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Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
February 25, 2002
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A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 3, Issue 8

This Week's Sponsor:
---> Aromaleigh Consulting Services <---

Need help "working the web"? Taking better product photos? Refining your logo or company identity? Coming up with effective promotions and marketing ideas? The world of small business on the web (with a small budget) can be daunting. I can help!

I'm proud to announce my new consulting services, to provide personalized assistance to the small business owner with a focus on e-commerce. As a former Saatchi & Saatchi marketing professional, graphic designer/art director, web designer and photographer, I bring together a unique combination of experiences to help you bring your business to a higher level.

As the owner of Aromaleigh, Inc., a successful Internet-based handmade toiletries business, I have five years of experience in dealing with what works and what doesn't. Reasonable consulting rates, multiple hour discounts available!

Please contact Kristen Leigh Bell via email, kbell@aromaleigh.com or visit Aromaleigh.

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing Members & HBN Members On The Move!
2. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com: Two New Recipes This Week!
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win a copy of "Creating An Herbal Bodycare Business" by HBN member Sandy Maine, courtesy of Storey Books!!
4. Create The Life You Love™ Audio Tapes Now Available
5. Create The Life You Love™: Saving Your Business Before It Starts
6. Handmade Beauty Product Recipe: Fairy Whispers Baby Ointment

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members

~ Welcome New HBN Members!

Flower Peddler | Michele Keiper | Virginia
* fizzing bath bombs and other bath time goodies

~ Welcome Renewing HBN Members!!

~ HBN Members On The Move!

Excitement continues to grow for the 5th Annual Southern California Handcrafted Toiletry Makers Conference in May. HBN member Charlon Bobo of Utopian Garden Soap Company, founder and creative director of the SoCal Conference, is making final preparations for the event. Says Charlon, "I can't believe how this event has grown! In 1998, there were 6 attendees. Last year there were 65! It is one of my most favorite activities each year. The time and energy investment in planning is my way of giving to the handcrafted toiletry-making community." You'll want to be sure to reserve your spot for a dynamic group of speakers: Casey Carole Kellar (Rainshadow Labs), Catherine Failor (Milky Way Molds), Mona Eisman (Eisman Marketing Group), Linda Stevens (Upland Soap Factory) and Donna Maria (yours truly, HBN founder and president). Spaces are limited so don't miss out!! Click here for more details.

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings!

2. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com: Two New Recipes This Week!

Healing Balm by Moonsongstress is a new recipe with essential oils for healing scratches.
Fairy Whispers Baby Ointment ... I couldn't resist coming up with another baby product for my little Vanessa Grace. Now that she's nearly 4 months old, I am comfortable introducing her first aromatherapy skincare treatment. We used it for the first time last week after an evening bath. The nice, gently fragranced and easy to make body massage product calms her down and helps prepare her for restful sleep.

When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com, it's easy to buy the ingredients you need to make your goodies by clicking on our Partner links:

Essential Wholesale: natural unscented cosmetic bases, pure essential oils, absolutes, carrier oils such as avocado, virgin coconut, sweet almond, jojoba, shea butter and specialty packaging supplies!

Bramble Berry, Inc.: over 75 different fragrance oils (including their exclusive "Relaxing" and "Rosehip Jasmine"), all soap tested, soap molds and unscented soap bases!

SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their Perfumer's Emporium.

Coming soon!! A Canadian partner for our users north of the border!!

3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: the winner of last week's contest was Leilani Wilson of Paradise, California. Leilani won a copy of "Natural Foot Care" by Stephanie Tourles!

Last Week's Question: I was born in 1896 in Virginia, but raised in Chicago. I began studying cosmetology as a teenager and after I became associated with Madame C. J. Walker, I became a successful beauty culturist. I am credited with inventing the first permanent hair-waving machine used by millions of women of African descent around the world, and I was the first African-American woman to be awarded a patent. I have been called "The Grand Dame of Black Beauty Culture" and I worked diligently throughout much of my life to raise money for historically black colleges. Who am I?

Last Week's Answer: Marjorie Stewart Joyner

This Week's Question: To whom is the following attributed?

"First of all, cultivate a contented spirit. Recollect that nothing so soon fixes disagreeable lines upon the face as habits of scowling, or facial contortions of any description. Keep your soul above the petty trials of life. Look up, my dear friends, and forward. Above the roughness of the earth you will always find a bit of blue somewhere in the firmament, and if you watch patiently you will find a little star of hope trying hard to send you a loving little twinkle of encouragement out of the blackest night. Don't waste your strength losing your temper over small things. We have just so much vital force, each one of us. If we waste it over trifles (and a lot of strength escapes in each angry word), we will not have it for our work or diversion."

To win this week, be the first to provide the name of the person who said the above and win a copy of "Creating An Herbal Bodycare Business" by HBN member Sandy Maine, courtesy of Storey Books.

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner will be notified by email and their name posted at HBN's home page.

4. Create The Life You Love™ Audio Tapes Now Available

Designed to encourage and inspire you to create the life you love! Tapes Now Available at this link:

1. Introduction To Contracts. Hot off the presses, our newest Beauty Call™ audio tape comes with a 10-page sample contract with paragraphs you can edit to suit your needs. In this Beauty Call, Donna Maria, provides an introduction to contracts from a layperson's perspective, along with information you can use when preparing a contract for your business. Among the topics discussed are: (1) what is an enforceable contract; (2) how to prepare your own contract; (3) what things should a contract contain; and (4) what sorts of contracts should you avoid signing.

2. Legal & Regulatory Challenges Facing The Handmade Toiletries Industry Today: Applying Yesterday's Laws To Today's Marketplace. Includes the latest on cosmetics, trademark and Internet law. Perfect for online toiletries and aromatherapy businesses! 2 90-minute tapes. To order, click here.

3. Planning NOT To Fail: How to Prepare A Business Plan That Positions You For Success!! Handmade toiletries/aromatherapy centered business planning tape with tips for making the most of your small business. Selected by the College of DuPage for use in their continuing education aromatherapy course!! 1 60-minute tape. To order, click here.

4. Audio Tapes Of Several HBN Beauty Calls™ are now available, including Aubrey Hampton (natural preservatives & the FDA inspection process), Melody Upham (transitioning from manufacturer to supplier, general business tips) and Kim Baron (how to design and maintain a winning Web site.)

Several other informative tapes are available, creating a library of information you can use to help grow your business! As always, your satisfaction is guaranteed! If your tapes don't benefit you, return them for a full refund. What have you got to lose??!!

For details on these and other tapes, click here.

5. Create The Life You Love™: Saving Your Business Before It Starts
7 Questions I Wish I Had Asked (And Answered) Before Going Into Business For Myself

There are few things more invigorating and challenging than starting a small business. The freedom of setting your own schedule, the joy of winning a new customer, the excitement of giving yourself a well-deserved raise. How I looked forward to these things when I started my first business in 1993. I was working toward leaving my ho-hum (yet financially rewarding) "9 to 5" and looking forward to starting the first aromatherapy shop anywhere where I customized cosmetics for my customers and taught them how to make them themselves. I knew I was doing something significant and I was overjoyed at having found a way to make my hobby into a venture where I could be compensated for my know-how and expertise. But oh!! How I wish I had known the answers to some hard questions before striking out on my own.

In a radio interview a few months ago, I was asked by the host to describe the one question I wished I had asked myself before starting my own business. It was a simple question, but difficult to answer because I could have taken up the entire day describing all of the things I wish I had known before I went into business. I muddled through with a quick answer, but it got me to thinking about all of the lessons I have learned, not only about business, but also about myself.

Over the next several weeks, the Create The Life You Love column will share with you the top 7 questions I wish I had asked and answered before I went into business for myself. The actual list of questions is a lot longer, but these are the top 7 items which I now think would have helped acquaint me earlier on with the world of business ownership, and thus helped me navigate its choppy waters with a little more grace and ease.

Whether you are just starting a business, are thinking about doing so, or even if you already have an established business, these questions can help you gain some insights into who you are and shed light on ways that you can make your business even more successful.

Next Week's Saving Your Business Before It Starts Question: Do I Have Enough Money??!

6. Handmade Beauty Product Recipe: Fairy Whispers Baby Ointment

I couldn't resist coming up with another baby product for my little Vanessa Grace. Now that she's nearly 4 months old, I am comfortable introducing her first aromatherapy skincare treatment. We used it for the first time last week after an evening bath. The nice, gently fragranced and easy to make body massage product calms her down and helps prepare her for restful sleep. And best of all, not only does Vanessa like to be massaged all over with a light layer of this ointment, her caregiver (a woman from Jamaica with a considerable amount of herbal background) also approves! This recipe makes about 2 ounces.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon (about .02 ounces) lanolin
1/2 ounce fractionated coconut oil
1 ounce grapeseed oil
1/4 ounce (about .03 ounces) beeswax
6 drops Fairy Whispers Aromatherapy Blend

Blending Procedure

Step 1. Combine all ingredients except the Fairy Whispers Aromatherapy Blend in a Pyrex measuring cup with a pour spout. Place the cup of ingredients in a hot water bath until the wax is nearly melted.

Step 2. Once the wax is nearly melted, remove the cup from the water bath and stir with a clean utensil to ensure an even mixture. Add the Fairy Whispers Aromatherapy Blend and stir again.

Step 3. Pour into jars and allow to cool before capping.

Fairy Whispers Aromatherapy Blend is a combination of lavender, neroli and Roman chamomile essential oils in these proportions: 80 drops lavender essential oil, 10 drops neroli essential oil and 6 drops Roman chamomile oil. This recipe makes about 1/16 ounce of the blend. Combine the drops of oil in a bottle and shake gently to mix. For best results, allow to stand a few days before using. Fairy Whispers Aromatherapy Blend can also be used as a diffuser blend in the nursery.

Visit The Handmade Beauty Connection Archives.

Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries industry:

HandmadeBeauty.com: the leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com: over 400 suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com: ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com: sound advice for your small business, Create The Life You Love™ Lectures & Workshops
HandmadeBeauty.com: e-greeting cards coming soon!
Handmade Skin Care.com: secure online shopping

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