Milestone!

We hit 1000 visits to the website on the weekend, that number is simply amazing. And humbling.

We've come so far since July when we opened, although the retail website has been open since October. Since then, we've had 2 eye shadow collections released, one lip colour (and I'm working on the second) and the eye primer and mixing medium released. It's been a creative year!

And we announced our first GWP today. Makes me feel like we've grown up!

Now where were we?

Oh my poor neglected blog. If you were a plant, you'd be dust by now. In case anyone is wondering, I don't garden either so this indicates why I know some plants crumble to dust!

I want to catch us up on the journey since my last post but it feels like I'm about to start writing my pregnancy journal after the baby is born. And truly, this does feel like I have been through the whole pregnancy/childbirth thing again. And it's been just as life altering.

My company is now launched. We opened the website to the public exactly a week ago. But in truth, this all started close to three years ago now. The story of why is written on the website under the about us page so I won't waste electronic ink repeating it here. What I need to get out is the roller coaster that this has been emotionally, financially and the way it has stretched me as a person.

In the settling of the dust I can finally look around and think "damn, you did good!" I have a company built that closes my throat with pride. I have products that I have spent weeks/months/serious time perfecting till they are honed to my level of satisfaction, I have branding that resonates with me as a person, I have a staunchly supportive fan base and I still have a relationship with my Fiancee!

There were so many periods where the doubt would creep into any of these elements and it just felt so hopeless. Where giving up seemed the smartest thing to do. I mean, who am I kidding? Little old me, taking the cosmetic world by storm? Ha!

Yet here I am because the muse just kept whispering in my ear to keep going. To try this ingredient instead. To try that font on our logo. To create that eye searing shade that nobody would wear but that I absolutely had to make. I would be up all night with ideas and thoughts, till in the end I made it exist.

There have been failures along the way. I stopped the lipstick formulation because after about 50 different recipes I honestly couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't frame up a formula for natural lipstick that I could be proud of and I had to bite the bullet and admit to myself that for now, I just couldn't do this. So I turned to my lip balm formula and started tweaking that. And my lipstick lip balm was born. It really rocks and I'm incredibly proud of it. Out of failure can come good things, I have learnt.

And I have so much on my "to do" list. I want blushes and foundations to become an integral part of my range as well. But I think the sane thing to do would be to enjoy the products we have now, build a good colour range up for them, and then start to branch out. The sane thing...... Knowing me, you'll find me up in the Lab one morning at 3am saying "I wonder what happens when I do this?" while giggling to myself quietly.

This is my life.

Playing round with Lipglosses!

I'm in the delightful position of having to cull my eyeshadow numbers from 53 down to about 30ish. I want to be able to follow up with a second release shortly after launching, while I'm working on my third release.


And part of that decision process was trying some colours out in lipgloss. Just cause I can. At three in the morning!!
Without furthur ado, here is a sneak preview of the first lot of lipglosses. There are many many more to come.

Excuse the lighting guys, these were taken on my phone!

Popping the cherry in oh so many ways....

Oh dear, heaven help me but I've decided to get serious about my makeup company. I've had people bugging me for months that I really should market my eyeshadows. And its time.

Feeling excited and nervous and in dread and full of ideas and and and and. You know the feeling when a million thoughts are floating through your head and just about as many emotions are flooding through as well.

Thinking of starting real small, collecting feedback and then expanding naturally. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

I've renamed this blog to reflect the company name. Plans for this blog will be life musings as well as the pain of sorting through this creative maelstorm that I have going on right now.