my friend (right) and I (left). I’m wearing some black vintage Versace jeans that I thrifted from this UK online thrift store. probs the best clothing purchase I’ve made
Why are the knives all gone? An explanation to price increases and constant OOS messages
We’ve seen an influx of new members to the sub and one of the questions constantly being asked is “why is the knife I want still out of stock?” Longtime members, meanwhile, are more likely to ask why the same knife costs 30% more today than it did a year ago. These are good questions, but the answer is sufficiently complex that answering in a comment reply doesn’t give a full picture. This writeup will aim to present that big picture. We’ll examine how we got here, the current state of affairs, and some predictions for the future. https://preview.redd.it/owygjsf4tvg61.png?width=227&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea8f629779e8d1509658cbbf2841548dbe1ae458
Part I: Demand for high-end kitchen knives is increasing
It’s hard to nail down exactly why demand has increased. There are many underlying causes and yet each of them individually only goes so far. We’ll consider them in combination to understand the surge.
Online interest in knives is growing
Let’s begin close to home. Here at chefknives, we’re about to reach 100k subscribers. That’s a meteoric rise from a small following just four years ago. Here’s how that growth rate looks: Growth in chefknives subscriber count 2015-present For comparison, here’s that same growth trend compared to two subreddits with about the same subscriber count as of early 2018 (Delaware and Wildlife) Subscriber growth of chefknives (blue) compared to Delaware and Wildlife (green and yellow). Source: subredditstats.com If you look at growth rates across other kitchen knife communities you’ll see similar trends. More people than ever are talking about their favorite work cleaver, looking for an “upgrade” recommendation, or asking how to sharpen their grandpa’s vintage sabatier. We need to be careful in recognizing that these trends play a part in overall growth in phenomena like Reddit, a revival in home cooking, and more. Yet even when compared against these background events, the surge in kitchen knives is remarkable. Reddit approximately doubled its subscribers and posts between 2018-2020. chefknives has doubled three times.
Home cooking was undergoing an early renaissance leading into 2020
It’s no longer the idyllic 1950s. As economic pressure and then cultural allowances pushed traditional gender roles into a more diverse working environment, the reality of the American kitchen became at once more egalitarian and less dedicated. Critics decried the decline of home meals as a loss of culture. More pragmatic Americans saw it as an economic reality. Ultimately that means more of us in the kitchen out of choice. Nowadays it’s unlikely that Redditors here have (or are) a dedicated parent or spouse who stays at home and cooks all the meals. More likely is a sharing of labor in the kitchen; or, where couples take regular home tasks those chores are less likely to be gender-assigned. Furthermore, the amount of couples choosing to have children is trending downward as the age of first-time parents goes up. Fast food and other pre-fabricated meals are cheap and readily available for those who don’t feel like cooking. Working adults are therefore more likely to choose participation in home cooking than ever before. Against this unique backdrop began a rebirth of cooking at home - Google Consumer Surveys from 2015 showed discovery search terms on the rise (“best recipes” saw 50% increases year-over-year) and online populations spending increased time researching recipes. Social media programming like Tasty, Binging with Babish, Laura in the Kitchen, and Maangchi took over our Facebook feeds and YouTube recommendations out of nowhere. Source: Acosta research \"COVID-19: Reinventing How America Eats\" And then, suddenly, home cooking became a necessity for us all. Restaurants closed and grocery stores faced massive supply chain issues shelving their most popular products. A population already casual fans of Bon Appetit and Beat Bobby Flay suddenly found themselves unexpectedly making fermented foods come alive and, while certainly not giving professional chefs a run for their money, then at least discovering their homemade chicken nuggets beat the hell out of Tyson’s frozen imitation. Many of us saw 2020 turn our nascent interest into a favorite daily hobby. So, like the earlier run on toilet paper there began a run on high-end kitchen knives.
Entrenched brands are losing share in the high-end market
Until now I’ve delayed defining what high-end means. What exactly makes a high-end knife? We’re certainly not talking about $15 supermarket knives or the $30 indestructible house knife that line cooks use to chop parsley and open stubborn cans. Rather, we’re speaking of what somebody buys when they want to invest a little more. That’s the chef de commis who wants to start bringing their own knife to work or the home cook staring longingly through the glass front window of a Williams-Sonoma. Unfortunately, once we get more specific about what a high end knife is, people tend to have wildly different standards. I fully anticipate this will be the graphic people seize upon in the comments section, which is why I added descriptive text. That probably won't stop a few screeches about what high-end actually means but, eh, c'est la vie I’m not going to bother saying where high-end knives begin, but for now let’s simplify to somewhere >=$100. This limits us to a handful of brands (at major retailers, at least) and comprises the vast majority of discussed lines here on the sub. If we look at Internet search terms for high-end brands, we see people losing interest in established names that cannot prove their price to performance value. For example, let’s consider Google search rates associated with traditional German brands like “wusthof,” “henckels,” “messermeister,” etc. source: Google Trends All of these terms have seen a slow decline in search interest from 2007 onwards. In comparison, between 2014 and 2018 the interest in “gyuto” increased on average by 50% while more general cooking terms like “recipe” or “saucepan” have seen slow, steady increases. Why are the traditional Solingen brands losing the interest of consumers? One theory is that knife designs are fads like clothing or trendy restaurants - a full-bolster Wüsthof and Nautica jacket may have been all the rage in the early 2000s, but interests simply change over time. If this theory is correct, the current “fad” of Japanese profiles, damascus cladding, Serbian chef knives, etc. are all temporary tastes which will give way to the next fad. A related explanation is that the Red Queen hypothesis is at work - a theory from evolutionary biology that suggests adaptation is necessary just for survival. Indeed, many of the classic lines of these brands have changed little in the past years and certainly the main differences have been cosmetic. This explanation places blame for brand decline on the brand itself rather than consumer preferences. While unpleasant to point fingers, it’s worth exploring the other side of this coin to get a complete picture. In other words, let’s explore brands that are successfully adapting.
The high-end market is pivoting away from Europe and toward Japanese manufacturing
If consumers have a new standard in aesthetic and performance then how can existing brands stay relevant? Large household names like Zwilling, Victorinox, Wüsthof, Kai, and Messermeister have had varying success in introducing new knives in large western retailers. Focusing on the American retail space, we see that knives which successfully embrace the new consumer demand already own or else license pre-existing, non-Western manufacturing. Struggling brands, on the other hand, try to adapt Solingen practice to produce novel designs and the result ranges from “interesting interpretation” to “missed the point.”[1] [2] [3] I won’t try to explain why Wüsthof hasn’t had luck making a competitive nakiri or why Messermeister allowed their awful “usuba” design past the concept phase. Suffice to say, the knives that western retailers are pivoting toward tend to be Japanese imports. This may be occasionally disguised by branding, but make no mistake that these are not German copies. Zwilling simply purchased a large manufacturer in Seki City; it becomes obvious when you put them side-by-side with the other Seki manufacturer sold at major American retailers. Knife lines sold under a German and Japanese brand respectively. Meanwhile, co-opting manufacturing (either by rebranding OEM knives or simply sourcing from the same supply chain) is not exactly a new concept. While this practice is less visible in major brands, it is prolific in the Japanese native market and within smaller retailers in the U.S. For example, take the first design from the Zwilling vs. Kai graphic above and see how it’s copied ad nauseum: I'm not sure how many of these originate from the same knife blanks vs. different sources of steel that just happen to look very, very similar. Okay - so what does this mean for Japanese and European manufacturers? For the Europeans, things are not looking good. Unless they somehow convince consumers that their performance to price ratio is going up (and this is a losing economic proposition at present), then major restructuring of their industry is on the horizon. Meanwhile, the remaining question for Japanese manufacturers is twofold: (1) how do they compete against manufacturing in countries with even lower production cost bases and (2) can they scale up fast enough to deal with this demand? Keep these questions in mind as we’ll soon return to the problem with supply.
Conclusion: the global health crisis caused a run on already sparse supply
The COVID demand surge is unique because potential customers cannot be guided by in-person sales staff toward the high-margin knife they want to sell. Indeed, retail sales of the same Solingen brands listed above have actually been strong even as their internet searches have declined - which is why you continue to find them in malls. So, absent retail staff, interested consumers turned online and the growth rates at chefknives illustrate that. Meanwhile, online communities have been building their following over years. Each community tends to have their favorite brands with some overlap, but this knowledge base tends to be built up over years and decades. That’s because trusted reviews are infrequent (we want more!) and consensus takes time to develop. As consumers turned online, they found communities recommending products already facing scarcity issues. What do you get when combining exponential demand with a shift in consumer preferences for a relatively small market of available knives? A run on supply.
Part II: Supply cannot scale
High-end knife manufacturing is unlike low-end manufacturing
Low-end manufacturing is all about limiting cost and producing volume. Typically parts and processes must work together with high tolerance for error - imagine trying to grind a precise geometry when the heat treatment isn’t even and one portion of the knife abrades more quickly. So, there is almost always a tradeoff in performance for price and production at scale. Workers can be trained in a single task, such as soldering the tang to the blade or inspecting heat-treated batches of blade blanks. Many tasks may be automated altogether with humans only inspecting the results. When most Redditors think “mass production” they likely imagine this kind of manufacturing. Yet “mass production” doesn’t mean low-end by default. Typical factory setting of Japanese knife manufacture. This particular factory produces both low and high-end knives High-end knives can be similarly produced at volume, but the production process is more demanding. With higher performance requirements come lower tolerances for error and this means additional training for workers. Heat treatment must be more exacting so that grinds can fit within tighter parameters. This often requires cross-process knowledge so that the sharpener, forger, and metallurgist each understand and can identify minor discrepancies in the others’ processes. Sometimes the sharpener, forger, metallurgist, and polisher are the same person - though this is less common than marketers would like you to believe. Eventually, workers can specialize in a single aspect like polishing or forging and they become so good that others will solicit their services as part of their own process. So in summary, high-end manufacturing requires more training. Some of that additional training is cross-disciplinary while some is highly specialized. In practice, this means working in various positions across production before settling into a specialty. All that additional training takes years, which is why apprenticeships and decades-long careers are the norm in high-end Japanese manufacturing.
There are limits on how quickly new workers can be trained
Now equipped with understanding of the training required for a high-end manufacturer, we’re ready to dive into the story of a Japanese bladesmith who we’ll call Kenji. It’s 2018 and he wants to scale up production rapidly. First a little bit more about Kenji. He didn’t start his career in bladesmithing - in fact, despite his city being famous for metalworking and knives, everybody told him that industry was moribund back in the 2000s when he went to university. So, he worked his first years designing heavy machinery before a family emergency unexpectedly brought him into the family business. Years later, he has grown into a management role for the production where he has two full-time employees plus an apprentice. One of those employees is the father of his childhood friend. The two families’ knife businesses merged several years ago. Now it’s 2018 and Kenji is seeing demand skyrocket. He knows that even if production doubled, he would have a hard time meeting demand. So, how can he double production as quickly as possible while maintaining approximately equal product quality? In short, he cannot. We’ve already covered how slow training can be, but hiring experienced workers to train them can be equally taxing. That employee whose child was schoolmates with Kenji? None of his sons went into knife making because they saw it as a dead end professionally. Similarly a generation of family businesses shrunk or died out and so Kenji was a dying breed when the market suddenly became hot. Even as knifemaking becomes a viable career once again, finding apprentices is not simple. Many are mindful that consumer interest could quickly return to apathy and such a career does not pay dividends for decades. Kenji’s story is the norm in high-end Japanese production. Even at a breakneck pace, it will take him several years to double production. If the market should falter during this time, it would be disastrous for his business’ solvency. Historical data for "Kenji"
YEAR
EMPLOYEES
PIECES PRODUCED
2014
2
330
2015
2
310
2016
3
335
2017
3
440
2018
3
490
2019
5
570
2020
6
355
Ballpark numbers for the manufacturer Kenji manages. In mid-2018, he began subcontracting the majority of his sharpening and polishing labor and changed his product line to use more prefabricated steels. 2020 saw major business interruptions due to the COVID19 crisis.
Price increases are slowed by the business landscape
Meanwhile, the free market capitalists here on Reddit have been positively wetting themselves waiting to ask “why don’t the knife makers simply raise their prices?” The simple answer is that Japan’s economy is a free market economy in the same way choosing dinner as a family is a free market decision. Piss off your partner and you can guarantee you won’t get any dinner. Of course price increases have been happening over time, but slowly. Many makers are still fulfilling backorders - sellers swap stories about shipments arriving for orders placed years prior. Others are under obligations to sell via wholesalers or trade brokers who behave territorially when vendors or other middlemen encroach on their network. Finally, every maker is conscious of how their prices play into the overall landscape of colleagues and competition. Did you apprentice under another bladesmith? If so, what happens if you start selling your knives for more than him? What message would that send and how would he react? The net effect of this is a market with unusually rigid prices and inflexible scalability. These problems are not intractable, but like all market shortcomings they require time to fix. Beginning in 2020, that time suddenly became equally scarce.
Conclusion: the global health crisis slowed production of an already scarce supply
As the world left the late 2010s, Japanese manufacturing was struggling to scale its production and downstream sellers began to slowly change pricing expectations to meet the new demand surge. Both changes were gradual if not energized - scarce supply was spurring young people into rejoining an industry long thought dead in Japan. Eager young apprentices began showing up to job openings in Sanjo, Seki, and Tokyo for the first time in generations. Then suddenly that already scarce supply lost crucial days of business production as Japan first began implementing workplace hygiene measures before entering a state of emergency from April until May. These along with other interruptions have severely hampered production capabilities during a time when the business pipeline could hardly afford it. The run on supply that we explored at the end of Part I is different than the slow demand increases from the decade prior. Large manufacturers had time to expand operations into China and Indonesia while small manufacturers took on apprentices. OEM practices improved and producers were able to streamline their work over months and years. Everybody lagged a little behind with the promise that soon, supply would begin to scale as young apprentices became journeymen and then master smiths. This run on supply caused a multiplier in demand as production scaled down. Manufacturers no longer lag slightly behind their orders - vendors are reporting it will take years for operations to recover and resume the same pace they had before.
Part III: What’s the future of kitchen knives?
Now we know why the knives are all gone and that the problem is unlikely to be resolved in a few extra months of production. So, what does the future hold for high-end knives? I will propose some educated guesses for what happens over the coming years.
Either Japanese manufacturing practices will scale and expand their industry or else interest will move on - potentially to China, Indonesia, and Vietnam
The Japanese market is already being eaten from both ends. At the very high end, we’re witnessing the rise of custom makers in the US and Europe whose individual pieces command price tags well into the “collectible” range for Japanese knives. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturing is eating into the bottom range of Japan’s knife market with Indonesia and Vietnam closing in. Some of this movement is driven by Japanese companies who outsource low-end manufacturing, but it’s likely that jobs continue to move offshore en masse. The key question is whether Japanese manufacturing can scale quickly enough to preserve their market share at the $100-500 range. The domestic Japanese market likely needs 10-20 years to scale up production. The question is whether foreign manufacturing needs this long to capture market share, even if Japan does manage to scale up eventually. The past five years have seen neighboring countries scaling up their production quality and doubling quantity every few years, so things are not looking great for the domestic Japanese market. Here is a predictive model based on the past five years of growth. Predicted model of market share after 15 years wherein Japan doubles production while China, Indonesia, and Vietnam each double every 3-5 years.
Today’s most popular knife fads will be replaced by new ones
One thing we haven’t mentioned until now are the hangers-on of high-end knives. For example, the prolific Sakai Takayuki VG-10 damascus knives are streamlined imitators of more expensive knives like Anryu or Yu Kurosaki. They take certain aspects like the hammered (tsuchime) finish and suminagashi pattern and build the knife around them, allowing the knife to spread more quickly because of the reduced prices. Yet there are even more extreme imitators coming out of China and Southeast Asia who move faster and are less scrupulous about marketing. They flood Facebook with ads featuring shiny damascus blades with handles so colorful it looks like an M&M mass murder. These companies move massive volume before customers grow wise and thus hasten the lifetime of the fad. For some, it’s an educational experience. For others, they’re just happy they scratched the itch. At any rate, movement like this eventually spells the end of one consumer taste to be replaced with another. So, I predict that the current fads (VG-10 damascus, hammered finishes, serbian chef knives) will soon fade and be replaced by others. One way this prediction might come to pass is that two years from now semi-scam companies will start advertising cheap cu mai (five layer steel with a stripe of nickel) offerings instead of their current Sakai Takayuki imitations. Or maybe it will be a faux kasumi finish or etched core stainless-clad instead.
Successful manufacturers will begin to partner with small, non-Japanese makers to innovate in their designs and production
Zwilling has already done this with Bob Kramer once, so why not again? The most popular U.S. custom makers are struggling to produce at volume, so these partnerships could solve the problem from both ends. I predict we’ll soon see some version of Wüsthof releasing a line of Maumasi-designed blades or Victorinox licensing Don Nguyen’s handles. This will, of course, come with challenges. Knife enthusiasts mostly have bitter tastes in their mouths with the memory of the Shun Ken Onion and members of the forum here have pointed out that ZKramers struggle to produce consistently good geometries. I don’t necessarily predict these partnerships will produce good high-end knives.
Conclusion
The knives are, indeed, all gone. And that’s unlikely to change for the near future. The brand you desperately want to come back into stock will continue to face shortage issues for years and may never come back at all. But that’s okay. Instead, newcomers will soon replace the current favorites. Five years from now, the most sought-after knives will have diversified and new names will replace the old ones slowly. In the past five years, those new names have mostly been Japanese. I suspect the new ones may not be. Until then, may the back in stock notifications be ever in your favor.
Assuming you're reading this because you would like to wear rings and currently don't, here's a quick FAQ.
Materials?
Most common precious metals used in jewelry are silver, gold, platium and variations thereof. You will rarely find pure metal jewelry, reason being that 100% silvegold is actually soft and will warp and become damaged with little effort. The most common alloys for jewelry are:
Stainless Steel: what your kitchen cutlery is made of. Marketed as a cheap alternative to silver.
Sterling Silver / .925 silver: 92.5% pure silver mixed with another metal, commonly copper.
Yellow Gold: (usually) an alloy of gold and some other material, preserving the yellow colour of the gold.
Rose Gold: An alloy of gold, copper and some white metal e.g. silver. The copper gives the metal a rosy tint.
White Gold: An alloy of gold and a white metal e.g. silver. Personally I don't see the appeal when silver is 1/10th the price.
Karats?
When buying jewelry it's important to know what the precious metal content is (or whether it's made of precious metal at all) as this plays a huge part in the quality of the jewelry and how much you should expect to pay. Sterling silver is the benchmark for quality silver. Sometimes referred to as .925 silver, sterling silver is 92.5% silver by weight. The vast majority of silver jewelry is made of sterling silver - anything new that doesn't specify the quality (.925 / sterling, .999 / fine / pure) is of dubious quality and should be avoided. Gold content is measured in karats. The scale goes from 0 to 24, with 1 karat being 1 part gold to 23 parts other material. Therefore, 16K gold is 50% pure gold and 24K gold is pure gold. The karat rating for white gold or rose gold is the same - 18K gold and 18K white gold contain the same amount of gold but the gold is alloyed with different materials to change the colour of the resulting alloy. Metal alloys are generally much harder and resistant to wear. A higher percentage of pure precious metal is not necessarily better or more desirable.
Plating?
Plated jewelry is made from a material coated with a very thin layer of the specified metal. Plated metal is much cheaper than pure metal or an alloy. The material beneath the plating is usually copper, nickel, brass or silver. Jewelry from fast-fashion stores like H&M are generally made of copper or nickel plated with silver or gold. Vermeil is a restricted term for a specific kind of plating. Whilst plating can be done to any metal with any plate thickness, vermeil is always silver plated with a layer of gold at least 2.5 microns thick. Be cautious with plated jewelry. The price makes it very attractive but there are down-sides:
The plating has a tendency to rub off over time, ruining the appearance of your formerly-gold/silver jewelry.
The exposed metal may cause side effects:
Some people are allergic to nickel and will develop a rash.
Copper has a tendency to turn your skin green for a few days.
What should I buy?
Only buy pieces that speak to you. Think of jewelry like a tattoo. It's expensive, you're likely to keep it for a long time and wear it regardless of the rest of your outfit. If you're not sure whether you like a given piece your money would be better spent on something else. If you're not comfortable wearing it that's a lot of money left sat on your dresser.
Start simple. When making a big change in your wardrobe it's good to take it easy. Try a few small, simple pieces first e.g. a couple of stacking bands or a plain signet ring.
More is more. A single piece of jewelry will stand out in a bad way. The consenus from the jewelry thread was that it takes a few pieces to appear intentional and blend into an outfit. The sweet spot is 3-5 pieces total - less if you're wearing only one type, e.g. max. 3 rings, more if you're mixing it up e.g. 2 rings, a bracelet and a chain.
Sterling silver is king. IMO stainless steel does not look good in real life. It may look exactly like silver in the photos but trust me, when you place it side-by-side with silver it looks cheap. Stainless steel is duller, has a gray-tone and brushed-metal surface. It's a hardy material that's very resistant to scratches and wear. Sterling silver on the other hand is much brighter, can be polished smooth or oxidized to add detail and develops a patina over time. Gold is nice but it's very expensive. Mixing metals is hard to pull off so if you buy gold you may feel limited in terms of choice and price when buying future pieces.
Feel free to ignore this advice. If you want gold jewelry, go for it. If you want to wear more rings than you have fingers don't let me stop you. There are no rules - this is just advice for those who are dipping their toes into jewelry for the first time.
Sizing?
It can be difficult to size jewelry, particulary if you're doing it yourself. Here's some methods you can use ordered by ease/accuracy:
Use a ring sizer at home. Nowadays they make plastic ring sizers and many online brands will ship you one for free or low-cost. IMO this is the best way to take your ring size but watch a guide or two on YouTube to make sure you get it right.
Use a cloth tape measure. Take a measurement of your finger in mm using a flexible tape measure and use a size chart to convert to your desired scale.
Use your existing rings as a guide. If you know the size of your current rings (or you're sizing for a friend or partner who knows theirs) you're pretty set. I bought a thumb ring for my girlfriend for Christmas and compared her current thumb ring to one of mine to get an idea of size. When it turned up it was slightly smaller than expected but still fit.
Have a professional jeweler size you. You can ask a jeweler to measure your fingers in-store though you may be uncomfortable doing this if you don't intend to purchase anything. Alternatively, try some pieces on and note what size they are if they're a good fit.
Go to the showroom and let them measure you or try the pieces in-store. The most accurate if you're buying a specific brand. Obviously only an option if you live or travel nearby.
Pay to have the ring resized. If the ring is too large any jeweler will be able to resize it for you. It's more difficult/expensive to size a ring up, especially if it has details the whole way round. If in either doubt size up, make sure they have a good returns policy or don't buy.
Sizing Tips
Remember that each of your fingers is a different ring size. The fingers on your dominant hand will be thicker than the fingers on your non-dominant hand. The size of your fingers changes depending on the temperature so rings that are loose when it's warm may fall off when it's cold or vice-versa. When measuring at home take a few measurements in different rooms, inside / outside or at different times of day to get an accurate measurement. If you're not fussed about which finger the ring will sit on, measure a few candidate fingers of similar size (±1) and order a ring in the size between. If the ring arrives and it's too large / small then wear it on the larger / smaller finger.
Where to buy?
Online: I buy most of my jewelry online. Most designers have an instagram presence and online store. Check the tagged photos on their instagram accounts for inspiration. The more mass-produced brands will have sales on holidays e.g. Christmas or Black Friday.
Independent retailers: Your city may have an area with lots of independent designers / craftspeople / markets - you're likely to find a lot of unique pieces here and physical locations for the designers listed below.
Thrift: You may have some luck at thrift stores or second-hand / charity / pawn shops. In some cities there are second-hand stores that only sell jewelry.
Grailed et al.: The more popular brands (e.g. The Great Frog) will appear on places like grailed or eBay.
On the high street: You're unlikely to find men's jewelry in high street retail / department stores. Most of the jewelry is very delicate and targeted toward women or married couples (wedding bands). The stuff you do find will be relatively inoffensive bands and signet rings.
Designers
So you want a ring but you don't know where to look. Great! See the gallery for general inspo and check out the list of designers below. I've tried to categorize the list to make it easier to find the kind of rings you're interested in. If you have suggestions for more designers please let me know in the comments. Most designers will produce other types of jewelry e.g. chains, bracelets, necklaces, pendants in a similar style.
Simple Rings
Small-to-medium size rings with plain or very simple designs. Stacking bands, signet rings, rings with a single motif like a chain, feather, nail etc.
Silver-plated brass rings with unique designs offering a cheap entry point into jewelry. Occasionally do sterling-silver variants of popular designs. Bit of a weird "community" drop-based Instagram presence.
Huge. Impractical. Outrageously large, really, gigantic. Some of the most unique jewelry I've seen, for better or worse.
Natural Rings
Various-sized rings with designs or textures inspired by nature. Think flowing water, rock formations, gemstones, emphasis on natural wear and tear. The counterpoint to industrial's man-made aesthetic.
Not a designer per se, but a reseller of other designers similar to ssense. Grungy, big industrial/nature inspired rings. A good place to follow to get inspiration; stocks many of the designers on this list.
.999 fine silver / gold rings in simple designs. Due to the softness of fine / pure metals the ring will tarnish and warp creating a unique, highly personal piece of jewelry.
"Inspired by the elements, the human body, rock and roll, techno music, a theatrical lifestyle and deep personal emotions. Her designs feature unique organic forms of .925 silver, in heavily textured freehand surfaces. Each piece bares luxurious weight and significant stature."
Wild sci-fi designs often contrasting clean, melting chrome-like sections with heavily oxidized, distressed parts. Distribution outside Japan extremely limited.
Biker Rings
Big fuck-off rings for letting everyone know you ride a Harley Davidson, play in a rock band and do a lot of drugs.
Detailed, medium-sized rings under various themes - western, nautical, nature. I find a lot of their designs to be tacky but they have some simpler pieces I've considered purchasing.
Lots of unique designs, although some of them seem to be lifted from The Silver Stone or vice-versa (particularly the goat and branch rings). Not sure what to think but I grabbed this from the streetwear list.
Big rings made of marble with some silver / gold elements. Design inspired by the macabre - lots of skulls, skeletons and dead things. Infamous for their dick ring. I have yet to any of their pieces pulled off outside of their lookbooks. Please share any everyday fits you find with me so I can justify buying one of their pieces.
A bit of a bizarre one. While most designers focus on traditional jewelry, Good Art makes a lot of... things. Chapstick caps, AirPod cases, corkscrews and smoking pipes.
Probably the most famous jewelry designer in the world. You may be tempted to write them off as over-priced and over-hyped but (as a biased Tiffany-bracelet owner) I have to admit that the quality is incredibly high. Their silver pieces are rhodium-plated and there is a noticeable difference in the durability and brightness of my Tiffany bracelet vs. other silver jewelry I own. Edit: I can't actually find any evidence that their silver is rhodium-plated. It's important to do your research before buying things!
Big rings inspired by Asia. Lots of small stones and inlays. One of the more successful designers with physical locations in tons of major cities / malls.
I suppose you might consider these to be rings for classic menswear. Signet rings with marble or some other opaque stone, elegant bands. Some outrageously intricate signets with fuckton of stones and sky-high prices to match.
All sorts of vintage jewelry from across the spectrum.
Custom Signet Rings
Signet rings were traditionally engraved with a design and worn on the pinky finger. You would use the signet to stamp and seal letters with your personal insignia in wax.
I really hope you're still reading because Castro Smith does some incredible work. Hand-engraved, incredibly detailed signet rings in multiple tones. Ready-to-order one-of-a-kind pieces and the opportunity to order bespoke.
Thanks to danhakimi and everyone else who left nice comments in the jewelry thread and encouraging me to make this post. Note: my only qualifications for creating this post are owning a few rings, enjoying wearing them and having access to Google. Please read the comments and take everything with a pinch of salt. Thanks x
With Black Friday sales ramping up, here is a fresh sale megathread as the cyber weekend nears. A HUGE thank you to Octoember for getting the BF festivities started with the Black Fri-Yay 2020 Sales Masterlist. Octoember opted for the mod team to post and maintain BF megathread pt 2, but a huge portion of the info here is taken from their post and collated by them - thank you! This will be the dedicated thread for all Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales happening from now until next Tuesday. Please share any sale deals that you come across (including sale dates if possible) and let us know what you’re buying! This post will be regularly updated to add deals shared within the comments. But please sort by “new” as well to see all the latest comments. :) Thank you to everyone who has shared sale info with us so far! Other deals were also found on /MUAontheCheap, Temptalia, 9Honey, and OzBargain! Apologies in advance for any errors - please be sure to check sites for exclusions, T&Cs etc., and do your research before purchasing. Again, please comment if you notice anything wrong and we'll fix it! Multi-brand Stores
Adore Beauty (AU): Up to 40% off selected brands. 40% off Essie, L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline, Mirenesse, and theBalm. 30% off Iconic London, Cremorlab, Blinc, and Barry M. 25% off Cinch Skin, Face Halo, Heir Atelier, Garbo & Kelly, Nioxin, OPI, Pai Skincare, Real Techniques, Sebastian, and Wella SP. 20% off Alterna Haircare, Anitpodes, Avene, Biolage, Burt's Bees, Christophe Robin, Circa Home, Dermalist, Elizabeth Arden, Intraceuticals, Jane Iredale, Jurlique, Klorane, La Roche Posay, Lancome, MUFE, Nude by Nature, Redken, SALT by Hendrix, Sand & Sky, & more. 15% off Alpha-H, Benefit, Bioderma, Eye of Horus, Giorgio Armani, IT Cosmetics, Sachajuan, SkinCeuticals, YSL, & more. 10% off asap skin, Clarins, Dr Bronner's, innisfree, Kerastase, Medik8, ORIBE, & more. Full details here. Starts 27/11 12am AEDT and ends 30/11 11:59pm AEDT. Thanks to u/Kimmyonepilots for this info! See Coles "The Her Card" gift card deal at the bottom of this thread for extra savings. Also, CommBank is offering $10 cashback when you spend $50 at Adore Beauty (must activate via CommBank app), ends 02/12. Thank wherestherice!
Amuse Beauty (AU): Up to 50% off selected products. Buy 2 get 1 free on full-priced items with code B2G1F. End date unknown. Thanks u/Bargain-shoppee!
BeautyBay (UK): Up to 30% off. Discounts include: 30% off all Sample Beauty, By Beauty Bay, Revolution, Zoeva, bPerfect, BH Cosmetics, Melt Cosmetics, Ofra, Yes To, and Dose of Colours, and 20% off NYX. End date unknown.
Beautylish (US): Up to 50% off, free GWP, and some limited edition new releases from 50+ brands incl. Charlotte Tilbury, Wayne Goss, Natasha Denona, Oribe, and Good Molecules. Full details & info on GWP here. Starts 26/11 at 12pm PST (27/11 7am AEDT) and ends 30/11 11:59pm PST (1/12 6:59pm AEDT). Free shipping to Aus on $35+ orders. Up to 40% off Jeffree Star Cosmetics, starts 25/11 6pm PST.
Beserk (AU): 15-70% off everything. Ends midnight 30/11. Incl. brands such as Lethal Cosmetics, Lime Crime, Sugarpill, Lunatick, & Glamlite. Thanks u/thajane!
Black Swallow (AU): 50% off Jeffree Star, up to 40% off Revolution, up to 30% off PLouise, 20% off Olaplex and hair colour products, 10% off electricals, and up to 50% off fragrance. End date unknown. Thanks u/kel-w76!
Chemist Warehouse (AU/NZ): Extra 10% off storewide, valid online and in-store. Starts 27/11 and ends 29/11.
Coles (AU): 50% off cosmetics. Excludes Mode, Every Day, and clearance. Starts 25/11 and ends 1/12. See also Coles "The Her Card" gift card deal at the bottom of this thread.
David Jones (AU): BEAUTY: 20% off Estée Lauder (ends 29/11), Lancôme, Clinique (27/11 only), Kiehl's (27/11 only), Tom Ford (27/11 only), M·A·C (excludes 'Viva Glam' Lipsticks, ends 28/11), Elizabeth Arden, Bobbi Brown (ends 29/11), Napoleon Perdis (excludes holiday gift sets), Makeup Forever. 40% off theBalm. 30% off Blinc. 30% off selected Givenchy. 20% off Giorgio Armani and YSL gift sets. 15% off beauty & fragrance from Giorgio Armani and YSL. 10% off Clarins (excludes gift sets). SKINCARE: 30-50% off on limited selection of L'Occitane products. Free gift with $90+ spend on full-priced L'Occitane. 30% off Natio, Philosophy, & Foreo (excludes UFO 2, Bear, and Bear Mini). 25% off Lano. 20% off Weleda (excludes packs and oral care), Vita Liberata, & Dr Bronner's. Buy 1 save 10%, buy 2 save 15% or buy 3 save 20% on Dermalogica. HAIR: 20% off Christophe Robin, Rock & Ruddle, and Aveda. 15% off Sachajuan, R+Co, and Louvelle. NAILS: 20% off OPI (excludes gift packs). FRAGRANCE: 40% off Kenzo (27/11 only), CK, & Davidoff. 30% off MOR, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Mont Blanc, & Coach (all 27/11 only). 30% off selected fragrances & sets from Versace, Dunhill, Missoni, Moschino, Salvatore Ferragamo, & Roberto Cavalli. 20% off Creed, Penhaligons, Amouage, & Clive Christian (all 27/11 only). 20% off DKNY, Zegna, Aramis, Michael Kors. 20% off selected Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Narciso Rodriguez, Bvlgari, Issey Miyake, Balenciaga, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana, Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier & more. Use code BEAUTYEVENT, all offers valid on full-priced product only, exclusions apply. $150 off the Supersonic Hair dryer. Unless otherwise stated, offers should end midnight 30/11 AEDT. Full details & GWP info here. Thanks u/TheDefectiveAgency & u/da-n!
Discount Beauty Boutique (AU): Up to 30% off storewide: spend $50+ get 15% off with code BLK15, spend $199+ get 30% off with code BLK30. End date unknown.
FeelUnique (UK): Up to 33% off Black Friday Preview. Also 3 for 2 offers, daily deals and free gifts. End date unknown.
Flora & Fauna (AU): 20% off Ere Perez and Viva La Body. Up to 40% off Elate. Ends 30/11.
Glam Raider (AU): Up to 30% off selected products (incl. 30% off Made by Mitchell). Ends 30/11 midnight AEDT. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Hikoco (NZ): Up to 50% off. Ends 30/11. Free NZ shipping for orders over $50. Free AU shipping for orders over $150. Thanks u/HalfJapaneseDoll!
iHerb (Int): 12% off with code BFSALE12. Exclusions apply. Cannot be combined with other offers. Ends 1/12 at 10am PT.
Life Pharmacy (NZ): At least 15% off beauty & fragrance. 20% off Shiseido, Clinique, Benefit, Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, Versace, Azzaro, Mugler, Paco Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier. 40% off Maybelline & L’Oréal. Free shipping and sample bag with every order. Ends 30/11. Thanks u/HalfJapaneseDoll!
Look Fantastic (AU): Up to 50% off. Offers include 40% off asap & Skinstitut, 30% off Dermalogica & Christophe Robin, 25% off Foreo, up to 25% off selected Olaplex, and up to $60 off ghd. End date unknown. Thanks u/Visual_Responsibleo!
Mecca (AU): 6 x exclusive Mecca sets curated for Black Friday. Mystery boxes launching on 27/11: AU$76/NZ$85 for AU$152/$170 value. more info/discussion here. Thanks to u/kel-w76 for this info! Mecca may also be offering a free lipgloss GWP with purchases over a certain value (please check with store staff for details!) - thanks u/Veterinarian-Worried! Cyber Monday offer: 3 deluxe samples with every order, and free express shipping on $25+ orders. Ends 30/11 11:59pm AEDT. Thanks u/Makeuplife179!
Myer (AU): 20% off Estee Lauder, Clinique, Tom Ford, Benefit, MAC, Lancome, Elizabeth Arden and more, including gift sets.
Nourished Life (AU): Up to 40% off. 50% off selected Black Chick Remedies. 25% off Pai Skincare. 20% off Ethique, Eco Minerals, and Foreo. 15% off Weleda and Acure. 10% off Dr Bronner's. List of all offers here. Ends 1/12 9am AEDT.
Oz Hair & Beauty (AU): Further 10% off with code BFCM. Excludes hair appliances. 15% off skincare with code 15BFCM. 25% off Kerastase with code KERA25. 20% off Kevin Murphy with code KEV20. Codes do not stack. Ends 1/12. Thanks u/aromatic_writing !
Priceline (AU): 50% off most makeup including Maybelline, L'Oreal, NYX, Rimmel, Revlon, Models Prefer, and Thin Lizzy. Excludes Essence, Luma and Opallac starter kit. 30% off Revolution, Milani, TheBalm, The Quick Flick, Barry M, ELF and Shea Moisture. 40% off Real Techniques, Freezeframe, and John Frieda. 50% off selected skincare, haircare and fragrance. Starts 26/11 and ends 30/11. Thanks u/kel-w76!
RY (AU): Extra 10% off with code CYBER10. Free Black Friday gift set with $115 spends (contents unknown). End date unknown. Thanks to u/aromatic_writing & u/Kimmyonepilotso!
Selfridges (UK): Up to 20% off with code SELFCCE. Ends 29/11. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Sephora (AU/NZ): 15% off purchases <$120. 20% off purchases $120+. Excludes Dyson and sale items. Ends 27/11 instore and 28/11 12pm AEDT online. Thanks to u/Makeuplife179 and u/ravenled for this info! Online end date extended due to technical issues at launch. See also: Woolworths $100 Swap Celebration card tip at the bottom of this post. Cyber Monday sale: Up to 50% off selected items, incl. Pat McGrath , Natasha Denona and ABH. 15% off Dyson Corrale. Online only. Starts 29/11 and ends 30/11. Thanks u/Makeuplife179!
Space NK (UK): Spend £100 get £25 off, £200 get £50, and so on. Starts 27/11 and ends 30/11. Free shipping to Aus on orders over £40. Early access from 11:59pm GMT 24/11 for Space NK’s N.dulge loyalty programme members. Receive up to three complimentary Charlotte Tilbury products when you spend £80+ on CT. Spend £80+: free CT Darling Easy Eye Palette. Spend £110+ free CT Darling Easy Eye Palette and CT Collagen Lip Bath in Peachy Plump. Spend £150+: free CT Darling Easy Eye Palette, CT Collagen Lip Bath in Peachy Plump, & Brightening Youth Glow. While stocks last. May be more worthwhile than purchasing direct from CT website. Note: Space NK removes 15% VAT at checkout, but shipping time is ~4 weeks. Thanks u/Makeuplife179, u/Margot_10enbaum & u/elpippi!
StyleVana (HK): 15% off $49+ orders or 18% off $140+ orders with code SVBF2020. Also doing % off brand offers, incl. 30% off Iunik & Sulwhasoo. Free shipping on $55+ orders. Thanks u/elpippi!
Anastasia Beverly Hills (US): 30% off brow, palettes, blush & bronzer. 50% off lip, glow, contour, stick foundation & eyeshadow singles. Free glitter vault with purchase of any two 30% off palettes. Free shipping over US$50. Ends 6:59pm AEST on 30/11. Cyber Monday: 40% off Norvina collection, 24 hours only (exact end time unknown).
Armani Beauty (AU): 15% off sitewide, 20% off sitewide for members. Use code CYBER. Minimum spend $80 and excludes Prive purchases. Members who spend $250+ will receive a free full-size lipstick. Ends 11:59pm 1/12 AEDT. Thanks u/secondpea!
Australis (AU): 40% off everything. Excludes sale items and gift cards. Ends midnight 30/11.
Beauty Bakerie (US): 40% off sitewide. End date unknown.
Becca (US): 50% off holiday glow, up to 50% off selected items, free best-sellers kit with $65+ orders. End date unknown. Also, 25% off most items with code BECCAXOCTOLY25. Please note this is not a specifically BF sale, and Octoly may earn a commission on sales made using this code. Thanks u/anna_vee!
BH Cosmetics (US): Up to 75% off sitewide, some exclusions apply. End date unknown. Black Friday GWP: free beauty sponge with all purchases, & a free mini Stellar Lash mascara with $50+ orders.
Black Moon Cosmetics (US): Up to 40% off all single items and up to 25% off bundles and gift sets. No code is required. Ends 11.59pm 30/11 PST (6:59pm 1/12 AEDT). Thanks u/TheRealDrKak!
Bobbi Brown (AU): 20% off sitewide. On Cyber Monday all orders $80+ receive a free 3-piece ‘Prep Your Pretty Set’. Starts 27/11 and ends 29/11.
Charlotte Tilbury (UK): 40% off selected items and 2 of the same 12-shade eye palette for the price of one. 3 Black Friday mystery boxes available. Cyber Monday mystery item for $40. Full details here. Ends 30/11 11:59pm GMT. Free Pillow Talk Palette of Pops Palette when you spend over $180. Ends 28/11 6:59am GMT. Thanks u/emimillie, u/coldfrz & u/ThatFireAlchemist!
Clinique (AU): 20% off sitewide and a free 4-piece gift set with orders $100+. Starts 27/11 and ends 29/11.
Coloured Raine (US): 30-90% off sitewide. Free shipping on $100+. Ends 30/11. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Colourpop (US): 30% off sitewide + holiday vaults launch. Starts 5am AEST 24/11. Thanks to u/Octoember for this info! Offer changes to spend $30+, get 25% off your next order on 30/11.
Devinah (US): 35% off with code BLACKFRIDAY20. Excludes empty palettes/Aurorae Flare products. Starts 26/11 12pm PST and ends 30/11. New Star Chaser collection releasing on BF. It will be 50% off. Thanks u/CHarroJ23!
Dose of Colours (US): Daily offers -- 24/11 PST (25/11 Aus): BOGO Free single beauty sponges, foundations, concealers, highlighters, and face brushes. 25/11 PST (26/11 Aus): BOGO Free single eyeshadows, 5-pan eyeshadow palettes, Eyedeal Duos, eye brushes, eyeliners, and lashes. 26/11 PST (27/11 Aus): BOGO Free single liquid matte lipsticks, lip glosses, lip liners, and satin lipsticks. 27/11 to 30/11: 50% off sitewide including sale items, free Sunset Eyedeal Duo with $40+ USD purchase. Discount excludes bundles, sets & skincare. Full details here. Free international shipping for orders $60+. No promo codes required. Thanks u/kindrex89!
Elcie Cosmetics (US): 25% off $30+ orders, starts 25/11 and ends 30/11.
Em Cosmetics (US): Black Friday (27/11) - one-day only 20% off your purchase with code BLACKFRIDAY. Excludes new Faded Clementine products. Cyber Monday (30/11) - 15% off your purchase with the same exclusions - but exclusive lip bundles will be available. Thanks u/thiccbaobei!
Fenty Beauty (US): 30% off Fenty Beauty, excludes CLF. Get a free Fenty Skin bag with any $75+ Fenty Skin order. Ends 30/11 11:59pm PT.
Give Me Glow Cosmetics (US): Juicy Olive Palette $24, Vintage Rose Palette: $26.80, Christmas Morning Palette: $26.80, Extra Spicy Palette: $30, Grunge Palette: $30, 9X Glow: $60, Summer Vibes Palette: $43.20 (all other palettes will be full price), all singles $5, loose highlighters $6, pressed highlighters/setting powders $12, 50% off magnetic palettes, lip products $5, Foil Primer $5, makeup bags $3 and 4pc brush set $1. Starts 28/11 at 8am EST. End date unknown. Thanks u/Octoember!
Glamvice (US): 40% off everything with code BFCM. Exclusions apply. Ends 30/11 11:59pm EST.
Haus Labs (US): Up to 50% off sitewide through 1/12. Free Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder in Biker with any purchase, Black Friday weekend only. Free shipping to Aus with AU$100+ orders (pre GST). Thanks u/Samtown_!
Huda Beauty (UAE): Up to 50% off storewide. Deals include: 50% off eyeshadow palettes, highlighter palettes & more. 40% off liquid foundation, lips, lashes, KAYALI & more. 30% off melted shadows, complexion, brushes & more. 20% off wishful skincare. Four BF bundles will also be available. Full details here. Starts 24/11 PST (25/11 AEDT) and ends 27/11 (28/11 7am AEDT). Thanks u/thatderncoreytyler!
Illamasqua (UK): Up to 50% off deals + select a free mini on $50+ orders, starts 24/11 and ends 2/12. Flash daily deals on their Instagram also.
Inglot (AU): 30% off storewide with code BW30. Ends 29/11. Thanks to u/aromatic_writing, who also notes that Ingot often does 30% off sales!
Innisfree (AU): (Instore Only) - Up to 50% off selected products. Member early access 25/11 to 26/11. All customers 27/11 to 2/12. Full details here.
Innoxa (AU): 40% off sitewide, starts 24/11 and ends 30/11
JD Glow (US): 40% off storewide (excludes multichromes & palettes) with code PINKFRIDAY40. 20% off multichromes & palettes with code SPECIALEDITION. Start 26/11 12am CST (26/11 7pm AEDT) and ends 27/11 11:59pm CST. Thanks u/CHarroJ23 and u/Octoember!
Juvia's Place (US): 45% off all lip products, up to 50% off everything. Ships within 24 hours. Discount codes may also stack on top of this. End date unknown. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Juno & Co (US): Buy one, get one for US$1. Free international shipping on orders US$50+. Spend $40, get a $5 gift card. Ends 30/11. Thanks u/Sleepisbetter!
Kaleidos Makeup (CN): 25% off everything (except bundles). 40% off Cyber Broze palette and Kaleidos Lippies. All orders over $70 get a free hair bow. All orders over $180 get a free Fresh Fantasy Suitcase and Hair Bow, the Original Mars Melter, and a Kaleidos Sport Towel. Ends 30/11. Thanks u/Octoember!
Kevyn Aucoin (US): 35% off sitewide with code CYBER35. Ends 30/11 US time.
KKW Beauty (US): 30% off sitewide, some exclusions apply. Ends 30/11 11:59pm PT. Thanks u/Riiseandshine!
Kylie Cosmetics (US): 40% off lips, 30% off eyes & face. 30% off Kylie Skin. Starts 25/11 12pm PST and ends 29/11 9:59am PST. Exclusions apply. Free international shipping on orders over $60. Thanks u/Riiseandshine!
Lethal Cosmetics (EU): Up to 40% off selected items. €20 shipping to Aus, free for orders over €150. Ends 30/11 midnight CET. Thanks u/thajane!
Lime Crime (US): 30% off sitewide, 50% off holiday collection. Free shipping with orders US$50+. Free Remix Mini Lip Set with orders US$50+ (limited time only). End date unknown.
MAC (AU): 20% off sitewide. Free bronzer with orders over $100, offer ends midnight 27/11. Cyber Monday offer: 20% off sitewide, online orders $65+ will receive a free five-piece gift set with code PINK20 or RED20 (for the lipstick shade option). Starts 29/11 and ends 30/11. See Coles "The Her Card" gift card deal at the bottom of this thread for extra savings.
Makeup by Mario (US): 25% off sitewide (includes limited edition sets), with code 25OFF. Exclude Master Eye Collection & gift cards. Free shipping to Aus with spends $129+. Ends date unknown. Thanks u/coldfrz!
MCo Beauty (AU): Up to 50% off selected products, starts 20/11 and ends 27/11.
Melt Cosmetics (US): Up to 70% off selected items, excludes new collections. End date unknown.
Model Rock Lashes (AU): Various offers on selected products, up to 90% off. Ends 30/11.
Morphe (AU): 40% off Morphe with code FAB40. Excludes third-party products & bundles, sale items, and Lisa Frank. Online at morphe.com and at Morphe stores. Starts 26/11 and ends 29/11. On 30/11 Cyber Monday, 30% off almost everything. Free shipping on orders over $30. Thanks u/da-n!
Muse Beauty Pro (US): 20% off sitewide (some exclusions apply), starts 26/11, ends 30/11.
Natasha Denona (US): Buy one get one free on selected base products & accessories. Up to 50% off selected eye & cheek products. Up to 30% off selected lip products. Free shipping on orders over $150. Starts 26/11 8am EST (27/11 12am AEDT). End date unknown.
Natio (AU): 30% off sitewide. Starts 27/11 00:01am AEST and ends 30/11 11:59pm AEST. Thanks u/Tokatoya!
Nikkia Joy Cosmetics (AU): 30% off storewide with code BF30. Excludes brushes and pigments. End date unknown. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Nomad Cosmetics (US): 4/11 to 23/11: 60% off Around the World Palette. 24/11 to 26/11: Pre-BF Sale Buy More Get More off ($30/30% off - $90/50% off). 27/11: Black Friday 50% off Orient Express Palette. 28/11: Small Biz Saturday - 70% off 4 pack of highlighters. 30/11: Cyber Monday 40% off site wide. Thanks u/CHarroJ23!
Nude by Nature (AU): 50% off with code BEAUTYDAY. Excludes sale and kids. Receive a free LED mirror with purchases $100+. Ends midnight 30/11.
Nudestix (US): 40% off sitewide with code CYBER40, excludes hand sanitiser, kits & sale items. End date unknown. Thanks u/ofavonlea
Oden's Eye (HK/SG): 40% off all products from 27/11 to 29/11 (European time). Also believed to have free shipping for spending over €50. Thanks u/coldfrz!
OFRA (US): $15 international shipping, 40% off sitewide, starts 11/26 and ends 11/26, $15 highlighters/blushes/bronzers, starts 11/27 and ends 11/27, $5 skincare, starts 11/28 and ends 11/28, 50% off palettes, starts 11/29 and ends 11/29, Super beauty busters, starts 11/30 and ends 11/30. Cyber Monday: 40% off everything with code BFCM20.
Sample Beauty (UK): 40% off everything, check brand Instagram for codes for extra 5% off. End date unknown.
Scott Barnes (US): 30% off sitewide "all week long". Flat rate US$15 shipping. Thanks u/coldfrz!
Scotty's Makeup (AU): 20% off storewide with code BFCM20. Valid instore & online. Ends 30/11 11:59pm AEDT.
Skindinavia (AU): 30% off sitewide with code CYBER30. Free shipping in Aus on orders over $49. Ends 30/11.
Sigma Beauty (US): 40% off sitewide + up to 60% off selected items with code HOLIDAY2020. Free worldwide shipping no minimum ends 29/11 11:59pm AEDT. Spend $30+ and choose a free gift. More you spend, more free gifts you get in multiples of $30. 50% off Black Friday sets. Ends 1/12 at 11:59PM CST. Thanks u/Mostly-Relevant & u/iolanth!
Sportsgirl (AU): 20% off all beauty. Valid instore & online. Ends midnight 30/11.
Sydney Grace (US): 25% off starts 27/11 and ends 30/11. Free international shipping over US$150. Thanks to u/CHarroJ23 for this info!
Tarte (US): 30% off sitewide and 50% off holiday steals with code CYBER. End date unknown. Cyber Monday: 40% off selected items (incl. Shape Tape range) with code OMG. Ends at approx 7pm AEDT 1/12. Free shipping on orders $80+. Free mascara & blush duo with purchase of 3+ items automatically applied at checkout. Thanks u/wherestherice & u/neuphss!
The Quick Flick (AU): Up to 70% off sitewide. End date unknown.
Thin Lizzy (AU): 50% off sitewide. Excludes bundles. Ends 30/11.
Touch of Glam Beauty (US): 40% off foiled eyeshadows, highlighters, multidimensional eyeshadows. 20% off selected items incl. new iridescent shapeshifters, pastel & jewelled multichromes, and shifting glitters. Use code: TOGB. 20% off bundles (already marked down). Starts 25/11 and ends 1/12. Thanks coldfrz!
WeMakeup (IT): Up to 40% off everything. End date unknown. Thanks u/coldfrz!
YSL (AU): 20% off for members with code MEMBER20, and bonus Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in shade 80 when you spend $200+. 15% off for non-members with code CYBER15. Only valid on $50+ spends. Ends 2/12.
Skincare
Alkira Skincare (AU): 30% off sitewide, starts 23/11 and ends 30/11.
Boracay Skin (AU): 30% off sitewide, starts 26/11 and ends 30/11.
BreezeBalm (AU): Up to 80% off sitewide. Ends 3/12.
Deciem (AU): 23% off Deciem brands (incl. The Ordinary, NIOD, Hylamide). Ends 30/11.
Everyday Humans (AU): 30% off sitewide, starts 23/11 and ends 29/11.
Frank Body (AU): 20% off everything. Free shipping on orders $25+. Ends 1/12 9am AEDT.
Kiehl's (AU): 3 products for the price of 2. Spend $200 to receive a bonus 8-piece gift with code 8PIECE. Daily flash offer with every $60 spent. Full details [here](https://www.kiehls.com.au/offers. Ends 11.59pm AEDT 30/11/20. Note: 25% cashback via ShopBack -- thanks u/dog-coffee!
La Mer (AU): Select 3 samples with any $300 purchase. Your choice of sustainably crafted spa accessory and luxury sample with any $450 purchase. Ends 30/11 midnight AEDT.
Paula's Choice (AU): 20% off sitewide with code BESTSKIN. Free 4-piece gift on $125+ spends, bonus full-size gift on $150+. End date unknown. 27/11 only: 30% off Black Friday Kit.
Skin Republic (AU): 40% off sitewide (excluding value bundles), starts 24/11 and ends 30/11.
Stratia (US): 20% off sitewide. Free shipping over $150. End date unknown. Thanks u/yendingo!
Sukin (AU): 50% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY50. Ends 30/11.
Tatcha (US): 20% off storewide, starts 26/11 and ends 28/11.
The Body Shop (AU): Up to 60% off on selected products. Offers include $5 shower gels and sheet masks, $2 bath lilies, $20 EDTs, $9 liquid lips, 3 for $40 jumbo haircare. Ends midnight 29/11. Black Friday offers extended, and free shipping on all orders until midnight 30/11. Thanks u/aromatic_writing!
Tribe Skincare (AU): 20% off site-wide and free express shipping, 27/11 only.
Aveda (AU): Pre-Black Friday offer: Free full sized bottle of either Damage remedy daily hair repair, colour corrective daily colour protect, be curly style prep or smooth infusion style prep, with any purchase of $65+. Ends 26/11. Thanks to u/-GailTheSnail- for this info! Black Friday offer: 20% off and free shipping with any order over $50. Starts 27/11 and ends 29/11. See Coles "The Her Card" gift card deal at the bottom of this thread for extra savings.
Christophe Robin (US): Up to 40% off, secret flash sales, starts 24/11 and ends 2/12. Shipping to AU and NZ is $15.
Cloud Nine (AU): $40 off all electricals. End date unknown.
Dyson (AU): 2 free gifts with selected hair styler purchases. Excludes Airwrap Long. Ends 2/12. Thanks to u/bobot_ for this info! See also: David Jones offer under Multi-brand Stores.
GHD (AU): Up to $50 off stylers, dryers and curlers. Starts 21/11 and ends 4/12.
Hairhouse Warehouse (AU): Up to 20% off haircare and up to $50 off electrical. Get a free $15 voucher with any purchase between now and Cyber Monday. Thanks u/flora_dora!
Nature Lab Tokyo (US): 30% off shampoos and conditioners, starts 27/11 and ends 30/11.
Tools & Accessories
Beauty Fridge (AU): Up to 50% off sitewide. End date unknown.
Current Body (Int): Up to 55% off devices. End date unknown.
Etoile Collective (AU): Up to 30% off select styles. Complimentary monogramming throughout BF sale. Free pink handheld mirror with all orders $300+. End date unknown.
Face Halo (AU): 30% off sitewide with code CYBER30. Starts 23/11 and ends 30/11. Thanks u/cats_i_like!
Happy Skin Co (AU): 35-45% off sitewide. Starts 24/11 and ends 30/11.
Hot Tools (AU): 20% off everything. Free shipping in Aus. Ends 30/11.
Rephr Brushes (US): 20% off individual brushes. Core eye trio $39. Core face duo $56. Core collection $88. $100 off Holiday collection. End date unknown. Thanks u/samanthamoonshine!
Shaver Shop (AU): Up to 80% off. End date unknown.
Libertine Parfumerie (AU): 20% off storewide with code FRIDAY20. Includes Amouage, Cire Trudon, Costume National, Creed, Frapin, Goldfield & Banks, Juliette Has A Gun, L'Artisan, Lubin, Memo, Penhaligons, etc. Excudes Fragonard, Nasomatto, Santa Maria Novella & masterclasses. Ends 30/11 midnight AEDT. Thanks u/da-n!
Please leave a comment with any other deals you come across and we’ll get this post updated asap! Beside each brand/store name you'll notice a location (in brackets). u/aromatic_writing suggested below that we include where each store is located and shipping from so that users can better judge where to shop from, and how long shipping might take. If a brand is marked (Int)ernational it may be because the company has distribution centres in a number of countries, or we know it's not Aus, but aren't sure exactly which country it is! If this info is important to you please double-check or contact the brand before purchasing as it may not be totally correct! OTHER MONEY-SAVING TIPS & OFFERS
You may be able to access discounted e-gift cards ranging from 3-10% for Myer, Sephora, DJs, Priceline and more through your union, insurance, or bank rewards platforms. Please see this table at Ozbargain for more info. Thanks to u/da-n for this tip!
Woolworths is offering 2000 Points (equivalent to $10) with $100 Swap Celebration/Entertainment Card spend that is redeemable on Sephora. More info here. Thanks to u/da-n for this info!
Consider using a browser extension like Honey to find coupon codes. Thanks to u/da-n for this tip!
Coles is doing 15% off certain gift cards (starts 25/11 and ends 1/12, or while stocks last). The Her Card ($50/$100) can be used at Adore Beauty (online), ASOS (online), Aveda (in store) and MAC (in store) beauty-wise. At Adore Beauty you can't use it in conjunction with any other gift card or promo code. Full details here. Thanks u/Margot_10enbaum for this info!
Check CashRewards and ShopBack for cash back offers and other deals while you do your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping. Thanks coldfrz for this info!
This post aims to draw together a bunch of research that helped me get started cubing, pulling on advice from other cubers, resources on this subreddit, and external articles. The idea is to cover the basics, answer the FAQs and collate links to other resources for further reading. (please bear in mind this is a round up of advice through the lens of my own bias, I am not claiming any advice here to be the way thingsshouldbe done, just to provide a starting point to people who don’t yet know how thingscouldbe done)
Post breakdown:
0 - What is a Cube?
1 - Quick Start
2 - Detailed Start
3 - Extras
4 - Resource Hub
0 - WHAT IS A CUBE?:
“A cube is a ... collection of (often powerful) cards used for drafting and playing Limited. Drafting a cube is similar to drafting booster packs, but instead of drafting from three fifteen-card Magic booster packs, you draft from fifteen-card "packs" that you create from your cube.” - Building Your First Cube) Tolarian Community College - What is a Magic: The Gathering Cube? How many players do I need to play my cube?: Cube can be enjoyed with anywhere between 2-8 players. A brilliant summary of different draft methods for different player counts can be found here
1 - QUICK START:
So you like the look of cube and want to get started playing the best limited format ASAP? Here are some of the easiest ways to start building and playing Cube:
Pull together 360 cards you already own into a Cube, following the rough colour balance guidelines in the WotC “Building Your First Cube” article
Purchase a premade cube (links in the resource hub)
Copy or gain inspiration from some of the most popular cubes (links in the resource hub)
If you decide to build your own first cube, as long as you have reasonably even colour sections and a curves similar to what you might want to draft in retail limited you will produce an environment that will be a blast to play. Other early facets you may wish to explore are:
Card power delta - i.e. how much stronger your strongest card is compared to your weakest. Typically cube design aims to cut out the draft chaff found in retail limited so that all packs contain fun and playable cards.
Archetypes you enjoy - e.g. if you enjoy Madness and graveyard interaction cards, building a cube environment that supports this type of gameplay is a worthwhile goal!
Cards you enjoy but not sure whether they fit - Just jam 'em in. It’s not necessary to worry too much about individual card balance early on. Actually playing with the cards in the cube will be the best way to inform decision making.
Remember, you can always add and remove cards as you see fit. It’s not necessary to agonise over individual card choice at this point (although of course you may if that floats your boat). CubeCobra is the community favourite cube management website. It is similar to existing decklist websites (mtggoldfish etc.), but made specifically for cube. It has all sorts of tools for managing, analysing and playtesting your cube, and is invaluable for a cube designer. Playing your cube: Playing paper magic is currently challenging to impossible depending on where you are in the world. See the Resource Hub for ways to play your cube online. Bonus Link - Lucky paper - How and why to build a cube (podcast)
2 - DETAILED START:
To help make this section more searchable/digestible I’ve split it into what I’d consider to be the key elements to think about when building your first cube:
2.1 Size
2.2 Power & Removal
2.3 Curve and Cardtype Balance
2.4 Archetypes
2.5 Signposting
2.6 Gold count
2.7 Nonbasic lands
2.8 Colourless
2.9 Colourless Ramp
2.10 Singleton or Not?
2.11 Board State
2.12 Devotion
2.13 First Cube
2.1 SIZE: The size of your cube affects a number of factors, such as card density, number of players, variation between drafts, cohesion of archetypes etc. Typical cube sizes are multiples of 180 (as they divide nicely into 15 card packs)
180: Normally the minimum cube size one should build, it will support only 4 players drafting or 2 players sealed, and will provide a low variation in each draft. The pros of a 180 cube are that they can be used to support archetypes difficult to play at higher card counts, provide a draft consistency useful for teaching new players, are cheaper to build and sleeve, and can be more easily transported.
360: The /standard/ cube size, supporting a full 8 player draft pod or 4 players sealed and provides twice the variation per draft! This is my recommended size for a first cube. It should provide easily enough variation for long lasting fun, without being an unwieldy first project.
450: Often used as a stepping stone above 360 to introduce further variation into the cube (still drafted in 8 man pods), and to allow more sealed players and alternate draft methods.
540+: For further variation in 8 man pods, or support for two 8 man pods at higher card counts.
2.2 POWER (and power consistency): How powerful do you want the contents of your cube to be?u/land_of_Mordor has written up a brilliant shorthand for differentiating cube power levels here This scale ranges from 1 (Retail limited) to 10 (Fully powered, absolute strongest cards in magic the gathering) It is important to consider power consistency when building your cube. Ideally most of your cards ought to sit at a roughly equal power band to provide fun and fair gameplay. For an extreme example, a cube that runs sol ring (found in ~strix 8+) should not include drastically lower power cards such as celestial prism (and vice versa). Ideally you don’t want situations where your drafters win because they have the “better” cards than their opponent. Cube is an opportunity to move away from the chaff/bombs divide present in retail limited. A useful tool for gauging the balance in your cube after building it is to use the filters in CubeCobra to sort your cube by “Elo” and scrutinise any outliers. The elo system ranks cards by recording each card picked against every other card passed in a pack. <1000 elo is very low >2000 elo is incredibly high (power 9 sit in this spot). Due to how elo is calculated it doesn’t take into account:
Your environment - A card with low elo but important to a synergy in your cube may well be a high pick bomb in your environment
Card “power” - Elo is a reflection of how early drafters pick cards. In a cube draft, assessment value is often given by players to cards that allow them to fix mana, ramp or stay open. For this reason, the Elo of a card such as arbor elf is significantly higher than dragonlord atarka
In summary, Elo is a useful tool to flag outliers, but individual card merit should still be assessed by the cube designer in the environment they are creating. 2.2(a) REMOVAL: Removal in cube plays a significant role in how your environment functions and its overall power level. Density and efficiency are the main dials of removal that can be tweaked to adjust your format.
Low density - Removal becomes a premium. Threats stick to the board for longer. Baneslayers are more viable
High density - Mulldrifters become a premium / Baneslayers are less viable. Less focus on creature combat.
Low efficiency - Aggro has a greater window to get “under” the other players.
High efficiency - Threats need to be cheap and provide high value to not be outclassed by cheap removal.
Ideally density and efficiency of removal should reflect the rest of your cube. For example, high efficiency high density removal is best suited to environments that have very efficient threats. Efficiency can be adjusted by raising/lowering the CMC of removal spells (Murder vs Daring Demolition), deciding on instant vs sorcery, or including removal with restrictions/drawbacks (Bone Splinters) Attaching removal to bodies increases both density and efficiency. E.g. Ravenous Chupacabra Density can otherwise be adjusted by increasing/decreasing the removal card count in your environment. 2.3 CURVE AND CARD TYPE BALANCE: Character limit -I'll put this section in a comment. 2.4 ARCHETYPES: You may wish to decide on supported archetypes at the inception of your cube, or allow them to present themselves through play of your quick start cube. Archetype support is a tricky beast, many cube designers have differing opinions on how (or even if) archetype support should be implemented. Two main axis that archetype support can be measured on are “Parasitism” and “Weight” "Parasitism in cube" video and thread Parasitic strategies work within their own defined bounds, don’t care much about other cards, and are underperformers/useless outside of their strategy.
Mill and tribal can be examples of parasitic archetypes.
Medium parasitic cards might be fringe playable outside their intended strategy e.g. Auramancer
Low parasitic cards are playable in multiple shells but shine in their desired archetype. E.g. Galvanic Blast
Running cards that have a good floor (i.e. worst case scenario) but improve in your chosen archetypes is a good way to reduce parasitism in your cube. Additionally, running cards that fit multiple archetypes can be desirable e.g. Rimrock Knight is useful to mono R aggro, spells matters, and weenies “Weight” is the term I’m giving to the measurement of how prominent each archetype is in each colour. A lower weight may allow for more organic strategies to develop in your draft environment A higher weight may result in drafters feeling like they are being pushed to do what you "want" them to do For example if you run 20 Prowess creatures in red and white, players may feel obliged to lean into the strategy given to them instead of having the agency to build their own unique deck. Where your cube sits on the Parasitism/Weight scale will be personal to you, and will likely change as you develop and adjust your cube. You and your playgroup's enjoyment can help drive these decisions. u/Japahn has an excellent article here on archetype design in cube. 2.5 SIGNPOSTING: Signpost cards are cards that support and communicate the presence of a strategy to drafters. These can be used effectively to help players understand what is possible in your cube. For example, if a player opens a pack and sees Thermo Alchemist and/or Talrand, Sky Summoner they might reasonably believe that a “Spellslinger” theme is present in your cube. In the same line of thinking, it can be worth avoiding false signposts that lead players to believe a strategy or theme is present that actually doesn’t exist. For example one half of the blood combo without the other, or otherwise playable cards that suggest a strategy that doesn’t exist e.g. Champion of Dusk without vampire tribal. You may even consider eliminating one-off mechanics for comprehension. E.g. I cut Aether hub in favour of Tendo Ice Bridge after a drafter was disappointed that Energy wasn’t a present mechanic in the cube. Gold cards are a good opportunity to show your drafters some of the strategies possible in each colour combination. This should feel familiar to players, as WotC employs the same design in their retail sets. 2.6 GOLD COUNT: Gold cards can be very fun, they act as good signposts and are often players’ & designers’ favourite cards. The temptation to include lots of gold cards is high among beginning cube designers for these reasons, however a lower count is generally more beneficial for the environment. Fundamentally, gold cards are relevant to far fewer players and have a tendancy to wheel around the table before landing with a player who doesn’t want them. For example, a Lightning Helix is very relevant to your Boros drafter (if there even is one this session), lightly relevant to your Naya/Jeskai/Mardu drafters (if there are any) and irrelevant to everyone else. In contrast Lightning Strike is relevant to ⅕ of your Mono colour drafters. 5/10 of your 2 colour drafters and 6/10 of your 3 colour drafters. Someone at your table will be playing red, and this card is guaranteed to be relevant and desirable. More cards able to be played by more people in more strategies = more agency for your drafters 20-30 gold cards in 360 anecdotally works very nicely. 2.7 NONBASIC LANDS: Good fixing in cube is crucial to help games run smoothly. Not being able to play magic due to mana screw is one of the least enjoyable aspects of the game. Good fixing reduces the number of feel bad games your drafters experience due to poor variance. 30-40 lands in 360 cards will help ensure the games are more enjoyable for everyone. Unfortunately, good lands can be expensive, but proxy printing/sharpie changes can solve this issue! (proxy resource links below) (it is worth noting a risk of too much fixing is that everyone is able to draft 5 colour piles of the best cards(this may still happen even at lower land count if 7 of your drafters ignore the fixing and one player snaps up 20 lands)) 2.8 COLOURLESS: Colourless cards are effectively “free” picks for your drafters, allowing them to remain open in the draft while providing powerful effects. Fun utility cards and curve filling creatures are perfect candidates for the colourless section. Due to the “free” nature of colourless cards, you may wish to balance them in such a way that they don’t outclass your coloured cards. 2.9 COLOURLESS RAMP: Colourless ramp such as Sol Ring and Dimir Signet allow your drafters to cheat past the early stages of the game. Be very cautious about including cheap colourless ramp in any lower powered environment. Reasons to be careful:
Strong ramp can invalidate aggro
If you want ramp to be part of Green’s identity, colourless ramp can invalidate it (or reduce its uniqueness)
It can cause swingy games based on variance - Opponent plays a T1 sol ring and you have no ramp. You’re almost guaranteed to lose
A rough guide for rocks that produce 1 mana:
0-1CMC rocks (Moxen/Sol Ring) - Powered cubes only (Strix 9-10)
2 CMC rocks (Signets/Talismans/Diamonds) - Medium cubes (Strix 5-8)
3+ CMC rocks (Crystals/Lockets/Cluestones) - Lower power cubes (Strix 0-4)
Don’t be fooled by “enters tapped” clauses. Sphere of the Suns is still likely too strong for a low powered cube. Bonus: Rock List 2.10 SINGLETON OR NOT?:
Singleton Pros:
Higher variety of cards
More unique mechanics
Draft decks will contain all unique cards
Aesthetically pleasing to some
Singleton Cons:
Higher complexity for newer players (learning 360 new cards in a single draft can be a lot)
Some strategies may require a higher density of a certain effect at a certain CMC to be viable (i.e. you decide your cube needs 2x reanimate in order to help the deck be consistent enough)
Breaking singleton is a fine thing to do, but typically is only worth doing to fulfil a design goal that can’t be achieved by another unique card. A common singleton break is for nonbasic lands, as cube designers often want to provide the best possible fixing for their drafters. The first iteration of my cube broke singleton in a few places and it was fine, but very quickly I felt like I was wasting slots that I'd rather use to increase variety and replayability. Interesting write-up on breaking singleton by u/Karametric 2.11 BOARD STATE: Do you want a front heavy (i.e. 3/2 creatures) or a back heavy (i.e. 2/3 creatures) board state? This article discusses the advantages of a front heavy board state. I won’t repeat the detail of this article here as I’ve nothing extra to add, but the main point is that a front heavy board allows for meaningful attacks and reduces board stalls. 2.12 DEVOTION: Cards with a high colour devotion (i.e. multiple coloured pips in their casting cost) are more difficult to cast by more of your drafters. For example Knight of the White Orchid can only reliably be cast on curve by a mono white (or heavily white) deck. Cards with low CMC and high devotion are particularly problematic, as finding 2 white by turn 2 in a Selesnya deck is a lot harder than finding 2 white by turn 5 to cast Regal Caracal. When designing with this in mind, high devotion cards can be used to tune the accessibility & viability of 3+ colour decks. 2.13 FIRST CUBE: u/Fleme’s write up on assessing your first cube was a massive boon for reviewing the first cube I built. Reading this before and/or after building your cube should provide lots of useful insight.
3 EXTRA
Cube Costs: Within reason, cube can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be. Here’s a quick breakdown of costs associated with cube:
FREE - Playing a CubeCobra list exclusively online
FREE - Playing with cards you already own
~$35 - 550 Sleeves required for 360 cards + 34 of each basic land
Variable - Cost of singles bought for the cube. Your design goals and tolerance for proxies dictate this.
Proxying (Requires sleeves):
Free - Printing on any printer you have free access to (University/work etc.)
Variable - Printing at home, cost variable on printeink/card stock
~$0.25/card - Online printing services
$10 - $200 - Storage
4 RESOURCE HUB
A hub for cube and draft resources! Many of the resources below have been discussed and analysed in a vast number of different articles/videos/podcasts. If any one topic takes your interest, a quick google will almost always lead you to more content on a topic. E.g. Quadrant theory has been analysed by a plethora of different players on many platforms. One just has to google. Sidebar: The sidebar on the right of this subreddit contains lots of useful links to podcasts/discord channels/popular threads etc. Check out what it has to offer.(If you are on mobile, sidebar links can be accessed by scrolling to the top of the subreddit and pressing the "about" button in the right/centre of the page) How to draft:
Quadrant Theory - A method for evaluating cards, useful for design and play within your cube.
Draft evaluation in cube - This video focuses on how to draft cube more effectively, and in turn contains information that can be very useful when considering your design.
How to shuffle:
Fully randomising your cube by regular thorough shuffling is normal and provides good gameplay.
Dr4ft.info - Draft tool with cube support and pack size, pick number, draft speed, and bot options. Produces savable draft logs + deck lists for importing elsewhere
Untap.in - Promising looking for drafting and playing in browser, but anecdotally have encountered issues with cards that refuse to load or produce errors. Hopefully this will be fixed in future. (Limited draft options)
Tabletop Simulator - A simulator that allows you to play board/card games as in real life
Shop Local This Christmas! (r/NorthernIreland's list of local shops and businesses)
Thanks for all the awards! And shout out to u/davidc535 who mapped a lot of these on Google maps. Also, this ran on too long, more places in the comments.
Dustie Roo sell prints of floral arrangements that are really beautiful (From u/hm8g10) Noop designs have some really great Northern Irish themed prints (From u/hm8g10) Camlake Canvas - Fermanagh based artist with some amazing stuff. Also takes commission - painted our doggo and it was brilliant. Aly Harte also does prints and paintings (From u/hm8g10) I love Doghouse Gallery in Comber and Kingfisher Gallery in Killyleagh for local art, prints, jewellery, decorations etc. (From u/isotala) John Robinson Art - Belfast. He does the art on Boundary Brewing cans, based in Belfast. (From u/TunaFish88) Le Petit Pois Gallery abstract paintings and prints (From u/redditor930530) A Work of Heart bespoke and personalised prints based in Tandragee (From u/redditor930530) Armagh Damsons - Does commissions of your favourite landscape, cityscape, your home, your pet, whatever really. From u/tartanbornandred Horner Gallery - Castledawson, @ liamhornerart (instagram) and has a gallery in Castledawson, has lots of original landscape paintings and prints- also does Seamus Heaney themed work. From u/Carbsandmayo Studio Cole is a Scottish artist living locally and makes custom abstract paintings and prints. (From u/TheTyphoonteabag) Terry Bradley Art galleries - Belfast and Bangor. Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) One of Ireland's best known artists, recognised worldwide. (From u/SCOdoubleT16) Kaela Elliot Gifts - Derry. Derry based, hand designed cards, prints, mugs. Takes custom orders. (From u/pettydavis) Born and Bred (from u/oldfilmjanitor) - This site actually looks amazing. Based in Belfast they've a pile of really great gifts, all sourced from local artists and designers. little heart -Belfast. Personalised paintings, greetings cards /tree decorations, &some cute gifts on the website. Has some Harry Potter things, Disney ornaments, and teddy’s she sells in her store in queens arcade. Always get compliments when I buy people a gift from there. u/Mearbhail
Bath / Body / Candle Gifts
Mermaid Cove - Richmond Centre, Derry. (bath, body and home products...bath bombs, soaps, wax melts, all cruelty free & vegan, owner is an absolutely lovely woman!) Hex Bomb - Belfast. (Another Northern Irish bath bomb company, though I believe are Belfast based) Bubba's Meltys (And a wax melt company) The Scented Scullery - Lurgan is fantastic. From u/RiverPondlife Serenity Beauty - Maybe not local crafts but let's face it,the beauty industry is dying here and I know for a fact the owner of this place goes above and beyond for her clients. She has her own skin care range if you're thinking of gifts for the missus. From u/RiverPondlife Plumpy Balms - Plumpy is a beautiful little Vegan brand with the greatest lip balms. Check out their Lemon Pop - it's a miracle cold sore treatment. They also do tinted lip balms and face and body balms too. (From u/eimcca80) Sweet Scentsations - Derry and Belfast. They sell hand made wax melts. Bearded Candle Makers - Belfast. Candle from Bearded Candle Makers just arrived, not only is the packaging really nicely done (including a handwritten note on a postcard), the candle smells unreal. Highly recommend. (From u/Crimsai and u/hm8g10) Legenderry Candle Co. - Derry. Handmade soya wax melts, candles and other scented products (car air fresheners, reed diffusers, etc.) (From u/djfrfc) Belfast Beard Company - Been using their stuff for years, the lads running it are all great. From u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In Plumpy Balms - Beautiful little Vegan brand with the greatest lip balms. Check out their Lemon Pop - it's a miracle cold sore treatment. They also do tinted lip balms and face and body balms too. u/eimcca80
Book Shops
No Alibis probably best known local book shop. Books Papers Scissors also in Belfast Little Acorns Bookstore in Derry (girl who runs this place seems like a legend!) Bookends in Bangor Bridge Books in Dromore The Secret Bookshop - in Carrick. It’s a lovely wee place that’s just opened this year and can order the books in for you if they don’t have it in stock. From u/kittenmish (Comic stores in 'Games / Nerdy stuff / Models category)
Harland Homesyle - Etsy store from u/PM-me-Gophers &his wife, selling handcrafted herbs &spices. Perfect smaller gifts for friends / stocking fillers. Update: Now with expanded range, including two Christmas specific offerings (Winter Spice and a Mulled Wine Mix). https://www.rockadoodledo.com/products/ - Redditor u/rockadoodledobelfast sells some amazing hot sauces online and at St. George's Market. Started out years ago by giving away samples to 50 redditors for feedback! Erne Larder Preserves - Fermanagh. For delicious jams& chutneys (From u/fermango) Layer Cake - Lisburn. does great cupcakes. It was the one place that made me actually venture to Lisburn when I’d be back home for a visit) (From u/ambivert1902) Mike’s Fancy Cheeses - Belfast. Locally sourced and produced. Has a wee shop in Belfast and also does deliveries including breads etc. Great idea for social distancing Xmas pressie (From u/RedLouStar) Ebron's Enterprise - Portadown. (family run bakery - flipping delicious and Christmas range coming out soon!) (From u/redditor930530) HollieBerrie cakes and treat boxes (From u/redditor930530) Lily Pink Bakery incredible cakes and currently doing treat boxes too! (From u/redditor930530) Nearynógs do all things chocolate, based in Newry but have stockists all over. (From u/Louthgirl) Enrich & Endure make gorgeous linen aprons and have also started making face coverings. Online shop but you've probably seen their aprons in your favourite café (From u/Louthgirl) 387 Ormeau Road (that's the cafe name & address) does great food and it's all vegan friendly. Brownies, cake slices, hot food, independent soft drinks and coffee blends, and groceries. They even post what they have available on their FB page, with the ability to reserve items u/Irockz The Nutmeg - lovely health food store on Lombard Street in Belfast. Stocks all sorts of healthy, organic, &vegan things, from supplements to frozen food to crisps to chocolate to homemade sandwiches and sausage rolls. LocalBoxNI.com - Deliver all kinds of local food - nice cheeses, breads, meats, hampers etc. They're delivering food right up to Christmas Eve and are run by reddit u/justin344. MooToYou - Deliver to Belfast area and surrounding, food is sourced from local suppliers. From u/mlmxp Two Sisters - Belfast. Independent Belfast based food shop, also selling arts & crafts and good coffee. Highly recommended! (From u/chrissedoff55) Madame Macs - Redditor u/PsychopathicMunchkin makes incredibly good French macarons. Definitely worth a wee purchase! (me) graze2u - Derry. Grazing platters & artisan foods, delivered in and around Derry. Burren Balsamics Armagh - really good flavoured balsamic vinegar, I like the Armagh Apple Ristretto Coffee Roasters Banbridge - really high quality coffee Hannan Meats Moira - for the turkey. Can be ordered in advance (this &2above from u/fjleish)
UseLess Shop (Society Street in Derry....environmentally friendly shop, sells reusable items, restock of grains/pasta) Whiskey Woodcraft for handmade gifts from Irish whiskey barrels (Personal note - this is class). From u/fermango
Games / Nerdy stuff / Models
Replay Games in Bangor from u/mangokid555 Angry Cherry (Foyle Street, Derry....comics/geeky shop, also sell the likes of Nemises Now/Alchemy England) Modeller's Corner - Enniskillen. From u/Scrabo - Radio Controlled Cars/Aircraft, Plastic Model Kits (Airfix etc), Model Railway, Collectors Models, Terrain and Paint, Board Games and puzzles. Small family run business. Coffee and Heroes - Belfast, Smithfield Market. Huge range of comics & comic related goodness. If they don't have it they can usually source it quite quickly for you, well worth a visit :) From u/CaptainGurrash Comic Book Guys - Belfast. Great comic book shop in Belfast. Great selection of comics, gifts, tshirts etc. Would be a great addition to the games/nerdy stuff category. From u/DogLor Football Fortunes - Football management tabletop and computer game you can play with friends and family, created by u/Creative-Ad3337 On Table Top - Coleraine. Table top based company in Coleraine that does miniatures etc. (From u/Old_Gregg97)
Cool Discs - Derry for CD's / Vinyl (mostly vinyl cause who the fuck buys CD's anymore) (From u/CMadden1) Voodoo Soup - Across from Smithfield Market. Does a mad variety of CDs & Vinyl for good prices (£3 a pop for almost every CD (From u/Irockz) Matchetts - Belfast. Well known local instrument store. (From u/made-in-china-)
PhotomonkeyNI - Personalised photo gifts, custom framing, photo printing, t-shirts, photo canvas Any thing image orientated. Even does cine and video to DVD (From u/HarrysDa)
Sports Wear
Topping Leisure - Comber. Always recommend. Website not great, but the kind of place you visit. Only shop here(and maybe all of Ireland) which will custom fit, heat molded ski boots. From u/SomewhatIrishfellow Galibier - Craigavon. Pretty niche but Galibier sells premium cycling clothes. I was gifted one of their coats and it's by far the best one I have. (From u/rocketship92) See the rest of the list here.
Initial impressions: Clinch Graham Boot in Brown French Kip
Album Preface: These are expensive. I’m poor af and could never afford to pay the $1650 price tag these boots carry. Thankfully, there are boot enthusiasts so kind and pure of heart and soul, that they are kind enough to buy me things like these in return for MTO Østmo boots. It is a privilege and an honor. There aren't too many posts about Clinch boots on here, though, and I just received these today. So I thought I’d add my thoughts to the pool. Clinch is made by/for the store Brass Tokyo, a small team of skilled craftsmen and enthusiasts located in Japan on the outskirts of Tokyo. They are probably best known for their engineer boots, but also their line of super-interesting lace-to-toe sneaker-boots and field boots. I like to refer folks to this article on Stitchdown.com for great and more in-depth information about the brand. This is their Graham model in brown French kip. They are on the MR last, handwelted, are fully leather lined and feature an O’Sullivan’s heel, a single leather sole that tapers to a double, and a thin rubber half sole. They were purchased through EastWest Apparel in the UK, and Jamie was a delight to deal with during the process of figuring out the details. I also received some very helpful sizing advice from Neil at Standard & Strange. The pattern appears to be inspired by British WWII-era boots. Here is an example of a vintage C&J specimen. The 1950s-66 Norwegian military boot is also similar. Clinch’s interpretation of this pattern is in my opinion incredibly well-balanced and deliberate, for lack of a better term. There was a certain wow-factor when unboxing these boots that I haven’t had in a while. They are beautifully executed, from upper stitching to sole detailing and finishing. The heel has a very subtle woodsman profile and is trimmed close to the uppers. The curved shape of the rubber half-sole, that I can tell from experience requires a very steady hand and quite a bit of skill, sets it all off. Upon closer inspection, I have found two flaws I did not expect to see on a pair boots in this price range. The only one that actually bugged me a little is the fact that the lining is torn inside the heel cup of the right boot. These boots have a leather heel stiffener, which is presumably wet lasted and glued with paste, where it’s sandwiched between the upper and lining. Clinch uses wooden lasts that have a rougher texture than plastic ones. This combination makes for an area that is prone to abrasion during lasting, but mainly when the last is removed after the boot is finished. Likely the lining tore as the last was “broken” at its hinge and taken out of the boot. I glued the “flaps” down using super glue, which is a common and easy fix. But I would rather not have had the first thing I’d do to the boots be fix them. The second flaw is some funky lasting of the heel seat on the right boot. This doesn’t bother me at all. Makes no difference whatsoever and you only see it up close. Jamie at EastWest is reaching out to Clinch/Brass to see what they have to say about the issues, however, so we’ll see if anything comes of that. I will wear them to hell and back regardless. Sizing and fit This is where it gets interesting. Getting your size right in several of the Japanese makers is extremely confusing. In addition to this, the lasts Clinch use are notorious for being incredibly sculpted in the heel and waist. This is where I have an advantage, since I have a very narrow foot and basically no instep at all. As long as the length is right, I can pretty much wear anything. The exception that confirms the rule is footwear from English makers, where the facings are patterned so that they close together completely without me being able to lace the them up tight enough. No Tricker’s, C&J, EG etc. for me. Since I wanted to get this right, I sent both Jamie at Eastwest and Neil at S&S a long list of how every single pair of stitched shoes and boots I’ve tried fit me. I also shot a bro science album where it's pointed out where my toe ends in a bunch of footwear I own. Previously, Kyle at Baker’s has sized me at 8B/C in the White’s 55 last, or Brannock 8.5-8.75B/C. After a little back and forth, I ended up getting these Clinch boots in what Eastwest Apparel lists as US8.5 in their online store. The box is marked size Clinch 9H, US8H and UK8H, while the boots are stamped 9.5 inside the collar. The “H” is Clinch terminology for “Half”, so 9H is Nine and a Half or 9.5. It would definitely be less confusing and more consistent if the boot was also stamped 9H. Letters in sizing usually refer to width, but in this case it refers to length. I can see how people with wider feet and a higher instep will have troubles with these. The top three eyelets have to be unlaced and the throat opened up completely when I put them on. The act of actually getting the foot inside is interesting. It’s almost as if a vacuum pushes against the bottom of your foot as you push it down, and you get kind of a schwoop effect. For me, the fit is amazing. My foot is firmly held in place in the heel, waist and instep; while there is plenty of toe room. There is no uncomfortable pressure anywhere, and my feet feel very well-supported, almost cradled. I don’t see there being any break-in period even if the uppers are quite firm. The veg tan leather insole has a rather concave shape thanks to the curved shape on the bottom of the last used by Clinch. It’s a very different fit, not comparable to something like Viberg. The closest thing I can think of is probably the Østmo Moe last, which I chose specifically because it fit me so well. That one is more forgiving in the heel and waist though, but still more fitted than something like Vibergs. Shameless self-plug here, my apologies. Summary I’m thrilled to own these! The Graham is a beautiful, classic yet unique boot. They are not without flaws, however, though I hope and expect my experience might be a bit out of the norm. Fit is spot on, aesthetic is fire and materials appear to be of high quality. I can’t wait to see how they age, and will of course post updates as time goes by.
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