We all know how much I love Bomb Cosmetics (check out my last post here), so I thought we should sit down and have a quick chat with Paul and Liz, the faces (and personalities) behind Get Drenched, the official Australian stockists of Bomb Cosmetics!
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| Paul and Liz from Get Drenched. |
Paul: Although I’m from England and Liz is from Australia, we actually met in California, at an exhibition hosted by the US Postal Service in 2000. Liz was acting as a representative of Australia Post (they were exhibiting at the show), and I was representing my company, which represented the US Post in the UK. While we enjoyed each other's company, we went our own way at the end of the exhibition, and occasionally kept in touch via email over the next four years. In 2004, Liz took some long service leave; her plan was to spend a couple of weeks in England and then a few weeks in France – I still think to this day that she was hoping to meet a Frenchman! I invited her to stay with me while she was in England; plans changed, and we ended up travelling to Paris together for her birthday, after which she returned to England with me for the remaining weeks of her visit. We then engaged in a long distance relationship for 2 years, travelling back and forth whenever we could. We agreed that we’d make our home in Australia (Liz’s daughter was 16 at the time), and after I moved Down Under, we were married in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney on a very sunny day in April 2008. We ended up moving back to the UK for 2 years, living on the south coast of England. We returned to Australia in October 2010, and we were both fortunate in finding employment relatively quickly. It was in May 2011 that the Bomb Cosmetics contract was offered to us, so I left to start the business while we still had the security of Liz’s income. Liz then joined me in the spring of 2012, and we now work full time on the business together. It’s certainly long hours, but we love what we do. The reaction to the brand has been fabulous from those in Australia who have tried it.
2) Can you tell us what led to you starting your amazing business at Get Drenched?
Paul: Liz and I had always harboured ambitions to run our own business and work together, and we’d been looking for the right opportunity for a number of years. We’d come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas but never acted upon them – thankfully! I suppose it all stemmed from the desire to be masters of our own destiny, although it was still a huge decision to move away from the relevant comfort of salaried jobs to jump into the unknown. Looking back now, we never really knew what we were letting ourselves in for in terms of the sheer number of working hours needed! Having said that, we wouldn't change a thing – when you love what you do, it never really feels like work.
3) We've all fallen head over heels for Bomb Cosmetics! How did you discover/decide on carrying the Bomb Cosmetics line?
Paul: It was very late one night in February 2011 that we stumbled across the opportunity to be Distributors for the UK brand of Bomb Cosmetics on the internet – very much by accident. It only took a few minutes of research into the brand and the products and we were already in love with the bath blasters (bath bombs), bath creamers and handmade soaps. It took several months of communications with the UK before the contract was offered to us. As you can imagine, we were over the moon and that’s when the hard work really began. One of our very first challenges was to come up with a business name. After much deliberation, we opted for Get Drenched, which we felt was quite appropriate – after all a big part of our business was to encourage people to take more baths and showers! Subsequently, we found out that ‘Drenched’ also had something to do with sheep-dipping(!), but by then it was too late. Most people like the name, thankfully!
4) Can you tell us a little bit about the manufacturing process?
Paul: We haven’t yet seen the manufacturing process ourselves, but one of the key points of difference of Bomb Cosmetics is that every product is handmade. Even now, we look at some of them and think “how do they do that?!”. The Rose Creamers are almost a work of art – the mixture of real rose petals, cocoa butter, and essential oils is simply stunning….and that’s before the Creamer is used in the bath! We think it’s very important to state that not only is every single item handmade, but products are never tested on animals and recycled packaging is used whenever possible. We really like those philosophies, and it means we can speak about the products with complete confidence.
5) You have some fantastic bath and home products in the Bomb Cosmetics line. If you each absolutely had to pick three favourites from your extensive range, which would you pick?
Paul: Firstly, I can’t go past the Rose Bath Creamer, although the Flower Bazaar Bath Creamer runs it close. To see real rose petals floating on the water as you bathe in the moisturising cocoa butter? – I defy any man or woman not to enjoy such a relaxing, indulgent experience! Secondly, I’d opt for the Dead Sea Salt Handmade Soap – it’s quite a ‘manly’ fragrance compared to most of the other products! Thirdly, I’ll choose the Chocolate Orange Tin Candle as it smells good enough to eat – just like the Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Liz: My number one product would have to be the Skin Therapy Hanging Shower Butter. To be able to come out of the shower already moisturised and smelling gorgeous is now a bit of an addiction. Secondly, I’d opt for the Cranberry and Lime Body Scrub as this is a beautifully fragrant body scrub which leaves the skin feeling so soft and smooth. Lastly, it would have to be the Vintage Rosehip Bath Blaster. I love the immediate fizz of the bath blasters, and this one smells divine. It also has a touch of cocoa butter in it to moisturise the skin.
6) Your products are free of parabens and preservatives, does that mean it's safe for children to use?
Paul - We've certainly had rave reviews from children who have used Bomb Cosmetics products, although adults tend to keep them for themselves! There are even 3 Lucky Dip Bath Blasters aimed specifically at children aged 3 and above. Each Blaster contains a little toy in the middle - very much like a Kinder Surprise. While the products are certainly as natural as possible and very gentle on the skin, and while we've never heard of any adverse reactions, every child is different. And of course, some children may be allergic to certain ‘natural’ products as well, so if a parent has any doubts they can check the ingredients list which is listed on each product.
7) Fragranced products can be tough to choose as we all have such diverse preferences...how do we find out if there's a local stockist in our area so we can go in and have a sniff for ourselves?
Paul: That’s a very good point – fragrance is certainly a personal choice. Our stockists in Australia are increasing and there’s nothing like being able to smell the products ‘live’. If any of your readers would like to find out if there’s a stockist nearby, then they can drop an email to enquiries@getdrenched.com.au and we’ll be happy to help. We always encourage consumers to support their local store whenever possible, and even encourage them to stock more of the range! Equally, our website is aimed at those consumers who don’t yet have a store nearby, or those who have a store with a limited range – after all, we do have over 500 product lines! And of course, it’s also aimed at the increasing number of people who like the convenience of shopping on line these days. Whichever avenue consumers use to locate Bomb Cosmetics products, we hope they never look back – once tried, never forgotten! We like to think of Bomb Cosmetics in Australia as a growing family, and we’re massive fans of the brand too…as you can probably tell!
Sending a great big thank you to Paul and Liz for taking the time to sit down with us here at The Made Up Maiden. They've also generously provided us with a discount code which will allow you 10% off your order at Get Drenched, simply enter code 'MAIDEN' at checkout to receive your discount! This code is exclusively for my readers, and only valid until the 8th of October, lovelies, so don't dawdle (I won't be receiving any benefit from this promotion aside from the joy of seeing my beloved readers try out a new brand that I love)!
I hope you enjoyed this interview, lovelies! What products are you lusting after from Get Drenched?
Much love,
MM.
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