Welcome to La Vie Luna Apothecary, your one-stop-shop for all of your magical self-care needs.
I am so glad you’re here. My name’s Emily, and I am the owner and maker behind La Vie Luna. I wanted to take some time to introduce myself, to let you know about my intentions for La Vie Luna, and what you can expect from me and Luna as a customer.
Who am I?
As mentioned, my name is Emily and I was born and raised in Quincy, Massachusetts. In 2013, I started diving deep into the world of natural and DIY skin-care, completely ditching my prescription acne treatments and replacing them with oil cleansing, witch hazel, and essential oils. I would make my own body scrubs and gift them to people for birthdays and Christmas. I experimented with my own soaps and lotions, and even some hair products. As I got older and life got busier, I lost touch with my DIY side (even though it was always in the back of my mind).
Fast forward to the summer of 2019. I was back living with my parents and really struggling with my mental health. My anxiety and depression were affecting my physical health, and I felt completely stuck. However, my intuition kept telling me to make things. I had the urge to craft, to use my hands, to be creative. I wondered if this was my mind’s way of telling me to do something with my hands in order to get out of my head (later on I would come to learn that crafting and working with your hands are actually greatly beneficial ways to deal with your anxiety).
So I listened. I found myself on Amazon looking for things to craft, and I stumbled upon a DIY candle kit. I didn’t hesitate to buy it. When the kit came, I asked my mom if she wanted to have a girls day; go to the farmer’s market and then make candles, and we did. Once we started making the candles, I fell in love. I completely got lost in the process and it was almost as if my hands took over.
That night, I researched every thing candle making. Although my mind was spinning with ideas for fragrances and vessels, I did learn about the mass-production downsides of candle-making I learned about all of the nasty things that big brand stores use in their candles, such as paraffin wax (a petroleum oil byproduct) and lead in the candle wicks (even though lead was banned from candle wicks in 2003, tests have been done on candles and they are still in circulation today).
Once I learned this, not only did I throw all of my mainstream paraffin wax candles away, I made a promise to myself that I would only ever create candles that I felt comfortable enough to burn around my nieces. That meant they had to be natural, safe, and not-toxic. Even through the evolution of La Vie Luna, this mission has stayed true and has been my main driving force.
How La Vie Luna came to be
Luna Handcrafted was the name I gave my little side hobby that started in my bedroom in 2019. I officially launched in October of 2019 with my first ever “Candles and Cocktails” party, and have been building my side hobby into a business ever since.
As I’ve been selling candles, I’ve also been working on my mental health. Part of my “Mental Health Toolbox” is self-care. I need to make sure I’m taking time for myself, both physically and mentally. Self-care is a broad term, and looks different on everybody, but to me, the part of my own self-care practice that I love the most s the part where I get to slow down and connect to myself. The part where I sit down, open a book or journal, and shut the world out for a bit. The part where I take a bath, drop a bath bomb in, and then listen to my favorite music. The part where I apply my DIY body oil while saying affirmations to myself. The part where I practice yoga and meditate. All of these things are extremely important to me, and I wanted to bring it into my business.
There comes a point in everyone’s life where the magic seems goes away. Whether that’s due to your struggles with mental health, the weight of the world is too heavy, or for absolutely no reason at all, things can seem dull. I want to help people connect to themselves and bring the magic back into their lives through magical self-care.
I now offer the same signature candles I have been making since 2019 along with other home fragrance items such as reed diffusers, wax melts, and aromatherapy sprays, handmade soaps, handmade body oils, and ritual items such as crystals, smudge sticks, and journals.
La Vie Luna’s promise & intention
I promise to always provide you with safe, natural, and non-toxic self care products. I intend to provide you with transparency, education, and clarity around what you put in or on your body. I hope that you learn from me what you need, and feel free to leave the rest. I promise to continue to learn, grow, and educate myself so that I can continue providing you with the safest and most beneficial products. No matter your experience with self-care, you have a home with La Vie Luna and I am so glad that you are here.