MOTM: October!

October already?!  This year seems to be going by fast!

This month's kit contained:

From Heather's Hues:
-Full sized polish in Vampirette
-Mini polish in Witches & Werewolves & Ghosts, Oh My!

From Dream Polish
- Minis of both Gem Glam and Smooth Gem in Zombie Food
- A full sized cuticle balm in Zombie FOod

From Nails Redesigned
-A sheet of dripping blood guides
- A sheet of bat masks
- A sheet of witchy decals
- Assorted gems

Vampirette is stunning.  It's vampy, yes, but also oddly sweet and bright!

It's a deep purple with a gorgeous fuchsia undertone and sparkles of tiny shimmer.  It's opaque in two even coats, even over my wonky ripply damage!  This is something I can see working with year round, not just in the Fall

WWG, Oh My is a black jelly jam packed with little purple, green, and orange glitters.  It's opaque in two shades but with all the glittery polishes I wear, I use three thing coats for depth.

Apparently zombie's eat some pretty good stuff because this month's scent is slightly fruit and very fresh.  Maybe with a hint of apple?  It's really nice and light and easy to wear, it's not overwhelming.

The vinyls this month are so cute!  I wish my nails were not so damaged.  They're not very even and nothing seems to want to lay flat, but I reallllly love the bats.  You can use them not just as a mask, but the little cut outs as decals as well!

NWP: Pumpkin All The Things

This month's NWP mystery box was pumpkin themed!

Pick the Perfect Pumpkin (full) is an organe jelly filled with orange micro glitter.  It's pretty much opaque in two coats, I used three because my accent nail is wonky from #mentalityburns.  It's a gorgeous and bright crisp orange!

Unicorns Love Pumpkin Cheesecake (mini) is a great addition to the Unicorn line!  It's got the same shimmery white base and is loaded with various shades and sizes orange and copper glitters.  It's opaque in two coats, I always use three for glitter depth.

Also included this month was a mini cuticle oil in Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice which smells amazing.  I love NWP's oil formula, it's nice and works well. 

ALSO also included was a full size Hurry to the Pumpkin Patch scented top coat!  It's perfect with the polishes and goes really well scent wise with the cuticle oil!

Nubs

Sigh.

My nails finally got to the point they were too damaged to save and I've trimmed them all off.

They're growing super slow now and they're very wavy, it makes it tricky to do anything other than paint them!

Aleppo

The migrant crisis is overwhelming and devastating here in Europe.  While thousand and thousands of immigrants are flooding across Central Europe this week, Italy saves thousands and thousands from shipwrecks and abandoned ships.

The major country these people are fleeing from is Syria, home of a city I'm sure you've heard before in the news.  Aleppo.

One of the amazing things about Aleppo, and I'm sure there are hundreds as the city of ancient and full of wonders, is that it is the birthplace of something called Aleppo soap, which is considered the first soap ever made.  Originally hot processed, that is cooked, it's now more easily made through the cold process method.

Aleppo is made with a rare oil, something called Laurel Berry, which has the most amazing earthy/herby aroma.  It's considered a Castille bar, that is it's made with only one or two locally sourced oils.  That means that the process of making the soap takes months, and even years.  Once you've made the soap, it needs to cure, which means it sits and hardens as the water in it evaporates.

The soap is amazing.

Aleppo soap can be used daily as soap for washing and shampooing, as face mask, as shaving cream, and for bathing infants and babies.^[7]
The soap is effective against insect bites^[8] and is used for a variety of skin ailments such as skin allergies, irritated skin or conditions such as general dermatitis like eczema, psoriasis, bacterial dermatitis, acne, herpes, rosacea, it also helps prevent hair loss and it aids in the recovery of skin diseases.^{[9][unreliable source?]}
Laurel oil is an effective cleanser, antibiotic,^[10] anti-fungal^[11] and anti-itching agent. Compounds extracted from Laurus Nobilis have recently been identified as an inhibitor of human melanoma (skin cancer) cell proliferation,^[12] as well as inhibiting other human tumor cell growths such as amelanotic melanoma, renal cell adenocarcinoma, and breast cancer cell lines.^[13]
Olive oil has been known for generations not only for its healing qualities but also as a natural, deep penetration moisturizer, regenerating skin cells and softening the tissue.

Wikipedia

It's facing a crisis, just like everything else in Syria.  Traditionally in the Middle East, and to be honest here in Southern Europe as well, soap making is a trade that is passed down through generation.  If your father made soap, so would you.  The artisan framework is strong and traditions long.  With so many people fleeing the country, along with them go the knowledge and the skill to make this soap!  Not only are the artisans fleeing, but the farmers who raise the crops and make the oil!

It's not 'just soap'.  It's so much more than that.

I've recently found someplace to import some Laurel Berry oil, as it's hard to get and a tad expensive.  I'll be documenting my process and making my own Aleppo soap, the proceeds of which will be donated to help support refugees.

Why Safflower?

I was talking to my mentor last night about my shop and what I was doing to get ready.   In talking I realized that I tend to favor using Safflower in my work!

So, why Safflower?

The Safflower I use is high-linoleic, which is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid.

Linoleic acid has become increasingly popular in the beauty products industry because of its beneficial properties on the skin. Research points to linoleic acid's anti-inflammatory, acne reductive, and moisture retentive properties when applied topically on the skin.

Wikipedia

In my experience using it, it has all the qualities I wanted.  It's a light, easily soluble oil that doesn't feel heavy or greasy in lotions.  It's full of things like Vitamins A, D & E, lecithin, and omega 9.  It's amazing for mature or damaged skin and very moisturizing.  It even offers cell regenerating properties and excellent skin penetration so the good things in your lotions are able to be maximized by your skin.  It has low comedogenicity, which means it won't cause break outs or clog pores.  It's rich with ceramides that prevent moisture loss and help restore elasticity to the skin.

I use organic and non-gmo safflower which is a little more golden in colour than it wold be if it were more processed, but in the finished lotion it's an amazing consistency and typically fairly bright white when whipped and combined!

It's also an amazing carrier oil.  I've had amazing success in infusing it with helpful herbs such as chamomile and calendula.  It's also a good base for an essential oil blend as it's surfactant qualities do not damage or break down the eos.

Safflower oil can be found in my Shakti and Santi hand creams, Narangi balm, Saqqara scrubs, and in several soaps and soaks.