We are excited to release our first Black Label collection of 2012 and to share some stunning new changes. We're up to some fun things this year, and so far we're off to a great start!

First things first! Returning this year, is The Truffle Trade A neglected box o' chocolates - cherry cordials, coconut creams, almond clusters, raspberry parfaits - covered in dust, tossed aside for bigger game. Why mess with a good thing? Smooch! (loaded with almond, coconut and cacao), Soap (with a coconut nougat center!), Whipped! and Extrait formats.

Torchsong also returns for an encore. A memory of raw coconut infused with heavy white blossoms - tuberose, orchid, and awapuhi - and tonka bean, ginger crushed underfoot, damp moss and your vanilla perfume. Store it in a mahogony box, lit with spices. And available once more in Smooch! (spiked with Orchid extract), Soap, Whipped! and Extrait. It's a light evocative play of spice and white florals - really gorgeous!

Raspberry Swirl is a perennial favourite with its Sweet red raspberry creamed with soft vanilla. We started this one in... 2005? Wow. It too returns in Smooch! (I don't think we could fit any more raspberry in this if we tried), Soap, Whipped! and Extrait.

The cult favourite Miss Edith with Lemony black tea with milk, English Lavender and Roses beneath a thick layer of dust returns in a stark-white, creamy Soap, a lovely Smooch! (lightly dusted with rose petals, naturally), Whipped! , and Extrait.

Lipstick Lost is Total adolescence. Effervescent cherry, smart-aleck sassafras and a creamy dollop of vanilla. Appearing in a creamy, glitter-burned Soap, and a delicious cherry-sweet Extrait (in one of those precious 2 ml phials).

This month's Staff Pick Smack is a two-parter, featuring Truffle Trade Smack!. It is "A single scoop of Chocolate Mousse layered over a gooey Coconut Milk center, a Raspberry Plum filling, and a touch of Cherries Jubilee." and it's exquisite. Or try the simpler Cherry Cordial Smack! - "One perfect scoop of Cherries Jubilee, nestled in a gooey Vanilla Bean cream and encased in two decadent scoops of Chocolate Mousse.". Other readily layer-able recommendations?
Raspberry Swirl Smack - 2 Layers Raspberry Plum and 2 Vanilla Bean
Truffle Trade Noir - Chocolate Mousse, Unearthed, Coconut Milk & Raspberry Plum.

In other Smack! news, you might have noticed that we've given the lineup a little adjustment. The fabulous foaming body scrub is now available in three new flavours:

Apple Orchard - Crisp red delicious and a faint breath of apple blossom.
Black Tea - Strong black loose-leaf.
Lavender Sachet - Warm, mild Bulgarian lavender with a touch of sweetness.

Unfortunately, we had to discontinue three slow sellers to bring these much-requested single notes on board. Say goodbye to Lemon Meringue, Tropical Fruit, and Pomegranate Fig.

One of the things we are most excited about this year is the incredible East African Shea Butter we've started sourcing through Bead For Life. East African Shea has a silky/dry skinfeel (even in straight oil/butter form) entirely unlike the heavy sticky shea from Ghana. But better than skincare (yes!) working with Bead for Life improves the quality of life for the displaced women of Uganda. Creating fair-trade work for women in Uganda creates a livelihood for entire families, and we are thrilled that the Bead for Life initiative has provided a way for us to support their efforts. For now, East African Shea is found in our classic soap formula, and we are hard at the R&D to see if we want to a release a Shea-centric balm or body lotion soon. Feel free to let us know what you're intersted in, and we encourage you to visit the Shea Butter Page to learn more about the shea nut harvesting process, and to see the faces your purchases impact.

A last bit of news... all remaining Black Label stock from 2011 is marked down by 30%. No codes, nothing complicated. And we had one tiny new soap release just before the new year... Curbside Xmas - "Old evergreens, dried out mistletoe, bayberries and cloves surrounded by warm garbage - banana peels and coffee grounds, soured milk and crusty bread.". Yeah, you know you want some.

And, we've tweaked the lineup for our Custom Smack! The fabulous foaming body scrub is now available in three new flavours:

Apple Orchard - Crisp red delicious and a faint breath of apple blossom.

Black Tea - Strong black loose-leaf.

Lavender Sachet - Warm, mild Bulgarian lavender with a touch of sweetness.

Unfortunately, we had to discontinue three slow sellers to bring these much-requested single notes on board. Say goodbye to Lemon Meringue, Tropical Fruit, and Pomegranate Fig. They are temporarily available while we work through our (limited) remaining stock, but will not appear on your label. Stock up now, if these are favourites!

However, if you end up pressed for time, you might be fortunate enough to have a Villainess retailer in your neighborhood! We've grown like mad this year, so scope out our expanded family:

E-tail

• Gorey Details
  Edward Gorey artifacts! Eclectic selection of gifts, and other goodness. We love the jewelry (and the soap!).

• Pretty Indulgent
  
  "Uniquely beautiful, affordably artisanal." Canadian e-tailer with a tantalisingly stunning selection of all our favourite brands - jewelers! polish! perfume!

• Scent Addict
  
  Incredible selection! Snag some Villainess and some of our other favourite brands, along with their very own Villainess Exclusive scents. In the area? Visit the Next Millennium bookstore at their Omaha, NE location.

• The Soap Box Co.
  
  A wonderful bath and body boutique! The Soap Box Company carries all our favourite bath brands - a high-end selection of truly unqiue artists creating beautiful day-to-day luxuries.

Stateside Brick 'n Mortar

• California - Bluesky
  Located in Lake Tahoe's Shops at Heavenly Village, Bluesky is a gorgeous range of gifts and goodies. Visit them for a generous selection of Villainess bulk soaps and bath soaks at 1001 Heavenly Village Way, South Lake Tahoe.

• California - Le Pink Apothecary
  
  Located in the Silver Lake neighbourhood of L.A., find Villainess and a positive wealth of fabulous luxury brands at 3820 W. Sunset Blvd.

• Colorado - La Henna Boheme
  
  Located in the Manitou Springs shopping district, find a great selection of Villainess essentials and eclectic gifts for your bohemian lifestyle.

• Colorado - Pandora on the Hill
  
  Located in Denver's Capitol Hill area, Pandora has been offering a lucious range of gifts, jewelry and homewares since 1994. Now that they've added Villlainess to their lineup? A must-visit destination. Try them at 220 East 13th Ave.

• Idaho - The Chocolate Box
  
  Idaho Falls, rich in decadence. Sweets and soaps at 901 Pier View Drive, Ste 102.

• Illinois - Eclectic Design Source
  
  Located in downtown Libertyville, eDS offers a stunning range of decor along with their favourite "curious homegoods". Shop online or visit them at 518 N. Milwaukee Ave.

• Maryland - Kiss 'N Make-Up
  
  Located in Baltimore's Hampden district these lovely ladies offer an array of indulgent cosmetic services, and Villainess, amongst other worthwhile brands. Catch them at 827 W. 36th Street.

• Montana - Corner Book Shoppe
  
  Eureka - Books! And soaps! at 710 Hwy 93 N.

• New York - Eve Salon
  
  Full service luxury, retail therapy, and seasonal Villainess treatments? This is the full package - visit Eve at 55 W 8th St, NYC.

• Oregon - Urban Waxx
  
  "The best wax you'll ever have. Seriously." You just don't want to mess with a mediocre wax job - and this Portland salon has this niche-market cornered by specialising in this high-priority service. Visit them at 1036 NW 18th Ave for a comfortable, professional atmosphere and a great selection Villainess best sellers.

• Oregon - The Waxx Spot
  
  Villainess and waxing in Salem! 381 State St, Ste 11

• Pennsylvania - Den of Antiquities
  
  A wealth of historical ephemera, antiquarian books and prints, oddities, art and now… Villainess Soaps. 16 West Second St in Greensburg.

• Pennsylvania - Fire N Ice Salon
  
  Mindblowing nail art and decadent mani/pedi treatments in Newport. 33 C South 2nd St




• Tennessee - Urban Oasis
  
  Want the full body treatment? Visit this Oasis for some of our head-to-toe pampering. 3202 Belmont Blvd. Suite E in Nashville.

• Texas - Emeralds
  
  Eclectic boutique in Austin's shopping district! 624 N. Lamar Blvd.

• Virginia - Nature's Intent
  
  Richmond

• Washington - BedlamBedlam
  
  "Gothic Anthropologie," or so I hear. Check 'em out in Seattle, 613 East Pike Street,

• Wisconsin - Sinn Fein Tattoo & Body Piercing
  
  Baraboo - the destination for Tatoos, and Villainess. Try 'em at 717 S Blvd, Ste 1.

• Wisconsin - Uncommon Scents
  
  Bath and body favourites in Miocqua! 8524 US Highway 51 N

International

• Canada, Ontario - The Ivy Keep
  Our Cuppa! collaborator carries a variety of gourmet teas, and exclusive Villainess fragrances, in addition to the Villainess catalog.

• Canada, Ontario - Jacob & Sebastian
  
  Less a boutique and more a skincare gallery. Featuring "...unique, international, niche market beautfy lines..." A stunning selection of brands we are flattered to keep company with. Find them at 622 Queen St West in Toronto.

• United Kingdom, Cheshire - Posh Brats
  
  Our UK distributor stocks plenty of Villainess, a fine selection of all our favourite brands and their very own Villainess Exclusives.

First, we're stoked to introduce a new Official Mug for the 2011 winter season!

We've been using this mug around the office for a while now, and we love it. Unequivocally. At 18 oz, it is enormous ass, and holds all the caffeine you could need for one morning in the cubicle. Its heavy crockery-base means it's hard to accidentally spill, and you know you want our logo (silver ink!). Accent that gift with a nice Cuppa Scintillating! and you're all set!

Dads, brothers-in-law, random dudes - sometimes a challenge to shop for. Don't forget The Dad Pack - designed for Father's Day, but a helpful year-round solution. Our very own Antihero and Byzantium Soaps, an unscented Ennui Whipped! and a dollop of Grundy Smooch! (for the exfoliant-resistant guy).

In anticipation of your New Year celebrations, the Cheap Shot!

For uncomfortable gifting situations with strangers, the generic candle is a time-honored tradition. So go with our new Burn! votive, and score "unique" points (Decadence is a safe bet...) !

And of course these are all just items from our (criminally overlooked) SWAG category. We've given the special-weapons-and-gifts a makeover with the "Gift Ideas" label, so feel free to explore the revamped category. As always we offer seasonal gift wrap:

...so you could easily put together a giftset from our seasonal collection and deck it out in sparkling ribbon and snowflakes.

As always, if you're stumped, just ask! We'll hook you up with a perfect-fit for all your gifting needs!

The following dates for non-domestic orders are the result of the Official USPS Deadlines for delivery by December 24th. You must have your orders placed by the dates below so we can fill and ship them by USPS deadlines:

USPS Priority International Packages
APOs - December 8th, Midnight CST

Asia, Australia, Mexico - December 8th, Midnight CST

Europe & Canada - December 11th, Midnight CST

We will be on our most vigilant for even last-minute orders placed on the 9th and 12th to ensure they receive same-day shipping.

For domestic users, our UPS Ground deadlines will also vary by location:

UPS Ground Packages
Pacific Northwest / Atlantic Northeast - December 15th, Midnight CST

West Coast/Mtns - December 18th, Midnight CST

Midwest, New England, Southeast - December 20st, Midnight CST

Please note that these are the dates to place your order. If you are uncertain about your region, pick the bigger shipping margin. Again, we will be processing orders until the very last-moments of our cut-off dates. If you need expedited UPS service, please mention it in the comments field of your order (Saturday Delivery on the 24th is available for an additional charge).

First, Ingrate is for the ingrates. This year? Trade yer turkey-coma for a spike in Bloodsugar. It is available with $25 orders through Monday, 11/28/11. Details Here.

And then, to really get things started on Black Friday (11/25), we have once-more lowered the bar. Our standard "Free Shipping at $100" order has been reduced to a $50 subtotal/threshold for North American destinations. A good way to reach $50? Soap Multiplicity - Buy 4 bars of our General Catalog Soap, and get the 5th free! Not interested in soap? Try our brand new Burn! votives - in 5 best-selling scents.

On Saturday (11/26), Get Smooched! Purchase 4 General Catalog Smooch! items and get the 5th one free.

On Sunday (11/27), Get Whipped! Purchase 4 General Catalog Whipped! items and get the 5th one free.

Finally, take Monday as an opportunity to snag an experimental Custom Smack!. Purchase any 2 Smack! items (either premade or custom) and get a Custom Smack! for free.

These sales will run through midnight, Central Standard Time. For the fine print (limits on freebies), and other details, keep an eye on our Sale Summary Page.

And watch this space! You never know what other surprises we might have. Happy shopping!

Greetings! We are so excited to get this winter business underway. Stunned that it's late-November already, but thrilled to see some returning favourites and to launch a few new giftable goodies!

Diving right in with Gloop! - Fluffed marshmallow fudge. It wouldn't be winter without our delectable marshmallowy concoction. Available once more in Soap, Smooch!, Whipped! , and Extrait format.

Freezerburn - Siberian fir and stately pines dusted with powder-soft layers of sweet snow.. Usually pops up around the New Year, but is much in-demand - thought we'd give it an earlier run this year! Classic pine-n-white marbled Soap.

Just Desserts - Blood oranges dripping over a warm, resinous vanilla, wrapped in a dry peel of orange zest. Just what you deserve. Available once more in Soap, Smooch!, and skin-pampering Whipped!.

Our Winter Edition Scintillating Smooch! features our year-round vanilla-mint accented with crushed candy-canes. It's festive and predictably scintillating! In an act of unprecedented fun, we're releasing a red-n-white Scintillating Burn! to complement it!

And returning with much acclaim... Mall Santa - The pervasive scent of cinnamon buns and cream cheese frosting, underscored with cheap whiskey, tobacco stains, toffee candies and delicious filthy lucre. Deliciously spicy sweet for the holidays, with enough unexpected notes to give it that signature Villainess touch. Our Santa returns in a gorgeous pinwheeled Soap along with our Smooch! (uniquely topped with a creamy confectioner's sugar Smooch! layer), and Whipped! formats.

Find these treats at Villainess.net and with the usual suspects.

Additions to the General Catalog! Earlier this year, our "Bad Apple Burn!" items were stunningly well received! We've wanted to stock your favourite GC scents in Burn! format for ages now, so we're super pleased that the format worked out! So without further delay,... Dulces en Fuego , Decadence , Krakatoa , Jai Mahal and Scintillating Burn! items are now available! These are the generous 3.5 oz candles in a classy, heavy-glass bomb-shaped jar. We are thrilled to include these in our offerings!

November's Staff Pick Smack! is the Candy Cane Cupcake - Exquisite equal portions of our chilling Mint Medley, tooth-aching Candy Floss, Buttercream Cupcake, and sublime Vanilla Bean.

Delicious pictures, once more, courtesy of the mind-blowingly brilliant Julie Sims. Thanks so much for your vision!

Enjoy, yo!

I got to test "Silk Sheets" first. A perfect balance of creamy and crisp notes. Sniffed cold, this one reads as an indecipherable gourmand-floral. Warm, it opens up into a "silky" soft background-scent.

Hedonistic Self-Indulgence, probably shouldn't be my favourite. The olfactory equivalent of polishing off the entire pint of Ben & Jerry's. Barely nutty, and not cloying in the least. This one has a very realistic savory quality, as if you'd actually baked a panful of buttery treats.

Peacock Plumes just conjures notions of emeralds and vivid textiles. For room scents, fruits are easily my favourite - especially crisp citrus-y concoctions that pull more green than sweet. This one is expertly blended, a sophisticated counterpoint.

Sex Kitten is sweet, soft, and prettier than I'd have suspected. I love a nice earthy patchouli, and this one is barely sweetened with honey and vanilla. Perfectly balanced.

Insomniac is currently hogging my warmer with gooey caramel and coffee - I'm told there's a touch of almond in this, but espresso is easily the star here. And no complaints - I don't need to brew an entire pot of the stuff to make my space smell life coffee. This way, I actually get some sleep.

Two-Timing Tarts are scented "just right." Strong enough to get an accurate impression of the scent cold, but not so strong as to bloom and morph and become headachey when hot. I melted my tartlettes (1/6 of the clamshell) around the 3 hour mark, and was thrilled with that lifespan, because that's right about when I want to switch scents.

So? What are you waiting for?

And the darkest installment of our fall releases...

Returning this year is the terribly creepy Cobwebs collection. "An ambiguous spill of Cabernet and salt. Woodrot and sooty, guttered candles caked with age-old dust." A stark-black soap streaked and veined with white, and a small phial of Extrait (a limited edition 2ml bottle, rather than our typical 5). Cobwebs is our favourite scent experiment to-date, and we are stunned and flattered by the encore requests this one has received!

A disturbing new bookend to Cobwebs, The Turnip Torch is "Root vegetables and earth, smoking embers, flickering flames, and leaf rot." Delightfully atmospheric for the spookiest time of year.

Back from summer with a sweet, perky-goth makeover, Bloodsugar is a black-and-pink cavity of "Bleeding Orange spliced with gauzy Cotton Candy." A perfectly precious striped soap!

The usual Smashing soap, loaded with pumpkin pulp, is "Creamy sweet pumpkin pie with a full complement of spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves." The matching Smooch! ? Much like pure pie filling. Pick up the Whipped! body creme for layers of all-day sugar and spice.

And due to an abundance of customer requests, the elusive Strychnine, "Ripe peaches and green apples spiked with a menacing hint of cinnamon and ginger, sweetened with tobacco and underscored with burning oak and earth." Find it in our signature soap, and a pale peach (100% soy-wax) Burn! votive.

Find these treats at Villainess.net and with the usual suspects.

And the seasonal Smack! Selection... Harvest Peach celebrates the transition from summer's warmth to autumn's chill with a scoop of Georgia Peach, one Fresh Squeezed Citrus, one Spice Trade and deep Unearthed. We've had this one around for a bit, but designed it with Strychnine's release in mind; it's a perfect complement. And a couple of creepsters... Exhumation is: "Layers of visceral Raspberry Plum goo, Chocolate Mousse treats, tooth-rotting Candy Floss and the grave's own Unearthed filth." and Exsanguination is: "Crimson pools of Cherries Jubilee, Raspberry Plum and Berry Patch and drips of dragon's blood-rich Incense.". Both are fabulous introductions to the line if you're stumped for ideas!

Gorgeous pictures, once more, courtesy of the brilliant Julie Sims. Thanks for making us look good!

Enjoy, you guys!

Visit them at:
613 East Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122

Proceeding with our autumnal indulgences, we offer the Mudslide & Co assortment...

Returning first! The Killer Treez soap, The bleeding sap of a thousand fallen conifers covered in maple syrup. Loaded with gooey pine tar and silk, this one is bound to thrill tree huggers/lovers/phobics.

For those with an earthier nose for fall, we offer our darkest Mudslide, A positively filthy mix of day-old coffee grounds and vetyver, blackened hazelnut, sweet graham, and rich cream. First, a beautifully exfoliating soap (packed with pure Moroccan lava clay and handfuls of grounds) and a Smooch! so strong you may skip your morning Latte. We expanded the Mudslide collection due to customer requests, so this year we've brought back our Whipped! body creme and a lovely Mudslide Burn! votive.

And to elaborate a bit, Moral Decay Honey sweet, smoky lapsang souchong tea, brewed too strong and liberally debauched with aniseed, ginger, cinnamon, bergamot and gentian. This year appears in a smooth Soap, and a gorgeous (jaundiced) room-scent - Burn!.

And our stunning new tableaus? Courtesy of the madly talented Julie Sims. Having the opportunity to work with a photographer whose creative vision for Villainess expands upon my own... Has been both an honor and a thrill. The idea that someone could manifest a visual story from our bizarre offerings of scents and textures is fascinating (and a little scary)!

We are already running a two-part Staff Pick! Smack selection this month. See our last release: Designed to complement our apple orchard, Bonfire Days features equal portions Bonfire, Bluegrass, Redwoods and Vanilla Bean, while Harvest Peach celebrates the transition from summer's warmth to autumn's chill with a scoop of Georgia Peach, one Fresh Squeezed Citrus, one Spice Trade and deep Unearthed. But a good old fall-favourite is the DST Smack! - a little early for Daylight Savings Time, but a nice complement to Mudslide with Red Woods, Espresso with a warm shot of Spice Trade, and a creamy touch of Vanilla Bean..

And a much-delayed change in price-structure... Due to the rising costs you are all too familiar with, we are finally buckling to some necessary (if marginal) price hikes. Starting today, General Catalog Soaps will appear at $5.50, Smooch! at $10.50 and Whipped! at $10.50. Black Label items will appear at $6.00 for Soap, $11.00 for Smooch! and $11.00 for Whipped!.

In other news (and contributing to the rising costs of Soap), we have finally managed to source some sustainable Palm Oil! So many of you have written to us with your concerns about deforestation and displaced orangutan populations. Until recently, we haven't been in a position to absorb the increased costs of verifiably sustainable palm, or to justify the additional costs in fossil fuels to ship it cross-country. We are thrilled to make this small contribution towards preserving our natural resources!

Enjoy, you guys!

We're doing things a little bit differently this fall; commencing with a harvest celebration, an indulgence of warm, leafy comforts, and then proceeding with The Spooky Stuff. For now? One bad apple...

Discord - Golden apples fairly glowing in a resinous haze of amber and myrrh and dripping with dragon's blood. Previous incarnations of Discord were a far less-complex range of apple and pear notes. This re-invention almost reads like an apple version of our best-selling "Trauma" soap, and is exquisitely under-spoken. Available as both a soap, and a generous 3.5 oz Burn! votive.

Just Right - Apples done up in honey and grandma's own buttery pie crust, steaming Earl, and warm milk so sweet you'll never want to leave. A warm cottage, or a warm prison? Our gourmand contribution to this collection is deliciously sweet and crisp - perfectly balanced. A honey-n-cinnamon heavy soap or an enticingly fragrant Burn!.

Proscription - Apples. Or pomegranates. And does it really matter which? Just out of reach behind a wash of earth and bitter herbs. Why would you even want something you shouldn't have? A typically Villainess approach to a rich, depth of red fruits, this one has intriguingly unpleasant notes to make it memorable. Classic silken soap or a smoke-tinted Burn! unit.

Twistappel - Green apples, sharp and discordant with fresh ginger, acrid leaves and blood-deep wines. Just as mischievous as a crisp autumn breeze, playful and outdoorsy. Because strife is nice? Shimmering green-n-blush polished soap or a softly-flushed Burn!.

This releases' Burn! units vary in form from our usual votives. We've become rather fond of the precious little bomb-shaped jars, and hope to hear that you enjoy them too (we think they'd make fabulous containers for our general catalog scents). Weighing in at 3.5 oz, they are a bit bigger than previous releases, and are formulated (still 100% soy) for better hot-throw. Stunners, I tell you!

This month's Staff Pick Smack! is a two-parter! Designed to complement our apple orchard, Bonfire Days features equal portions Bonfire, Bluegrass, Redwoods and Vanilla Bean, while Harvest Peach celebrates the transition from summer's warmth to autumn's chill with a scoop of Georgia Peach, one Fresh Squeezed Citrus, one Spice Trade and deep Unearthed.

And I'm out, guys! Enjoy!

First, Bonfire Days - Equal portions Bonfire, Bluegrass, Redwoods and Vanilla Bean. Sweet burning leaves and warm woods. And Harvest Peach - Celebrate the transition from summer's warmth to autumn's chill with a scoop of Georgia Peach, one Fresh Squeezed Citrus, one Spice Trade and deep Unearthed.

And be sure to check out our Black Label section. We are down to final/single units on previous releases like Fade, Coffee Break, Trifling, Redux and Quick or Dead Whipped!. Most are discounted, and we're excited to clear the shelves to make room for new loot!

Buy two Smack! items (doesn't matter if they're custom or staff-pick) and the price of a third will be deducted from the cart (you have to add the third one, or we won't know which one you want). You can only do this twice per order.

This sale will expire promptly at the end of 08/31, so... now's the time to act!

Again, thanks you guys, so much for making our birthday month (and 8 long years) perfectly awesome! You make it possible for us to make stuff we love and there's no way to say "Thanks" enough for that!