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.

Arcana Early Autumn Collection

With snow looming here in Canada, I feel like a brief reminder of days gone by is called for.

Which brings me to the this collection - two lovely soaps and three perfumes, evoking the bittersweet nature of the last days of the Summer season, and the dawn of Fall.

1816 - Shivery peppermint, Madagascar vanilla, white sugar, creamed butterscotch, snowy fondant, fog, sleet, hail, and a tiny bite of silvery fir.

Scathach - Highland grass, green apples, almonds, fir needles, and honey-speared citrus.

1816 is beautifully brisk and refreshing, not quite chilly. Scathach is a distant cousin to my beloved Avalon, which doubles as an autumn fragrance for me.

Danced to Pieces - Blushing candy sweetness and an angelic tangle of strawberry, raspberry, red currant, pink grapefruit, and white sugar weave a spell above a flagrantly destructive, self-indulgent base of dark peppery musk, resinous amber, heady cognac, opiate-laced cassis cordial, and the faint remains of a silver leaf.

The Sunflower's Lament - Tears on the warmest, brightest day: apricot, chamomile, opoponax resin, petitgrain, peach, lavender, green cognac, heather, heliotrope, sweet clove, sticky benzoin, and iron-distilled patchouli.

The Moonflower’s Bliss - Happiness under a starless sky: moon vine, heartleaf milkweed, Calla lily, white tuberose, gardenia, and Madagascar bridal veil with creamy butter CO2 extract, pearl musk, white pepper, and a trace of incense.

Three very different perfumes.

Danced to Pieces has an astringent opening, nose-tickling even, as the tart berries and sharp cassis mix with the sugared booze. This phase did not do well on me, but after a bit it begins to mellow, warm and deepen until it becomes a gorgeous, deeply spiced amber. A surprise win.

The Sunflower’s Lament is the perfect resin for folks who tend to prefer foody notes and shy away from heavier blends. Tons of earth notes and resins, yet what comes across is a bright, golden fragrance, juicy and sweet, that softens gently into a musky, lightly powdered finish.

The Moonflower’s Bliss. Oh. OH. A wonderfully luxurious yet utterly wearable tropical floral. Voluptous white blooms with sheer, light counterpoints, and a gentle, creamy drydown. I really hope this one is brought into the general catalogue.

Actually, I hope all of them are folded into the permanent line. In the meantime, indulge in these last bits of early Fall before we’re blanketed by snow.