diff --git a/src/graphql-schema.spec.js b/src/graphql-schema.spec.js
index e61130fe3..463d91af2 100644
--- a/src/graphql-schema.spec.js
+++ b/src/graphql-schema.spec.js
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
-import { create, cleanDatabase } from './seed/factories'
+import Factory from './seed/factories'
 import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken'
-import { testServerHost as host, authenticatedHeaders } from './jest/helpers'
+import { host, login } from './jest/helpers'
 import { GraphQLClient, request } from 'graphql-request'
 
+const factory = Factory()
+
 beforeEach(async () => {
-  await create('user', {
+  await factory.create('user', {
     email: 'test@example.org',
     password: '1234'
   })
 })
 
 afterEach(async () => {
-  await cleanDatabase()
+  await factory.cleanDatabase()
 })
 
 describe('login', () => {
@@ -28,7 +30,10 @@ describe('login', () => {
   describe('ask for a `token`', () => {
     describe('with valid email/password combination', () => {
       it('responds with a JWT token', async () => {
-        const data = await request(host, mutation({ email: 'test@example.org', password: '1234' }))
+        const data = await request(host, mutation({
+          email: 'test@example.org',
+          password: '1234'
+        }))
         const { token } = data.login
         jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET, (err, data) => {
           expect(data.email).toEqual('test@example.org')
@@ -39,21 +44,23 @@ describe('login', () => {
 
     describe('with a valid email but incorrect password', () => {
       it('responds with "Incorrect email address or password."', async () => {
-        try {
-          await request(host, mutation({ email: 'test@example.org', password: 'wrong' }))
-        } catch (error) {
-          expect(error.response.errors[0].message).toEqual('Incorrect email address or password.')
-        }
+        await expect(
+          request(host, mutation({
+            email: 'test@example.org',
+            password: 'wrong'
+          }))
+        ).rejects.toThrow('Incorrect email address or password.')
       })
     })
 
     describe('with a non-existing email', () => {
       it('responds with "Incorrect email address or password."', async () => {
-        try {
-          await request(host, mutation({ email: 'non-existent@example.org', password: 'wrong' }))
-        } catch (error) {
-          expect(error.response.errors[0].message).toEqual('Incorrect email address or password.')
-        }
+        await expect(
+          request(host, mutation({
+            email: 'non-existent@example.org',
+            password: 'wrong'
+          }))
+        ).rejects.toThrow('Incorrect email address or password.')
       })
     })
   })
@@ -76,7 +83,7 @@ describe('CreatePost', () => {
       let headers
       let response
       beforeEach(async () => {
-        headers = await authenticatedHeaders({ email: 'test@example.org', password: '1234' })
+        headers = await login({ email: 'test@example.org', password: '1234' })
         client = new GraphQLClient(host, { headers })
         response = await client.request(`mutation {
         CreatePost(
diff --git a/src/jest/helpers.js b/src/jest/helpers.js
index cb86bf785..ff6a535e2 100644
--- a/src/jest/helpers.js
+++ b/src/jest/helpers.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import { request } from 'graphql-request'
 
-export const testServerHost = 'http://127.0.0.1:4123'
+// this is the to-be-tested server host
+// not to be confused with the seeder host
+export const host = 'http://127.0.0.1:4123'
 
-export async function authenticatedHeaders ({ email, password }, host = testServerHost) {
+export async function login ({ email, password }) {
   const mutation = `
       mutation {
         login(email:"${email}", password:"${password}"){
diff --git a/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js b/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
index 7a5eacfce..a22f2bb72 100644
--- a/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
+++ b/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
-import { create, cleanDatabase } from '../seed/factories'
-import { testServerHost as host, authenticatedHeaders } from '../jest/helpers'
+import Factory from '../seed/factories'
+import { host, login } from '../jest/helpers'
 import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request'
 
+const factory = Factory()
+
 describe('authorization', () => {
   describe('given two existing users', () => {
     beforeEach(async () => {
-      await create('user', {
+      await factory.create('user', {
         email: 'owner@example.org',
         name: 'Owner',
         password: 'iamtheowner'
       })
-      await create('user', {
+      await factory.create('user', {
         email: 'someone@example.org',
         name: 'Someone else',
         password: 'else'
@@ -18,28 +20,28 @@ describe('authorization', () => {
     })
 
     afterEach(async () => {
-      await cleanDatabase()
+      await factory.cleanDatabase()
     })
 
     describe('access email address', () => {
       let headers = {}
-      const action = async (headers) => {
+      let loginCredentials = null
+      const action = async () => {
+        if (loginCredentials) {
+          headers = await login(loginCredentials)
+        }
         const graphQLClient = new GraphQLClient(host, { headers })
-        return graphQLClient.request(`{
-          User(name: "Owner") {
-            email
-          }
-        }`)
+        return graphQLClient.request('{User(name: "Owner") { email } }')
       }
 
       describe('not logged in', async () => {
         it('rejects', async () => {
-          await expect(action(headers)).rejects.toThrow('Not Authorised!')
+          await expect(action()).rejects.toThrow('Not Authorised!')
         })
 
         it('does not expose the owner\'s email address', async () => {
           try {
-            await action(headers)
+            await action()
           } catch (error) {
             expect(error.response.data).toEqual({ User: [ { email: null } ] })
           }
@@ -47,30 +49,33 @@ describe('authorization', () => {
       })
 
       describe('as owner', () => {
-        it('exposes the owner\'s email address', async () => {
-          headers = await authenticatedHeaders({
+        beforeEach(() => {
+          loginCredentials = {
             email: 'owner@example.org',
             password: 'iamtheowner'
-          })
-          expect(await action(headers)).toEqual({ User: [ { email: 'owner@example.org' } ] })
+          }
+        })
+
+        it('exposes the owner\'s email address', async () => {
+          await expect(action()).resolves.toEqual({ User: [ { email: 'owner@example.org' } ] })
         })
       })
 
-      describe('as someone else', () => {
+      describe('authenticated as another user', () => {
         beforeEach(async () => {
-          headers = await authenticatedHeaders({
+          loginCredentials = {
             email: 'someone@example.org',
             password: 'else'
-          })
+          }
         })
 
         it('rejects', async () => {
-          await expect(action(headers)).rejects.toThrow('Not Authorised!')
+          await expect(action()).rejects.toThrow('Not Authorised!')
         })
 
         it('does not expose the owner\'s email address', async () => {
           try {
-            await action(headers)
+            await action()
           } catch (error) {
             expect(error.response.data).toEqual({ User: [ { email: null } ] })
           }
diff --git a/src/middleware/slugifyMiddleware.spec.js b/src/middleware/slugifyMiddleware.spec.js
index b8e74cd7f..aaa09d29a 100644
--- a/src/middleware/slugifyMiddleware.spec.js
+++ b/src/middleware/slugifyMiddleware.spec.js
@@ -1,41 +1,48 @@
-import { create, cleanDatabase } from '../seed/factories'
-import { testServerHost as host, authenticatedHeaders } from '../jest/helpers'
+import Factory from '../seed/factories'
+import { host, login } from '../jest/helpers'
 import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request'
 
-let client
+let authenticatedClient
 let headers
+const factory = Factory()
+
 beforeEach(async () => {
-  await create('user', { email: 'user@example.org', password: '1234' })
-  headers = await authenticatedHeaders({ email: 'user@example.org', password: '1234' })
-  client = new GraphQLClient(host, { headers })
+  await factory.create('user', { email: 'user@example.org', password: '1234' })
+  await factory.create('user', { email: 'someone@example.org', password: '1234' })
+  headers = await login({ email: 'user@example.org', password: '1234' })
+  authenticatedClient = new GraphQLClient(host, { headers })
 })
 
 afterEach(async () => {
-  await cleanDatabase()
+  await factory.cleanDatabase()
 })
 
 describe('slugify', () => {
   describe('CreatePost', () => {
     it('generates a slug based on title', async () => {
-      const response = await client.request(`mutation {
+      const response = await authenticatedClient.request(`mutation {
         CreatePost(
           title: "I am a brand new post",
           content: "Some content"
         ) { slug }
-      }`, { headers })
+      }`)
       expect(response).toEqual({ CreatePost: { slug: 'i-am-a-brand-new-post' } })
     })
 
     describe('if slug exists', () => {
       beforeEach(async () => {
-        await create('post', {
+        const asSomeoneElse = await Factory().authenticateAs({
+          email: 'someone@example.org',
+          password: '1234'
+        })
+        await asSomeoneElse.create('post', {
           title: 'Pre-existing post',
           slug: 'pre-existing-post'
-        }, { headers })
+        })
       })
 
       it('chooses another slug', async () => {
-        const response = await client.request(`mutation {
+        const response = await authenticatedClient.request(`mutation {
           CreatePost(
             title: "Pre-existing post",
             content: "Some content"
@@ -46,7 +53,7 @@ describe('slugify', () => {
 
       describe('but if the client specifies a slug', () => {
         it('rejects CreatePost', async () => {
-          await expect(client.request(`mutation {
+          await expect(authenticatedClient.request(`mutation {
               CreatePost(
                 title: "Pre-existing post",
                 content: "Some content",
@@ -61,9 +68,9 @@ describe('slugify', () => {
 
   describe('CreateUser', () => {
     const action = async (mutation, params) => {
-      return client.request(`mutation {
+      return authenticatedClient.request(`mutation {
         ${mutation}(password: "yo", ${params}) { slug }
-      }`, { headers })
+      }`)
     }
     it('generates a slug based on name', async () => {
       await expect(action('CreateUser', 'name: "I am a user"'))
diff --git a/src/seed/factories/index.js b/src/seed/factories/index.js
index 6eed8a397..fef83ff55 100644
--- a/src/seed/factories/index.js
+++ b/src/seed/factories/index.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export const cleanDatabase = async (options = {}) => {
   }
 }
 
-export default function factoryFun (options = {}) {
+export default function Factory (options = {}) {
   const {
     neo4jDriver = getDriver(),
     seedServerHost = 'http://127.0.0.1:4001'
diff --git a/src/seed/seed-db.js b/src/seed/seed-db.js
index df5126329..58984b12a 100644
--- a/src/seed/seed-db.js
+++ b/src/seed/seed-db.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import factoryFun, { create, relate } from './factories'
+import Factory, { create, relate } from './factories'
 
 /* eslint-disable no-multi-spaces */
 (async function () {
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ import factoryFun, { create, relate } from './factories'
     ])
 
     const [ asAdmin, asModerator, asUser, asTick, asTrick, asTrack ] = await Promise.all([
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'admin@example.org',     password: '1234' }),
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'moderator@example.org', password: '1234' }),
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'user@example.org',      password: '1234' }),
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'tick@example.org',      password: '1234' }),
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'trick@example.org',     password: '1234' }),
-      factoryFun().authenticateAs({ email: 'track@example.org',     password: '1234' })
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'admin@example.org',     password: '1234' }),
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'moderator@example.org', password: '1234' }),
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'user@example.org',      password: '1234' }),
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'tick@example.org',      password: '1234' }),
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'trick@example.org',     password: '1234' }),
+      Factory().authenticateAs({ email: 'track@example.org',     password: '1234' })
     ])
 
     await Promise.all([