First, my lovely readers, always, always, ALWAYS...
Good evening! I started this post late last night, then through the morning, and here I am... I bring you stars and sparkles...
... I'm still here, just contemplating!I've spent the last 2 days doing some thinking about this post from the other day...Polling time: How can I keep my sparkle and keep you happy?... and your input has been really helpful! Sort of an epiphany, really...*
Our top 5 results were (THANK YOU for the top result, ladies!!!)
Sleep, cupcakes, hot baths and fashion mags. I want Miss K to rest.
62%Be devoted to new ingredient technologies and pigments that NO other companies are using-Creativity!
53% More Limited Edition Eyeshadow Collections!
44% Sales. I don't care that the product is unique, I just want it cheap!
36%Show me lots of fun, behind the scenes stuff at Aromaleigh. I love the reality bit.
34%*
The lowest results were (interesting!):
Post on the forum more often...
1%Tweet, Tumbl and Facebook a lot!
1%Blog every day! (please tell me what about, in comments!)
1%Blog all the site product reviews- I love that feature.
3%Let me know all the blogs that are writing about Aromaleigh products
4%*
SO... What I learned from the poll and feedback is that I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing, in a manner that still expresses the things that define me as an artist, offer inspiration, ideas and creative fodder to you, and make this blog one that is worth coming back to day after day, or subscribing to via email or feedburner.
Why is this so important? Because what you get here is the real me- I'm not a persona, and what you see and read here isn't a deceivingly crafted facade. I don't blog because I feel like I have to. I blog because I love to do it.
As an artist, I'm not appealing to the "play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, or the slaves of the ordinary". If you're a play-it-safer who can't think outside of the box, then my blog most likely will not appeal to you. That does't mean that Aromaleigh.com and Aromaleigh products won't, by any means. I really do take pride in providing something for everyone when it comes to makeup! But to get your news and updates, your best bet is to pick and choose what you want to read about, HERE. And that's where there's often a disconnect. And I guess that's the difference between readers who "get it" and readers who, basically... don't. Let's face it, I can't please the masses.
*** I think that for some blog readers, the big picture is lost, and the content is taken too literally, instead of for what it is- inspiration, creativity, color, texture, light, dimension, and beauty.***
** I'll try to illustrate what I mean using some of the regular things I post about...*
Blogging... the #1 way a small business builds relationships, connects with customers, relays information and gives personality to the faces behind the brand.
Blogging is one of the most enjoyable things
I do other than create new colors. It allows me to express myself. It
gives you an inside view into the creative mind of Aromaleigh. I
get to share inspirational things, opinions, things I like, things I'm
reviewing, Aromaleigh news, and more. I don't see blogging as a chore-
I don't feel that I have to do it- I LOVE TO DO IT.
I asked what you all wanted me to blog about, because I'd like to write things that are pertinent and interesting to all of you. I thought I might get some new ideas, too. I wasn't asking because I was complaining about doing it. Far from it!
What you read, see and hear here at Miss K's Blog is 100% me. I'm not
playing a character- this is who I really am, what I really like, what
I really am interested in- WYSIWYG! I'm a real 39 year old woman. I'm a Mom, a Wife, a Daughter, a Business Owner. I'm a realist who likes sparkles. Life deals me my share, just like all of us. I don't spend my days pretending to be blessed by mythical creatures, nor am I frolicking in the waves in some island paradise. I'm just another person- and you'd be surprised how much we have in common!!! Another interesting fact- I don't photoshop pictures of myself, either. My goal is to be a 39 year old woman that you can relate to. Not some glossed-up, faked-out lie without a single pore, wrinkle or imperfection. That's not realistic, and that's definitely not what I relate to as a woman.
I personally like to know the creative visions, inspirations and ideas behind creative people, designers, artists and the like. If Betsey Johnson kept a blog, I would want to see what inspired her,
what she did on a daily basis, her favorite designs, her free time and
special events, her feelings and thoughts, her favorite dessert, shoes
and just about anything else under the sun that she had to offer. Maybe
I'm odd, but I'm extremely curious and I really like to know who I am
doing business with, on a deeper level.
Let me unleash my jar of sparkle on you... I really think that if you look at the big picture, you'll want a fairy wand of your own...
*
Miss K's Etsy Finds
I blog Etsy finds I like because I want to supposed the Handmade Pledge and to show all of the amazing creativity on Etsy. I blog items that inspire me. My hope is that by showing you the vast creativity on Etsy, that you'll explore Etsy on your own and support other small, indie businesses and craftsman. I strongly believe that small businesses are the future of our economy. I try to support small businesses and local businesses whenever I can. It's something that is very important to me.*
Fashion Editorials and Spreads
I don't blog fashion editorials from the fashion mags because I think you should look like the models, dress like the models, buy those clothes or hold yourselves to an impossible standard of beauty. Look at the fabrics, the colors, the textures, the patterns, the contrast, the CONCEPT. Think outside the box! That's what it's all about! My goal is to show a greater source of inspiration. By showing you what inspires me, I'm sharing part of my creative process with you. I don't care if you're 16 or 60. I think that you can look at a gorgeous, embroidered couture gown and find *some* fount of inspiration.
*
Pantone color trends...
Aromaleigh is all about color, so it's natural that I'd be interested in what the fashion color trends are for seasons. I don't feature these color trend selections because I expect you to like them. I often don't! The color trends give me the chance to show the season's popular colors, give some runway fashion inspirational uses of the colors, and often show Aromaleigh shades and customer looks using the colors. I also feature Etsy finds and other related color-trending fashion and style finds. These posts are some of the most enjoyable for me to craft, as I create an entire spotlight on each color and represent it in several dimensions. Just the gorgeous runway fashion details alone could potentially spawn thousands of eyeshadow ideas and combinations. Don't limit yourself!
*
Weekly eye candy...
I don't post pictures because I expect you to try that, or wear that, or look like that, or be like that. The whole point is an overall collection of inspiration- great photography, style, makeup, ideas, dreams, hope, sparkle, EYE CANDY. Pretty things. Translate the ruffles of a gorgeous dress into an eye look. Translate the metallic sheen of a silvery pair of pumps into eyeshadow. Envison then gorgeous beadwork on a haute couture gown as eyeshadow colors and think of how you'd wear them. Don't think literally- my inspiration is not literal. My creative process is completely circuitous and my muse is relentless. Join me in placating her with beauty!
She likes cupcakes, especially. How can you say no?
*
Polyvore. What's that, you ask?
If you don't know, prepare to be addicted. It's almost as good as shoe shopping. I've been a Polyvore.com addict for quite a while. It's not only a creative outlet for me, but it keeps my design skills in check, by letting me combine fashion, color, graphic design, typography and Aromaleigh. It lets me dream. It lets me put together outfits and combinations and colors that I might never wear in real life. That's the whole point. Take a leap. Try something new. Play with things. Let yourself be inspired by things that are outside of your comfort zone! I haven't spent much time on Polyvore lately, but all of the Aromaleigh eyeshadow swatches are uploaded there, and you can use them in your collages. What fun!*
Customer Photo Galleries.
I'm so far behind on customer photo galleries that I can't even quantify the amount of time it would take me to catch up. I feel really guilty about it too, but there's just no time for me to keep treating the galleries as I have been, which is why I'm starting an entirely new system for customer looks.
The galleries are something that I do for you. And also to give artistic kudos to the lovely Aromaleigh maidens that create such amazing work with my makeup. Future plans involve the creation of a secondary blog, which I will try to upload each day's submitted looks and customer info to. That's about 30 steps less than what it takes to create one "look" on the Aromaleigh website. Each featured look will receive 10 Aromaleigh Account Reward Points, which I will reward weekly. Some looks will be chosen for the website for "Buy This Look".
*
About product reviews:
I had started posting all of the product reviews here on the blog because I was being accused of censoring reviews and only posting 5 star reviews- this has gone on for years, perpetuated on a certain Delphi makeup forum, and I just got really sick of it. Solution? I felt that transparency was the best solution, so I spent hours each week copying, pasting, approving and formatting every review submitted to the site, HERE, in order to prove that I was not censoring reviews, but posting all eligible reviews. I'm discontinuing this practice, as it will cut 2-3 hours per week from my schedule. (see? I'm closer to my 50 hour goal than we thought!) I know I'm being honest in what I approve in the queue. The varied reviews on the site prove that. But just so we're on the same page, I don't approve of reviews that are one sentence long, review discontinued Aromaleigh products or mention other cosmetic brands, contain customer service issues, ranting or profanity. If you purchased samples, you should also review your products under the correct product page. If you write an ineligible review and I delete it, that doesn't make me a censor. That means that you didn't follow the information provided about what is and what is not an eligible review.*
Now, on to the top 5 choices from our poll (beginning of this post!).
I definitely need to create more me time. I have a zillion hobbies- things I never get to do because running Aromaleigh has overtaken my life. To which I say "NO MORE!" I want to live La Dolce Vita.... NOT La Vida Loca! I want to play my violin. I want to do ballet. I want to read the pile of 30 books sitting here waiting to be picked up. I want to play my piano. I want to work out. I want to cook. I want to garden. I want to go places, go on regular vacations, spend time with my family and I guess... start to enjoy the fruits of over a decade of labor? Where will I be in ten years if I keep putting off the things that ARE me? I don't like to think about that. Life's too short to put off your dreams and the things that you love!
Interestingly, in the poll...
Two of the top two choices negate one another. One talks about offering the most creative products, sourcing the most creative, unique ingredients, while another was a surprise to me- "I don't care how unique it is, I just want it cheap!". In response to that, I feel like you can get that hundreds if places- but not Aromaleigh. There's SO many places where you can get mediocre and typically repackaged product at a much cheaper price than Aromaleigh. I never wanted Aromaleigh to be one of those businesses. And I have no intentions of it becoming that. Aromaleigh is special. A snowflake, if you will.. But the fact of the matter is... if I'm going to use specialty pigments ranging in cost from $250-425 per kilo in your eyeshadows? It all comes down to this. You can't have it good and cheap. In the past, I've offered sales on top of sales on top of sales, allowing insane discounts, reducing the cost of my product to below what you'd pay for .5 grams of repackaged pigment with no sifter and an ink jet label that bleeds and peels off. If you want to buy cheap and don't care about unique, special products created with serious devotion and TLC, then... I may not be your sparkle fairy. I can provide affordable, but I'm not a bottom-feeder.*
One of the greatest drains on my time in 2009 was contests. But not just time, but money. We gifted almost $20,000 in free product, gift codes, books, a Clarisonic, A Baby Quasar, A Nu-Face and more... No matter what I tried to offer, there was always an issue. I have a great deal of rethinking to devote to this topic. While contests provide a fun incentive for customers, they are only worth having when the company benefits in some way, in return. The addition of our customer rewards loyalty program came in the last quarter of 2009 and was a great way to demonstrate customer appreciation, as well as reward additional points for surprise and random events. I can't say exactly what I'll be doing this year with contests, but it's going to be very different than last year. Many of last year's contests demanded 1-2 hours of my time daily. That's a lot of minutes!*
Limited Edition Eyeshadow collections.: It's impossible for me to not do some of these. My muse simply wouldn't allow it. I've had two collections in the works for several months, but my days of running Aromaleigh have prevented my from being able to bring these collections to fruition. They are just fantastical daydreams for me right now... and I long for the time to create them.In lieu of cutting back on LE collections, I will be doing some smaller collections, and only creating the remaining angels shadows and the two LE collections that I have in process. I'll still be able to bring you new colors and creativity, but I'll be producing less this year. Last year was color madness, essentially... I'm not quite sure how I did it, but I did. In a lot of ways, I think that all of the creativity that I had surging forth was one of the ways that I dealt with my Father's sudden death last December. A Phoenix from the ashes.*
Philanthropy and all the contests and, and, and...
In the last two years, I've had a lot of contests that centered around giving back. Paying it forward. Sharing the love. You know, "Pretty inside AND out". I don't want to go into detail about these contests for personal reasons, other than to say that I won't be offering these type of contests any more. I won't be incorporating customers being involved in group philanthropic efforts along with Aromaleigh. It's been a great source of stress for me, and I have come to accept that what I believe in my heart, and that the power I believe manifests in giving to others is not something that I can relate to others unless they are open to it.Aromaleigh will continue to make regular donations to charities, but we will no longer center any promotions, freebies, contests, giveaways or anything of that sort in tandem with our donations.This was a very tough decision for me to arrive at, and a sad one. Because I strongly believe in "Pretty inside AND out". However, conceptually, it's not translating. And I've been giving of myself to the Nth degree in order to raise funds for charities. I can no longer sacrifice myself this way. I won't stop making Aromaleigh donations, but I learned a hard lesson this year. Enough said.*
Sales, Sales, Sales:
I cut 10 hours of website programming off each 10 day period when I changed the format and timing of the previous weekly sales. The suggestion to have 14 day sales is an excellent one, that I will be incorporating. This will shave even more time off my web programming duties, reducing it to 2x a month. More details to follow!*
Behind the scenes stuff...
Typically, these are the hardest posts for me to create. What do you want to see? I tend to shrink from these posts, mainly because I'm very introverted about my business and how I do what I do, and I have limits as to what I am willing to share, as after a certain point, it becomes proprietary information. I have nothing to hide, but this industry can be so backstabbing that I often wonder if I should be posting certain things at all. I most importantly do like to clearly show that Aromaleigh is a legitimate businesss, over a decade old, and we are not a home hobby business. We have offices, inventory, order filling, prep and packing stations, and a large formulation area and ingredient stockhouse, as well as a loading dock. We have a staff of 4 full time employees and 3 part time employees. We provide health insurance and benefits. We pay for artistic services, and don't believe in the term "unpaid intern".
I recently read some absurdity about cosmetic companies having to work out of "1 million dollar clean rooms" and pay 50,000 per product to have it approved by the FDA. This same horribly uniformed person also stated that none of the Indie mineral makeup companies had product liability insurance, nor could they afford it. To which I say one word: bollocks.
There is no required FDA testing for every cosmetic product formulated. Product registration is not voluntary. Raw ingredients and pigments must meet certain strict requirements, but manufacturers or cosmetics themselves need to adhere to the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices. While they are quite long and detailed, they are also very straightforward and easy to understand.
I won't do away with behind the scenes posts, but I definitely won't be doing as many as last year. I did do quite a few at the end of the year, in the spirit of "transparency", and showing how mineral eyeshadows are really made, due to the repackaging scams and scandals that have been unearthed in the latter part of 2009.*
Miss K's Likes, Lists, Reviews and an occasional look:
I will continue to offer these posts, as they are a big part of me. I like to share things that make me happy, or inspire me. I like to review products for you and share how they worked - on a real woman who wasn't paid to review. I like to list products that work for me, and I like to post an occasional makeup/fashion post. I like sharing, basically. I like writing. I like connecting to all of you. Sometimes this blog is one of the only aspects of Aromaleigh that makes me feel like I'm just "one of the girls"... I got kind of sad this year when I started offering Skype convos for a brief period each day, and customers were afraid to contact me. I've felt really weird a few times when I had to call a customer and they were so shocked to have me on the phone that they said it was like talking to a rock star, or a celebrity.
In truth, I'm a wallflower. I am not a social creature, and I'm not an attention-hound. I'm not a celebrity, or a "persona", or anything but well, just me! I'm your typical Virgo, and most nights, I just like to be a homebody. No fancy costume parties or gala evenings for me... my hottest dates are with my family at our favorite Japanese restaurant, or cuddled up with my husband watching movies in bed.
I try very much in my blogging and writing to connect with you all on a down-to-earth level, with humility and integrity. I show you the real me, even if that real me doesn't have her makeup on, or she's gained 20 lbs. Sure, some days are better than others- aren't they all? I guess what I want more than anything is for this to be a year of realism, posivitism and personal acceptance and realization for not just me, but for ALL of you who read my blog.
I have much personal work to do in 2010, but I intend to do it with you alongside me for the ride.
I want to thank my loyal readers for your support and comments. I'm always open to new ideas to blog about, even though I have a notebook full of blog topics on hand for any rainy day...
Remember... look at the big picture and don't drown in the details.You are all glittering beings!
