Unconventional and Out-of-the-Box Gifts for Aquarius
Libertine + VB
I’m a Practicing Herbalist, Botanical Perfumer, Tarotist, product maker, and create immerse events that bring these elements together. My company (Libertine And Viriditas Botanicals) formulates holistic, botanically based beauty, personal care, and wellness products. I also blend a line of niche botanical fragrances, and aromatherapy blends which are inspired by spirit, mysticism, energetics, art, stories, places, and experiences. My specialty is in custom formulation and personalized services of all of the above for individuals, boutiques, and special events such as weddings and birthdays, openings etc. I also offer tarot readings and create aromatic and herbal blends and kits based on astrology, magic and readings for clients. I grow many of the ingredients I use in my products, as well as harvest, process, and formulate synergistically with the seasons, astrological and lunar correspondences. I distill some of my own essential oils, and hydrosols. I love the whole process, working with the plants directly as much as possible, in different ways. I’m particular about sourcing exceptionally high quality ingredients and packaging when outside of my own production. I work as locally as possible, and actively support companies who also have exceptional standards on quality, ethics, and health of people and the planet. I sometimes also offer classes and apprenticeships for people, which typically revolve around plants or mysticism in one form or another from facilitating organic gardening classes, to workshops on botanical perfume blending, product making and cosmetic chemistry, to aromatic distillation, and plant identification.
MORE
I’m a Practicing Herbalist, Botanical Perfumer, Tarotist, product maker, and create immerse events that bring these elements together.
My company (Libertine And Viriditas Botanicals) formulates holistic, botanically based beauty, personal care, and wellness products. I also blend a line of niche botanical fragrances, and aromatherapy blends which are inspired by spirit, mysticism, energetics, art, stories, places, and experiences.
My specialty is in custom formulation and personalized services of all of the above for individuals, boutiques, and special events such as weddings and birthdays, openings etc.
I also offer tarot readings and create aromatic and herbal blends and kits based on astrology, magic and readings for clients.
I grow many of the ingredients I use in my products, as well as harvest, process, and formulate synergistically with the seasons, astrological and lunar correspondences. I distill some of my own essential oils, and hydrosols. I love the whole process, working with the plants directly as much as possible, in different ways. I’m particular about sourcing exceptionally high quality ingredients and packaging when outside of my own production. I work as locally as possible, and actively support companies who also have exceptional standards on quality, ethics, and health of people and the planet.
I sometimes also offer classes and apprenticeships for people, which typically revolve around plants or mysticism in one form or another from facilitating organic gardening classes, to workshops on botanical perfume blending, product making and cosmetic chemistry, to aromatic distillation, and plant identification.
ABOUT
LGBTQ business owner and single mom of two (27 &17), I’ve been a practicing Community Herbalist since around 2003, after I graduated herb school here in Austin. I started my first company, Viriditas Botanicals, in 2011. Viriditas product line was based on the most popular botanical remedies I made for family and clients in my herbal practice over the years. People liked them so much I started selling certain items regularly enough to start a company.
My business has evolved over the course of time, while my practice, products, and services have continued to showcase the art and magic that plants hold to support holistic wellness body, mind, and soul.
I’ve always been deeply connected to the natural world, plant medicine, mysticism. A total plant nerd, I wholeheartedly believe in connecting people to the energy and magic of plants in whatever way I can.
I was always the kid who made potions and experiments, learning the how and why of things both physical and mystically. I started reading tarot and got into my own solitary spiritual practice in my early teens. I’m also pretty DIY, so I think my product lines were a natural progression once I went to school for herbal medicine and started making basic herbal extracts and products.
Last year I rebranded and created my second line, Libertine which has more esoteric and energetic items added, as well as botanical perfumes and tarot readings. I currently focus most of my time on the Libertine boutique apothecary products and our custom services for events but I still have both lines available.
The name Viriditas was coined by a German benedictine nun named Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century. A fascinating and extraordinary Christian mystic, healer, artist, poet, musician, whose work and influence was profound. Viriditas, which is Latin for Green Life, was her philosophy on the Divine vital life force found in nature and plants and their healing power on people. I resonated with that concept and took it on as tribute.
Libertine as a second brand concept evolved over time, after I started coming into my own, and my kids started growing up. I began learning a whole new level of who I am, refining what I wanted to offer and put out into the world. Libertine is all about liberation, freedom. In my case part of the free expression of myself and journey into a different, more creative, empowered part of life.
Libertine’s brand has had more emphasis on esoteric blending, aromatics, concepts and experiences than Viriditas, which is much more practical and utilitarian. With Libertines offerings I’m able to be more creative in the total experience; product, design, message.
I like having fun with these concepts and find it interesting how juxtaposed in origin the names of my companies came to be, and as places in my life.
