Photography Pt III

Hi,

I hope you had a wonderful bank holiday weekend!

The weather was MUCH improved this weekend so I was able to take some more product photographs. I used my iPad to take the majority of them and then switched to my boyfriends camera to take the close up shots. I have a really good app on my iPad called BeFunky which allows me to do a variety of different effects to my photo’s but I had recently heard about a free photo editing tool called Picasa that a lot of people are using at the moment so I downloaded it and used it to edit some of my photo’s. I think they all came out pretty good overall.

I created some beautiful Wedding Swarovski pillar candles last week and they are available to buy on Etsy now:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/152412370/swarovski-encrusted-peach-wedding-pillar?ref=shop_home_active

I’m keen on expanding my skincare range to include body creams and face creams aswell as other bath and body products and I will begin working on introducing some new and exciting products when I return from my holidays in June (I’m off to Mexico on Saturday 1st June and returning on Tuesday 11th).

♫ “Freeeeeeeeee” ♫

A lovely soulful house song by Sabrina Chyld to start off your bank holiday weekend. Enjoy!:)

Sabrina Chyld – Free

Sexy! Zesty!

Now that Spring is finally upon us (I hope!), and since creating the new gorgeous fragrance for my new Body Souffle’s that include both Lemongrass and Mandarin Essential Oils, I have been dreaming up new fragrances with a strong emphasis on bright, warming, uplifting citrus notes.

Mandarin Profile

Of all of the citrus notes I like Mandarin the most, because to me it’s like an exotic and sophisticated relation of the Orange Family. It’s less piquant, and more mellow. It’s feminine and interesting, and though it doesn’t necessarily blend aswell with other florals as the Bergamot’s and Oranges of this world, it is in it’s own right very beautiful. I have used Organic Essential Oils in my Souffle’s and you really can smell the difference.

What are the Aromatherapy benefits of Mandarin EO?

Mandarin EO is a gentle oil and can be used, in the correct dilution to treat minor ills in children and the elderly. It is an antiseptic, digestive and anti-depressant and creates a feeling of calm and balance.

Photography Pt II

Last weekend as promised I made a start on my new product photography. I recently registered as a seller with not on the highstreet, which I’m really excited about, but before I opened my shop I wanted to make a strong first impression with a collection of original, striking, creative imagery of my products. As is advised with product photography they are generally more effective when taken in natural light so to some degree I’ve been at the mercy of the elements, as you know as well as I do that UK weather is nothing if not unpredictable and mostly when your hoping for the sun to shine, it rains instead! Thankfully, on this occasion it didn’t rain but it was very overcast and I didn’t want to spend hours on taking photo’s to be left with pictures that were dark and shadowy so unfortunately I only managed to take a couple.

I have tried to utilise the space and light in the best way that I could, with slight variations in the presentation of the products, but still keeping with the general theme. I found that the photo’s taken in the contrast of the wood and lifestyle shots on the mantle piece were generally the most effective so I tried to take a variety of those. I’m going to try again this weekend, and to maximise my chances of good lighting conditions I might take some photo’s in the back garden with an erected backdrop.

Here is some of my photography. All comments, critiques and suggestions are welcome!

Triple Whipped Body Souffle’

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on some new products including a luxurious body scrub (Himalayan Pink Salt Body Scrub Souffle’) and a body cream (Indulgent Body Souffle’) duo which I’ve finally finished and they are now up for sale on Etsy.

The Souffle’s are made with a combination of luxurious natural butters and oils including Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Vitamin E and have been triple whipped by hand to create the lightest, fluffiest, marshmellow-like textured body cream and salt scrub ever!! I have tried and tested these babies myself and can confirm that they are wonderfully luxurious and fragrant and I know that you will love them!

The beautifully fresh, sweet and uplifting fragrance of Organic Lemongrass and Mandarin Essential Oils and another secret ingredient fill your nose with delightful fragrant nuances that will mesmerise.

The Salt scrub includes Himalayan Pink Salt to exfoliate your skin and get rid of dead skin cells.
When the Body Souffle’ is applied to the skin, due to the beautifully light consistency of the creams they simply melt into the skin upon contact and are non greasy, long lasting and beautifully fragrant leaving your skin soft, supple, radiant and smelling like a dream.

These 100 ml souffle’s retail at £17 each but are for sale on Etsy now as a duo for only £30, saving you £4!

Try them out and experience the magic!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/151692740/triple-whipped-indulgent-body-souffle

Mexico

Las Vegas seems all but a distant memory for me now, even though technically it’s been a mere 4 weeks since I returned from there, lol. Alas, I have realised that holidays and me, well we just go hand in hand. Escaping the hugely unpredictable weather in the UK to seek out sun, sea and luxuriation is compulsory for me and I need AT LEAST 2 longhaul holidays a year, not to mention additional European or UK ventures. Last year was a great year as I managed to go on 4 holidays: to Jamaica, Ibiza, The Dominican Republic and Lake Como in Italy not to mention Wales and Leamington Spa. The previous year I went to New York twice, to Amsterdam, Herefordshire and Hertfordshire. So, I’ve had a pretty good run methinks.

In 2 weeks time (Wooooo!), Ian and I are going to Cancun in Mexico. I haven’t been to Mexico before, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing all that it has to offer. We’ll be staying at the “Adults Only” resort Secrets Silversands Riviera, with an all inclusive package that’s entitled “Ultimate Luxury”. I am keen to find out what that entails as it sounds splendiferous! P.S I realise that splendiferous isn’t actually a word but you know what I mean, lol.

So..Bring on the Ultimate Luxury oh yes indeed!

♫ “Hot. Like. FIRE” ♫

When I was younger I used to be a Tom Boy. I dressed up like a boy, rapped and beat boxed with my brother, played (okay TRIED desperately) to play rugby and football and I refused to wear what all the other girls were wearing. I guess I’d always been for experimentation and originality even back then. It was the most liberating and carefree time of my life. I remember my Mum, after incessant begging from me, used to reluctantly dress my older brother and I in matching clothes. Karl Kani’s were the ticket. I was brought up in the 80’s and towards the end of the 80’s baggy t-shirts and jeans were in fashion in full force and I LOVED wearing oversized clothes and baseball caps. It was great! Of course, we got all of our inspiration from the music videos of the time, and my biggest idol was without a doubt Aaliyah. I thought she was amazing: She had style, she had originality, she was effortlessly beautiful, she could dance, sing, act, and write and she seemed like she was a genuinely lovely person. Her songs weren’t croony, samey samey boring old ballads, they had real Hip Hop beats behind them and it was the first time that a female singer had enough confidence and ability to carry off singing over a Hip Hop beat and do it WELL. With Timberland’s hypnotic beats behind her her songs always sounded authentic.

I’ve never thought of anyone as my idol, even now, though I do really admire Oprah Winfrey and David Attenborough, but I thought it would be nice to say Hat’s Off to Aaliyah for being “One in a Million”

R.I.P.

This was my favourite song of hers (indeed my favourite song period) for a very long time. And it’s still a classic.

Enjoy! 🙂

Needle & Thread

I just found these new designers on Asos (love Asos!) called Needle & Thread and I am very impressed with there designs. They have some very beautiful dresses in luxurious fabrics, stunning colours and some intricate beading patterns and there is a real attention to detail here. Gorgeous stuff! They are quite pricey, but I wouldn’t say that they were overpriced as you can see the amount of work there put into the beading details. Worth checking out!

Treasury Feature 16/05/13

Finally, we are blessed with the very rare appearance of the sun! Hallalujah!

Today I have been featured in the lovely Isabelle from Bumble Bean UK’s Purple inspired Treasury. Isabelle makes handmade gift cards using a variety of fabrics and materials and has put together a stunning collection that I’m flattered to have been chosen to be included in.

Featuring my “Lavender, With Love” Lavender & Osmanthus Luxury Soy Candle.

Here are some other lovely items from her Treasury:

You can see the Treasury here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/treasury/MTYwMDA0Nzh8MjcyNDQ1NTkzOA/for-princesses-with-a-passion-for-purple?ref=pr_treasury

Why choose The Secret Scent Societe’?

Because our middle name is “luxury”
Because we are completely transparent about everything that goes into our products
Because we use natural ingredients
Because we are eco friendly and use locally sourced products
Because we create unique fragrances that you and your friends will love
Because our products are 100% handmade
Because we are not mass produced
Because we are passionate about what we do
Because we use quality products and our emphasis is on quality not quantity
Because we believe in signature fragrances for men and women
Because we want to compliment your home and business and help you in your quest to make your environment look and smell beautiful
Because we think we create the perfect gift!
Because we provide choices: colour choices, fragrance choices, ingredient choices
Because we make our luxury fragrance and skincare with you in mind 🙂

Try our beautiful handmade skincare and fragrance products and see for yourself!

http://SecretScentSociete.etsy.com