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Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
November 18, 2002
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---> This Week's Sponsor <---

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




New!! Emulsifying Wax!  Perfect for emulsifying your creams and lotions. Our vegetable emulsifying wax comes in pastille form for easy measuring and melting! $5.95 per pound

New!! Blackberry Sage FO! This scent is really in demand now! An unusual blend of ripe blackberries with pungent sage notes. If you like red clover tea you will love this one as well. $23.60 per pound!

Terrific holiday scents! Bayberry Spice | Mistletoe | Peppermint | 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!!
2. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question:  win a 2-ounce bottle of Rose Bulgaria Peppermint Spritz!!
3. Join Me In France Next Summer!!
4. New At MakeYourCosmetics.com: Donna Maria's Dry Skin Sundae
5. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Some Goodies From Terra Soleil

~ Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!

The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, Inc. | Ohio
* renewing member; trade association promoting the handcrafted soap industry and circulating information beneficial to soap makers

Creation Herbal Products | Anne Sangemino | North Carolina
* essential oils and supplies, recipes, herbs, soap making supplies, herbal remedies, herbal skin care and more

Magic Hands Workshop | Jackie McDade | California
* handmade bodycare

Rabbit's Run | Norma Faye McCabe | Washington
* handmade soap made in the woods of western Washington

Salty Siren | Tammy Hart | California
* handmade bodycare

Hope's Wish | Deborah Salsa | California
* an assortment of handmade aromatherapy and bath products, with profits donated to Parkinson's disease research

The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, Inc. | Ohio
* renewing member; trade association promoting the handcrafted soap industry and circulating information beneficial to soap makers.

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

Last Week's Question: In an article in the October 2002 issue of Soap and Cosmetics magazine, HBN member Dennis Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale revealed 5 ingredients that compose their Natural Preservative Blend. What are the ingredients?

Last Week's Answer: neem, tocopherol, tea tree, grapefruit seed extract and rosemary extract

This Week's Question: The US Food & Drug Administration encourages cosmetics manufacturers to participate in a program designed to, among other things, inform them personally when they are using ingredients in their products which are harmful and should be removed from product use. What is the exact name of the program? 

The first person to submit the correct answer will win a 2-ounce bottle of Rose Bulgaria Peppermint Spritz, courtesy of HBN member Botanical Skin Works!

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!

Donna Maria's Dry Skin Sundae is a truly fabulous thing for dry skin in wintertime. You might have to save up a little for some of the essential oils but they are well worth the extra investment!

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!

Every now and then, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be in a position to try so many wonderful handmade beauty products from around the world. A few weeks ago, I spent a few minutes organizing my stash, and noticed that there were a few products that I had not tried yet. There they were all nestled in their containers, waiting for my thirsty skin. As always, it was hard to choose, but I finally settled on some goodies from HBN member Terra Soleil ... ... and I'm glad I did!

Plumeria Creme Body Cover
6 oz. | $25.00

The ingredients in this creme are simple, yet they include two of my all time favorites: shea butter and silk. How decadent is this stuff?!! If you ever thought you could use a creme that you felt would also make a suitable medium to fill up a pool and simply dive into, this would be the one. It's almost weightless, yet rich enough to provide my skin with substantial moisture and hydration without leaving a greasy or slick feeling behind. During the very dead of winter, my skin tends to enjoy something a little heavier than this, but when I want something light and soothing, Plumeria Creme Body Cover is a good choice for me. Terra Soleils' Creme body Cover is also available in Lavender and Sandalwood-Vanilla.

Lemon Ylang Body Balm
4 oz. | $18.50

One of the best things about being alive is being able to enjoy the deep, exotic, rich, heady aroma of ylang ylang essential oil. In this Lemon Ylang Body Balm, it is absolutely divine!! Made with shea butter (always yum!) and base oils of jojoba, almond, hemp and virgin coconut, along with just enough beeswax to make keep it from being runny, this product has a definitive salve-like quality. The phrase that immediately comes to mind is "extremely intense and rich". For the driest skin, which mine often is this time of year, this treatment gives a super emollient feeling. And although the balm is very oily, it does not make me feel like my pores are being strangled. I like to use a lot of it at a time, especially after warm bath before bedtime when my skin can absorb all of the nutrients overnight. I massage it especially liberally into my feet and once last week, I slept in thick socks. I woke up with newly minted soft heels. I even run a bit through my and my daughter's hair now and then to help keep our frizzies (unfortunately she inherited mine!) in check. The Body Balms are also available in Lavender, Citrus Blossom and others so there is something for everyone!

You can get Plumeria Creme Body Cover, Lemon Ylang Body Balm and other delish goodies from HBN member Terra Soleil, where Karen Schmeider makes these and other products using the "inherent power of nature in essential oils and herbs".