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Handmade Beauty Connection
April 9, 2001

A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630
April 9, 2001
Vol. 2, Issue 14

1. HBN Update - HBN Announces New Member Insurance Program!!
2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question ~ win Wild Honey Mesquite and Wild Bluebonnet handmade soap from HBN member Of the Earth Soapworks!!
3. Business Tip of the Week: Create The Life You Love!!
4. Handmade Beauty Product Recipe ~ 1-2-3- Facial Mask

1. HBN Update - HBN Announces New Member Insurance Program!!

For several months, HBN has been conducting negotiations with various insurance companies to create a worldwide insurance program designed specifically to address the unique needs of members of the Handmade Beauty Network. I am pleased to announce that an arrangement has been made with a major insurance/brokerage house to provide insurance for HBN members. There are options for both home-based and non-home-based businesses, and coverage is very competitively priced.

For more information, HBN members click here.

Yesterday, I received a letter from a member who joined HBN last month. I am always so excited when HBN members let us know how much they benefit from our services. This letter is indicative of the personal attention we strive to pay to each individual member every day. The letter reads:

Dear HBN:

I wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed my membership with HBN even in just this short time. Already, I can tell that this is not an organization that you hear from only when it's time to pay dues. The interactive Web site is quite helpful and user friendly too.

Blessings,
Patti Liming, Summer Mountain Herbals

Thanks Patti! It is truly our pleasure to serve you! Patti has a delightful assortment handmade soaps, including the yummy Lemon Ginger Bar which I will review in an upcoming newsletter!

2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question ~ Last week's winner was Sherri McGarry of Arlington, Georgia. Sherri won a bar of "Honestly Herbal" handmade soap by HBN member The Parsonage

Last Week's Question: At the Handmade Toiletries Summit in August in Reston, Virginia, one of the featured speakers is an officer at the FDA's Office of Cosmetics & Colors, which is responsible for enforcing the regulations that apply to cosmetics (among other things). To win this week, state the exact name of the speaker (including middle initial and any other identifying information), and provide the speaker's
exact professional title.

Last Week's Answer: Allen R. Halper, Sr. Compliance Officer, FDA's Office of Cosmetics & Colors. Read more about Mr. Halper and our other featured expert speakers at this link.

This Week's Question: For the past several months, I have featured a series of Power Up! articles in the newsletter. Each article focuses on one of my Power Up! Principles, which are useful to incorporate into your activities to nurture and grow your business. To win this week, name each of the 8 Power Up! Principles.

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win Wild Honey Mesquite and Wild Bluebonnet handmade soap from HBN member Of the Earth Soapworks!!

Please read the contest rules before submitting your entry.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner will be notified by email and their name posted at the link above.

3. Business Tip of the Week

Create The Life You Love!!
by Donna Maria

Yesterday, Tiger Woods became the first golfer in modern history to win 4 professional major tournaments in less than a year. Of course he has natural talent ... who could argue with that? But even he admits that the main reason for his success in golf is the fact that his father set out from his birth to create a professional golfer, and along with that, a life that he, Tiger and his entire family could love.

Regardless of what we may think of the wisdom of ensuring that a child grows up living and breathing one thing, and one thing only, there is no denying the fact that Earl Woods has achieved his goal of creating the life he and his son love. His friends used to laugh at him when Tiger was young and he told them what his son would one day amount to. Mr. Woods has stated that it hurt when he was called the "Little League Father From Hell." Today, he just smiles and says it's OK, "I knew and they didn't."

Do you know something about yourself that others neither know nor understand? Are there people in your life who think you have taken leave of your senses because you have reduced your hours to part time, or even quit your job altogether, to pursue your passion in life and in business?

I know how this feels. When I left my stable, well paying job in a Fortune 500 company in 1995, my dad, most co-workers, company management and several friends told me I had lost my mind. They wondered how someone who seemed to have so much common sense could up and leave a job just as she was reaching the stage where she may be considered for promotion to directorship level, leased luxury cars and bonuses and stock options that would ensure a comfortable retirement.

Well, I knew and they didn't. I am now living my own passion, fulfilling a mission to inspire and encourage others to do the same through We2We (Woman Entrepreneur to Woman Entrepreneur Success Strategies Seminars), and of course, the Handmade Beauty Network. Casting aside fear, doubt and nay-sayers to create the life I love has not always been easy. But it is rewarding and fun, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Do you need a little jump start to help you find what it will take for you to pursue your passion and create the life you love? You'll find it at the Handmade Toiletries Summit & Trade Show where you will be inspired and encouraged by experts in all fields of business management to pursue your passion and create the life you love.

Click here to learn more about the Summit, and start creating the life you love today!

4. Handmade Beauty Product Recipe ~ 1-2-3- Facial Mask

I created this product last week for use at a workshop at Discovery Creek Museum in Washington, DC. Discovery Creek is a non-profit organization that helps inner city children experience, appreciate and become stewards of the environment. I addressed about 40 women on the topic of using aromatherapy in handmade beauty products. Everyone received a sample of this 1-2-3 Natural Clay Mask. (Stay tuned for Strawberry Cream Facial Mask & Cleanser and Grape Grapefruit Face Frappe, 2 other recipes discussed at the workshop, in a future newsletter!) Once again, it was exciting to share how fun and easy it is to create a true aromatherapy product at home using pure, natural ingredients.

1-2-3 Facial Mask (yield: 2-3 applications)*

Ingredients
3 tablespoons China clay (kaolin) or bentonite (you can use substitutes, but these two are the best, especially if you have drier skin. Use green clay for oily skin)
2 tablespoons distilled water
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
EO Combo A - 1 drop rose + 4 drops lavender essential oil
EO Combo B - 3 drops lavender + 2 drops geranium essential oil
*NOTES: use one EO Combo or the other; do not use both. You can increase the ratios to create more product. Use it within a week or so and store in the fridge between uses.

Blending Instructions
Combine the waters and add vegetable glycerin. Stir until well mixed and all glycerin is completely dissolved. Add clay and stir. (I like to use an electric mixer because it often gives a smoother texture. This is especially helpful if you are making this in a large quantity.) Once a smooth, creamy paste is formed, add the essential oils and stir with a pop sickle stick to incorporate. If mixture is too dry, add
a bit more hydrosol or water. If mixture is too wet and not "paste-y" enough, add a bit more clay.

To use, smooth over clean face and neck skin using a spatula or a soft paint brush (feels so good!). Rest for about 10 minutes as mask dries and draws impurities from the skin's surface. Rinse well with warm water. My favorite way to rinse is to saturate a soft cloth with warm water and place it over my face the loosen the mask. Then wipe gently, re-saturating the cloth as needed until all mask has been gently wiped away from the skin. Follow with toner and moisturizer. Some of my favorites are Tea Rose Facial Toner and Golden Skin Rejuvenator.

Two other great moisturizers made by HBN members are: Fine Lines Facial Cream by Essential Restoratives and Lavender Heavy Cream by 310. You can find both by logging onto the member Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory.

If you have a suggested recipe or trivia question you'd like to share, send it to Jenn@HandmadeBeauty.com. If we use either in an upcoming issue, we'll credit you!

Have your ad seen by over 1,790 subscribers! Click here to see why Essential Wholesale says that the returns from their newsletter ad "just keep on coming" and why the Aromatherapy Connection says HBC "is one of the most efficient and cost effective marketing tools we have."

Donna Maria, Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
Jenn Givler, Associate Editor, Jenn@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Handmade Beauty Network | www.HandmadeBeauty.com

Visit the newly designed www.DonnaMaria.com!!