Alchimia Apothecary

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlchimiaApothecary

http://www.indieknow.net/2014/01/company-overview-alchimia-apothecary.html

Excellent customer service, fast shipping, and a lovely product. I've ordered twice, and fully intend to order more. The shop owner is very open and available (both on reddit and Facebook). Cannot recommend enough

Wonderful shop! Great perfumes -- wide variety, and the owner is a total darling about helping you to design a custom scent as well. Prompt shipping and wrapped very, very well.

So far only put in 1 order, was for 5 samples and the sample size set of the Ladies of Firefly perfume set. They shipped out quickly and arrived in a cute little organza pouch with some free samples of matte eyeshadow. I noticed that of the 5 samples 1 was missing and another one was included twice. I contacted the owner and she shipped out the missing one promptly with another sample of some lip balm.

I've made a couple of orders now and I'm really happy with the products! Erin's customer service goes above and beyond what's reasonable or expected. When I discovered one of my orders was missing an item, I let her know, and she immediately shipped out the item along with two bonus items! It was unexpected and unnecessary but totally sweet. I can't wait until her new website and products launch!

I've been seeing their name thrown around here and have read some positive reviews. Since I'm currently on the pursuit of trying out indie fragrances, I decided to purchase some samples from them. I ordered from their Etsy store and received the package in 6 days. However, the package was empty, except for the invoice. Long story short: The fragrance samples were stolen from my package by someone at USPS.

I immediately contacted the owner, Erin, to let her know what had happened, mainly to ask if any insurance might've been placed on the package before I filed a claim with USPS. Erin was very friendly and even apologetic (when it wasn't her fault) during the whole ordeal. I decided to order the same samples from her again in hopes that the previous order was a fluke. After letting her know, she actually offered to comp the order! It wasn't a large amount and I was willing to pay again for them, but it was very much appreciated. I received the package in 8 days, where everything was intact, so I was happy.

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Alright, so from the samples, I fell in love with Sex & Violets and I also liked Juju Monster.

Sex & Violets is a nice sweet floral scent. It's a little on the musky side and I thought it might be a bit overbearing since my body amps up the musk, but it didn't. It definitely clings to the skin though after the dry down, so you're not blasting the room with your scent. It is a little on the heady side, so this is something that is more suited for a nighttime scent. The fragrance is described as "sweet and playful, yet sexy and mysterious. The sweet floral body of violets blends perfectly with playful juicy peaches and exotic freesia."

Juju Monster is so fruity! I don't usually go for scents like this, and when wet, the fragrance reminds me of medicine, but the dry down had me sniffing it constantly. It does eventually mellow down resulting in a soft fruity scent that isn't too overpowering. The store describes it as being "packed with a monster amount of fruit and berries. Sharp and bold scents of black current weave around the juicy trickles of mulberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and rich, wonderful cherries."

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This resulted with another order. After placing the order for the full-sizes, the package was supposed to arrive in 6 days. However, USPS came up again, but with an alert saying that the package could not be delivered as addressed and that it will be returned to the sender. -Wut?- I'm seriously starting to believe that there is someone at the post office who recognizes the brand's name and wants the products for themselves. I had to go to the post in person and try to pick it up from there. When inquired about the package, a guy at the post said that it was probably because the address on the package was incorrect. -Wut?-

It took them awhile to finally find my package and I noticed two things: (1) the package was wrapped in mustache-print tape; (2) my address listed on there was correct. -Seriously USPS?-

It turns out that Erin remembered the trouble with USPS and took the time to wrap that package up with tape - and mustache printed tape at that!

Now, onto the bottles themselves. After all the indie fragrances I have ordered, I was very happy with the bottles from Alchimia Apothecary. They're still 5ml bottles, but they have a dropper where it makes it easier to put on the product without accidentally spilling it all over yourself. To paint a clearer picture, there's a hard plastic top with a small hole in the middle for the perfume oil to come out. Flipping it over doesn't automatically cause the product to spill out and it's best to just tap it against your skin to dispense the product. It is just awesome.

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All in all, this post covers a long period of time, a highly possible postal thief, great customer service from AA, and great perfume oil packaging. A sample of the their new lip products was also included, but I haven't tried that yet. Along with a fast processing and shipping time, I will definitely purchase from her again.

When AA posted about their first Manic Monday sale, I pounced on the opportunity to try out the recently launched cosmetics line and made an order. Later that day, I decided I wanted to try my first indie perfumes and order the Ladies of Firefly sample set. I emailed Erin, and she was very prompt in her response. She offered to send me a paypal invoice and waive any additional shipping. The order was sent within 6 days of my order date, well within the stated 12-14 day turnaround time.

Here is my review of the cosmetics.

I haven't received my order yet (I just placed it less than a week ago), but I ordered in bulk for a decant circle, and a couple of days ago got an email from Robert asking how many people were participating so that they could send enough free samples that everyone could get one. It's the little things, and even though I don't have product in hand, I know they've made a repeat customer out of me

Fast, polite customer service! I placed a Black Friday order, but decided to cancel it. Robert got back to me within minutes, and I was able to re-order quickly
I purchased the 5 Vial Sample Pack, and two sets of incense. Everything arrived well packaged and unbroken- the samples came in a cellophane tube, the incense was wrapped with light cardboard, and everything was wrapped in bubble wrap. The mini vials came with stoppers on them, which I really appreciate!

Scents I ordered:
First In Show- First whiff from the bottle it didn't seem very strong at all, just mildly floral, but once dabbed on, it becomes a fresh, sophisticated bouquet of flowers with a clean, almost soapy undertone. The gardenia is prominent, as is the violet, with a bit of sweet honeysuckle rounding it out.
Druid Fluid- Fresh cut grass, with a hint of spicy. I feel like this one falls a little flat, but it is really nice, just wish it has a little more oomph to it!
Midwest Forest Floor- I had to let this one sit a while to really get a good idea of what this smelled like. Wet it is very mushroomy, dark and damp. On the skin this continues, and becomes more green with wear. Layers great with a floral!
By Any Other Name- Just like roses! Almost sweet, but not sugary sweet. Perfect spring or summer scent, it works really nicely in winter as well. I think this may be my favorite
Realm of the Woods- Very masculine scent. The musky sandalwood and cedarwood stand out on this one, I didn't really catch much else. Just very manly, all day I felt like I had hugged a dude wearing too much cologne. Did not like, but will pass along to a male friend.
Ivy & Oak - This was a free GWP and is not part of their perfume collection, but is available as incense. Another fresh plant scent, this one reminds me of something that I just can't quite put my finger on. I really love this and think it would compliment By Any Other Name or First in Show really nicely. Doesn't last very long, but I love it regardless~

Incense- Both of these are very strong, even from the bags they are in. Will update when I use them!
Geisha
Sex & Violets


Overall, I'm really happy with my purchase, and am looking forward to ordering more from AA. I think I might try the 'Ladies of the Sky' collection next

I emailed Alchimia Apothecary to see if I could make a purchase and direct ship to a friend. I got a fast response, and was very happy to find that they had no issues accommodating my request. I pleased my order and it was received well within TAT at my friends home. Great experience all around.

I ordered from Alchimia Apothecary when the body truffles were offered. I was expecting a long TAT because the owner said they were not easy to make and would probably not ship/arrive until after Valentine's day. I was able to get my package within 7 business days, I believe. It was better than other brands with general catalogs.

I'm really impressed with the packaging and scents. I ordered the body truffles, Layer Cake, and samples of Magma, Apple Tree, and A La Gory. I enjoy everything I purchased. Layer Cake didn't have a sample size, so I did a risky blind buy; but it ended up being my favorite of the bunch. I've used one body truffle so far, and it's wonderful on my dry elbows and knees. I am more than happy to try the brand again in the future.

I have only ordered from Alchimia Apothecary once. My order went smoothly and I had no reason to contact them. My ordered was shipped out within TAT. It was packaged safely. I really enjoyed the scents I ordered. I haven't had much experience with indie perfume oils but out of the ones I have these are some of my favorites. I love Sex and Violets. It's one of my favorite perfumes. I would recommend this shop.