December Favorites

We have come to the end of 2018. The holiday season. So my favorite things this month brought all the warm and fuzzies I needed during the cold.

September Favorites

September is the beginning of fall. Here in the northeast of the US fall foliage is just the beginning of the signs of the changing season. In my life, its a time of change and planning. So these bits of enjoyment were amazing and necessary. Check them out below.

My Self Care Practices

I want to share what I use for self care on a regular basis. Some of this is every day while other parts are for certain moments or situations as they come. I wanted to share overall how the pieces come together before delving into each in other posts. Which I will do.

Product Focus - Self Care

Image by Beth Hurlin via 
Juhan Sonin on Flickr

When I started Scarlet Moon Creations my goal was to make more money doing something I thought would be simple. How wrong I was and how far I have come with some knowledge. Honestly, even if it had been super simple I would have complicated it by always trying to improve. 

However I did not research beyond product packaging, ingredients, basic shipping, bookkeeping and how to use Etsy. I had this image in my head of selling spa quality all natural products to the every woman. Which is not bad but not specific enough. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people doing the same and that's just on Etsy. Then there's the other products I decided to add. My handmade books (journals and photo albums) as well my pagan products. Tons of people doing those as well.

Last year after joining the Pagan Business Network and finding out how to do much more research I realized the "if you build it they will come" idiom is deceiving. I had a lot more work to do. One of the things I've realized that I needed to do was decide on a product focus and target market.

After a lot of thought and research I decided that self care would be my product focus. What is self care? I have seen several definitions but the one I am focusing on is "intentional actions to take care of yourself." Having dealt with anxiety and depression I know that bathing and grooming are big parts of self care. As is talking and writing things down. Being aware of what you are putting on as well as in your body is mindful self care. So this ties into the natural movement and the herbal and aromatherapy communities. I also see self care being a major facet of practicing witchcraft and other types of paganism. Improving oneself, sacred bathing, ritual baths, journaling, Book of Shadows and Grimoires, astral traveling, anointing, cleansing and so much more.

Self care as my product focus leaves the door open for future products that I have been considering as well. With all of this in mind earlier this year I changed my Facebook pages focus to posts promoting self care and inspirational messages as well as my products. I have started organizing my Pinterest page to do the same there. Next will be Instagram and Google+. When I finally have an email list my newsletter will highlight self care as well.

Don't get me wrong self care is different for everyone and it includes emotional, spiritual, and mental activities as well as physical ones like using your favorite scented body scrub to scrub the day away. But I want my products to help you help yourself. For those people that do see an at home spa experience as helpful to their well being I am your gal. However, I also think the acts of scrubbing or washing away and putting or smoothing on to be symbolic. And I plan to make more products that tap into that symbolism to help those in need take away the unwanted and put on those good feelings. 

If nothing else, helping people feel good and take care of themselves helps me feel good, so why not?
~Lashette
  Scarlet Moon Creations

Spells and magic - Glamour

By Glamour [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I think one of the ways my products can be used magically is with glamour magic. This is actually a practice I only got into recently since I associated glamour magic with wanting to look more attractive or to feel good about your physical appearance. I, personally, don't really think about my looks once I'm dressed for the day and didn't see the need for using glamour. Having learned a bit more about it it looks like I've unintentionally done it before. The first thing that comes to mind is when getting ready to go clubbing. I love dancing and dressing in a way I wouldn't normally. Sexy and fun is the name of the game when I prepare to go to a club. (And comfort, because its not fun or sexy when your clothes don't fit right or are not warm enough.) So I have a whole ritual I do that involves sexy, dance music, the right clothes, hair and sometimes makeup. Its like putting on another Lashette. Or taking her out rather. I know if certain things don't go right I won't have as much or any fun. See comfort above.

Another thing I do is wear yellow when I want to be happy or keep the happy feeling I already have. I also tend to wear girlier clothing during those times as well. But just doing these acts and wearing these clothes is not the magic. Its the intent and will behind it all. These are not things I do unconsciously. I know what works for me so I do it and believe in it. However, I never thought of these mini rituals as magic let alone as glamour magic.

When I started Scarlet Moon Creations I had to start incorporating using body scrubs and bath salts and body butters into my daily life. (I would never sell something I haven't tried on myself first.) Doing this changed my outlook on these types of items from seeing them as luxuries to seeing them as essential to self care and body care. Your skin is your body's biggest organ and it comes into contact with a lot of things during the day. It protects your much more delicate insides from a lot if harsh stuff but it can still be damaged and that protection takes its toll over the years. So you have to "love the skin you're in" to use Olay's slogan. And anything worth doing is worth doing well.

As the world often shows, your skin has more than one purpose. We as a people often see and use skin as a way of identifying ourselves and others. Whether it be by the color, feel, scent, taste or look of our own or others skin. We see people with rough hands are hard workers while people with soft hands as privileged, for example. In America, we tend to see those who show more skin as confident (or overconfident) while those who perpetually cover up and shy. That's not including the things we use to cover our skin, clothes, makeup, jewelry, tattoos, glasses, etc. Certain clothes show ones profession while others show we're out for a good time (my clubbing clothes). So due to public perception and how it has influenced us we take care of our skin and the things that cover it by projecting a certain persona that we know others will recognize both consciously and unconsciously. We want others to think of us in a certain way but we also want to think of ourselves in a certain way.

This is where glamour magic comes in. Its something we all do a bit anyway but glamour magic takes it that extra willful step by us making a conscious choice to put our energy and will behind our skin and coverings to project a certain aspect of ourselves louder than usual. To go back to one of my examples. When I want to be happy I throw on my yellow sundress and tell myself I am going to have a happy sunshine day. And when I smooth on lemon body butter, I tell myself that my skin will be smooth, moisturized and warm throughout the day but also that I will be upbeat and awake today. I associate lemons with happiness as well.

So I think that my bath and body products would make a good addition to any glamour magic, spell or ritual.

~Lashette
  Scarlet Moon Creations

Winter is Coming

Woohoo! Welcome to December!! I don't know why I'm so excited. I hate the cold. But it is the holiday season and I love to spend it with my family and have a good time. So, I guess that is what I am excited for.

Anyway, December 21st is coming soon and since that is not only the Winter Solstice or Yule, but also the first day of winter, my Etsy shop is all prepped and ready for the winter season and the slow return of longer days. I figured I'd give you guys a glimpse of what is coming up since the Fall Favorites post was so popular. So without further ado, here is what's coming up during the coldest season of the year.

The Yule Incense and Oil are already available as individual items and in a Ritual Kit so order them quickly for the holiday. Then later this season, get a jump on the Imbolc Incense and Oil as well for your Pagan holiday and/or ritual needs.

I've already got some body butters out to help everyone combat that dry winter skin but I'll be introducing even more new ones: Cinnamon, Clove and Peppermint. All scents we love. Cinnamon and Clove to warm you up and Peppermint to cool you down. You might not think that's necessary but who else gets overheated in all their layers? I know I do.

I cannot forget about the Zodiac Bath Soaks that will be renewed this season. Capricorn, Pisces and Aquarius bath soaks are coming back. To be honest, all twelve bath soaks are available all year round because they make great gifts.

Last year around this time I introduced the Vanilla n' Honey Facial Scrub which became very popular so I'm bringing that back. Some more items to help you cool down will be the Eucalyptus n' Spearmint Body Scrub and the Bath of Wintergreen. Both of these items are part of my original product lines but I haven't been able to update them in awhile so I am happy to be bringing them back. Both have great, refreshing scents that will keep you from feeling those winter blues. One other original item to help lift your spirits that is coming back is the Uplifting Scrub. It will be like a happy reunion in the shop with these items.

Next, I'll be introducing some more gift sets. The Chamomile, Lavender and Lemon gifts sets are waiting patiently to debut. But don't wait for me if you've got something in mind. I always take custom orders and you know I've got that gift wrap available in the shop. Don't you love how my business colors work so well with holiday colors? Or any season for that matter.

If you want to know exactly what is coming out when, hit the Subscribe to Newsletter button on your top right for up to the minute details.

~Lashette
Scarlet Moon Creations

Lime n' Lavender Facial Scrub

Hola everybody, 

It has been awhile since I shared product making pictures and I love this new scrub that is going on sale this week so now is definitely the time to share. The Lime n' Lavender Facial Scrub is one I've been working on for about a year and half. The idea just randomly came to me when I was trying to think what new combo to make similar to the much loved Orange n' Rose Body Scrub. I like the combination of the citrus and floral scents which somehow comes together to give a decadent feeling to what is ultimately just scrubbing off dead skin cells. 

So, I was thinking what other citrus and floral combo would work. I picked Lime n' Lavender because I'm  silly and I liked the alliteration but I made it anyway just to see if it would work. Its been so long since I first made the Orange n' Rose body scrub that I had forgotten how the citrus scent tends to overpower the floral scent unless the measurements are done right. To get a little technical, both Sweet Orange and Lime essential Oils are top note scents each with high intensity; so you will smell them first. Rose and Lavender are middle note scents with Rose being lower on the scale than Lavender. When you use the Lime n' Lavender Facial Scrub you'll smell the lime first and then as it evaporates a bit the lavender scent will come through. Basically, I just kept making new batches of the scrub until it smelled right.

As you can see from the second picture, I also included lime zest and lavender buds to enhance the scrub. With sugar as the exfoliator, sweet almond as the base oil and honey to give it a bit of a facial mask feel as well as some more help moisturizing you get a great smelling and feeling facial scrub. 

I am so glad this Lime n' Lavender Facial Scrub turned out so well. I hope everyone will enjoy this new luxurious facial scrub that will leave you feeling calm and refreshed.