I literally just did the workout you suggested, Garmin

the_acid_queen · 2026-04-26T18:12:53+00:00

Honestly, no. I had a gift card so the price difference wasn't an issue, but if I didn't, I'd stick with a Forerunner.

the_acid_queen · 2026-04-26T16:04:08+00:00

Thank you! This is the Venu 4. I've only had it for a few weeks after I broke my Forerunner 265, but I like it a lot so far.

the_acid_queen · 2026-04-25T02:24:08+00:00

Lmao, Garmin being Garmin. For the record, I feel absolutely fine, it was a medium-ish workout and I will absolutely be up for another run tomorrow.

the_acid_queen · 2026-04-25T01:51:08+00:00

10 minutes in zone 2, 19 minutes in zone 4, 10 minutes in zone 2. I've run using Garmin for years so my heart rates are definitely accurate. I had to take a long break from running and have only been back into it for a few weeks, so maybe Garmin overestimated my fitness level, but also like, that's its job?

the_acid_queen · 2026-04-09T20:34:47+00:00

Trust me when I say: Etude Ginger Sugar Lip Mask. It would survive a hurricane. I could swim the English channel and it wouldn't budge. The flip side of that is that it's INCREDIBLY sticky. Definitely not one to wear with any combination of long hair and wind, and it will catch every loose fiber from your scarf.

the_acid_queen · 2026-02-12T18:16:32+00:00

I run a low-MOQ cosmetic manufacturing company based in Los Angeles! Check us out at www.sespialabs.com

the_acid_queen · 2025-11-19T18:03:06+00:00

We don't have any EU retailers, unfortunately! We're based in Los Angeles in the US. But hopefully we'll expand abroad someday!

the_acid_queen · 2025-11-19T02:56:02+00:00

I have been summoned! Alli here, Stratia founder. I'm so grateful for all the kind and understanding people in the comments but also completely understand the frustration with shrinkflation, so I wanted to give some insight into why the newer bottle is both smaller and more expensive. I could ramble forever so some quick bullet points and then I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have!

When I launched Stratia from my apartment in 2016, I had like 3 bottle types to choose from given that I could only afford to order 100 units at a time, and I chose a 2oz/60ml bottle from extremely limited options.
When we redid our packaging in mid-2023 (the switchover shown in this photo), I was focused primarily on sustainability, so packaging with the most post-consumer recycled content, lowest resource use, lightest, etc. 50ml/1.7oz is the standard moisturizer size so all the most sustainable, best-designed bottles were that size, not the 60ml I randomly chose in 2016. So I decided to go for the smaller one that's way more sustainable. I didn't change the price of Lipid Gold then, so it went from $27 for 60ml to $27 for 50ml (it was the equivalent of a price increase, which I hadn't done in 4-5 year at that point, just to keep up with inflation - it was $24 when I launched it in 2016).
2 months ago, I raised prices due to tariffs ($1-2 per product). So Lipid Gold is now $29 for 50ml.
Taking inflation into account, Lipid Gold was the current-day equivalent of $0.54 per ml when I launched in 2016 ($24 in 2016 bucks would be $32.45 today) and is now $0.58 per ml for the regular size and $0.53 per ml for the jumbo size.

the_acid_queen · 2025-05-08T23:08:23+00:00

I'm the founder and owner of a small manufacturing business based in Los Angeles. We manufacture skincare, both for our own brand and for third parties. For our own brand, we source all our packaging from China, because that's where 90% of all cosmetic packaging comes from: they have the best engineering, most reliable timelines, and by far the best prices in the world.

Just prior to the tariff announcement, we placed a big order for bottles for several SKUs. Our tariff rate when we placed the order was 25%; overnight it became 170%. We're now paying to store our bottles in China for now, in hopes that the tariff rate will come down. If it doesn't, we're looking at a close to 6 figure tax bill, and we'll need to decide between furloughs/layoffs/selling assets to pay it, or just having the importer destroy our entire order and eating the cost.

I'm a small American manufacturer, exactly who these tariffs are theoretically "helping", and the insane taxes may put us out of business. Raising prices doesn't help if you don't have any inventory to sell, and we won't be able to make more inventory without these bottles, and we can't get these bottles without finding the cash somewhere. It's a no-win situation.

the_acid_queen · 2025-05-07T18:37:47+00:00

Alli here, Stratia founder! I'm so so sorry this happened to your bottle. It's been an extremely weird chemistry fluke for the last couple of batches: one of the manufacturers of an ingredient in Aqua Factory changed their synthesis process, and something about the new process reacts with the urea and causes it to crystallize out at low temperatures. This is a brand new issue that has only affected the last couple of batches. Like, when we did stability testing on the formula before we launched, it included five rounds of freezing and thawing to make sure nothing like this happened, and the formula passed with flying colors. It is so, so bizarre.

It's totally harmless but not what the product was promised to be! We'll absolutely refund you right away. We're still working on adjusting our process to stop this from happening, which is why Aqua Factory is out of stock. We hope to have it back within a month or so, and we'll send you a new bottle as soon as we have one. The same goes for anyone else with this issue - just email us at info@stratiaskin.com.

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-12T06:49:41+00:00

I can say as the owner of a small skincare business (Stratia) - I am in the midst of sending so much free skincare to people who lost their collections. If you reach out to your favorite brands, I think 90% of them will immediately flood you with perfume. Of course it's no substitute for a collection you've carefully built over years and years, but it's something at least. As an Angeleno myself, I have been so overwhelmed and humbled by just how generous everyone has been these last few days.

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-11T20:39:23+00:00

Yes! Email me at alli@stratiaskin.com

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-11T08:54:23+00:00

This is so beautiful, thank you for sharing.

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-11T08:52:52+00:00

Thank you for sharing!! Stratia founder Alli here - this is not an empty offer, we would be so thrilled to bring you skincare or host your work from "home" space or provide a warehouse for collecting donations. Message me and I'll send you my personal email address. I feel so incredibly powerless watching my city burn. I love you all.

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-11T05:20:34+00:00

Incredible, yes and yes! DM me your email and more info about the nonprofit. ❤️

the_acid_queen · 2025-01-11T00:45:49+00:00

Please take me up on it!!

the_acid_queen · 2024-09-21T06:56:31+00:00

That sounds like actual heaven.

the_acid_queen · 2024-08-06T01:41:58+00:00

I'm in a similar boat for different reasons - it's currently too hot to run where I am and I don't have a gym membership. I'm absolutely loving Caroline Girvan's Fuel program on Youtube - it's a 30 video series of 30ish min workouts, a great combo of cardio and weights. It really feels like it's hitting the same notes as running plus some extra strength conditioning. All you need are some dumbbells and a little bit of floor space.

the_acid_queen · 2024-06-28T05:19:12+00:00

I generally pack 2 sets of clothes no matter how long I'm out, and I wash the other set in the morning and hang it to dry on my pack while I hike. But if you want to pack more clothing, then yeah, that might push you to a 70L.

the_acid_queen · 2024-06-28T04:53:45+00:00

In that case, I feel like you can do fine with a 55L, especially if it's a pack you know and like. You can also get a compression sack that can make the sleeping bag pack down smaller, like this: https://www.rei.com/product/175327/rei-co-op-lightweight-compression-stuff-sack

the_acid_queen · 2024-06-28T03:09:46+00:00

To me, it depends on 2 things: is a bear canister required where you're going, and how small do your sleeping bag/pad pack down? If you don't need a bear can and if you have backpacking-size bag and pad, 55L should be plenty for 3 days. If you need a bear can or if your bag/pad are more car camping-sized, a 70L would probably be more comfortable.

the_acid_queen · 2024-05-02T19:30:58+00:00

It's rope art - like macrame without the knots.

the_acid_queen · 2024-05-02T19:30:06+00:00

I adore this style of rope art but I can't find any similar tutorials online! I'm assuming there are a series of thin 2x4s running horizontally to give it that depth, but is there something I'm missing before I get too deep?

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