Made in The United States used to mean something...and now in the dawn of a global economy, it means even more. 

Did you know The Alley makes its own pewter jewelry, belt buckles, & more right here in Chicago? We only use lead-free pewter, unlike Chinese made buckles for half the price which contain lead. Vulcanized rubber molds are made for each design, and melted pewter is poured in to create the fabulous designs seen on the likes of The Big Bang Theory, & Sons of Anarchy hit television shows. Check out owner Mark Thomas' quick tour of how this all shakes down here at The Alley factory, located in the Avondale neighborhood; on the northwest side of Chicago.

I've been helping out at the Alley's sister-store, Architectural Revolution. It's a world goods/incense/silver jewelry/religions of the world store. Totally awesome stuff. Apparently, as an added authenticity with the "world" theme, there is NO FUCKING AIR CONDITIONING. Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen...being the perfect peacock I am, I never sweat. While I'm pretending that I'm riding a pygmy elephant through the market in India, however, I've been smelling some of those individuals who DO sweat.

Which brings me to my point. I want a pygmy elephant. My other point was that we sell wonderful scented body oils, which are great for the summer! They are much better than perfume for all-day scent in this heat, and disperse more scent throughout the day as the body gets hot and perspires. Or, if you're me, as you get slightly warm but maintain fabulousness.  Let me thrill you with tales of my favorite brands and scents!

SONG OF INDIA

Enchanted already, right? This brand makes two delicious types of scent- a solid perfume and a concentrated scented oil. The oils are incredible! They come in a variety of scents that range from musky and deep to floral and feminine. They also come in absolutely gorgeous HAND MADE bottles! The bottles are so beautiful, it's tempting just to buy the oil for the bottles alone! At a very resolvable price of $12.95, these are a must have! My personal fav is Krishna Musk.

The solid perfume they make is wonderful because it is UNISEX!!! The scent will change based on your body chemicals, and turn more feminine on women and more masculine on men. The perfumes come in adorable wooden pots with screw on lids (great for on the go ladies to throw in their purse). Solid perfume is a classic, used in ancient times through today. The warmer and stankier you get, the more the frangrance releases. These little beauties are $14.95 and will last  you a very long time. My favorite scent is Kama Sutra.

SUN'S EYE

This brand makes a very strong (but not overwhelming) body oil. These are more on the sweet, ultra feminine side. The bottle is a generous size, considering about three drops will last you all day. The bottle is great for carrying in your purse, and is a very modest $10.95. I have the Amber scent and LOVE IT.

AURIC BLENDS

I own a few in this brand, and really love all of the ones I have. They are a roll on oil, so it's easy to apply to pulse points (behind the ears, wrists, between zee boobs, behind the knees, etc). They are $9.95 and have a range of musky deep smells all the way through sweet and floral. The range of scents from this brand is astounding. If you're a hippie, they have several blends of patchouly and sandlewood. If you're a girlie girl, they have roses and jasmines and sweet smelling scents as well.

Good luck in this heat, and hopefully I'll see you soon...but not smell you.

Stay cool, stay beautiful, and always, always be yourself\

Jet