Month: August 2010

I have just posted a new article on the forum. I have defined the difference between oil based products and water based products, and have provided examples of Earth Alkemie products that fall into each category. (This questions seems to pop up a lot on forums so just wrote an article on it!).

I graduated from grad school not too long ago, so I understand what it is like to be a student on a budget. So for the next few weeks, different items will be on sale (on different days) at greatly reduced prices. Each mini sale will last only 2-4 days, but there will be a few mini sales (so keep checking the forum and also this blog for more information on the sales!)

The first sale is the grande (full) 1 oz size of the Solaris Elixirs: Bliss and Pangaea. They (the regular prices) are already priced low for elixirs/serums (most companies usually price oil based serums/elixirs made with basic ingredients in the $25-40 or more range for 1 ounce, though a couple small companies like mine undercharge for them. Natural ingredients cost much more than many synthetic ingredients, and Bliss and Pangaea are all natural formulations. Bliss and Pangaea are also made with a few organic and ethically wild harvested ingredients, which cost more than conventional ingredients). I priced my basic elixirs (Solaris Elixirs) low, since I wanted to offer a few basic skin care products at affordable prices.

But for this back to school sale I decided to reduce the grande (full) sizes of Bliss and Pangaea further and put them on sale for 20% off (I have never done a sale this low on any of my products before), because I understand how tight money can be around the start of the school year, especially in the current economy. The sale will run from now until Sunday August 29, 2010, 11:59 EST. NO coupon is necessary; the sale price listed on the site is already 20% off.

These are great deals especially with all the increases in the costs of ingredients (Two ingredients for Pangaea have increased a lot. I will write more about ingredient cost increases in a future blog post).

Please read the new blog post below for properties of the Solaris Elixirs.

I decided to write an article on some of the properties of the Solaris Elixirs.

Though the Solaris Elixirs are made with basic, moderately priced ingredients (mostly basic ingredients, with a couple fancier ones) they were designed with specific issues in mind. They are simple formulations, but sometimes simple is best! 🙂

I originally created Bliss for blemished, oily/combination oily skin, but it is great for a wide range of skin types including normal, and mildly dehydrated and dry skin types that are also blemished. (Although many people with mildly dry and dehydrated skin can use them too, I do not recommend Bliss for people with VERY dry or VERY dehydrated skin, because some of the ingredients can reduce sebum levels TOO much in some–but not all–people. So if you have extremely dry or dehydrated skin, I suggest either trying Pangaea Solaris Elixir, one of the Luna or Terra Elixirs, or trying a xiao/small size of Bliss Elixir first to see if your skin likes Bliss or not).

Bliss Elixir contains oils, such as jojoba (which is really a liquid wax that is similar to sebum), that are great for balancing sebum levels. It also contains grapeseed oil, which is slightly astringent and is rich in antioxidants (grapeseed and jojoba are often used in ‘anti-aging’ skin care). Unlike most companies, I do not use a solvent extracted refined grapeseed oil in my products (most grapeseed on the market is solvent extracted and highly refined. While the solvent extracted kind is light weight with a nice texture, it is stripped of many of its nutrients). I use a cold pressed grapeseed oil.

Here is a good article from wise geeks on grapeseed oil.

Shirley and Len Price’s excellent aromatherapy book for health practitioners has a description of jojoba oil in their book.

Bliss is rich in many vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, including vitamins E and C, linolenic acid & linoleic acid & oleic acid (which are omega essential fatty acids), and proanthocyanidins (antioxidant).

I like to use Bliss during my moon days to help keep my skin in balance and clear, and on the rare occasions I get a blemish, Bliss helps improve the appearance of my skin fast! It is a very light weight formulation and is quickly absorbed into the skin. I suggest applying 2 to 5 drops to damp skin (dampen skin with an Earth Alkemie toner, hydrosols, or distilled/spring water. The combination of waters and oils creates a moisturizer for your skin).

Bliss is a true aromatherapy product: the essential oils were not only chosen for their scent (which smells delicious, by the way: like candy!) but the combination of essential oils are often recommended by other aromatherapists and herbalists for blemished skin and to help balance sebum, and for skin clarity. The scent is also very uplifting.

Pangaea was designed for all skin types, especially dehydrated/dry and balanced/normal. Like Bliss, it is a light weight formula, however Pangaea is a little more emollient. Some of the oils like sesame and camellia are some of the best oils to use for dry skin: they not help improve skin clarity but are rich in antioxidants and nutrients (camellia is from the green tea plant, and sesame is one of the most nutrient rich seeds). Some of the antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients in Pangaea include: vitamin B, essential fatty acids, and also vitamin E, polyphenols, sesamol, and sesamin (which are antioxidants).

The essential oils in Pangaea were also chosen to help improve the appearance of blemished skin. Frankincense is also wonderful for aging skin too (the Egyptians used it in cosmetics, as well as to preserve the mummies!). I use Boswellia frereana, which is a species of frankincense that is thought by many to be the finest in scent out of all the frankincense species.

Here is a link to an article Jeanne Rose (my teacher) wrote on frankincense.

I suggest applying 2 to 5 drops of Pangaea to very damp skin (dampen the skin, then apply the elixir and massage slowly in, and then spritz the skin again for extra hydration).

I like using Pangaea when my skin is in balance or when it is feeling a little dehydrated or dry. My skin really loves camellia and sesame oil (camellia makes my skin glow, and my skin really likes the nutrients in sesame).

One reason my skin loves both Bliss and Pangaea is the cherry kernel oil, which is really light and rich in antioxidants (like vitamin E) and high in essential fatty acids. It is such an underrated oil!

Earth Alkemie is back open. Thank you for all of your prayers and understanding during this time.

Take care,
Li

Earth Alkemie is closed immediately until mid next week. My grandfather passed away today. I will try to finish the few orders I have left before I leave. The cart will remain open, but EA is closed.

Li

Hi everyone

I have left up the sale for one more day. It ends today (Aug 4) at 11:59 pm EST. (I did get some sales this morning, I will manually adjust the discount for the ones that didn’t use the code).

Cheers,
Li