We Love Lazartigue!
In honor of the very special beauty event coming up at Thompson Alchemists, we are running a super cool promo with J.F Lazartigue…$99 for the soy milk strengthening shampoo, conditioner and mask…plus it all comes in a sweet travel bag!
Related Blog Posts:
It’s been so busy in the Thompson World that we’ve completely forgotten to introduce our corner of the interwebz to one of our new favorite natural lines that hails all the way from South Africa.
Aromatic Apothecary is this really awesome line that harnesses the power of aromatherapy in their line which ranges from stress relief to muscle rubs. They’re all made with pure essential oils distilled from many different plants that all have a powerful effect on our body — both mentally and physically. Aromatic Apothecary has carved out an unique niche for themselves in our busy, super modernized 21st century.
FocusSniff is what I’ll be focusing (haha!) on today. This little miracle in a tube has pretty much been my saving grace this semester. Biology can be a very interesting subject but for some reason I found myself dozing off during the most important parts of my lecture. Made with peppermint, rosemary, lemon and geranium, this tiny inhaler thats perfect for stuffing in your pockets packs a punch when inhaled deeply through your nostrils and brings you to an optimal state of concentration and alertness. I can still remember the four structures to a protein and can rattle off all of the different kinds of chemical bonds involved!
Now, I’m using SinusSniff – an inhaler packed with powerful plants like eucalyptus and peppermint that banishes all stuffy noses to kingdom come, but THAT’S a different story…
P.S. — I got an A in bio. 
An email that we just recieved:
Regardless of all the insanity that has surrounded Thompson Chemists in the past few months, we have still not lost sight of whats important…YOU! 
As always we put our efforts in trying to find the newest, most exciting lines out there and making them available to you. The importance of supporting local businesses and natural products is never lost on us and we always try our hardest to find those companies that make a difference.
Created by the wonderfully knowledgable MJ, MJ’s Herbals are a collection of healing salves all handmade by MJ herself. With a rich background in herbalism and holistic healing, MJ made sure that her salves are chemical-free and certified organic. (Not only that, but they actually WORK!) We have difficulty keeping MJ’s Herbals fully stocked since customers love them so much! Packaged in portable glass jars, the Lavender E Salve is perfect for headaches, the Arnica Salve rids you of bruises and muscle aches, Calendula for wounds and skin care, the First Aid as an antiseptic, antibacterial salve, and the Breast Balm to help strengthen breast tissue. Hand-pressed with care by MJ, it is very easy to fall in love with these wonderful, multipurpose salves.
With the discontinuation of (my favorite) Alabu scent, Purely Herbal, (Alabu, please bring it back!!!) new scents have been added to our already impressive repertoire including garden trellis, peppermint and lavender delight..each smell more lovely than the next. As Emily explained in a previous blog Alabu produces natural, locally hand made soaps that are ideal for all types of skin.
Loving Naturals was actually requested by a customer of ours and ever since we got it in it keeps flying off the shelves like candy and it is not difficult to understand why! Founded by two parents in attempts to provide their newborn baby with natural products and since they felt wary about all other sunscreens on the market, they created their own. This simple, totally organic SPF 30+ sunscreen has since then rocketed to the number 1 safest sunscreen spot on the EWG’s Skin Deep database.
Babo Botanicals was created in the same manner, a single mother earnestly trying to provide her two kids with safe baby grooming products and not being able to find any, decided to draw on her previous experiences in product development and Babo Botanicals was born! High in professional quality, organic and free of all “icky chemicals”, we are ecsatic to have Babo with us.
It makes us happy to see that these wonderful people and families out there put so much love and dedication into what they do, they fit in right with us at TC. 
Posted in Hair & Skin Care, Health & Wellness
Tagged Alabu, Babo Botanicals, Loving Naturals, MJ's Herbals
Each TC Staffer puts so much love and dedication into what we do and we adore every single one of our customers. As a result, it is so rewarding for us to see that the appreciation is returned! We want to express our heartfelt thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker for noticing our commitment and mentioning us in her newest interview about her favorite places in SoHo with Chanel News.
Since we are here to make you guys happy, it makes us ecstatic to know that we have earned your recognition!
Posted in Thompson News & Events
At two o’clock in the morning on Monday, April 5th, I received a text message telling me the news. There had been a horrible electrical fire at 137 Thompson St, where Thompson Chemists is located. The damage was extensive and everything was lost. Thankfully, the fire was contained and did not spread to any of the building’s residents, nor was anyone hurt due to the sixty phenomenal firefighters who responded to the call.
When I arrived five hours later, the scene completely devastated me. The ceiling was stripped away, broken glass and debris were strewn about and harsh black burns encircled the store. Everyone stood outside looking at the damage in silent, tearful horror. We shared our grief and dried each others tears in this moment of sadness. Then with Gary and Jolie’s incredible know-how and each other’s reassurances, we put our game faces on and went straight to work. Over the next week and half, each individual–Imani, Nina, David, Bryan, Ashlee, Jazmin, Emily, Angie, Chad, Irit, Allison, Vasily, Christy, Cindy and Gus– has pulled their weight and come together to work with the Alonys’ in rebuilding the amazing little pharmacy that they founded 16 years ago.
It has been hard work, but we are all hard workers. 137 Thompson is evacuated and has temporarily moved a block away to 449 West Broadway. Fortunately, we had managed to save all our patient information and so we are fully functional and are able to dispense prescriptions. 137 Thompson will be rebuilt and hopefully reopened in a few months time and 449 West Broadway will hopefully become Thompson Alchemists; an exciting project the Alonys’ have been working on for quite some time.
This Sunday will mark the two-week anniversary since Thompson Chemists burnt down. The store and its’ employees have since rebounded in ways that I never thought possible. It is mind-blowing the progress that we have made in the past week and half, and I have been completely moved in seeing the extent of support and kindness given to us from the community and each other. We extend our deepest, warmest, most heartfelt thanks to all the awesome neighborhood boys and girls that helped us move into the new store at 449 West Broadway, to all of our wonderful friends that have graciously donated supplies, and most importantly, to all of our loyal customers and their kind words. We have the absolute best people with us and for that we are so beyond grateful. We love you!
Posted in Thompson News & Events
(…from Dr. Kadir.)
Seriously guys, this stuff is so gorgeous, just opening up the jar put me in a state of awe. We ran into this product at the Javits Convention Center Gift Fair in January and it only took a tiny peek under the lid before we hurriedly scribbled it down on our “Must Get!!!” list.
And it doesn’t stop there! It was ridiculous how much fun I had with this mask; beautification has never been so joyous.
The directions are easy enough: apply to face, leave for 10-15 minutes, rinse off.
I left it on for the full fifteen minutes and during which I was off in my own Avatar spin-off fantasy land.
Rinsing off wasn’t as arduous a task that you might imagine, the stuff comes off fairly easy and it left my skin feeling unlike any other mask I’ve tried. I find with other masks, my face feels firmed. The gold mask left my skin feeling…supple. Plus, I felt like it brightened up my face, really evened out my skin tone, complexion AND gave me some color, which I found particularly awesome. (Or maybe that’s just my wishful thinking—I’ve been made fun of for my paleness one too many times!) Not to mention the slight sparkle that accompanied my skin afterwards. (Cue the Twilight vampire jokes.)
I am sad to report that, no, the gold mask is not made with real gold or “active gold particles” as some websites claim. Rather, it is made with a mineral called mica and that is what gives the mask its super cool golden factor. (I actually find this a plus since Emily told me a horrifying tale about gold poisoning…eep!) Also made with pomegranate and avocado which fight off the effects of aging, this mask is truly beyond extraordinary.
You can spoil yourself rotten with the Dr. Kadir Gold Mask for $59.95 (50 ml). So invite the gals over, crank up The Bangles’ Walk like an Egyptian, pretend that you’re Shirley Eaton on the set of Goldfinger, and enjoy!
P.S. I understand that is a hard to find item, so I would like to remind you that we ship internationally!
I tried out a scrub, a moisturizer and a cleanser. Day one, I started off with the Pomegranate Facial Scrub, which I really liked. Normally I find scrubs to be abrasive and painful but this was not. Little grains of pomegranate peel and seed work their magic, gently peeling away dead skin. Post scrub, I used the Moisturizing Cream for the face. I ADORED the moisturizer. It’s thick, easy to handle, and has this lovely perfumed scent that didn’t irritate my skin at all. The moisturizer is made of a bunch of essential oils that do wonders for the skin, including jojoba oil and calendula oil. Vitamin E is also a main ingredient and is a fantastic moisturizing agent. (And helps diminish wrinkles…yay!)
Day 2, I used the Carrot and Pomegranate Cleanser. Judging the product solely from its name, I was already liking it. Carrot is known to be an awesome moisturizer and pomegranate is a powerful antioxidant. These two ingredients together, are certain to kick dry skin’s scaly behind. All you gotta do is pump the stuff out, lather on and rinse off. I then proceeded to moisturize.
I kept up with the regime for the rest of the week and topped off my week with using the scrub instead of the cleanser. My end result: soft, healthy looking, clear, hydrated NOT DRY skin!
I love having companies like Lavido on our shelves, and when I get to hear more about its beginnings and meet their creators, I feel myself get more and more invested in the line. Ido Magal, who has a background in pharmacy and herbology, created the Baby Calendula Cream for his niece when she had a bad and incurable diaper rash. Ido’s cream made her good as new and thus Lavido was born. (Aw!) With some hard work and determination, the line flourished and expanded. He uses the finest ingredients harvested on his organic farm in Israel which are considered natural and follow European Standards for being organic. Even more so, Ido firmly believes that whatever you take from the Earth, you have to give back, thus all of the Lavido containers are made from recycled materials and are recyclable themselves.
Check out this video of a broadcast from Israel (no worries, subtitles are included!) to see more of Ido’s farm and a product that we will soon be adding to our shelves! 
So, if you find yourself having a skin-emergency, do your skin (and the environment!!!) a favor by trying out Lavido.
Y’know those questions that bother you perpetually, like, shouldn’t V8 really be called V7F1 ‘cause tomato is considered as a fruit and not as a vegetable? Or, how is Bear Grylls from Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild still in one piece?! Seriously!
Anyways, I digress. My latest question is this: What in the world are these flaky, scaly patches of skin on my face? Thankfully, working at a pharmacy allowed me to answer this question easily: Xerosis…dry skin! A simple and common problem. Happy that I wasn’t dying from lizarditis, I set out to discover more about Xerosis and how to prevent it.
Winter is when Xerosis comes out to fight, and it fights hard. Being out in harsh winds and cold air, then moving to rooms with forced air conditions — made by cranking up the AC or heater — causes the sebaceous glands in our skin to go all out of whack. When our sebum production levels drop, the result is dry, scaly skin that may even shrivel and crack. Still, I’ve weathered many a winter and was confused as to why this was the first I was seeing Xerosis. There can actually be several factors, including hormonal changes that causes your skin to be more sensitive or even age (how embarrassing, I’m only 19!).
There are a few ways to keep Xerosis at bay. One includes using a good exfoliator and then following that up with a THICK moisturizer. I stress using a good exfoliator because it is SO important to. Cheap exfoliators with big grains can tear at your skin and cause more harm than good. Also, exfoliating incorrectly can be dangerous. When you exfoliate you take off the dead skin, and if you over-exfoliate it can cause tiny microscopic scratches in your skin in which bacteria collect and essentially cause acne. It also causes your capillaries to break which is not the most attractive look. Lastly, it can create OPPOSITE effect of dryness. When you exfoliate, you strip your skin of its sebum which the brain senses and tells the sebaceous glands to get working and to produce more. (*snap**snap*!) This is fantastic, but if you exfoliate too often it will cause your skin to become oily (along with irritated…bad combo!). So, guys and gals, stick to exfoliating TWICE a week at the very most. For those other 5 or 6 days pre-moisturizing, use a cleanser in place of an exfoliator.
Thompson Chemists has recently come into possession of a spankin’ brand new cosmetic line imported from all the way from Israel: Lavido. Having met its creator, Ido Magal, I have a newfound respect for his company and will be using products from the line to combat my unfortunate case of Xerosis. And so, dear reader, I will report back to you with my opinions! Until then, stay warm — only 50 more days of winter left!
I’ve always proclaimed the Klorane papyrus line to be my absolute favorite hair care line ever, ever! However, It isn’t until now that I realize how much I have been completely spoiled rotten by Klorane.
Being of the “ginger race”, (thankfully I’ve been spared the freckles!) my hair is typically very curly and when left untended, frizzy, coarse and dry. The good samaritans at Klorane have managed to harness the power of papyrus milk, which is the essential ingredient in their line. This magical ingredient whips my hair into shape, renders it into the softest its ever been, and leaves this light, fresh and intoxicating botanical scent in my tresses that last for days.
I’ve never had the luxury of being able to wash and go without looking like a wayward clown. This all changed when I started using Klorane products. It is not a treatment line therefore I saw results the second I washed the products out. One thing that amazes me about using these items is that my hair has never felt so soft. Not only is it left sleek and shiny but there is ZERO frizziness. For a redhead like me this is a borderline heart-stopping effect. For once I don’t have to spend the necessary hour and a half washing, blow drying and straightening just to look decent enough for the outside world.
I use the Klorane shampoo and conditioning mask. (A regular conditioner has not been available in the US, but will soon be on the shelves at Thompson Chemists. (!!!!!!!!!) ) Also, as a college student, I am also a huge fan of their do-able prices: The shampoo being $13.00 and the conditioning mask, $24.00; I find it a small price to pay for it’s unbeatable benefits.
Currently, I am taking advantage of my winter break and am on vacation in not-so-sunny Florida, (Boo, global warming!) and I have unfortunately forgotten to pack my Klorane shampoo and thus, I am once again reminded how much of an effect a great shampoo can have on your daily life.
So, greetings from Florida and I cannot wait to return to less-than-sunny New York and to back to my Klorane regime.
Happy Shampoo-ing!
**disclaimer** the photo does NOT depict the author!
Thompson Alchemists
es
Emily
Gary Alony
Ashlee
chadc137
Betty