowers to whom CLC can provide micro-loans. I am so proud and excited to be able to loan to a fellow Filipina. Filipinos are a hard working people. They are the McGyver's of survival. Resourceful, persistent and even in the throes of poverty, always optimistic and deeply grateful for what they have. Every year, I go home to the Philippines and am profoundly touched by the persistence of the human spirit. For 2 weeks, I see it all arond me every day. In spite of the hardships they face, they are thankful for what they have, never forgetting the One ultimately responsible for their blessings. I could stand a lesson or two in gratefulness because there are days when I'm a whiny idiot.

So here's our first micro-loan to a "kabayan." I've copied the entrepreneur's profile straight from Kiva's website.

Gloria Dayot is a 48-year-old mother to five children, almost all of whom are already of legal age. She is optimistic about the battle against poverty. She hails from the island village of Kinagatan in the town of Binangonan, Rizal Province in the Philippines.

She joined ASHI (Ahon Sa Hirap, Inc.), an MFI and KIVA partner in the Philippines, in 2006 with full of determination to cut the string of poverty that hinders her way to success. She invested her loan in the resale business. For her fifth loan, she proposes the amount of 25,000 pesos as additional capital for her resale business. She will purchase 3 sacks of rice, 3 gallons of cooking oil, and 10 chairs made of bamboo.

She is looking forward to expanding her business and being able to resell in the nearby markets, to be able to let her youngest child finish college, and to have savings for emergency purposes.

I'm looking forward to tracking Ms. Dayot's progress. Please, if you haven't done so already - check out Kiva - Loans that change lives.

From Sea to Shining Sea

2009-07-04T06:25:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July! 4 years ago, after living in this country for 15 years, I finally became a citizen. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance for the first time during the swearing in ceremony got me all choked up. I was so darn proud to finally be a citizen of this great country. Though the Philippines is my mother country, the United States is my new homeland. Mabuhay America!

I wish I could say this was the only reason for this post, but it's not unfortunately. Chris & I are going through a very difficult time right now. 2 weeks ago, we had to put our cat Molly to sleep due to lymphoma. 9 days later, our dog Sally followed - also as a result of lymphoma. I'd like to write a tribute to both of them, but for now, the tears still flow too freely that I'm afraid I'll cause my laptop to short circuit. They are sorely missed and our house feels painfully empty. It doesn't take much to get me crying - no sobbing - again so I'll just stop right here.

It's business as usual for CLC and I'm thankful for the piece of sanctuary the studio offers. We'll be incorporating more fragrances into the rotation some time this month so stay tuned. Thank you for all your e-mails suggesting what fragrances I should bring back. They're on the list and you'll see them soon!

Thanks for reading. Happy 4th.

Oh Canada!

2009-07-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Canada Day to all our wonderful Canadian customers!

I had the pleasure of visiting Vancouver for 2 days prior to our cruise to Alaska and it's true what they say...Canadians are just the nicest people ever!

My favourite things about Canada (in no particular order):

Of course, the people. So nice. So very, very nice.

Their obsession about anything hockey.

Vancouver airport. As some of you know, I have this thing about airports and Vancouver is one of the nicest ones I've seen.

LUSH! My new found friend Monica from our cruise has a friend who's the manager of the Lush factory. If I had time, I would've definitely taken her up on her offer to tour the Lush factory.

Tim Horton's. O.M.G.

I'm definitely going back. Soon. Definitely soon.

And it's not even summer yet...

2009-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

The weather in NY has been crazy. I think the weather man said we've had rain 19 out of 22 days. By this time of year, I'm used to highs in the mid-80s, 85% humidity, tank tops and flip-flops. Lately, I've been digging out the clothes I wore in my recent trip to Alaska. The suitcase is still out and this is where I've been fishing for lightweight sweaters & hoodies.

I guess it's why I'm already thinking about CLC's Fall Fragrance lineup. See, there is a silver lining to all this! Of course, included in the season's lineup is our Halloween issue. It's always a hit, but last year took the cake. We had such a great response to our Scary Movies Collection so we're going to bring it back along with some new sniffs for H09.

We'll do another round of rotation before the release of our Fall lineup though. I'll be bringing back some of your old favourites. I'm also open to suggestions as to what fragrances should make a reprise so please drop me a line.

Thanks so much for your continued support of CLC. Most orders made during our opening weekend have been completed so you should get a notification soon and then a Click & Ship notice from USPS. TAT is now at 8 to 10 business days, but as it stands now, we're a day or 2 below the low end of the range.

I keep telling myself that I should post more often and the page in my notebook dedicated to blog topics is completely filled up - front and back. My next few posts will cover my recent trip to Alaska, what's (been?) in the works at CLC and something about "La Tua Cantante;) >>> (readers of the popular Twilight saga should know what I'm talking about non?)

Scent Description Pages Not Loading

2009-06-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hi! Just a quick update to let you all know that we're pretty much ready to go over here except for the new scent description pages. With my rudimentary html skills, I cannot for the life of me figure out what the meaning of the error message is that I'm getting. As my designer says, I know just enough to be dangerous.

So I wielded my html programming skillz and broke the page. I've already sent out my HELP! e-mail so I'm just waiting to hear back. I'm hoping that we'll be ready to go with all the new fragrances and products by either Tuesday, June 9th or Wednesday, June 10th.

Sorry for the delay. I know there are a few who are anxiously waiting for us to open (hi Julie ;)) and we'll do so as soon as I've fixed the bug.

It's 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and I've GOT to do some laundry.

Update on 20% off Coupon and other housekeeping stuff

2009-05-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi! Sorry for being out of touch for so long. I had mentioned in our newsletter that we were going to be closed for business during the Memorial Day week, but I forget that some customers may not be subscribers. I should have posted a brief update on my blog as well. At any rate, access to the web is spotty where I am so I apologize that we are not immediately responding to your e-mails.

I'll be back in NY by Sunday, June 1st and I'll try to answer the rest of the e-mails then.

We have not sent out the 20% off coupon code because our store is only offering the sampler right now. Please note that you will receive an e-mail from us by Monday, June 1st with your personal coupon code (which will be your last name). If you don't receive an e-mail by Wednesday, June 2nd, please check your spam box and/or e-mail me to get your code. The code will be sent to the e-mail account designated in your CLC profile.

Again, I apologize for not posting an update on my blog. I try to curtail the number of newsletters we send out because I know how it can be extremely annoying. I apologize if this was interpreted as a lack of customer communication.

To summarize: We'll be back to answering e-mails at lightening fast speed by Monday June 1st and we'll be issuing the 20% off coupon codes as well. The store will re-open with our full line of products, including the shower moisturizer that you've been raving about, during that week. This is the first time we're implementing our rotating Fragrance Bar so expect to see 2 new collections up and the return of the Tooth Sweet Collection from last Summer.

Thanks and see you on the 1st!