Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
May 17, 2004

 -->This Week's Sponsor <--

Lisa founded Carol's Daughter with $100 in cash and the boldness to believe she could turn her cosmetics making hobby into a thriving enterprise. At my Beauty Brunch, Lisa will share 3 Secrets Of Sweet Success and inspire us with her amazing journey to female entrepreneur extraordinaire!! * includes your free autographed copy of Lisa's freshly published book, "Success Never Smelled So Sweet"! * learn Lisa's 3 Secrets Of Sweet Success! * develop new business relationships * strengthen existing ones | network! network! network! HBN Members Enjoy 10% discount!! For Directions, Information & To Register, download our PDF registration form here. (If Adobe Acrobat is not installed on your computer, download it free here.)

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Member!
2. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Golden Foot Spa
3. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: win some fantastic handmade soap!
4. The Lifestyle CEO™: The Balance Myth
5. The Big Beauty Breakdown: Strawberry Slush By Fresh Body Market

Silk'n Shea | Joena Buchholz | Oregon
* renewing member: soaps, balms, body lotion and beautiful gift packages; no synthetic fragrance or color

Parisian's Pure Indulgence, Inc. | Kelli Parisian | California
* treatments to refine, resurface and rejuvenate the skin with nutrients provided by nature

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.

Last Week's Question: Many HBN members include goat milk in their soap. Why? A variety of reasons I am told, among them that certain naturally occurring ingredients in goat milk are good for the skin. One such ingredient helps rejuvenate and naturally exfoliate the top layer of skin. To win this week, name that ingredient.

Last Week's Answer: lactic acid (alpha hydroxy acid was also acceptable)

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win some fantastic handmade soap!

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!

\Life.Style CEO\n.  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.

OK, I've been reading with great interest all of the articles and some of the books that share tips on how to manage our busy lives as business owners who also have families, friends and other interests that need attention. And the word I hear most in this regard is balance. I see these books with pictures of a mother sitting at her laptop focused on some customer issue while a perfectly behaved 2-year old looks over her shoulder, content to sit and watch mommy work, not having the slightest inclination to write on the floor (there are circles in magic marker on mine), talk on the phone (there are chubby fingerprints (belonging to 2-year old pictured with me at left) on every receiver in the office -- phone and fax) or climb up the bookshelves (there's dirt from tennis shoes on a few of the shelves.) As If!! Have you ever tried to complete an office project with a 2-year old in the room? It seems to me that we need is a healthy dose of reality here. Join me over the next several weeks as we discuss The Balance Myth.

When I think of balance, I picture a weighing device with identical amounts of weight on each side so that one side is never either higher or lower than the other. A dictionary defines balance as, among other things, the "cancellation of all forces by equally opposing forces". HA!! Is life ever like that?!! Are the forces always equal? I don't think so! Can I ever "cancel" my kids so I can work all day? By the same token, can I ever annul my business so that I can go for a walk with my children? Can I forget about my husband's needs and desires so that I can spend the evening with my girlfriends? Can I cross out about my girlfriends so that I can spend every Saturday night with my husband? The answer is a resounding NO!

I used to strive for balance literally because that's what society seemed to be demanding of me. That is, "be a good mom and a good wife, with a thriving business, all the while giving each the precise amount of attention they deserve at all times." Phoey! Giving pretty much equal parts of myself to pretty much everything at pretty much all times has not been possible for me. Maybe it's just as unrealistic for you??

I have come to my senses. I have chucked The Balance Myth out the window in favor of what I consider to be both attainable and realistic. Instead of balance, I strive for this: organization of the various priorities of my life in order to have as much fun and professional fulfillment as possible. In sum, I Organize For Fun & Fulfillment.

Join me over the next several Lifestyle CEO™ installments as we examine the attainable antidote to The Balance Myth. We'll discuss Organization For Fun & Fulfillment, and I'll describe exactly what this means in practical terms. Installments will include:

1. Family Is Not Always First
2. Help Yourself By Letting Others Help You
3. Be Prepared --- For Everything To Go Wrong
4. Schedule Priorities & Track Progress

*The Lifestyle CEO column was formerly known as "Create The Life You Love."

I was on my way up the escalator at Nordstrom, headed with deliberation and speed to the women's department so I could buy a much needed business suit. I'm half way there, when I turn my head and see a cosmetics counter on the first floor loaded with red-capped products that looked handmade. Talk about a magnet! I was sucked in faster than a mosquito approaching a chunk of exposed flesh. Forget clothes! There's a new handmade beauty product in Nordstrom's!!

The "slush" in the name of this product is perfect because it is nothing if not gooey. But that's not a bad thing if you're in shower and have the luxury of scooping up a bunch at a time and scrubbing away. The strawberry chunks with some seeds are barely perceptible on my skin since they are pretty small overall. The smell is fantastic though and it lathered quite well and left me feeling pretty in pink and smelling fresh, fruity and ready for the picking!

HBN members read more about this product here.