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| Black Violet will have you smelling lovely every step of the way. |
It's the perfect storm for purchasing: a new shop, an appealing list of fragrances, and a coupon code. So when Black Violet arrived on the scene and hit all three points, how could I say no?
Black Violet
A relatively new indie bath and body shop, Black Violet's goal is to craft products and fragrances that evoke a certain mood, all keeping things vegan friendly with phthalate & paraben free ingredient. Being a relatively new shop, I imagine there will be all kinds of exciting new developments and offerings in the future!
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| I like the custom wax seal. |
Packaging:
Considering the shop's name, I felt it was fitting that my order was wrapped up in black and purple packaging! My order was very secure and nothing spilled. Plus, candy! I'm a sucker for little bonuses in my order, and receiving a handwritten thank you (as shown in the first picture) adds a nice personal touch.
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| I wish it had a seal! |
My full-sized perfume bottle was in the classic 0.35oz glass roll-on bottle with a handwritten label. My sample bottles were in adorable little half-dram glass bottles with polyseal caps, all with handwritten labels. My only packaging qualm was a sample jar of body butter because it lacked any kind of protective/hygienic seal underneath the lid. I'm not a seasoned veteran when it comes to body butters, but I personally feel some kind of seal would be good not only to guarantee freshness, but it also helps prevent spillage.
Selection:
Being a relatively new indie shop, Black Violet's catalog is understandably smaller than others, but it still definitely holds its own. Everything is based on their core library of fragrances, so it's a good idea to sample them first before deciding which you like. You can pick your favorite fragrance for body butter, their "body emulsion" cream (a lightweight body moisturizer), detangler mist, hair conditioner, shower gel, or just straight-up perfume oil. So if you find a fragrance that tickles your fancy, you can get the whole set of products in that one scent.
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| Super cute sample drams! |
Samples:
I ordered one collection of "Pick Your Potion" - three half-dram mini bottles inside a little cotton muslin bag. Their website states that as of November 14th, these are now in larger sizes, but since my order was placed long before that, I can't remark on the sizes.
I will say that this page was a little confusing - instead of cherry-picking which four you want, there's a dropdown with pre-populated assortment choices. I ended up including a note to the seller with the four I was interested in, but I find this selection method to be a bit strange.
Quality:
Overall I'm pretty pleased with my purchase from Black Violet. While some fragrances were a bit of a hit-or-miss, the overall quality of the product is decent. None of them last as long on me as other indie perfumes, but they're still very pleasant. The texture of the perfume oil is silky smooth and sinks in readily as well. I'm hoping as the shop grows they'll offer more fragrances choices!
Cost:
The prices Black Violet sets are pretty fair to me, not too high but not a suspiciously low bargain either.
Perfume:
- Pick Your Poison: $12 USD for 4 ($3 apiece)
- Full-sized roll-on: $14USD for 0.35oz
Bath:
- Detangler Mist: $8USD for 4oz
- Hydra Conditioner: $8USD for 4oz, $14 for 8oz
- Triple Shower Gel: $11 for 8oz
Body:
- Body Butter: $8USD for 4oz
- Body Emulsion moisturizer: $10USD for 8oz
Customer Service:
I exchanged a message with Leilani about my Pick Your Potion samples, and she was great! She let me select a fragrance mini as my free sample instead of receiving something random (although I still received a random sample of body butter regardless!) She was prompt, professional, and friendly.
TAT:
I placed my order on a Thursday and received it in 7 business days, which is pretty on-par with most indie companies.
Shipping:
For shipping within the US, flat-rate shipping is $4 for one item, $8 for two or more. Packages ship USPS Priority, unless under a pound- may travel USPS First Class. International buyers fill out the contact form with their address and list of products to receive a quote based on USPS First Class shipping by weight and destination.
Personal Thoughts:
Black Violet might be a new shop, but between pleasant fragrance options and a shop owner who is eager to please, I think it's definitely worth taking a look. Even if you aren't into indie perfumes, their bath and body products are fairly priced and there's enough of a variety to keep you interested and curious. I also find the ability to choose an entire set of bath and body products all in your fragrance of choice to be very appealing, especially if you're the type of person who wants to smell like their signature scent all the time.
Thank you so much for reviewing Black Violet, Lisa! I enjoy reading your blog supporting indie shops, especially during the holidays to avoid big box retailers. Sidenote: Seals are not available from the manufacturer in this small sample size for body products, which are similar to the high quality jars given by Sephora when they opened and don't contain seals. Pick Your Potion has 18 selections to choose from. On opening day, there was an independent option made available by request which had to be placed in PayPal notes. Big Cartel does not have 'Note To Seller' available in the cart. With a handful forgetting to choose fragrances and a few not reachable during processing, the option was removed to provide smooth checkout. Prompt & accurate customer service is very important and proper stock count thru our cart is the best choice for us. ♥ Thanks for the support of my shop!
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