Fall 2013 is here!!

Did you have a good Summer?  I did, and now it's Fall.  Time to buckle down, bundle up, and dive into some simmering new shades.

The inspiration from the collection came from my Summer vacation...we went to France again, and this time we ventured into some very old cities.  Nimes was the "retirement home" for Roman soldiers who had served in Egypt, and it's just filled with ancient artifacts.  There's a statue of Augustus from 12 BC in the middle of town, several old bronzed statues, and it's all just awe inspiring.

We walked on an aqueduct that was over 1,000 years old.  It's amazing to get up close and see the results of someone's very hard work generations later.

It got me to thinking about classics.  How they're always useful, how they improve with time, and how they never go out of style.  There's a certain beauty to decay- becoming old, weathered, and picking up interesting stories along the way.

The other thing I did was I drove a NASCAR.  Yep- an actual race car around an actual race track.  That. Was. Cool.

NASCAR's are really simple.  The floor was plywood, the gear shifter was just a chunk of metal.  The doors don't even have hinges- you climb in through the window.  They're also made to do just one thing- go fast counterclockwise.  They're geared so that you never have to engage the clutch when you get up to speed, AND they really only turn left.  You'd have to be a body builder to get one of those things to turn right, but they handle around the curves beautifully.

And with all that simplicity combined with great design comes LIBERATION.  Just mash the gas and go!  It's a blast.

So that was the inspiration- old, weathered, basic, but well designed colors.  They're as easy to put on as jeans and a t-shirt so you can keep your look simple but still look stunning.  There are some shimmers here, but I've knocked them back a touch and included a dose of silica to help smooth the lines.  Old things should be smooth- like a pebble in a stream, and these are.

We've also done something a little different this time.  We've paired them up with crease colors, and you can get the duo with just one click.  Let me know how that works for you.

The shadows:

Siobhan is the one that's not quite like the others.  It was a special request from a very special blogger Phyrra!  We're honored to have been asked, so we jumped right on it.  It's lovely.

I can't stop thinking about lipsticks.  They're back in vogue right now, and they are endlessly fascinating.  We've added some new colors in our new creamy longer lasting Vegan Lipstick Formula.  And after 6 years we finally have a black lipstick!

The Slick Sticks echo some of our most popular blush colors, along with a few of the Loud and Clear colors that you love.  We've added even more vanilla and a bit of stevia to these.

There's also a new fragrance roller Potion- a yummy blend of black currant and pomegranate, a sugar lip scrub called Pucker Polish, and a new Hair Elixir.  I've been using it for a few months now, and you won't believe how shiny your hair can be!

In one last bit of news...we have to raise prices on the lippies.  I can't even remember the last time we did that, and we've had some major price increases in some of the oils that we use.  We'll be raising the prices October 15th so stock up now.

I hope you enjoy the new collection, and as always THANK YOU for being the amazing gals you are!

Comings and Goings...

We have to say goodbye to some old friends.  The SN shop- as giant and wonderful as it is is getting rather full, and some of my favorite pigments were discontinued by the manufacturer so we have discontinue some shadows.

 I'm sad to see them go, but I can't really make them without the pigments.  If you get a chance check out Hug Me- it's a really neat pink that Thea made, and it's a lot of fun over Stick 'Em.  There are also quite a few pinks that make nice blushes.  Jellybean is my daily blush.

There are 49 of them- I went big- like ripping off a bandaid, and they're on the site now for $3.00 each while quantities last.  There are as few as 5 jars of some of them so grab them fast if they're one of your beloved colors.  They'll all be gone from the site forever after May 20th.

It was kind of neat taking a walk down memory lane.  There are some really fun colors in this group, and this is a great chance to grab some neat ones!

Have fun!

Spring has sprung!

WhoooHoooo!!!!  It’s finally finally Spring!  And, no Spring is complete without some sparkling new colors. The inspiration for this collection is New York City!  It's fast paced, diverse, friendly, and there's something for everyone!

First up we have the much anticipated 6 months in the making Chromatic Cream Eye Colors.   We had soo many requests, and I couldn’t help myself so there are a whopping 20 colors!  There’s a little something for everyone, and be sure to really read the description and check out the swatches.   If you’re looking for neutrals check out Soho, and Gramercy.  They’re a little bit more matte than the others and perfect for daytime.

Then we have 2 new cream blushes.  Chelsea- a pinkish plum with a little bit of sparkle, and a little warmth added in, and Hamptons Hottie a cream bronzer (it was about time…)

Lippies!  We’ve gone back and forth on the liquid lippie packaging a few times- and there doesn’t seem to be a general concensus.   My feeling with the doe-foot wands is that you’re just not getting the full oomph in terms of gloss and color.  There are many many things to like about that packaging, but I just felt that you deserved a better experience.

So, I whizzed up a new (old) formula- the ALG’s but without the menthol or plumper.  We’re calling them Slick Sticks, and hopefully if you like them they’ll replace the doe-foot wands.  You get the full effect of the gloss, and color, and the little bit cheaper price so you can collect them.  They’re just a natural vanilla flavor and they are unsweetened.

There are 5 new Slick Sticks and I’ve intro priced them at $3.99 until May 1 or until they run out.  Then we’ll re-evaluate.  It seems like a good win/win in my head, but I never quite know.  I probably owe you some more lippies, but with the formula and packaging switch ups I thought we’d see where things settle out and go from there.

There’s also one new Liquid Gloss- Broadway- a shimmering pixie sparkle. 

In a bit of unfun news- we have to raise prices.  I *think* the last time we bumped them was in 2008 or 2009??  It’s been a while, and we’ve had increases in materials and packaging, rent, and we’re using more expensive ingredients so we need to do a slight adjustment.  Starting May 1 the price of the shadows will go up to $4.50 a jar.  I also need to increase the price of the lippies, but I’ll hold off on that for now.

In the category labeled Fun Stuff you'll find...wait for it...Fun stuff!!

Someone asked for a knockoff Beauty Blender sponge and I found one that's fantastic.  It's only $4.99 and it's really something everyone should have.

And the MYSTERY ADVENTURE CLUB is back!!!  Just in time for Summer.  You’ll get 3 monthly shipments with all of the GWP’s plus some other fun stuff.  It’s fun for everyone…

I have to give a HUGE shoutout to the SN crew- Susan, Jen, and Heidi.  They really pulled out all the stops to make this an incredible collection.

And of course, THANK YOU!  You’re all rockstars, and I hope this collection lets you really strut your stuff.

Valentine's Collection!!!

Valentine's is live!!!  The headliner is we cloned the Naked Basics Palette- really, it's only 3 new colors- with  Latent being my favorite.  It's so pretty, and versatile.  To go with those I made a few near neutrals to kind of pep things up a bit.  Check out Selenium- it's neat, and versatile.  Chrome is super fun too.

We also have 5 new liquid glosses, and in new packaging.  The new brush tubes are wonderful!  Yes, it's a little bit on the big side- you get almost 11 ml of gloss, with a great brush applicator.  The gloss just glides on.  You might not use up a whole tube, but a dollar or two worth of wasted gloss is worth the better packaging IMHO.  The brush is just sooo much nicer than the doe-foot.

While I was at it I changed the flavor just a little.  The vanilla is more pronounced, and sweeter- Jen's daughter thinks it smells like a cupcake.  And there's a new cooler pink ALG.  I owe you a red ALG too, but there was a catastrophe at the last minute that kept it off the site for now.

The much requested roller balls are back too, and there's 5 new flavors of caffeinated lip balms!

The cream shadows...you wanted them, and I really wanted to make them.  I did make them.  I worked and worked, and worked at it, and it was just a massive fail.  In the 70+ different things I tried there were maybe 3 colors I sorta liked.  Mattes were a bust- just terrible looking, the pearls accented every single line- it was just a mess.

What I came up with just wasn't something I felt was worth your time, and money.  I haven't scrapped it completely, but there needs to be somewhat of a different solution- I don't know what that is, or if I'll find it, but I know deep down that the formula I had just wasn't "it".

And we have a new coupon code!!  It's lovesn13 and that will get you 5% off your order through Valentine's  Day.  The Post Office has raised their rates again- I haven't looked at them closely, but there's a possibility that shipping prices may go up again.  So- stock up now!

I hope you have a fun, wonderful Valentine's Day, and as always THANK YOU for being so incredible!

Holiday 2012!!

Are you there?  Still Reading??  Good!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, children of all ages step right up to view the Silk Naturals 2012 Holiday Collection!

We've been working around the clock to create spectacles and wonderments never before seen.  A veritible cacophony of concotions sure to delight the senses of every man woman and child.  There's Prismatic color shifting shadows, lip balms for the whole family, skin care, unguents, salves, lotions, and potions galore!

Seriously- big collection this time.  The headliner- at least in my mind are the shadows.  A while back Kelly from Whimsy Beading emailed because her jar of Sinner came to a catastrophic end- one thing led to another and Blammo!  Turns out Kelly is one of the coolest people I've met in a very long time, and she had all of these great ideas for colors inspired by the amazing crystals she works with.  She's a true artist through and through, and I feel very blessed to work with her.

Check out her Etsy store and prepare to be amazed!

The shadows are really unique- check out Spectre- it's one of the coolest things I've ever made.

There's also lip balms aplenty- special matte ones for guys, and the most squee worthy nostaltic tins.  I remember fighting with my sister over our Village Lip Lickers, and made 7 cute balms in tins perfect for stocking stuffers.  Within those tins is our much requested, and beloved Original Lip Lube formula!

There's tons more...I'll let you browse though the new product section, and have fun with it.

On a sadder note- we had a ton of pigments become discontinued this year.  It has really cleaned out the Buttercreams and the Kissable Creams, and unfortunately we have to discontinue them.  The lippie line has gotten really large as far as number of formulas, and I think focusing it down to a smaller offering will give us the opportunity to increase the number of color selections, and overall quality of the line.  They are in the "Last Chance" section of the site with a 30% discount while supplies last.

On top of that we're celebrating our 6th anniversary- so there's a coupon code gobble12 to get you 6% off your order.  Shipping is free for every US order over $125, and if you're giving SN as a gift- no problem.  We'll ship it direct to the receiver with a gift receipt, and in a cute gift bag with a card.

Six years!  Can you believe it?  It feels like it's flown by....we couldn't have gotten here without you, and are incredibly grateful for all of your support over the years.  You are a fine group of people, and a true blessing to know.

 The SN family- staff, customers, friends and family- really pulled out the stops to make this a great collection.  Kelly with her spectacular ides, Jen retains her title as Swatch Goddess Supreme, Susan and Heidi pulled this together with lightening speed, and I cannot thank them enough.   I must have been VERY good in a past life to be blessed enough to know all of you.

Thank you everyone!  From the bottom of my heart and a million times over.

Hurricane Sandy...

So apparently we're right on the path of Hurricane Sandy....we're not forecasted to get a lot of rain, but we may have power outages that will effect our ability to ship orders.

I'll keep this, and our Facebook updated if I still have cell service.  If the electric does go out I will attempt to close the site to orders.

For now, this is all a precaution- fingers crossed that all of these scented candles get put to better use.  Good luck to everyone on the coast.

Fall 2012, and the Winners!

I was a little nervous running a Name that Tune without a Pink Floyd song in it, but the Grateful Dead provided the stumper this time.

The answers are:
Jump- Cyprus Hill- Jump Eye Shadow
Shake Your Tailfeather- Ray Charles- Tailfeather Eyeshadow
Cherry Bomb- The Runaways- Cherry Bomb cream blush
Girls of the World Ain't Nothin' but Trouble- Fresh Prince- Trouble eyeshadow
Saint Steven- Grateful Dead- Saint Eye Shadow
A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation- Marty Robbins- Carnation lipstick
Cracklin' Rosie- Neil Diamond- Rosie blush
Ode to Joy- The Muppets (Beaker to be specific)- Joy lippie
Gin and Juice- The Gourds- Juiced eye shadow
Cabaret- Liza Minelli- Cabaret lipstick
When Doves Cry- Ani DiFranco- Dove eye shadow
Superfly- Curtis Mayfield- Superfly eyeshadow

Y'all crack me up with some of your answers- these are as fun for me as they are for you, and I thank you for that.

Only one person got all of them.  We set a 2 song margin of error so if you got 10 or more right you won!  The winners have been notified by email.  Congrats!

On to the very much delayed Fall collection.  It was pretty much ready to go back in August, but time got away from be as it does nowadays.

The headliner to this feature is we cloned the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette.  I wasn't going to, but UD, and MAC announced their plans to sell in China- and start animal testing in order to do so, so I cloned them.  UD is back to being a cruelty free company, but in the mean time we already had a lovely set of 100% vegan clones, so we're releasing them.

I LOVE the Naked 2 palette...it's not often that I fall in love with commercial makeup, but I fell hard for this one.  We did change them up a bit.  UD used a certain white pigment that just not entirely flattering to mature skin, so I changed the finish just slightly.  Our versions have richer pigmentation, less fallout, no oil, and are kinder to us "seasoned" gals.  It's also quite a bit more neutral than the more golden toned original Naked Palette.

We're trying a little something new and packaging the entire set in stacking 3-gram jars like this:

I also got inspired by vivid mattes.  I saw pin after pin on Pinterest featuring bright matte colors, and decided to make some new shades.  They're all vegan and none of them contains any dyes- so no stained lids!

We also have 4 new lightly pigmented, slightly glowy new blushes, and 5 new lippies!

Thank you so much for everything- being so patient, funny, kind, sweet, and just all around phenomenal women.