The Good and The Forbidden
The whole loot; all formulated and blended by us!
Ah. The memory is still clear to me. Three months ago, I joined Skin Dewi Organic Skincare Workshop. Not wanting to have any expectations, actually leaving me home with all the priceless experience and new knowledge. The workshop made me feel like I’m still in the same world but in a different dimension. Stepping into a whole new level. Refreshing and stimulating, yet still familiar.
Have you read these posts? You should. They will fill you in.
Hello!
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I can’t tell you enough there were butterflies in my stomach that Wednesday morning. It oddly reminded me of day one at a new school. These little jitters. New environment. Meeting new faces. I kept telling myself “you’ll be fine, you’ll be alright”. One thing for sure though, I can’t wait for the class to start.
It’s worth noting that I intentionally didn’t read the Skin Dewi workshop module beforehand. I didn’t know the details of what we’re going to do in the next 3 days. All I knew that it’s going to be about organic skincare formulation. It was a deliberate and wise decision on my end because I wanted to start with a clean slate. No prejudgments. I didn’t want to fill my head with certain expectations or assumptions. Coming in with an open mind had indeed served me well throughout the course.
I am actually conflicted whether or not I should tell you what we did in the workshop. I feel like I might be giving you too many spoilers. But I’ll throw breadcrumbs here and there 😉
Not too long ago, I was beginning to feel that my routine (in general) has started to get stagnant and it tickles me slowly but surely. Work is consuming my mental health more than ever (FYI, The Fruit Compote is my channel to de-stress). Beauty world-wise, I’m, as always, ecstatic that I’m discovering more and more new brands with different perspectives and approaches coming into the market. I’m delighted that even more local brands are popping out one after another, though I have some reservations about the redundancy in terms of product offerings. Regardless, full support here for the effort. But some days, it seemingly feels like it’s just another day at work, so to say.
It’s not that I’m not thankful or excited about the launches. Believe me, I do, most likely more than ordinary consumers. I would still have lemmings and wishlist here and there. But I don’t think I can escape this little knock in my consciousness, not for any longer. In the back of my mind, it started to dawn on me that no matter what it is, the level of suspense is more or less the same. Some highs and some lows. And that’s pretty much it. I almost have seen it before. However, let me get this straight. It’s not the offerings, it’s me.
I need a refreshment. A change.
In the continuation of DECIEM‘s office visit in Toronto, I was also able to do an interview with none other than Brandon Truaxe, the company’s founder. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see him in person as he is very busy (obviously!). So no selfies here 🙁 But, email is the next best thing.
Let me be honest. Compiling the questions were easy. Sure. I had a lot to ask. Editing and sorting them out however, is a whole other story. After reading different interviews and articles, including his informative replies on Caroline Hirons‘ blog post, I knew the man is a genius. He is very different (hence, the “abnormal” reference) and that is a breath of fresh air in the beauty industry that can get a little too dictating, confining and repetitive at times. At least that’s how I feel more than a few times lately.
I just want to know his opinions and insights on almost everything! But, I can’t ask him to spend the entire day answering my questions, right? Hopefully, the ones I picked will feed your curiosity too, at least some.
Let’s get to it!
If it wasn’t for Puche, I wouldn’t have known DECIEM in the first place. Thanks to her, I got to know one of the brands under its umbrella, NIOD, sometime last year and eventually the marvelous work of Brandon Truaxe, the company’s founder. From there on, my curiosities peaked and found out that DECIEM is from Canada. What’s even better, it’s from Toronto no less; the city where I went to college and a witness to some of the most important events in my life.
It truly is wondrous how the universe works. I knew DECIEM just opened their first retail store in Toronto sometime ago and at the time I had already purchased a flight ticket to the city for my brother’s wedding. I was really excited to finally get to see the products in real life. I have every intention to visit the store and this is where it gets even more interesting.
A completely harmless conversation occurred:
B (Bro) : You know, I have a friend who works in a skincare lab. If you want, I can introduce you to her so you can check it out.
K (me) : (hearing the word “lab”, I instantly asked) DECIEM?!?!?!?!
The rest is history, written on this post. Through this friend, I was able take a tour inside DECIEM‘s spacious headquarter and really, living the dream like a child in a candy store. This is to me, like watching How It’s Made live, without the LCD screen.
Warning, this is a picture-heavy post.
As soon as I saw the building, my heart palpitated.
Every time there’s a new skincare brand comes into Indonesia, I get excited. Because the more the merrier! We all know we need more variety of skincare offerings here, don’t you agree?
The new-ish brand that recently landed on Sephora Indonesia is a brand that is new to my ears. But having to do a little bit of research beforehand and got invited to the intimate gathering/workshop last week, I have a better understanding about the brand’s history and philosophy. The event is hosted by Natalie Seah, Sales Manager of Crème Simon. She also shared quite a few tips and tricks!
Without further adieu, here’s Crème Simon.
