Season's Greetings!

Season's Greetings from the staff of
Rustic Escentuals and
LipBalmTubes.com

This holiday season we are reminded of how grateful we are for your constant support and encouragement. From all of us at Rustic Escentuals and LipBalmTubes.com, we wish you all the happiness, good health, and love this season can bring and a new year of peace and prosperity. Thank you for being our customer. We appreciate your business and look forward to the opportunity to serve you in the new year to come. We hope you'll take the time to answer some survey questions to better serve you. Happy Holidays!

All the best,

Amy C. Pascoe, Owner, Rustic Escentuals
Christine Schumacher, Manager
Vickey, Marie, Shelley, Jonathan, Melissa, Kathy, Hope, Joe, Ann Margaret, Derek, Calin, Ellen Marley, and Grant


Rustic Escentuals
LipBalmTubes.com
Crafting Library

New Crafting Library

Have you checked out the new Crafting Library yet?!



http://library.rusticescentuals.com/

Welcome to the Rustic Escentuals Crafting Library. This is a community built, one-stop-source for projects, ideas, techniques, and recipes for all different types of handcrafted goods. Whether you are a newbie who would like to learn the basics of candle making, a seasoned chandler looking for the latest greatest, or a soaper wanting to learn the art of making dessert themed soap... there is something for you here.

But more than that, this is a Library built by YOU for YOU! We not only welcome submissions by crafters such as yourself, we will actually reward you for anything you send our way that ends up on the website. Without your input, this will be a lonely place indeed.

Pull up a chair, light your favorite candle, and settle in for a delightful time perusing through the different projects that your fellow crafters have submitted. The creativity displayed here is amazing and a real joy to experience. It is our hope that you will find at least one project, idea, or recipe that will inspire you to new heights of creative genius and increased sales. Or maybe help you to become the most popular person at birthday parties and other gift-giving occasions.

We can't wait to hear from you! What projects are right down your alley? Tell us about it!

Don't forget to join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals

Need Help with How to Make Lip Balm?

We've created an instructional page with photos to help you with crafting lip balm.

How to Make Lip Balm



Please join us on Facebook if you have questions!
http://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals


We're there to answer any questions you have and help you with projects. We will soon host a discussion for those needing help, tips or getting started making soy candles! Please join us - we'd love to have you.

More New KY Fragrance Oils Are Available!

Another quick note to let you all know that we have more Ky Candle Wax Fragrance Oils now available for purchase! New in stock:

White Clouds
Hot Chocolate
Peach Pie Filling
Cranberry Sauce
Vermont Maple Syrup
Cleopatra
Homemade Apple Pie
Southern Vanilla
Sugar Cookie
Cornbread
Christmas Past
Roasted Coffee
Teaberry
Grandmother's Toddy
Cinnamon Toast
Lumberjack
Warm 'n Cozy
Apple Clove Butter
Glazed Doughnut

Also, we now have 5-lb. bags of the soy wax available: Ky PureSoy™ and KySoy 125.

We'll post more updates soon! We hope you enjoy the Ky candle fragrance oils.

Update

Just a quick post to let everyone know that a few more KY fragrance oils are now in stock and ready for purchase:

Toasted Marshmallow
Creme Brulee
Birthday Cake
Caramel Pecan
Coconut Cream Pie
Lavender Vanilla

More updates soon!

Summer Coming to an End?

It's still warm and sunny in much of the country right now, but an unfortunate truth is that the end of the year will be here before we know it. That means the next four months will likely be a bit busy (and I know I don't have to tell you that). These still-slow days of summer are the perfect time to start ramping up and planning for the holiday rush.

One benefit of being a small business is that you can more easily differentiate yourself from the big-box retailers and businesses that will all be offering exclusive coupons and their lowest prices ever. For one thing, you can offer more than a discount. After all, if everyone else will be offering 20% off coupons, why would you want to do the same? The more unique, helpful, and inspiring your products are, the more they'll stand out -- and the more likely it will be that they'll be purchased.

On a different note, THANK YOU to everyone who participated in The Scent Event! It was a huge success and we had a ton of fragrance oils go out the door. We're hoping everyone has fun sampling all of the new scents. If you don't yet have your order, it's on the way - we got the last of the sale orders shipped on Friday.

New items now in stock:

Cotton Candy lip balm flavor oil

KY Fragrance Oils: Grandma's Cupboard, Plumberry Spice, Vanilla Butter Fudge, and Zucchini Bread.

KySoy 125 All-Natural Soy Wax for Candle Making

Ky PureSoy Soy Candle Wax

We are still in the process of bringing in more products, with some arriving next week! Please keep a watch on our What's New page - it's being regularly updated to keep you informed on everything being added. Candle making supplies wholesale.

We have added a page on How To Make Candles: candle making directions. Learn how to easily make soy candles in containers!

You can also keep track of all updates on our Facebook page.

We are going to spend the weekend resting and recuperating from The Scent Event sale, then hit the warehouse hard on Monday!

The SCENT EVENT is Back for a Limited Time!

It's time for our annual "SCENT EVENT" sale, purely for YOU, our customers - this is our way of inviting you to try our Fragrance Oils. The SCENT EVENT offers incentive to try new or unique fragrances that you might have otherwise not considered. Our line of Fragrance Oils is beyond the typical. Go ahead...try something different!

Catch all of the details in the current NEWSLETTER, which you can read online.

Hurry - sale ends Tuesday!!

Important News & Updates!

We're happy to announce that we are the new owners for products previously sold at KY Candle Wax Supply. Fear no more - you'll be able to get the same tried & true products that you've come to trust and we aren't changing a single formula! We will soon begin stocking items - candle making supplies, candle oil, candle making wax, soy wax, parasoy wax, paraffin wax, wicks, bath and body bases, custom printed labels, candle dye flakes and more. We are so excited about adding this new line of candle making supply products! Be sure to "like" our Facebook page and/or sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of this page) so you get all of the latest updates as soon as they're announced. We are working on bringing in Fragrance Oils, waxes and custom labels first. A few fragrance oils are already on the way!!!

Please, please be patient with us - we're working as hard as we possibly can to bring all of this to you as soon as possible. It's an overwhelming task and enormous amount of work for everyone involved. Between adding & rearranging heavy shelving in the warehouse, answering email & phone call inquiries, merging numerous product and inventory spreadsheets, getting product specs & info, contacting multiple vendors & setting up accounts, getting product text written to be web-ready, organizing product info for label printing, and on & on, this is a giant project and we've quickly discovered that only so much can be done in one day before time and energy are exhausted. We know you need the items as quickly as possible and we promise that if you're patient with us, we'll have everything in stock for you. :) We promise!


We have added about a dozen FO's to the Clearance Rack page. We're making room on the shelves for not only new fall scents, but the KY fragrance oils also. Please take advantage of the drastic savings now - once the clearance scents are gone, they're gone. New scents soon to be added to our line: Apple Harvest Festival, Christmas Tree Garland, Covered Bridges, Karma Sutra, Mittens & Mistletoe, Morning Dew, Pecan Twirls, and Peppermint Swizzle Stick.

We also have some new lip balm flavor oils coming this week. They'll soon be added to the site. Such fun flavors! Cotton Candy, Danish Vanilla Custard, Lavender Vanilla, Lemon Pound Cake, Malted Milk Ball, Peach, Pink Frosting, Red Velvet Cake, Sangria, Snow Cone, and Watermelon. YUM!

Another Happy Hour special!

Have you "liked" us on Facebook? If not, here's a link: http://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals


Be sure to check the Facebook page frequently for Happy Hour specials.

Happy Hour!

Are you a fan of our Facebook page? Be sure to "like" us to get info on Happy Hour sales during these hot summer days.

http://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals


You can use the savings for lip balm tubes, lip balm flavor oil, candle scents, soap scents, shrink wrap bands, candle colorants or just about anything else! Click. Relax. Save!

Yes - It's That Easy!

We recently had our products reviewed by a customer who wanted to make party favors for her child's birthday. It turn out so well! Read about it here. (She also has wonderful photography skills!)

It got us thinking - learning how to make your own lip balm is easy. And inexpensive. With inflation making small gifts no longer affordable, it's time to think outside of the box. Year 'round we need party favors, hand-outs and little gifts. But it's also time to begin thinking about hand-outs, favors and gifts for Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes, Christmas! Those stocking stuffers can add up quickly.

You can make a tube of lip balm for less than $.50, but a tube of lip balm retails anywhere from $3.00 to $7.00 and up. Further utilize your creative skills by matching flavor oils with color coordinated lip balm tube caps and custom make the tube's labels with your own computer & printer. You'll be the hit of the season or party for being so creative and thoughtful! We've also had customers make custom lip balms for wedding favors.

We carry a variety of wholesale lip balm bases made with luxury oils and natural waxes. They're creamy, smooth, light and leave no sticky feeling on your lips. The bases are versatile and suitable for use in lip balm tubes, lip balm tins, small pots and cosmetic containers.

You can't go wrong with your custom ideas. Make lip balm for the young and young at heart - we have everything from Dill Pickle lip balm flavor oil to Grand Marnier & Apricot. All of our lip balm flavoring oils are vegan friendly.

We'd love to hear feedback about learning how to make lip balm! Send us feedback on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals

Sweet As Honey?

Honey Bee Fragrance Oil is here!

What's sweet as honey? Honey Bee FO. After many customer requests, we finally hit THE right honey for you. Yummy, drippy honey by bees flying in fields of wildflowers in fresh mountain air. This is a complex and beautiful fragrance of sweet honey balanced and rounded by hints of powdery wildflowers, vanilla and sandalwood. If you need a strong honey scent, this is it! Works wonderfully in candles, soaps and toiletries.

What's New page

Honey Bee fragrance oil

On a different note, we are busy working on a new Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/rusticescentuals

We hope you click "Like" us on Facebook - we'll be doing some Facebook-only specials & giveaways as the page launches. We will also be posting more photos of our warehouse facility so that you can see what our business is like. Some of the photos are already up, so come on over and say hello!

Update

As many of you know, raw materials pricing has skyrocketed out of control in the last several months. I want to post to let you know how we are handling it.

We will NOT do a blanket, across-the-board price increase. That's just not reasonable or fair. Any increases will be done on specific products which incur increases from the manufacturer. We won't artificially inflate prices only to have frequent "sales."

So far, we have been able to absorb most of the price increases through diligent cost-saving actions. We recycle shipping boxes, we use newspaper and biodegradable peanuts for packing orders, we maximize employee payroll hours, we maximize warehouse space and bulk purchasing, and we try to always make informed purchasing decisions. If a product's price goes so high as to make it an unreasonable purchase option for you, we will go out-of-stock until the price lowers.

Today we will be raising the minimum purchase requirement from $12.00 to $15.00 on both sites - RusticEscentuals and LipBalmTubes.com.

In addition to skyrocketing raw materials, shipping has also increased due to fuel costs & surcharges. Again, we are trying to purchase in larger bulk to make the most of transportation dollars. We can't control what a package costs to ship to you, but we can take as many measures as possible to save costs on our end which results in stable product pricing.

We are a true wholesale business and want to offer as many product options for you as possible. The current raw material and economic climates are making adding new products a little more difficult, but we will continue to search as we wait for the climates to stabilize. We refuse to compromise quality.

Look for a new Facebook page very soon - it's in the works! Melissa and I need a better way to communicate with everyone more frequently and are eager to be jumping into social networking.


Amy Coker Pascoe
Owner

French Toast flavor oil is here

YUM!

French Toast flavor oil for lip balm is here. Warm, buttery french toast dripping with syrup. It's a treat for the lips!

What's New

French Toast flavor oil

Limited time introductory price on 1-oz. bottle is 15% off. $2.96

Suggested cap colors for lip balm tubes: beige or brown
Use natural or white lip balm tubes with a color coordinated cap to complement lip balm flavor oil.

Beige caps
Brown caps

All lip balm tube cap colors.

Introductory pricing - 15% off

We've been adding new flavor oils for lip balm to our line and all are available today! Introductory pricing of 15% off is being offered for a limited time on 1-oz. bottles. Regular price $3.49; Introductory price $2.96. Go ahead...give them a try! No special coupon code needed in the shopping cart - pricing is already adjusted.

NEW FLAVORS:

Dill Pickle




Fizzy Pop
(compare to Sprite or 7-Up)

Grand Marnier & Apricot

Lemondrop Pucker

Mango Lassi


Nutmeg & Caramel Swirl

Popcorn


Wild Red Cherry Pie


Zucchini Bread

Visit our What's New page for all of the new lip balm flavor oils at a glance. Full listing of all available Flavor Oils.

Click these pages if you'd like to go directly to a specific flavor oil:

Dill Pickle
Fizzy Pop
Grand Marnier & Apricot
Lemondrop Pucker
Mango Lassi
Nutmeg & Caramel Swirl
Popcorn
Wild Red Cherry Pie
Zucchini Bread

Pre-Spring Cleaning

I realize it isn't yet Spring (despite how much we are wishing for it!), but we're beginning to clean up & organize the warehouse from the busy holiday season and looking toward spring, summer and fall. We'll be adding new products along the way (there are several already in the works), which means we need to make room for them on the shelves. Be checking the Fragrance Oil Clearance Rack and Specials pages in the days and weeks to come for some fantastic bargains.

Fragrance Oil Clearance Rack

Specials

We expect to update the Specials page with some weekly, bi-weekly and monthly specials that are not discontinued products. We'll also notify you when new products arrive, but keep an eye on the What's New page.

What's New

What causes the smell after rain?

Most people notice a distinctive smell in the air after it rains. It's frequently linked with spring, like smell of fresh cut grass is associated with summer. You'll find it in a lot of poetry and also on many inspirational lists of things to be happy about. But what causes it?

As it turns out, the smells people associate with rainstorms can be caused by a number of things. One of the more pleasant rain smells, the one we often notice in the woods, is actually caused by bacteria! Actinomycetes, a type of filamentous bacteria, grow in soil when conditions are damp and warm. When the soil dries out, the bacteria produce spores in the soil. The wetness and force of rainfall kick these tiny spores up into the air where the moisture after a rain acts as an aerosol (just like an aerosol air freshener). The moist air easily carries the spores to us so we breathe them in. These spores have a distinctive, earthy smell we often associate with rainfall. The bacteria are extremely common and can be found in areas all over the world, which accounts for the universality of this sweet "after-the-rain" smell. Since the bacteria thrives in moist soil but releases the spores once the soil dries out, the smell is most acute after a rain that follows a dry spell, although you'll notice it to some degree after most rainstorms.

Another sort of smell is caused by the acidity of rain. Because of chemicals in the atmosphere, rainwater tends to be somewhat acidic, especially in urban environments. When it comes in contact with organic debris or chemicals on the ground, it can cause some particularly aromatic reactions. It breaks apart soil and releases minerals trapped inside, and it reacts with chemicals, such as gasoline, giving them a stronger odor. These reactions generally produce more unpleasant smells than bacteria spores, which is why the after-the-rain smell isn't always a good one. Like the smell caused by the bacteria spores, the smell of chemical reactions is most noticeable when it rains following a dry spell. This is because once the chemicals on the ground have been diluted by one downpour - they don't have the same reaction with the rainwater.

Another after-the-rain smell comes from volatile oils that are released by plants and trees. The oil then collects on surfaces such as rocks. The rain reacts with the oil on the rocks and carries it as a gas through the air. This scent is like the bacteria spores in that most people consider it a pleasant, fresh smell.

These are a few common rain smells, but there are also all sorts of other scents after it rains. There are many aromatic materials the moisture & impact of rain can stir up, and the moist atmosphere following a downpour is particularly good at carrying these particles through the air. So, when you talk about the after-the-rain smell with a friend, you may mean one thing while your friend is thinking of something else. You'll both agree, however, that the air has a much stronger aroma to it after a good rain.

New FO now in stock

We received a customer request for a Victoria's Secret type - Honeysuckle & White Patchouli. Once the sample came in from the manufacturer, we fell in love - especially since it's dead on to the VS original. It's now in stock and we think you'll adore it also! This sophisticated feminine scent is absolutely divine in a warm and indulgent way.

Honeysuckle & White Patchouli

Product shortage notification

EUGENOL

Eugenol is a liquid extracted from certain essential oils, especially clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, basil and bay leaf. This extract can sometimes be a common raw ingredient in the manufacture of fragrance oils. Most all of the major fragrance oil manufacturers are having a huge issue with obtaining Eugenol right now. The entire clove leaf/Eugenol crop essentially never happened due to the complete lack of the necessary "dry season" in Indonesia. Most manufacturers are unable to obtain Eugenol from their suppliers - if they *are* able to procure a limited supply, prices are up at least 400%. The current situation is dire, manufacturers are helpless in obtaining Eugenol and new crops are not expected until spring/summer 2011.

The Eugenol shortage has started affecting our ability to obtain a few fragrance oils. These oils are low in stock and we anticipate not being able to purchase more until next summer:

Madagascar Spice

Pumpkin Bread


We will continue to update as we get in reports from our manufacturers. We will also continue to update on any shortages of fragrance oils that we will not be able to restock until the Eugenol crisis passes. Please order what you need now - we will process orders in the order received until current stock is exhausted. Thank you.

Website update

Our new shopping cart is ready, so we will be moving the site to a new host and installing the shopping cart this weekend. The upgrade will begin late Friday afternoon/early evening and the site may be unavailable anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of days depending on how you access the site. Please make sure that you place any urgent orders before close of business on Friday to ensure your order is processed before the site goes down.

I'm certain we will have a few growing pains as the shopping cart is implemented, but it should not take long. The new cart has many wonderful features that you've been asking for so I hope you'll be pleased. There will be no more issues with the cart timing out and you'll have the option to create and save a "wish list" that you can come back to later.

Thank you in advance for your patience.