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Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
October 14, 2002
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This Week's Sponsor: The Scent Shack

Visit The Scent Shack to see what's new! We pride ourselves in bringing you the best quality supplies for your toiletries creations!




New!! Spearmint Essential oil! Botanical name Mentha Spicata, this oil is perfect for blending or all by itself! $24.35 per pound

New!! 1/2 ounce slip tins, perfect for lip balms or solid perfumes - only 60 cents each!

Terrific holiday scents! Pumpkin Patch | Mistletoe | Cranberry | Spiced Plum | Mulberry | Hazelnut and more!

* Reasonable prices | no minimums!!
* discounts on orders of $40 and up!!

The Scent Shack | 10 West State St, Geneva, IL 60134
(630) 845-8931 | Email: info@thescentshack.com

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members & HBN Members On The Move!!
2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question:  win 16 ounces of apricot kernel oil!!
3. Join Me In France Next Summer!!
4. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com: Peppermint Orange Foot Glow Scrub
5. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Rose Bulgaria/Peppermint Spritz

~ Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!

Moon Lore Herbals | Susan E. Smith | Texas
* renewing member; quality herbal products for the body including body care, facial care and bath products

Good Ideas, LLC | Edwin Bickel | Florida
* homemade hair spray kits ... make your own using household ingredients; perfect for the chemically sensitive

~ HBN Members On The Move!

Two HBN Members Open Retail Stores!

HBN member Bonnie Quaintance of From The Earth is pleased to announce the opening of Soapworks and More, her new retail store in Truckee, California! It is in the historic Train Depot right downtown and there is a nice amount of foot traffic. We weren't exactly expecting the AMOUNT of traffic though, because sales are going quite well. We now have a complete line of shampoos, conditioners, lotions and cremes as well as other spa-based items like masks, scrubs, etc.

And

HBN member Marge Clark of Nature's Gift has just informed me that she has opened a retail store in Madison, Tennessee, longtime home of her companion online business. Carrying everything from her usual stock of aromatic oils and books to natural jewels, native pottery and crafts, Marge says that the focus of the "bricks and mortar" will be the same as the focus on the e-commerce outlet: physical, emotional and spiritual healing. If you're lucky enough to be in the Madison area, you must stop in and say hello. 

HBN Member Add To Extensive Raw Materials Products Line!

HBN member Dennis Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale tells me about a few fabulous new products just added to their extensive line. Meadowfoam seed oil at great prices, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamin A ..  just to name a few, and just in time for you to experiment so you can be gorgeous for all those holiday parties!

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory!!

This Week's Question: US Food & Drug Administration regulations recommend that all antiperspirants, a type of cosmetic-drug, contain a particular caution with respect to their use. To win this week, state the precise working of the recommended caution and the specific section of the regulations where the caution can be found.

Be the first to answer this week's question and win 16 ounces of apricot kernel oil, courtesy of HBN member Essential Wholesale!

Please read the contest rules here 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 HBN's home page.

Join me in France next summer from June 3 to June 8 where Aroma Tours'® Jim and Robbi Zeck will serve just a few HBN members this fabulous treat! Jim and Robbi have years of experience composing successful tours to France, Bali, Turkey and other exotic and aromatic destinations around the world! You won't want to miss this opportunity!

There are some spaces left so be sure to check out the links of great photos so you can see what you're in for when you come with us!

To view the full itinerary, click here! To register, click here!

This trip presents a wonderful opportunity for HBN members to enjoy a working vacation and we encourage all business owners to check with their tax professionals to make sure that they receive whatever tax benefits are available as a result of this trip to see first hand how some of the ingredients used in your products are manufactured!

Check the entire itinerary here.

Aroma Tours has set up a special page at their Web site for HBN members to register! Join us for this fabulous trip!

If you have any questions about the trip, just email me!

Don't your feet work hard enough to get a regular serious pampering workout? If so, you'll be able to whip up this Peppermint Orange Foot Glow Scrub in a flash and your workhorse feet will thank you!

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 80 different, fully tested fragrance oils (including the exclusive "Relaxing" and "Energy" blends), over 250 soap molds, essential oils and unscented bases.

Lynden House International, Canadian supplier of soap and candlemaking supplies such as fixed oils, perfumes, essential oils, molds, powdered milks, colors, pre-made bases, candle wax, wicks, embeds and more!

Rose Bulgaria/Peppermint Spritz
2 oz. | $10.00

In my years as an aromatherapy expert and handmade beauty product junkie, I have combined a lot of different aromatics to create a variety of synergies and scent combinations. Though I rarely mix fragrance oils with essential oils, I remember what a pleasant surprise it was once in my store a long time ago when a customer insisted that mix a teaspoon of cucumber fragrance oil with a teaspoon of a prize shipment of Mysore sandalwood. I could not convince her to forgo her little experiment and I was pleasantly surprised that the combination, while a little strange to me, was not half bad. For the next several months, I was customizing her lotions and body oils with Mysore and cucumber ... an odd combination that made her heart sing. Who was I to complain? She was paying and I was mixing. Everyone was happy.

That's why when I saw the label on the bottle of Rose Bulgaria/Peppermint Spritz, I could not imagine that I would really like it. Roses and peppermint. Hmmmm ... I didn't think it would smell bad but I had never thought to combine rose with peppermint, preferring to blend it with more exotic things like orange blossom, ylang ylang and frankincense. But just as before, I was pleasantly surprised at the combination, especially how delicate it was even with the peppermint.

Rose Bulgaria/Peppermint Spritz is a really soothing, refreshing blend of the two essential oils. I'm not sure what else is in the product (the label doesn't say ... though it should!) but I detect there may be some rose hydrosol. The lightest addition of peppermint makes it cooling without being overwhelming. On my Wednesday evening walk last week with my daughter and a neighbor friend, I took some with me and my friend really enjoyed the refreshing intermittent spritzes as we endured the unusually high heat and humidity around here! It helped us breathe more deeply, filling out lungs with more fresh air than we probably otherwise would have and making the heat seem a bit less oppressive.

You can get Rose Bulgaria/Peppermint Spritz and other goodies from HBN member Baltimore's Best Bath & Body.