Nurture's Micas

[vmakkers]

I received my order from the Nuture sale and I'm sad to say I was a little disappointed.

One of my neon jars weren't sealed correctly and some spilled in the box. I was sent the wrong size for a fragrance oil and was missing two colorants.

The most disappointing part of my order was that the micas weren't weighed correctly. I noticed the weights of the micas weren't exactly very equal and then I had two micas that you could just tell were under weight by picking it up. I ended up weighing all the micas I ordered and I would say 20% of the colors were clearly under the 1oz weight because they barely weighed 1.0x with the bag. I had two that were clearly under 1oz, weighing in at .81 and .947 with the bag. Now I know this sounds a bit petty but I mean 5 grams of colorant is the sample size that they do charge for, and I pretty much got shorted on 20% of my colorant order. I ordered almost every colorant they had so that 20% does end up to a few ozs of colorants I was shorted.

Carrie is sending me replacements for the two bags that are significantly lower than the 1oz but it's still disappointing to know that I was really shorted on a lot of the micas. It seemed a bit much to complain about 20% of the colorants but it all adds up, especially when I'm on a tight budget.

I know they must've been super busy from the sale but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. I had such high hopes for them after all the reviews I've read on the forums.

 

[Cindy2428]

Wow- I can understand your disappointment. I would feel the same way. I'm glad Carrie is working with you to make it right.

 

[cmzaha]

I have had this happen with WSP and containers of butters, when I was still newish at soaping and only ordered 1 lb containers of butters, most were short 2 oz, which is a significant shortage or multiple containers. Any shortage adds up for the supplier. I am glad she is replacing them for you as she should

 

[Teahouse]

Oh wow. I thought I was the only one with the issue with the Mica weight....I had one jar that was a little over half full of mica stamped 4oz, but all my other mica's I compared them to looked less then half full and weight less then 4oz... I don't know how to go to Carrie about this issue as I ordered A LOT of mica

does anyone know the exact weight of the 4oz and 1oz jar EMPTY so that I could subtract it from the weight of the full jar so i can make a list of the difference?

 

[Cindy2428]

I definitely think Carrie wants to know about this. On my last order approx. 2 months ago - 18 bags of 4oz packages and all of them were over weight. Only 1 was within 1 gram. I used a .001 gram scale and didn't even scrape out every little bit.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with her wanting to know. I too have checked mine and they have been a bit over mot times or very close. Her customer service is top notch. Quick fixes too.

 

[newbie]

You'd have to go by weight for sure and not the appearance of the jar because I'm sure there are some weight difference from color to color. I don't have any empties but you could transfer the contents of one of your 4 ounce jars and one of the 1 ounce jars to ziploc bags, and then weigh the jars. Then you can transfer the micas back. I don't think you'll lose a ton unless you spill. Even if you lose a little bit, it would probably be worth knowing what the weights are so you can check the others.

I have never thought to weigh my micas.

 

[Teahouse]

Yeah, I think I will be weighting each of my jars today and making a list of how much is really in the jar and making a list to send over to Customer service if that is the case.

 

[not_ally]

I do think the variation is frustrating, but I don't think it is just Nurture, though. I have not ordered micas from her, I want to, they get such good reviews - tried during the sales but had too much of a problem signing on both times - but know when I have ordered from other places I have eyeballed the bags/jars and said, OK, if this is (eg) 2 oz, this other one is not. This might have to do w/newbie's thoughts about volume based on color, but it has been pretty readily apparent to the naked eye.

Also possible that they are both at least 2 oz, and one is actually more, but seems unlikely. I have never gone forward and weighed b/c as a hobbyist, micas last for a long time and I guess I am just too lazy/not worth it to me. If I was doing this for sale and watching margins I would probably be more careful and make a note of where the mistakes seemed to pop up.

 

[snappyllama]

I know the volume of certain micas by weight varys wildly. One yellow I get is so light that it appears to be almost double of the other micas with the same weight. 1oz was actually packaged in a typical 3 oz container. Some pigments are so dense they look like I'm getting drastically shorted. Their 1oz jars are barely half full.

Try weighing them out. If it turns out that you're short, I'm sure NSS will take care of it for you.

 

[kchaystack]

And this is why you never use volume measurements if you want to be exact in your recipes. Carrie is also on this board and posts sometimes. Her company is great and I have every faith in her .

 

[Teahouse]

I was going to measure it out today but I can't seem to find my scale! talk about divine intervention. I ordered a new one so hopefully it is as some say, some mica's are more dense then others.

 

[Cosmo]

vmmakers, I sincerely apologize for your micas being underweight. We do take the issue very seriously. As of now, 3 people have written us and let us know that some micas are underweight. We promptly replaced those micas, but we also took care of the problem. We use a machine to fill micas for us, and it is very sensitive and needs calibrated intermittently. Recently, I disassembled the machine, calibrated it, and reset the sensors. I also have the fill weight for each mica set higher than the weight sold. For example, a one ounce jar is set to be 2 grams higher than 1 ounce. We also weigh each bag and jar that comes off the machine.

For the bags and jars we have already filled, we are weighing those too. I can pretty much guarantee that it won't happen again. I have let the staff know that the issue is very important, as I do not want anyone to be shorted. Not because of what people may or may not say (and please always say something), but because people deserve to get what they pay for!

If you did get any micas that are underweight, please do not hesitate to tell us. We will make it right!

For jars that look like they are more full than others, the reason is mica varies greatly in density. If a mica has a micron size of 10-25, for example, it will be much more dense than a mica that is 100 microns. You will definitely see a noticeable difference of volume in the jar or bag, but the weight is the same. One of our densest product is the glow powder. It looks like you're not getting much by looking at the jar but the powder is really heavy. Because of this one ounce will look like a little over 5 grams of mica.

If anyone has any issues/concerns please feel free to share them here. I will keep an eye on the thread and answer any questions you may have, whether it be product questions, color questions, etc.

 

[Lindy]

Thank you Cosmo....

 

[newbie]

Okay, I know this is off the topic of weighs and all, but since you're reading, Carrie, will you consider developing some micas that give those dark rich colors, like deep red, deep purple and a deep blueberry? I keep trying to make them from what I have but can never quite get what I want. I sent you an email with pictures but it was just before your website switch and I doubt new micas stayed on the radar.

Thank you for responding on these threads as well. You have fantastic customer service.

 

[Cosmo]

Okay, I know this is off the topic of weighs and all, but since you're reading, Carrie, will you consider developing some micas that give those dark rich colors, like deep red, deep purple and a deep blueberry? I keep trying to make them from what I have but can never quite get what I want. I sent you an email with pictures but it was just before your website switch and I doubt new micas stayed on the radar.

Thank you for responding on these threads as well. You have fantastic customer service.

Newbie, I lost so much email when our server crashed. It was messy.

You would definitely have to send emails to give me an idea of what colors you're looking for. For deep red I think of red vibrance, deep purple would be Wisteria purple, and deep blue would be Klein, Vallarta, or Nautical blue. I think rather than reformulate and introduce new micas, it would be awesome to have a mixing guide! I did just hire another employee so I will have more time for product development which is my first love aside from soap itself. I have been thinking about a mixing guide for awhile now.

Please send me your pictures if you still have them to [email protected].

And thank you!!!!

Also, I wanted to say that we did purchase new lids because vmmakers was not the only one to have mica spilling. We were sealing the lids tight but the threads were not right and the lids were allowing mica to spill in transit. We actually changed our product packaging quite a bit. I will post pictures soon to show everyone!

 

[Lindy]

Cosmo you could put white electrical tape around the lid as well to keep spills to a minimum... just a suggestion.

 

[not_ally]

Carrie, thanks for stepping up, admitting to mistakes, and assuring that they will be fixed. I know you have been under the gun lately, the web site problems must be waking you up at night. But thanks for hanging in there and continuing to make a good product available. Like I said, I tried to order during the sales b/c I have heard so many good things, was unable to, will just have to bite the bullet and buy at the regular price, it sounds like your stuff is worth it!

I think BB has amazing customer service but for the 4 months or so that I ordered from them (I still do on things I cannot get anywhere else) I had continual problems with their packaging. At that time was doing MP, the plastic wrapping on many of the base blocks was torn b/c so brittle, in every single delivery. They were great about replacing things - I really do think they have excellent CS. But they never said "we are having a problem w/the wrap on our bases and are working to fix it" - or whatever, I think that would have been better. I just found another source for my SFIC MP bases b/c I didn't want to deal with emailing every time after a delivery, even if they were willing to make it right, especially since it didn't seem like they acknowledged that there might be a problem at that end. You are approaching things the right way, thanks.

 

[Cosmo]

Cosmo you could put white electrical tape around the lid as well to keep spills to a minimum... just a suggestion.

Lindy, I've thought about, but right now I'm going for aesthetics and I'm hoping that the new lids will work. I've used them before and never had a problem. It was when we switched over to the new ribbed lids that the problem started. If anything, I think I would start sealing them, in the same way soap is sealed with shrink wrap bands.

not_ally, you're welcome! I'm kind of a perfectionist. When I see things go weird I want to fix it right away. And yes, the site issues were a nightmare. I feel like if we can make it through that, we can make it through anything. I can't see ever giving up on Nurture. It's not just a business to me. It's my life and my heart and soul. I built this company from nothing. I think it would take death or something close to make me ever quit!

 

[not_ally]

Carrie, I think credibility is everything in business (not just soap, all kinds, and in life as well). Part of that includes being forthright when things go wrong, as they always do at some point. People are much more willing to trust you if you admit that and take ownership, especially if you have a product that they want. You can always fix mistakes that you acknowledge, much harder to win back trust once it has been lost, which is why I think you are doing the right thing. From what little I know of you and Nurture, I really believe you are going to work the hard stuff out, no matter how hard in the short-term. FWIW, I think you have many well-wishers in your corner in this (maybe) difficult time.