Handmade Beauty Connection A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
April
4,
2005
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 6, Issue 14
To subscribe, click here.
1.
IBN
Update: Welcome New
& Renewing IBN Members!!
2.
IBN's Beauty Call On Getting Your Products In Natural Products Stores
Was A Huge Success!
3.
Feature Article: A Busy Bee: A Member Buzzes About Her Newest
Project
4.
Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week:
Orange Glass Shiner
5.
Beauty & The Business
Trivia
Question: win a
Indie Beauty Network Mouse Pad!
1.
IBN
Update: Welcome New
& Renewing IBN Members!!
5-Year Renewing Members!
All this year, HBC will highlight members who are renewing for their 5th straight year of membership! Our 5-Year Renewing Members joined IBN in 2000 and have this week renewed their memberships for a 5th year without interruption. I am eternally grateful to all IBN members, but especially these who put their faith in IBN in the early days when there was no track record and no one was sure it would last. I'm excited to say that IBN has lasted and so have these members! Please visit their websites. Be inspired and buy something new and delicious just for you!
SandPea Herbal Soaps and
Botanicals | Sandra Posey | Maryland
* Sandpea Herbal Soap's philosophy is that you should spoil yourself,
pamper yourself and take the very best care of yourself on a daily basis -
not just on special occasions. With your well-being in mind, we have put
together a beautifully fragrant assortment of gourmet body soaps, rich,
fluffy body mousses, thick and creamy body butters, and much, much more!
With the help of our skin-loving bath and body treats you can create your
own pampering paradise right in the privacy of your own home!
Renewing Members!
Berkshire Butter Company |
Erica Shrader | Virginia
* Rooibos Infusions Skin Care Collection and other natural products for
general well-being
Naikid,
Inc., Melissa Naval | New Jersey
* a fusion of natural and essential
elements, our naked soaps are handmade from scratch in small batches
Brookline Cosmetics | Gail
Brook | Colorado
* an anti-oxidant, anti-aging additive that can be added to any personal skin care product to make it
perform like a $150/oz. product
New Members!
Lisé Botanicals | Elise
and Leonard Pearlstine | Florida
* customized handmade, all-natural
soaps and lotions with essential oil blends
IBN Members On The Move!!
Traci Vanover of The Creative Concept is excited to invite you all to the Midwest Soap and Candle Bee in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 11, 2005. The Theme is "Fresh Ideas -- Fresh Outlook" and I'll be the keynote speaker -- hope to see you there! (IBN members, put "IBN OFFER" in the shopping cart comments to get your FREE spa CD when you register!)
The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference will be in Pittsburgh, PA, on April 27 - 30! Enjoy their theme, "Transitions For Growth -- Reaching Your Goals." Speaker topics Master Soapmaking classes, Merchandising & Customer Service, Teaching Soapmaking in West Africa, Trademarks, Copyrights & Patents and more! Click here for details!
Learn more about our members and
their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through
IBN'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.
IBN's Beauty Call On Getting Your Products In Natural Products Stores Was A
Huge Success!
"The Beauty Call was fantastic. I took away
a lot of great information. Just the first ten minutes was worth its weight
in gold!" Nancy Underwood, Ancient
Oracle Soap Co., Maine
"VERY informative and
enlightening."
Luci Weston, Holly Woods 'N Vines. New Jersey
"It was great!! I am looking forward to
the next one."
Susan Svec, Susan's
Soaps and More, Texas
We learned so much from Melanie Melia of Wildfire Sales about how products get onto the shelves of natural products stores -- how much commission is standard, tips on negotiating a contract with a sales rep, what stores are looking for in natural products, how to deal with shelf life issues and so much more! Our guest was gracious enough to extend a one-time FREE product review to every member on the call!
This was our most popular and well attended Beauty Call ever with over 30 members on the call!
If you missed it, you can purchase a download here. Discount For IBN Members!
3. Feature Article: A Busy Bee: A Member Buzzes About Her Newest Project
If
you have enjoyed the Handmade Beauty Connection even for a short period of time,
you know that it is my mission to provide a forum where IBN members and other
participants in our growing industry can find a network of people who can
inspire and encourage them to greater heights, both in life and in business. Our
publication, now in its sixth year (and preparing to launch a print
edition!) has as one of its main priorities to provide a voice for people
who are pursuing their professional goals while also remaining committed to
enjoying the most fulfilling and well-rounded personal and family lives
possible. Witnessing people do this and providing some tools to help them along
their way is one of the joys of my life. That's why it is always such a pleasure
to devote newsletter space to telling fun "Lifestyle CEO™*" stories.
Last week's story focused on a member's triumph over significant family health adversities to launch a line of of lavender-based products now sold in hundreds of stores around the country. If you missed Marilyn's story, you can enjoy it here). This week, I'm pleased to present an interview with Traci Hayner Vanover, another new IBN member whose visions are becoming reality through the coordination of an industry-based gathering, the Midwest Soap & Candle Bee, scheduled for June 11, 2005.
dM: Well, Traci. It's seems entirely
fitting that your gathering is called a "Bee," since you are such
a busy one! Tell me, where did you get the idea for the Bee?
Traci: Yes, I am quite busy, and you know, conferences aren't really a new
idea. I have attended several gatherings over the past few years both as a
speaker and as an attendee. I was inspired to host an event that would serve
our client base and focus on resources that will help both hobbyists and
small business owners in our industry.
dM: As you say, there have been and
continue to be several soap and candle related gatherings and conferences
around the country each year. Tell me, how will yours be different from
those?
Traci: I think that all such gatherings share
some basic commonalities, and certainly the Handcrafted
SoapMaker's Guild [also an IBN member] has set the standard.
Our event will not cater specifically to soapers, or to chandlers (candlemakers).
Instead, we have put together a program that offers valuable
information and resources to appeal to a wide variety of handcrafted
specialties.
dM: Who are
the speakers and topics that you think are most interesting and valuable?
Traci: We are thrilled with all of them! For a first year event, we are
fortunate to have assembled such a wonderful group of industry leaders to
share their talents and expertise with us. Attendees
will walk away from this event armed with tools and strategies that they can
readily implement in their own businesses.
dM: Are you planning to make this an
annual event?
Traci: We’d love
nothing more! The idea of an
event of this scale, being offered in the
dM:
What is your background and how is it proving helpful to you as you
plan the event?
Traci: My background is in marketing and advertising.
Back in my college days, I was the educational and social programmer
for 30 campus residence halls. In
recent years, I’ve hosted a breast cancer awareness fundraiser, and worked
closely with our local chamber of commerce here in Fort Wayne on several
large-scale events. These skills have
definitely come into play, and have been a real asset in planning this
event.
dM:
Are you using the assistance of any other people or service providers to
help make your event a success?
Traci: We have managed to plan this event with the help of some dear friends
in the industry – Susan Apito of Eastbury
Design Studio [an IBN member] and Rebekah Bailey at the Soap
Dish [also an IBN member]. Both
of these ladies have been with me since Day One, and they have been a
tremendous help!
dM:
What types of people are you expecting?
Traci: I think that this event will attract both hobbyists and business
owners alike. While most of these
types of events are attended primarily by women, we do have several men
registered. Our master of ceremonies,
John, is hoping that more men will join us!
dM:
Tell me more about the dinner theater event where your master of ceremonies
will be "killed." That sounds fun and is definitely unique.
Traci: We wanted to have something to help keep attendees engaged throughout
the day. Being seated for hours
at a time can be tiresome. The
Murder Mystery component of our event will involve short “clues”
throughout the day, which will provide information as to who has murdered
John, our master of ceremonies. We’ll
be offering a special prize to the person who solves the mystery!
dM:
What other things would you like for people to know about the Midwest Soap
& Candle Bee?
Traci: We are still adding speakers and demonstrations. We are hoping to
offer a wine tasting mixer the evening before the event, provided that we
receive sponsorship to underwrite the costs. We
do not wish to require an additional ticket purchase.
dM: It sounds like a fun and exciting event is shaping up. Of course I'm so excited to be the Keynote Speaker and really looking forward to meeting and sharing with other likeminded people. You are such a bundle of energy Traci! Thank you for your time. I have no doubt that the Soap & Candle Bee will be exciting and fun for all. May your Bee always buzz!
If you are interested in learning more about the Soap & Candle Bee and perhaps even securing your own ticket, I would love to meet you there! Click here to find out more information and to register, or call Traci at (877) 300-6296.
*A Lifestyle CEO is a term I coined to identify a person who owns and manages a business, not solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards of entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun."
4. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Orange Glass Shiner
Orange
Glass Shiner polishes any glass or mirror to a lovely shine. Enjoy the
pleasant aroma too -- which makes it seem like you're not cleaning at all. (Well
almost!)
When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com, it's easy to buy the ingredients you need by clicking on our Selected Supplier links:
Essential
Wholesale: pure essential oils, over 200 cosmetic bases, hundreds
of carrier/fixed oils such as meadowfoam, cranberry, jojoba and shea
butter plus a new Short Run Private Labeling Program!
Bramble
Berry, Inc.: over
105 different fragrance and essential oils (including their exclusive
"Energy" and "Relaxing"), 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 new Perfumer's Emporium.
The Scent Shack: fragrance oils and soap supplies. Fragrance oils are pre-tested in cold process, melt & pour soap, and candles, and test results are listed at the Web site. Scents tested by soapers for soapers!
From Nature With Love: over 1,600 ingredients and supplies, including cosmetic ingredients, spa supplies, bath accessories and packaging supplies!
5. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: win a Indie Beauty Network Mouse Pad!
Last Week's Question:
ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease in honor of a man who played baseball for the New York Yankees, and whose career was cut short by the disease. He attended Columbia University on a scholarship, not for baseball, but for this sport.Last Week's Answer: football (Due to a typographical error in last week's question, all answers were disqualified but the reader who pointed out the typo and submitted an answer first won a prize anyway -- just for being so helpful and forgiving!)
This Week's
Question: As you know, IBN's first book, "The Handmade Beauty
Cookbook: Do-It-Yourself Beauty Secrets & Secrets From Members of the
Indie Beauty Network" was published in late November 2004. We had 1,000
copies printed and there are less than 200 left (so get yours today!) Several
IBN members are featured in the book, along with their great recipes and a bit
about their handmade beauty businesses. IBN's website
lists several members who are selling the book through their websites and retail
stores. To win this week, state which one of those members sells 20-ounce, clear
PETE plastic, non-breakable bail & wire jars suitable for holding body
scrubs and muds.
Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win the Indie Beauty Network Mouse
Pad, pictured lat left!
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's name will be announced in the next newsletter!
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:
450+ 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™
Have your ad seen by nearly 5,000 opt in subscribers! ! Click here to see why Essential Wholesale says that the returns from their newsletter ad "just keep on coming," and why The Scent Shack says, "Our sponsorship of The Handmade Beauty Connection went over very well, we had a huge number of hits on the day the newsletter was published, plus we got quite a few new customers."
Donna Maria, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Indie Beauty Network | www.HandmadeBeauty.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2005 by The Indie Beauty Network (IBN) and Donna Maria. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized distribution or reproduction is prohibited. IBN does not necessarily endorse any product, event or ideology featured in The Handmade Beauty Connection (HBC) or on IBN's website. All information is provided on an "as is" basis and no express or implied warranties are given. Any use of the information contained in the HBC or on IBN's Web site, including Recipes, is solely at your own risk. IBN and Donna Maria disclaim any liability in connection with the use of all recipes, products reviewed and other information. Except for sponsorships, HBC refuses compensation from companies to feature or mention their names or products. Opinions expressed in any Product Review are personally those of the reviewer and do not represent the views of IBN, Donna Maria (unless she is the reviewer) or any other person or company.
