Third Promo Code

Third promo - 20% off any perfume with code perfume20. Good until Thursday, September 8th, at noon.

Troisième rabais - 20% sur parfums avec le code perfume20. Bon Jusqu'au jeudi, le 8 Septembre, à midi.

Second Promo Code

Second promo - 25% off any lotion, cream, and moisturizer with code soft25. Good until Tuesday, September 6th, at noon.

Deuxième rabais - 25% sur les crèmes hydratantes et avec le code soft25. Bon Jusqu'au mardi, le 6 Septembre, à midi.

First Promo Code

First code: polish15 for 15% off any of our nail polishes! (Includes those already discounted, such as OPI Burlesque, CG 'Tis the Season and the Nubar Mattes.)

Good until Sunday, September 4th, at noon.

Premier rabais - 15% de rabais sur les vernis à ongles avec le code polish15. Jusqu'à dimanche, le 4 septembre, à midi.

Week-long Labour Day sale!

We will be celebrating Labour Day, back-to-school and the last days of summer with a week-long sale spectacular! Every 2 days we will be adding a special promotion that will last 48 hours, so keep your eyes peeled on our site/blog/twitter/facebook. The first promo code will be going up shortly!

=)

And we will be happy to combine shipping, so just shoot us an email if you'd like us to hold on to your package until the sales are all over.

Nous célébrerons la fête du Travail, le retour à l'école et les derniers jours de l'été avec une semaine de vente spectaculaire! Tous les deux jours, nous allons ajouter une promotion spéciale qui va durer 48 heures, alors prenez note de notre site/blog/Twitter/Facebook. Le premier code promo sera disponible sous peu!

=)

Et nous serons heureux de combiner l'expédition, simplement envoyez nous un email.

Margarita Bloom now at Pretty Indulgent!

We are so delighted to be welcoming a selection of Margarita Bloom products to our shop. If you love vintage aesthetics and delicious scents, this is a line you can't miss sampling. We have a little bit of everything to try out:

Retro styling and bright, fresh, fruity fragrances...

Luxurious, rose-scented indulgences for bath and body, fit for a queen...

Spun-sugar and delicately floral, evocative of all that is lovely...

Deeper scents, darker woods...

And as a special welcome to this beautiful brand, please enjoy 10% off any Margarita Bloom item, with code welcomeMB (good until August 21st.)

Summertime!

It is absolutely gorgeous here in Montreal - so hot and sunny, you can almost forget we're in Canada.

We have some wonderful new collections, just right for this time of year, beginning with the very aptly-named Sunshine and Summertime series from Zoya:

Villainess is also spoiling us for the summer, with some returning favorites and a fresh new offering, as well as some extremely limited experimental runs.

Check out all the lovely new things on the New-Nouveautés page, or under the Summer-Été category. And if you're looking to stock up, we still have some fabulous deals!

New things!

In case you missed it, we had a fantastic debut from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab this past month: a gorgeous collection of Montreal-themed perfumes!

The announcement from the Black Phoenix Gazette says it all. :-)

We also have a lovely little collection from Arcana, inspired by the Song of Songs:

SOAPS

Song of Songs: Winter is Past
My beloved spoke and said to me,
Arise my fair one and come away
For, lo, the winter is past--
The rain is over and gone.
Hot ginger, sweet mint, bergamot,
clove, and cedarwood. Made with organic coconut milk, Tussah silk, sweet almond oil, & organic oats.

Song of Songs: Honey and Milk
Honey and milk are under thy tongue.
The scent of honeycomb, sweet cinnamon, cream, emmer, nutmeg, peppercorns, and barley. Made with local, organic honey, finely ground organic oats, fresh goat milk, and a swirl of ground cinnamon.

Song of Songs: A Thread of Scarlet
Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet.
Exotic tuberose, lavender, fresh lime, pomegranate, gardenia, lily
of the valley, heady jasmine, and red currant. Made with organic coconut milk, Tussah silk, golden cocoa butter, and macadamia oil.

PERFUME OILS

Song of Song: Honey and Milk
Honey and milk are under thy tongue.
The scent of honeycomb, sweet cinnamon, cream, emmer, nutmeg, peppercorns, and barley.

Song of Songs: A Thread of Scarlet
Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet.
Exotic tuberose, lavender, fresh lime, pomegranate, gardenia, lily of the valley, heady jasmine, and red currant.

Canada Post strike action update

The union of Postal Workers has opted for a rotating strike action, shutting down operations in just one city at a time for periods of 24 to 48 hours.

We looked at courier options, but unfortunately the quotes were double what shipping with Canada Post costs, and are just not feasible to sustain for a small business likes ours. (i.e.: 15$ to Ontario, 20$ to BC, 37$ to PEI.)

At the moment, we will continue to take orders and ship them out via Canada Post. If you choose to order at this time, please note that there will likely be some delays until the strike ends, and should the union move to a national strike, all mail still in transit will be locked down.

Le syndicat des postiers a opté pour une grève, avec l'arrêt des activités dans une seule ville à la fois pour des périodes de 24 à 48 heures.

Nous avons examiné les options, mais, malheureusement, les citations ont été le double des frais d'expédition avec Postes Canada et sont tout simplement pas abordable pour une petite entreprise comme le nôtre. (Ex:. 15 $ à l'Ontario, 20 $ en Colombie-Britannique, 37 $ à l'Île du Prince Édouard.)

À l'heure actuelle, nous continuerons à prendre les commandes et les expédier par Postes Canada. Si vous choisissez de commander à cette heure, s'il vous plaît noter qu'il y aura probablement des délais jusqu'à ce que la grève se termine, et si le syndicat décide d'éffectuer une grève nationale, tous les colis encore en transit seront arrêté.

Spring!

We are FINALLY enjoying the first signs of spring here in Montreal. Birds! Sunshine! Slightly less mountain-like snow mounds!

Spring, of course, also means spring cleaning - we have a ton of stuff in our Sale section to clear out. =)

Seasonal offerings from Villainess, Arcana, China Glaze and OPI are 20% to 50% off, and the most recent Valentine's day collections are 10% off.

Our gorgeous Arcana scrubs must leave before the summer weather makes shipping them impossible, so they are all discounted 10% to 20% off. Stock up for those scrub-less summer months!

CANADIAN SHIPPING SPECIAL

Flat-rate 5$ shipping for all Canadian orders of 45$ and more! Until April 8th, no code needed.

Also, coming this spring...

An exclusive series of perfumes from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, a selection of perfumes from Seattle-based Sweet Anthem and beautiful spring/summer collections from all your favorite nail polish brands.

Discount Codes!

It's my birthday - and you're celebrating with me. =)

For the next two days (Friday and Saturday) take advantage of these two discount codes:

Spend 45$ (before shipping), and use code bday10 to get 10% off your order!

Or, double up and load up - spend 90$, and use code bday20 to get 20% off your order!

These codes do apply to everything in the store, including sale items. Stock up on the seasonals you love at a steal! Splurge on a few new favorites! Treat yourself to that bigger ticket item you've been eyeing!

Sweet Anthem test samples

I've been aware of Sweet Anthem for a little while, since perfumer Meredith started out on Etsy about three years ago. I looked them up recently, and came across their lovely website, with an expanded catalogue and gorgeous design work.

I've since had the opportunity to try a variety of samples, and have been delighted!

These are some of my thoughts on a couple of these fragrances...

Anastasia - Champa absolute, civet, dogwood, fresh snow, green tea, honeysuckle, white patchouli

This is delicately indolic in the opening notes - definitely not one to judge by first impressions. The florals cool under that snowy note, their pungent bite softening into something sweet and pretty. As it dries, it reveals a freshness and very light woodsiness. Don't be afraid of the civet - it's all second-skin, baby musk, nothing feral.

Peter - Black currant, champagne, leather, lemon, matcha tea, patchouli.

Although this bears a man's name, it is a great unisex fragrance. The leather is crisp and in some ways unassuming, despite its center-stage presence. It allows the lighter fruit notes enough room to play, but finds its best partner in the champagne. The effervescence and clarity of that note is a perfect counterpoint to the more somber nature of the leather. Very elegant.

Anita - Moroccan mint, peppermint, pink sugar, turkish mocha, vanilla.

Sweet, edible mint, chocolate and vanilla, sugared up something fierce, with just a tiny hint of coffee - something a bit more stoic and bitter around the edges. Overall this is delectably foody and energetic.

I'm really excited by this brand, and hope to be offering a selection of their perfumes at Pretty Indulgent shortly!

(Oh, and if you're a resident of Seattle, check in at Knows Perfume - Meredith teaches a class there.)

Moody Grays

Am I the only one who looks at all these wonderfully moody grays and dusky mauves and immediately thinks of Paris? There's something about this kind of palette that brings to mind the seemingly effortless chic of a certain kind of Parisian woman.

I love these kind of shades, especially as an alternative to "workplace appropriate".

From the China Glaze "Anchors Away" collection.

From the Color Club "Alter Ego" collection.

If you're looking for some absolutely gorgeous swatches of these, please check out the reviews on Scrangie and All You Desire. They have the best swatches out there, by far.

Both collections are currently available on our site.

Arcana - Shiver Ensemble

The "Shiver Ensemble" is a series of four perfumes that play on the mystery and magic of words, evoking the movement from winter into spring as the cold and darkness falls away to reveal new life. And as a symbol of that life - honey, a note all of these perfumes share.

Shiver Perfume Oil (Limited Edition): An armful of pale flowers: tuberose, royal jasmine, jasmine sambac, white osmanthus, gardenia, muguet, and narcissus; honey, chilled peppermint, and smoky frankincense.

Hiver Perfume Oil (Limited Edition): Ruby grapefruit, French cognac absolute, pink pepper, mirabelle plum, honey, and a drop of aged patchouli.

Hive Perfume Oil (Limited Edition): Honey, wild rose, amber resin, sticky beeswax, milk, and a buzz of rose geranium.

I Perfume Oil (Limited Edition): Rich amber, labdanum, white pepper, black pepper, cognac absolute, honey, cardamom, and red patchouli.

Shiver - I expected to be overwhelmed by the white flowers, or to find the combination of honey and florals too sweet. And this blend is indeed sweet, but not in a remotely cloying way. The lightest touch of mint keeps this a little fresh, and the frankincense grounds it. This becomes a dense, creamy floral that feels as sweet, feminine and cozy as a luxurious white cashmere sweater. Gorgeous, and probably my favorite out of the four.

Hiver - The grapefruit and pepper combine to give this a delightfully astringent top note, that fades into a graceful blend. The patch is a very light note here, supporting the brightness of the plum and restraining any excess the honey might be prone to. The cognac is, to me, undetectable.

Hive - Absolutely beautiful rose and honey blend, with the milk note barely there but softening everything up. It has a faintly "dirty" note that is probably the amber, and keeps this from being too pretty. It feels like something ancient and female, like it would be equally at home on a 1940s vanity as it would anointing a priestess' hands. For someone who doesn't wear rose easily, this is a rose perfume I would reach for without hesitation.

I Perfume - A textured resin blend, that is gentler than I would have expected from the notes. The spices are there, but well balanced by the honey. This dries down, like most resin-heavy perfumes do, to that kind of deep, warm, powdery finish that leaves you snuffling your wrists throughout the day. And if you normally find patchouli too dirty or 'thin', red patchouli will be a pleasant surprise.

All of these are currently available on our site.

Pretty, shiny, last-minute gifts

If you're like me, you've left your holiday shopping to the last minute.

If you're stuck with no inspiration and less time, may I suggest taking a look at our beautiful selection of jewelry? We have some exquisite pieces from two very talented artists, Sihaya Designs, and Elements and Artifacts. The items from the latter artist are actually completely exclusive to us - truly one of a kind.

These are a few examples of what we have available:

Beautiful, no?

And to make your shopping even better, our jewelry lines are currently on sale until this Friday. We do ship next day for all in-stock items, so bearing in mind the shipping times listed here, these could be an ideal last-minute gift.

Holiday Shipping Dates

We will be shipping every day until December 23rd, and will resume as of the 29th. Processing times will remain the same - parcels will ship out by the next day, barring circumstances beyond our control. If you get your order in before noon EST, we'll usually be able to ship the same day.

For US orders, getting an order in time for the holidays is iffy as of right now. Normal transit times for packages crossing the border range from a few days to about 2 weeks, so bear in mind that there is an element of risk if you are hoping to receive something by the 24th.

For Canadian orders, we are shipping via Expedited service, which translates to:

Local – 1 day

Regional – 1 up to 3 days

National – 2 up to 7 days

That usually means about 2-5 business days, and 6-7 if you're in the territories, or in a more rural area of BC or the Prairies.

We are happy to combine orders as well, just e-mail us before placing a second order, as it simpler to invoice than to issue refunds for shipping.

Time to say thank you....

As our friends below the border celebrate American Thanksgiving, we'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our lovely customers as well. You've made the past few months an absolute delight!

Please enjoy 10% off any order of 40$ and more, with code thanks10. Good from now until that retailpalooza known as Cyber Monday. ;-)

Canadian Shipping

We will be upgrading our shipping for Canadian orders to Expedited Parcel, where possible. For example, a package to the Prairies takes about 7 business days. With EP, Canada Post apparently guarantees that it will only be 5 business days.

And we all know that those two days can be endless when you're waiting on a box o' deliciousness. ;-)

Holiday Collections

I'm so excited about the new things coming in this week! Check out our Winter shop for the selection.

We received the China Glaze 'Tis the Season nail polishes earlier this week, and they're already a hit. If you haven't seen swatches for these yet, I highly recommend checking out those featured on All You Desire or Scrangie's blog. A great mix of classic and whimsical shades.

We're also now featuring OPI for sale to our online retail clients, as an extension of our in-house service. We still have a bit of both Burlesque and the Swiss Collection left.

The Villainess winter items are juuuust around the corner. Literally. They're sitting in the Montreal postal sorting center, and I was expecting them to be delivered today, until I realized that all services are closed due to it being Memorial Day. They should, however, be in by tomorrow. If you want to have an advanced peek, they are listed on both the Winter page and the Villainess LE page.

EDIT (Nov. 12): And they're in!

I am personally really looking forward to Just Desserts - it smells like a vaguely malicious Dreamsicle, if soap could have ill intent. ;-)

No teasers yet about the Arcana holiday update, but we'll let you know as soon as we know. =)

Confusion

Eeep.

I just wanted to clear something up. This blog originally started out as a general review blog, under a different name. I then retooled it to be both about things I love, as well as eventually becoming a place to chat about things happening at Pretty Indulgent.

So for example, I posted the other day about the BPAL Inquisition and Halloween sets. That's because I ordered those for myself and thought that they were awesome and wanted to share that, not because I was selling the items.

I'm tagging the non-shop posts with "what I love", to make it clear I'm just talking about products that I personally am a fan of.

Apologies for the confusion!

BPAL Halloween

And switching gears entirely - look what just arrived this week, right in time for Halloween! Aren't the labels just darling? They were created by Kira/Elixireleven. The soaps themselves were made by Brooke/Villainess, scented with oils created by Beth/BPAL. So much talent from these ladies!

The full Black Phoenix Trading Post - Trick or Treat Inquisition!

And also, keeping the Inquisition company on the cold trip North, a selection from the limited Halloweenie series.

As you can see, I haven't had a chance to unwrap most of these*, let alone test them, so this is less of a review and more of a "Oh! So adorable!" post. And also a reminder that if any of these look appealing, make haste to order, because they won't be up for much longer.

*With such an array to choose from, I dove in a little blind and decided to try out Jack. The soap is spicier than the perfume oil of the same name, full of warm, golden pumpkin, barely sweet peach, and delicious nutmeg and clove. It is Halloween in bar form. LOVE.