The Internal Jury

I always like sharing interesting reads I come across while browsing the internet in all my free time (haha) -- this one is particularly special as it comes from the CEO of Pangea Organics, Joshua Onysko. I find his writing very free and true to thought, and also feel as though this specific blog post of his applies to so many different areas of my life. Try it out & let me know what you think...what is your voir dire? 

Voir dire (English pronunciation: vwɑr diər) that which is true. Voir dire is a phrase adopted by the United States legal system and refers to the process of jury member selection (or more appropriately rejection) based off of an individual’s background and potential biases. In origin, it refers to an oath to tell the truth (Latin verum dicere), i.e., to say what is true, what is objectively accurate or subjectively honest in content, or both.

I was recently canoeing across Jenny Lake in the Tetons and my good friend Ian Loyd, who is a public defender in New Mexico, and he was explaining the process of voir dire as it pertains to the United States legal system. He explained that maneuvering this process is an art form; it takes years of practice, often an entire career, to truly perfect.

Voir dire also pertains to our daily lives. We are constantly exercising our internal jury to sift through our thoughts, actions, and reactions. This would be fine if we learned how to hone our voir dire skills and to create a well-vetted internal jury. However, I find that in my own mind I am often too quick to judge myself or a situation I am in. For example, when particular circumstances arise in our lives, we react in a certain way, and we truly believe that our reaction is based on the fullness of our experience…then a few days pass, and we realize that we were actually reacting to a completely separate event and that the original experience was simply a trigger. Imagine if we could see that complete reality first, in every moment. An extreme evolution. It all comes down to the internal jury…seems to be something worth exploring.

I’ll see you in court.

Joshua Scott Onysko

The Rationale Behind Limited Edition Items

There's something very intriguing about limited edition products, more specifically limited edition fragrances. Only so many beautiful bottles are filled, produced and shipped until they run out of that gloriously scent of special. Why are people so attracted to the "one of a kind" nature of these fragrances?

...Is that even a question?

Everybody wants to be unique. Little do they know, they already are. You don't need a limited edition anything to be one in a million. However, I can definitely see the appeal because I get sucked into the must-have vortex every time I see those two magnetic words.

I just had this experience today, while browsing Twitter. Kim Kardashian posted this tweet: "OMG! Check out my limited edition wedding fragrance LOVE! How fab is the bottle?" Wedding fragance? A fab bottle? Neither of those things should interest me because (1) I am not getting married anytime soon, and (2) I want a fab fragrance, not a fab bottle (well, maybe I want a fab-ish bottle). Why did I click on the twitter post and go searching for more information? Why did I have to know about this limited edition fragrance? Come on, smartie, I think you know the answer already. It's because of the "one of a kind" nature of the product. I wanted to be one of the only ones to have my hands on that scent.

After being directed to Miss Kardashian's blog site, I found her detailed post on the fragrance and this accompanying message: "We’ve only produced 1000 bottles… one for me to wear on my wedding day, 200 for my bridal shower, and 799 for you guys!" Now this is clever. The thoughts running through my head after reading this were...

• I could save this perfume to use on my wedding day and then smell like Kim will on hers. 
• Only 799 other "normal" people will have this fragrance? This will be invaluable, I could sell it on Ebay for a fortune!
• Kim's bridal shower will be filled with famous people - 200 of them. I will be using the same fragrance as those famous people! 

Of course, looking over these thoughts afterwards makes me realize how silly they really are.Although many of these thoughts arise from normal impulse purchasing, they mainly arise from the fact that this perfume is being advertised as a "limited edition" item - and people want it! They want to feel elite, they want to feel important, and they want to feel unique. What is most interesting is that Kim's Love perfume is currently "out of stock" (all 799 bottles have been sold) and is available to pre-order on her site. It is not truly a limited edition product because they can make more, and they will.

Please don't get me wrong about Kim's perfume - after reading the beautiful description of the top notes in the scent, I believe it must be absolutely captivating to wear. I also don't have a problem with limited edition advertising - it is a great way for companies to brand themselves and their products as special and high-end. The problem I have is with consumers' rationale when it comes to impulse purchasing, because many people do not think about how silly their rationale is when they go to buy on impulse. It is not a bad thing to have this rationale, as long as you go back and review it's validity before purchasing. One small impulse buy will not blow your bank account, but they will start to pile up and you will regret it. 

Be aware when it comes to advertising - especially "elite" advertising. You are special and unique on your own, and by no means do you need a limited edition item to be different or high class. You need to be you. 

scent full of love,

Jordyn xoxo

Peak and Pit: August 3rd

Peak: I had the best workout ever this morning! Pait and I hit the gym and did 15 min on the elliptical, 30 min weight training, and 15 min on treadmill, followed by some nice relaxing stretches. It's a rainy day here in Sudbury today so a good workout was a great way to start the day!

Pit: rain, rain, go away...

scent full of love,
Jordyn xoxo

Peak and Pit: August 2nd

Peak: We scored three new amazing products in our store today: FarmHouse Fresh hand creams (Fluffy Bunny & Whoopie!) plus YSL's infamous and hard-to-find Opium fragrance. Another peak that I have to add is receiving a beautifully written email from one of our customers all the way from South Carolina, complimenting our site (you know who you are)... Thank you so much for brightening my day!

Pit: Nothing really "pit-ish" about today... my sister & I didn't make it to the gym, but that's minor.

Great day so far! Have been productive and on top of things (knock on wood) -- there's no better time than the present!

Check out the new arrivals here: http://www.smellypatch.com/category-s/20.htm

scent full of love,
Jordyn xoxo

What is the SP University Affiliate Program?

It's a super easy way to earn money and a fantastic way of gaining business experience at a young age.


1: What Is The University Affiliate Program?

If you are a first year student looking for a great leadership position on campus, and a great way to earn extra money, this program is for you (see eligibility details in section 4).

2: What is An Affiliate?

An affiliate is someone who promotes a product or service to potential customers, in exchange for a commission on the sale when one occurs. In this case, an affiliate is somebody promoting Smelly Patch & its products to potential customers at their University, in exchange for 10% comission on the selling price when one occurs.

An affiliate is not:

• a commission sales person
• an employee of Smelly Patch

3: How Do You Make Money?

If you know plenty of people, making money is simple with this affiliate program. As an affiliate, all you have to do is (1) hand out coupon code cards on campus, (2) get those people to buy from SP, (3) hand out more cards!

If you're thinking "I don't have 1000 friends"... well, do you have 1000 acquaintances? How many first year students are there entering your University? How many people do you suppose walk the streets of your campus everyday? And how many of those people are looking for deals on things they love? The coupon code cards you will be handing out will give these people 10% off anything they order on www.smellypatch.com, an online beauty boutique carrying products that they will absolutely adore.

One last thing... these coupon codes are personalized. This means we have an easy way of tracking the number of people buying on our store using your coupon code, which also means we have an easy way to track your sales. If you want to up your sales, we have countless resources available to all of our University representatives that will be discussed once you become an affiliate. We also promote social networking, so you can make sales off campus as well.

4: Are You Eligible?

To be eligible for the Smelly Patch University Affiliate Program, you must comply with all of the following regulations:

1. Must be 17 years of age or older
2. Must be enrolled in University for 2011/2012 year as a first year student
3. Must be enrolled in a University located in Canada
4. Must not be employed by a company of conflicting interest (in beauty industry) while an affiliate of The Irie Group (hereby known as Smelly Patch)
5. Must have access to a computer/laptop with an internet connection
6. Must be able to set up a personal PayPal account
   
   
   Visit our site for more details: http://www.smellypatch.com/affiliate_info.asp

scent full of love,
Jordyn & Paityn xoxo

How Do I Request a Product?

No matter how hard to find, or rare an item, 95% of the time we can find it for you!

All you have to do to request a product is send an email to service@smellypatch.com with the subject "Product Request" and a message detailing the product you are looking for (brand, product name...).

When we find your unique product & get it in stock, you will receive 10% off your purchase of that product! Can it get any more fun?

scent full of love,
Jordyn & Paityn xoxo

How to Use Your Free $10 Credit

Hey there, SP Beauty Member! 

We need to let you know when & how to use your free $10 credit, and forgot to mention this in our last email (silly of us, we know). 

When: After you have $30+ worth of items in your shopping cart, you may apply the SP10OFF coupon code.

How: In the "coupon" box on your shopping cart page, enter "SP10OFF" 

It's super easy to use, and super fun as well! We hope you've been checking out our YouTube videos on the Our2Scents channel and that you have entered our Facebook contest to win free beauty products for a year - so many opportunities and SO much time in the summer! We love the warm weather and the lazy Sunday days. 

If you have any questions, send us a message - we'd be happy to help. See you on the flip side! 

scent full of love,

Jordyn & Paityn xoxo